Data Correction Method for Improving the Spatial Resolution of a Position-Sensitive 10B Neutron Detector

Abstract

A technique for correcting experimental data from a position-sensitive neutron detector with an active layer of solid boron-10, where the charge division method is used to determine the coordinate, is proposed. This technique relies on the signal amplitude loss in a distributed resistance circuit. Each resistance is connected to two adjacent wires of the anode (or to two adjacent strips of the cathode) of the detector. This readout method is simple to implement and does not require complex and expensive electronics. However, unlike the distributed delay line method, it requires that the nonlinear dependence of the coordinate both on the ratio of the measured amplitudes and on the sum of these amplitudes be taken into account when the neutron coordinate is calculated. Test measurements with a signal generator were conducted to determine the dependence of coordinates on the ratio of pulse amplitudes from two ends of the distributed resistance. This dependence is approximated by a third-order polynomial. At the same time, the coefficients of this polynomial depend on the sum of amplitudes of pulses at the outputs of two amplifiers connected to the two ends of the distributed resistance. The amplitude dependences of these coefficients are also approximated by third-order polynomials. Thus, the spatial resolution of the detector depends on the signal amplitudes and on the coordinate itself. It is possible to determine the signal amplitudes and neutron coordinates more accurately by correcting the data. The procedure also improves the integral uniformity of the coordinate distribution. Following the application of the proposed correction, the spatial resolution of the neutron detector improved from 2 to 1.5 mm along the x axis.