Superconducting Gamma/Neutron Spectrometer Task 1 Completion Report Evaluation of Candidate Neutron-Sensitive Materials

Bell, Z.W. ; Lamberti, V.E.

Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant

关键词: Specific Heat;    Spectrometers;    Cryogenics;    Fast Neutrons;    Debye Temperature;   

DOI  :  10.2172/804539
RP-ID  :  Y/DX-2490 R1
RP-ID  :  AC05-00OR-22800
RP-ID  :  804539

美国|英语

来源: UNT Digital Library

【 摘 要 】

A review of the scientific literature regarding boron- and lithium-containing compounds was completed. Information such as Debye temperature, heat capacity, superconductivity properties, physical and chemical characteristics, commercial availability, and recipes for synthesis was accumulated and evaluated to develop a list of neutron-sensitive materials likely to perform properly in the spectrometer. The best candidate borides appear to be MgB{sub 2} (a superconductor with T{sub c} = 39 K), B{sub 6}Si, B{sub 4}C, and elemental boron; all are commercially available. Among the lithium compounds are LiH, LiAl, Li{sub 12}Si{sub 7}, and Li{sub 7}Sn{sub 2}. These materials have or are expected to have high Debye temperatures and sufficiently low heat capacities at 100 mK to produce a useful signal. The responses of {sup 10}B and {sup 6}Li to a fission neutron spectrum were also estimated. These demonstrated that the contribution of scattering events is no more than 3% in a boron-based system and 1.5% in a lithium-based system. This project is concerned with the development of materials for use in a cryogenic neutron spectrometer and is complementary to work in progress by Labov at LLNL to develop a cryogenic gamma ray spectrometer. Refrigeration to 100 mK lowers the heat capacity of these materials to the point that the energy of absorbed gamma and x rays, nuclei scattered by fast neutrons, and ions from (n, {alpha}) reactions produce a measurable heat pulse, from which the energy of the incident radiation may be deduced. The objective of this project is the discovery, fabrication, and testing of candidate materials with which a cryogenic neutron spectrometer may be realized.