A telescope proton recoil spectrometer for fast neutron beam-lines

Abstract

Fast neutron measurements were performed on the VESUVIO beam-line at the ISIS spallation source using a new telescope proton recoil spectrometer. Neutrons interact on a plastic target. Proton production is mainly due to elastic scattering on hydrogen nuclei and secondly due to interaction with carbon nuclei. Recoil protons are measured by a proton spectrometer, which uses in coincidence a 2.54 cm thick YAP scintillator and a 500μm thick silicon detector, measuring the full proton recoil energy and the partial deposited energy in transmission, respectively. Recoil proton spectroscopy measurements (up to Ep = 60 MeV) have been interpreted by using Monte Carlo simulations of the beam-line. This instrument is of particular interest for the characterization of the ChipIr beam-line at ISIS, which was designed to feature an atmospheric-like neutron spectrum for the irradiation of micro-electronics.