Digital neutron–gamma discrimination with scintillators: An innovative approach

In this paper, a digital neutron–gamma discrimination (DNGD) method with an NE213 scintillator has been proposed in which the anode pulse is divided into two different pulses, one representing the amplitude and the other characterizes the DNGD. Then the two pulses are summed up after travelling through delay and mixer circuits to form an input pulse for sampling in analog–to–digital converter (ADC). The discrimination tests have been performed with an 8–bit digital storage oscilloscope (DSO) as ADC and ²⁴¹Am–Be neutron source, whereas the Fourier method has been used to derive the discrimination characteristic. The results confirm the fast performance and efficiency of proposed method. - Highlights: • A digital n–γ discrimination (DNGD) method with an NE213 scintillator has been proposed. • The anode pulse is divided into two pulses, one for amplitude and the other for DNGD characterizations. • The two pulses are summed up after delay and mixing to form an input pulse for an ADC. • The DNGD results confirm the fast performance and efficiency of proposed method.