We have detected Lyman alpha radiation as a product of the n(3He,t)p nuclear reaction occurring in a cell of 3He gas. The predominant source of this radiation appears to be decay of the 2p state of tritium produced by charge transfer and excitation c
ollisions with the background 3He gas. Under the experimental conditions reported here we find yields of tens of Lyman alpha photons for every neutron reaction. These results suggest a method of cold neutron detection that is complementary to existing technologies that use proportional counters. In particular, this approach may provide single neutron sensitivity with wide dynamic range capability, and a class of neutron detectors that are compact and operate at relatively low voltages.
