Feasibility study of fast neutron energy spectrometer using magnetic field

A feasibility study of a fast neutron energy spectrometer (NES) using magnetic field was performed for development of a spectrometer having a measuring range of 3 decades and a covered energy range of 8 decades. The NES that is a kind of proton recoil spectrometer consists of a proton radiator, a magnet and a screen to detect protons. The pass of each charge particle flying into the magnetic field is deflected with a certain angle depending on the velocity of the particle, and it reaches the screen of charged particle detection after passing through the magnetic field. The energy of the particle is measured from the position on the screen at which the particle collide with. In this paper, optimization of the magnet geometry and the magnetic field intensity of the NES are discussed. The NES that is designed with the optimized geometry provides the measuring range of 3 decades with an energy measuring error of less than ±9%. A neutron energy range of 9 decades from 0.1 (eV) to 100 (MeV) is covered by adjusting the magnetic flux density. (author)