Effective exploitation of a geyser bubble-chamber equipment as a background-free fast neutron detector

R. Bertoni; G. Bruno; N. Burgio; M. Corcione; L. Cretara; M. Frullini; W. Fulgione; G. Palmerini; A. Quintino; N. Redaelli; A. Santagata; D. G. Sorrenti; E. A. Vallicelli; L. Zanotti

doi:10.1140/epjc/s10052-021-09800-7

2024 Impact factor 4.8

Particles and Fields

Open Access

Eur. Phys. J. C (2021) 81: 1028
https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-021-09800-7

Regular Article - Experimental Physics

Effective exploitation of a geyser bubble-chamber equipment as a background-free fast neutron detector

R. Bertoni¹, G. Bruno²^,6, N. Burgio³^,4^,5, M. Corcione⁴^,5^d, L. Cretara⁴, M. Frullini⁴, W. Fulgione⁶^,7^g, G. Palmerini⁸, A. Quintino⁴^,5, N. Redaelli¹, A. Santagata³^,4^,5, D. G. Sorrenti¹^,9, E. A. Vallicelli¹ and L. Zanotti¹^,10

¹ INFN, Sezione di Milano - Bicocca, P.za della Scienza 3, 20126, Milan, Italy
² New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
³ ENEA, Centro Ricerche Casaccia, Via Anguillarese 301, 00123, Rome, Italy
⁴ DIAEE, Sapienza Università di Roma, Via Eudossiana 18, 00184, Rome, Italy
⁵ INFN, Sezione di Roma La Sapienza, P.le Aldo Moro 2, 00185, Rome, Italy
⁶ INFN, LNGS, Via G. Acitelli 22, 67100, Assergi, L’Aquila, Italy
⁷ INAF, Osservatorio Astrofisico di Torino, 10025, Pino Torinese, Turin, Italy
⁸ SIA, Sapienza Università di Roma, Via Salaria 851, 00138, Rome, Italy
⁹ Dip.Inform., Sist. e Comunic., Università di Milano - Bicocca, viale Sarca 336, 20126, Milan, Italy
¹⁰ Dip. di Fisica, Università di Milano - Bicocca, P.za della Scienza 3, 20126, Milan, Italy

^d massimo.corcione@uniroma1.it
^g walter.fulgione@lngs.infn.it

Received: 22 June 2021
Accepted: 2 November 2021
Published online: 25 November 2021

Abstract

The MOSCAB equipment, a geyser-concept bubble-chamber originally thought for the search of dark matter in the form of WIMPs, is employed for the detection of fast neutrons. Once the background-free operating conditions are determined such that the detector is sensitive only to neutrons, which occurs when the neutron energy threshold required for nucleation is higher than approximately 2.5 MeV, the detector response to fast neutrons is investigated using a $^{241}$ ${^{241}}$ AmBe neutron source. Sets of detection efficiency functions are then produced via Monte Carlo simulations and post-processing, their validation being performed experimentally and discussed. Finally, the use of the detector to measure the fast neutron activity of very weak n-sources in low neutron background environments, as well as to monitor the cosmic ray variations through the neutron component of the Extensive Air Showers, is considered.

© The Author(s) 2021

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