Digital 2-D Neutron Detector for Protein Function Sudies

描述（由申请人提供）：关于蛋白质结构和功能的信息对于揭示在分子水平上发生的生物过程非常重要。X射线晶体学在确定蛋白质结构方面已经取得了成功，但不太适合分析氢原子和水分子。已经表明，热中子是探测蛋白质和水之间相互作用的更好的工具，因为它们直接与轻核相互作用，而不是像X射线衍射那样与它们的电子云相互作用。然而，热中子的使用在这个国家没有得到充分利用，部分原因是缺乏足够的探测器。目前的二维中子探测器不能提供足够的面积覆盖、空间分辨率、灵敏度和最适合给定应用的几何形状。为了解决这些问题，我们建议开发一个大面积的热中子数字成像探测器，它提供了一个更好的组合的表面覆盖率，空间分辨率，探测效率和动态范围比目前可能的。该探测器是基于一种新型的，大面积的闪烁体，专门用于成像热中子，耦合到一个数字读出。这种热中子成像系统将推进用于大分子晶体学和中子射线照相术的最先进的探测器。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Information on the structure and function of proteins is important for unveiling the biological processes taking place on a molecular level. X-ray crystallography has been successful in determining protein structure, however is not well suited for analyzing hydrogen atoms and water molecules. It has been shown that the thermal neutrons are a far better tool for probing interactions between proteins and water, because they interact directly with light nuclei, not their electron clouds as in case of x-ray diffraction. However, the use of thermal neutrons has been underutilized in this country, partially due to the lack of adequate detectors. Current two-dimensional detector for neutrons do not provide adequate area coverage, spatial resolution, sensitivity, and geometry best suited for the given application. To address these issues, we propose to develop a large area digital imaging detector for thermal neutrons, which offers a better combination of surface coverage, spatial resolution, detection efficiency and dynamic range than is currently possible. The detector is based on an novel, large-area scintillator, tailored for imaging thermal neutrons, coupled tot a digital readout. This thermal neutron imaging system will advance the state-of-the-art of detectors used in macromolecular crystallography and neutron radiography.