Response Functions of a BC501 Scintillation Detector for Neutrons Up to 41 MeV

摘要

Using time-of-flight and pulse-shape discrimination techniques, the response functions of a 5-cm-long by 5-cm diam BC501 liquid organic scintillation detector were measured for nearly monoenergetic neutrons at 43 energies between 2 and 41 MeV. Absolute normalization of the neutron pulse-height distributions for energies less than 31 MeV was performed by matching the largest pulse-height regions, the proton-recoil plateaus, of the distributions to Monte Carlo calculations of the detector response. The remaining distributions were normalized through comparison of experimental and calculated integral efficiencies. The 32 BC501 neutron response functions at energies between 2 and 22 MeV agree well with published response functions of a 4.60-cm-long by 4.65-cm-diam NE213 scintillation detector when simple corrections are applied for differences in density, composition, size, and normalizing cross-sectional area between the detectors. This set of BC501 response functions is to be used for construction of a detailed response matrix for unfolding neutron pulse-height distributions up to energies of 41 MeV. With simple scale adjustments, the response functions can also be used for unfolding pulse-height distributions acquired with an equal-sized NE213 scintillation detector. (JHD)