Characterisation of a BC501A compact neutron spectrometer for fusion research

Abstract

The compact neutron spectrometer used at the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak is characterised to obtain its response matrix. This paper describes the characterisation procedure and the derived response matrix, based on a campaign at the PTB ion accelerator facility (PIAF) and on the subsequent time-of-flight (TOF) analysis of neutrons from a field with a broad energy distribution. The response of mono-energetic neutrons generated at the PIAF is used as reference for the TOF analysis. The detector's response functions for spectrum deconvolution are obtained by Gaussian broadening of the simulated responses to fit the experimental ones, using a maximum-entropy ansatz. In this way, the response functions are smooth enough to ensure a reliable unfolding of pulse height spectra into neutron emission spectra, which provide information on the fast ion velocity distribution in neutral beam heated tokamak plasmas.