Advanced neutron and gamma-ray detection

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There has been great progress in neutron and gamma-ray radiation detection in the last decades. In neutron detection, many efforts geared for detecting weak neutron fields have been attempted to address the current issues in neutron detection. In gamma-ray detection, new gamma-ray detectors were developed, which offer excellent energy resolution over the traditional gamma-ray detectors. In spite of this progress and new attempts, there are still fundamental limitations in neutron and gamma-ray detection, particularly for weak neutron and intense gamma-ray fields. ***In this Discovery research, in order to address these limitations, my research group aims to develop advanced radiation detectors and signal processing systems. Currently, the most critical issue in neutron detection is to find a detection technique alternative to the 3He gaseous neutron counter, the most popular detector type when a high efficiency is desired. However, the 3He supply is currently in great shortage while 3He demand keeps increasing rapidly, which has led to an unsustainable situation. Inspired by our THick Gas Electron Multiplier (THGEM) detector technology, my group aims to design and build a new neutron detector to replace 3He counters.***Another main objective of the proposed research is to develop a new signal processing system for high count rate gamma-ray spectrometry. In high counting rates, the average time interval between detected events is very short and multiple pulses can overlap each other, which leads to distortion in pulse height. To date, these pile-up pulses have had to be discarded although they are valid detection events. In principle, the best solution for this problem is to deconvolute the pile-up pulses in real time, but no successful methods have yet been developed for the most famous type of the gamma-ray detector, although there have been a few attempts. My group aims to develop a fast and efficient signal processing system to address this challenge. ***A major outcome of this Discovery research is a new neutron detector alternative to 3He counters. The detector is expected to be a promising candidate for replacing 3He counters for all areas from the fundamental physics to nuclear industries and the border screening. Another major outcome of this research is a pulse pile-up deconvolution system, which will revolutionize the current radiation signal processing capability for the Canadian nuclear physics community and Canadian nuclear industries. **