Pyroelectric neutron generator for calibration of neutrino and dark matter detectors

International Conference on Particle Physics and Astrophysics

Chepurnov, A.S.^1 ; Ionidi, V.Y.^1 ; Ivashchuk, O.O.^2 ; Kubankin, A.S.^2,3 ; Oleinik, A.N.^2 ; Shchagin, A.V.^2,4

Skobeltsyn Institute of Nuclear Physics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia^1

Laboratory of Radiation Physics, Belgorod State University, Belgorod, Russia^2

Lebedev Physical Institute, Moscow, Russia^3

Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology, Kharkov, Ukraine^4

关键词: Dark matter detectors;    Low background detectors;    Mode of operations;    Neutron generators;    Pyroelectric crystals;    Residual gas;    Residual gas pressure;    X ray radiation;   

Others  :  https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/675/3/032031/pdf
DOI  :  10.1088/1742-6596/675/3/032031

来源: IOP

【 摘 要 】

Pyroelectric crystals, such as LiNbO3or LiTaO3being under influence of a temperature gradient can produce an electric field up to 105kV/cm. It was experimentally confirmed that a crystal installed in a chamber with a residual gas pressure of about 1 mTorr could be used to generate X-Ray radiation with an energy up to 100 keV The same setup could be used to generate s 2.45 MeV neutrons if the target is deuterated and residual gas is D2. Due to such properties as On/Off mode of operation and the absence of radioactive materials, pyroelectric neutron generators seem to be a promising tool for calibration of neutrino and dark matter and other low background detectors. We propose the application of the controlled pyroelectric neutron generator for calibration of such detectors.