Next Generation Neutron Detector Development

The MoNA Collaboration is developing the Next Generation Neutron Detector (NGn) to be used at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams at Michigan State University. This detector will detect neutrons in fast-beam experiments to investigate neutron-unbound states of rare isotopes. This collaborative project aims to build an advanced detector array for fast neutrons with energies up to hundreds of MeV with superior position resolution.

Prototype detectors have been fabricated and tested using an 8 MeV neutron beam at the Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory (TUNL). The prototypes consist of plastic scintillator tiles of varying thicknesses and surface treatments combined with arrays of silicon-photomultiplier sensors (SiPM) in different configurations. The goal of the tests is to optimize the SiPM layout in order to improve position resolution as well as to benchmark dedicated and realistic Geant4 simulations. The ongoing assembly and testing of these detector prototypes, as well as the experimental setups, allow student participation in a broad range of tasks, including design, assembly of mechanical and electronics components, data taking, data analysis, and interpretation of results.