Pushing the high count rate limits of scintillation detectors for challenging neutron-capture experiments

Abstract

One of the critical aspects for the accurate determination of neutron capture cross sections when combining time-of-flight and total energy detector techniques is the characterization and control of systematic uncertainties associated to the measuring devices. In this work we explore the most conspicuous effects associated to harsh count rate conditions: dead-time and pile-up effects. Both effects, when not properly treated, can lead to large systematic uncertainties and bias in the determination of neutron cross sections. In the majority of neutron capture measurements carried out at the CERN n_TOF facility, the detectors of choice are the C6D6 liquid-based either in form of large-volume cells or recently commissioned sTED detector array, consisting of much smaller-volume modules. To account for the aforementioned effects, we introduce a Monte Carlo model for these detectors mimicking harsh count rate conditions similar to those happening at the CERN n_TOF 20 m flight path vertical measuring station. The model parameters are extracted by comparison with the experimental data taken at the same facility during 2022 experimental campaign. We propose a novel methodology to consider both, dead-time and pile-up effects simultaneously for these fast detectors and check the applicability to experimental data from 197Au(n, gamma), including the saturated 4.9 eV resonance which is an important component of normalization for neutron cross section measurements.

This work has been carried out in the framework of a project funded by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (ERC Consolidator Grant project HYMNS, with grant agreement No. 681740). This work was supported by grant ICJ220-045122-I funded by MCIN/AEI/10.130 39/501100011033 and by European Union NextGenerationEU/PRTR. The authors acknowledge support from the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación under grants PID2019-104714GB-C21, PID2022- 138297NB-C21 and the funding agencies of the participating institutes. The authors acknowledge the financial support from MCIN and the European Union NextGenerationEU and Generalitat Valenciana in the call PRTR PC I+D+i ASFAE/2022/027.

Article signat per 132 autors/es: J. Balibrea-Correa, J. Lerendegui-Marco, V. Babiano-Suarez, C. Domingo-Pardo, I. Ladarescu, A. Tarifeño-Saldivia, G. de la Fuente-Rosales, V. Alcayne, D. Cano-Ott, E. González-Romero, T. Martínez, E. Mendoza, A. Pérez de Rada, J. Plaza del Olmo, A. Sánchez-Caballero, A. Casanovas, F. Calviño, S. Valenta, O. Aberle, S. Altieri, S. Amaducci, J. Andrzejewski, M. Bacak, C. Beltrami, S. Bennett, A.P. Bernardes, E. Berthoumieux, R. Beyer, M. Boromiza, D. Bosnar, M. Caamaño, M. Calviani, D.M. Castelluccio, F. Cerutti, G. Cescutti, S. Chasapoglou, E. Chiaveri, P. Colombetti, N. Colonna, P. Console Camprini, G. Cortés, M.A. Cortés-Giraldo, L. Cosentino, S. Cristallo, S. Dellmann, M. Di Castro, S. Di Maria, M. Diakaki, M. Dietz, R. Dressler, E. Dupont, I. Durán, Z. Eleme, S. Fargier, B. Fernández, B. Fernández-Domínguez, P. Finocchiaro, S. Fiore, V. Furman, F. García-Infantes, A. Gawlik-Ramikega, G. Gervino, S. Gilardoni, C. Guerrero, F. Gunsing, C. Gustavino, J. Heyse, W. Hillman, D.G. Jenkins, E. Jericha, A. Junghans, Y. Kadi, K. Kaperoni, G. Kaur, A. Kimura, I. Knapová, M. Kokkoris, Y. Kopatch, M. Krtička, N. Kyritsis, C. Lederer-Woods, G. Lerner, A. Manna, A. Masi, C. Massimi, P. Mastinu, M. Mastromarco, E.A. Maugeri, A. Mazzone, A. Mengoni, V. Michalopoulou, P.M. Milazzo, R. Mucciola, F. Murtas, E. Musacchio-Gonzalez, A. Musumarra, P. Negret, P. Pérez-Maroto, N. Patronis, J.A. Pavón-Rodríguez, M.G. Pellegriti, J. Perkowski, C. Petrone, E. Pirovano, S. Pomp, I. Porras, J. Praena, J.M. Quesada, R. Reifarth, D. Rochman, Y. Romanets, C. Rubbia, M. Sabaté-Gilarte, P. Schillebeeckx, D. Schumann, A. Sekhar, A.G. Smith, N.V. Sosnin, M.E. Stamati, A. Sturniolo, G. Tagliente, D. Tarrío, P. Torres-Sánchez, E. Vagena, V. Variale, P. Vaz, G. Vecchio, D. Vescovi, V. Vlachoudis, R. Vlastou, A. Wallner, P.J. Woods, T. Wright, R. Zarrella, P. Žugec

Postprint (published version)