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LRT2026 - Low Radioactivity Techniques

21–24 Sept 2026
The Guildhall, York
Europe/London timezone

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Response of a nitrogen-filled spherical proportional counter to MeV-energy neutrons

22 Sept 2026, 19:26
1m
Merchant Adventurers Hall

Merchant Adventurers Hall

The Hall, Fossgate, York YO1 9XD

Speaker

Oceano (University of Hamburg, Institute for Experimental Physics, Hamburg, 22761, Germany)

Description

Neutron spectroscopy is an invaluable tool for a wide range of scientific and industrial applications, including underground dark matter searches. Neutron-induced backgrounds originating from cosmic-ray muons and cavern radioactivity can mimic the expected dark matter signal and therefore constitute a major source of background in rare-event experiments. However, current neutron detection techniques suffer from several limitations, making precise measurements particularly challenging. A promising approach to neutron spectroscopy is the use of a nitrogen-filled Spherical Proportional Counter (SPC), exploiting the $^{14}N(n,α) ^{11}B$ and $^{14}N(n,p)^{14}C$ reactions. Measurements with mono-energetic neutrons were performed for the first time at the 5.5 MV Tandem accelerator of the National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos”, Athens, using a 30 cm in diameter nitrogen-filled spherical proportional counter equipped with an 11-anode ACHINOS multi-anode sensor with individual anode read-out. The detector response at an operating pressure of 1 bar to mono-energetic neutrons of $E_n$ = 0.2, 1.0, 2.5 and 3.75 MeV produced via the $^{7}Li(p, n)^{7}Be$ reaction will be presented and compared with result of a dedicated simulation framework.

Authors

Avgitas (University of Hamburg, Institute for Experimental Physics, Hamburg, 22761, Germany) Axiotis (NCSR “Demokritos, Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics, Athens, 153 10, Greece) Balmforth (University of Hamburg, Institute for Experimental Physics, Hamburg, 22761, Germany) Fassouliotis (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Department of Physics, 157 84, Athens, Greece) Fock (University of Hamburg, Institute for Experimental Physics, Hamburg, 22761, Germany) Gadow (University of Hamburg, Institute for Experimental Physics, Hamburg, 22761, Germany) Knights (University of Birmingham, School of Physics and Astronomy, B15 2TT, UK) Lagoyannis (NCSR “Demokritos, Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics, Athens, 153 10, Greece) Manthos (University of Hamburg, Institute for Experimental Physics, Hamburg, 22761, Germany) Millins (University of Birmingham, School of Physics and Astronomy, B15 2TT, UK 5STFC; Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Particle Physics Department, Didcot, OX11 0QX, UK) Nikolopoulos (University of Hamburg, Institute for Experimental Physics, Hamburg, 22761, Germany; University of Birmingham, School of Physics and Astronomy, B15 2TT, UK) Oceano (University of Hamburg, Institute for Experimental Physics, Hamburg, 22761, Germany) Prodromou (National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Department of Physics, 157 84, Athens, Greece) Taimpiri (NCSR “Demokritos, Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics, Athens, 153 10, Greece) Toukmenidis (University of Hamburg, Institute for Experimental Physics, Hamburg, 22761, Germany) Ward (University of Hamburg, Institute for Experimental Physics, Hamburg, 22761, Germany) Ziagkova (NCSR “Demokritos, Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics, Athens, 153 10, Greece)

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