Study on neutron energy spectrum measurement utilizing PGNAA technology

Neutron spectrometry measurements are of great significance to many fields, such as Boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) and neutron radiation protection, etc. As neutrons are particles without charge, it is necessary to detect the ionizing particles or gamma-rays produced by reactions of neutrons with nuclides. Prompt gamma-rays are emitted following thermal neutron capture and fast neutron inelastic scattering reactions. Through measuring the energies and intensities of the prompt gamma rays, the nuclides and their amounts can be identified and calculated. Alternatively, if the sampled composition is known, because the reaction cross-sections are varied with neutron energy, the intensities of prompt gamma-rays carry the information about incident neutron energy spectrum. (authors)