Dosimetric characteristics of reactor neutron beams for radiobiological applications

Dosimetric characteristics of neutron beams in the biological channel of IBR-2 pulsed fast neutron reactor were studied. Experiments were performed in beams shielded by 10mm of B4C, as well as behind combinations of polyethylene and lead filters of two different thicknesses. Studies were realized with thimble-type paired (TE - and Al-) ionization chambers, thermoluminescent and solid state nuclear track detectors. For ionization chambers, special attention was paid to current saturation corrections in pulsed beams with instantaneous dose rates up to several Gy.s-1. Some interesting features were observed. Results obtained show that one can realize in biological channel mixed neutron-gamma beams with variable and interesting characteristics for radiobiological applications. Values of dosimetric characteristics obtained by different methods are compared, analyzed, and discussed