A facility for measurements of nuclear cross sections for fast neutron cancer therapy

A facility for measurements of neutron-induced double-differential light-ion production cross-sections, for application within, e.g., fast neutron cancer therapy, is described. The central detection elements are three-detector telescopes consisting of two silicon detectors and a CsI crystal. Use of ΔE-ΔE-E techniques allows good particle identification for p, d, t, 3He and alpha particles over an energy range from a few MeV up to 100 MeV. Active plastic scintillator collimators are used to define the telescope solid angle. Measurements can be performed using up to eight telescopes at 20 deg. intervals simultaneously, thus covering a wide angular range. The performance of the equipment is illustrated using experimental data taken with a carbon target at En=95 MeV. Distortions of the measured charged-particle spectra due to energy and particle losses in the target are corrected using a newly developed computer code. Results from such correction calculations are presented