IREN and GELINA, complementary neutron sources

The main features of the pulsed white neutron source IREN being under construction at the JINR are discussed and compared with those of the GELINA source (IRMM, Geel, Belgium). The IREN source will consist of the 100 MeV electron linac with average power of 10 kW and a neutron multiplying booster target with a multiplication factor of about 15. The average neutron output will be about 9 x 1014 n/s at the neutron burst width of about 400 ns and the pulse repetition rate typically reaching 200 pulses per second. It is shown that the two facilities compared nicely complement each other, with the IREN source being superior at low neutron energies, whereas the GELINA source wins at higher neutron energies due to its superior time resolution. The cross-over point is roughly at 0.5 keV. 15 refs., 2 tabs., 4 figs