Received: February 17, 2025; Revised: March 12, 2025 Accepted: March 19, 2025.
ABSTRACT
Background: Nuclear material accountancy is essential for nuclear security and non-proliferation, requiring fast and accurate measurement methods. To overcome the limitations of conventional thermal neutron multiplicity counting, this study developed a fast neutron multiplicity counting (FNMC) system using organic scintillators.
Materials and Methods: An FNMC system was constructed using a pixelated trans-stilbene array and a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) array. Performance was evaluated through Monte Carlo N-Particle Extended (MCNPX)-PoliMi simulations and experiments at 50 keVee and 100 keVee energy thresholds, analyzing detection efficiency, crosstalk, and singles (S), doubles (D), and triples (T) rates.
Results and Discussion: The FNMC system showed a linear relationship between S, D, and T values and mass, with mass estimation errors of 0.4% at 50 keVee and 2.2% at 100 keVee threshold. Lower energy thresholds provided higher detection efficiency and accuracy. The system effectively minimized crosstalk and pile-up errors.
Conclusion: The FNMC system provides a precise and reliable method for rapid nuclear material verification. It demonstrates strong potential for non-destructive analysis and nuclear safeguards applications, offering improved efficiency and accuracy compared to conventional methods.
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