Pyroelectric neutron generator for calibration of neutrino and dark matter detectors

Abstract

Pyroelectric crystals, such as LiNbO3 or LiTaO3 being under influence of a temperature gradient can produce an electric field up to 105 kV/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.