No Arabic abstract
This paper describes the Plateau de Bure Neutron Monitor (PdBNM), an instrument providing continuous ground-level measurements of atmospheric secondary neutron flux resulting from the interaction of primary cosmic rays with the Earths atmosphere. The detector is installed on the Plateau de Bure (Devoluy mountains, south of France, latitude North 44{deg} 38 02, longitude East 5{deg} 54 26, altitude 2555 m) as a part of the ASTEP Platform (Altitude Single-event effects Test European Platform), a permanent installation dedicated to the study of the impact of terrestrial natural radiation on microelectronics circuit reliability. The present paper reports the neutron monitor design, its operation since August 2008 and its complete numerical simulation using the Monte Carlo codes GEANT4 and MCNPX. We particularly detail the computation of the neutron monitor detection response function for neutrons, muons, protons and pions, the comparison between GEANT4 and MCNPX numerical results and the evaluation of the PdBNM counting rate a function of both the nature and flux of the incident atmospheric particles.
Nanocomposites enable us to tune parameters that are crucial for use of such materials for neutron-optics applications such as diffraction gratings by careful choice of properties such as species (isotope) and concentration of contained nanoparticles. Nanocomposites for neutron optics have so far successfully been deployed in protonated form, containing high amounts of $^1$H atoms, which exhibit rather strong neutron absorption and incoherent scattering. At a future stage of development, chemicals containing $^1$H could be replaced by components with more favourable isotopes, such as $^2$H or $^{19}$F. In this note, we present results of Monte-Carlo simulations of the transmissivity of various nanocomposite materials for thermal and very-cold neutron spectra. The results are compared to experimental transmission data. Our simulation results for deuterated and fluorinated nanocomposite materials predict a decrease of absorption- and scattering-losses down to about 2 % for very-cold neutrons.
We describe the Monte Carlo (MC) simulation package of the Borexino detector and discuss the agreement of its output with data. The Borexino MC ab initio simulates the energy loss of particles in all detector components and generates the resulting scintillation photons and their propagation within the liquid scintillator volume. The simulation accounts for absorption, reemission, and scattering of the optical photons and tracks them until they either are absorbed or reach the photocathode of one of the photomultiplier tubes. Photon detection is followed by a comprehensive simulation of the readout electronics response. The algorithm proceeds with a detailed simulation of the electronics chain. The MC is tuned using data collected with radioactive calibration sources deployed inside and around the scintillator volume. The simulation reproduces the energy response of the detector, its uniformity within the fiducial scintillator volume relevant to neutrino physics, and the time distribution of detected photons to better than 1% between 100 keV and several MeV. The techniques developed to simulate the Borexino detector and their level of refinement are of possible interest to the neutrino community, especially for current and future large-volume liquid scintillator experiments such as Kamland-Zen, SNO+, and Juno.
SABRE (Sodium-iodide with Active Background REjection) is a direct dark matter search experiment based on an array of radio-pure NaI(Tl) crystals surrounded by a liquid scintillator veto. Twin SABRE experiments in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres will differentiate a dark matter signal from seasonal and local effects. The experiment is currently in a Proof-of-Principle (PoP) phase, whose goal is to demonstrate that the background rate is low enough to carry out an independent search for a dark matter signal, with sufficient sensitivity to confirm or refute the DAMA result during the following full-scale experimental phase. The impact of background radiation from the detector materials and the experimental site needs to be carefully investigated, including both intrinsic and cosmogenically activated radioactivity. Based on the best knowledge of the most relevant sources of background, we have performed a detailed Monte Carlo study evaluating the expected background in the dark matter search spectral region. The simulation model described in this paper guides the design of the full-scale experiment and will be fundamental for the interpretation of the measured background and hence for the extraction of a possible dark matter signal.
Neutron transport along guides is governed by the Liouville theorem and the technology involved has advanced in recent decades. Computer simulations have proven to be useful tools in the design and conception of neutron guide systems in facilities. In this study, we use a Monte Carlo method to perform simulations for an S-shaped neutron guide with different dimensions for a Small-Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS) instrument, through the MCSTAS software. A wavelength cutoff is observed and shown to be dependent on the geometrical parameters of the guide. Results for the neutron flux at sample position are presented and a greater sensitivity of cutoffs concerning the curvatures of the guides than to their lengths is noticed. Our results are in agreement with those obtained from the Acceptance Diagram method and we analyze the beam divergence behavior along the S-shaped guide.
The third phase of the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) experiment added an array of 3He proportional counters to the detector. The purpose of this Neutral Current Detection (NCD) array was to observe neutrons resulting from neutral-current solar neutrino-deuteron interactions. We have developed a detailed simulation of the current pulses from the NCD array proportional counters, from the primary neutron capture on 3He through the NCD array signal-processing electronics. This NCD array Monte Carlo simulation was used to model the alpha-decay background in SNOs third-phase 8B solar-neutrino measurement.