A fast neutron detector is being developed to measure the cosmic ray neutron flux in order to measure soil moisture. Soil that is saturated with water has an enhanced ability to moderate fast neutrons, removing them from the backscatter spectrum. The detector is a two-element, liquid scintillator detector. The choice of liquid scintillator allows rejection of gamma background contamination from the desired neutron signal. This enhances the ability to reconstruct the energy and direction of a coincident neutron event. The ability to image on an event-by-event basis allows the detector to selectively scan the neutron flux as a function of distance from the detector. Calibrations, simulations, and optimization have been completed to understand the detector response to neutron sources at variable distances and directions. This has been applied to laboratory background measurements in preparation for outdoor field tests.
This paper defines a process for selecting dosimetry-quality cross sections. The recommended cross-section evaluation depends on screening high-quality evaluations with quantified uncertainties, down-selecting based on comparison to experiments in standard neutron fields, and consistency checking in reference neutron fields. This procedure is illustrated for the {sup 23}Na(n,{gamma}){sup 24}Na reaction.
Thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs), particularly CaF{sub 2}:Mn, are often used as photon dosimeters in mixed (n/{gamma}) field environments. In these mixed field environments, it is desirable to separate the photon response of a dosimeter from the neutron response. For passive dosimeters that measure an integral response, such as TLDs, the separation of the two components must be performed by postexperiment analysis because the TLD reading system cannot distinguish between photon- and neutron-produced response. Using a model of an aluminum-equilibrated TLD-400 (CaF{sub 2}:Mn) chip, a systematic effort has been made to analytically determine the various components that contribute to the neutron response of a TLD reading. The calculations were performed for five measured reactor neutron spectra and one theoretical thermal neutron spectrum. The five measured reactor spectra all have experimental values for aluminum-equilibrated TLD-400 chips. Calculations were used to determine the percentage of the total TLD response produced by neutron interactions in the TLD and aluminum equilibrator. These calculations will aid the Sandia National Laboratories-Radiation Metrology Laboratory (SNL-RML) in the interpretation of the uncertainty for TLD dosimetry measurements in the mixed field environments produced by SNL reactor facilities.