Calibration of Neutron-Multiplicity Detectors

Abstract

A method of calibrating neutron-multiplicity detectors using standard samples, certified in terms of the effective mass of²⁴⁰Pu, is described. The proposed method has an advantage over calibration using²⁵²Cf samples certified in terms of the neutron flux – the systematic shift of the measurements that is associated with the approximate nature of the method is eliminated. The serviceability of the proposed method of calibration is confirmed experimentally. The accuracy of the measurements of the effective mass of²⁴⁰Pu by the neutron-multiplicity method is evaluated: the standard deviation is several tenths of a percent.