Preliminary analysis of neutron time-delay histograms from Changvan latitude surveys

The name "Changvan" is given to a transportable neutron monitor, modernized by researchers in Thailand and housed inside a standard-size shipping container. It contains three neutron-sensitive proportional counters, which contain enriched ¹⁰BF₃ gas, to detect cosmic ray showers. Primary cosmic rays are high-energy particles arriving from outer space. By colliding with atoms in the atmosphere, they produce a shower of sub-atomic particles, called secondary particles. Some particles can reach the Earth's surface, including neutrons. The Changvan is designed to measure atmospheric neutrons during a latitude survey. The side counter tubes are ringed with lead producer to produce evaporation neutrons when secondary particles collide with it. The center counter lacks the lead producer but can receive neutrons from nearby counters. The reflector and moderator made from polyethylene thermalize the evaporation neutrons and protect against disturbance by external low-energy neutrons. In this work, we pursue methods to determine spectral changes in Galactic cosmic rays using data from the Changvan, avoiding the systematic inconsistencies of cross-station comparisons. We examine neutron time delay histograms from the three counter tubes, as recorded by specially designed readout electronics, where the time delay refers to the time interval between consecutive neutron detections in one counter. We perform a preliminary analysis of such histograms to measure the leader fraction (L) of neutrons that do not follow a previous neutron from the same primary cosmic ray. The electronic dead time will be considered in the L calculation. (paper)