Scintillators and Cherenkov detectors for the registration of 10.8 MeV gamma rays

The identification of nitrogen by neutron activation has been utilized in both explosive detection and in-vivo metabolic analysis. The 10.8 MeV gamma ray line emitted by thermal neutron capture provides a unique signature, however, due to its high energy its registration is non-trivial. Conventional approaches have used large dense inorganic scintillators which inevitably entail considerable expense. We examine the capabilities of arrays of smaller scintillation detectors and the use of glass Cherenkov detectors as an alternative. (paper)