Portable neutron detector using Ce:LiCaAlF6 scintillator

Abstract

We fabricated a prototype portable neutron detector using a Ce:LiCaAlF6 (Ce:LiCAF) scintillator and evaluated its basic performance. The weight of the fabricated detector including the battery is 800 g, significantly less than that of the conventional portable neutron detector, which weighs more than 5 kg. The neutron sensitivity of the fabricated detector is evaluated to be 2.3 cps/(μSv/h), comparable to that of the conventional detector. The gamma-ray intrinsic detection efficiency is evaluated to be less than 10-6. The gamma-ray sensitivity is sufficiently low under ordinary circumstances. The expected count rate of the error counting due to the pile-up effect of gamma-ray-induced events is confirmed to be less than the background count rate for an incident gamma-ray rate of less than 104 gammas/s.