Finding Neutrons in MiniCHANDLER

MiniCHANDLER is an antineutrino detector that uses an 8x8x5 array of plastic scintillating cubes that capture gamma rays and other scattering events with lithium-doped ZnS sheets between each layer to capture neutrons. On two sides of the detector are forty photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) that detect photons generated by the two types of scintillators. The two scintillators create different waveforms on the PMT output so it is possible to distinguish between them. Previously, this classification was done by creating templates that represent the ideal waveform of each type and calculating χ² values for each template with each measured waveform. Updated electronics for MiniCHANDLER now include a capacitor on the output of the PMT which changes the shape of the waveforms. The original shape can be recovered via a method that resembles a discrete derivative. With the charge-integration effect of the capacitor the signature of a neutron capture event changes such that it may be possible to detect them without the use of a χ² value and instead by counting how many increases in signal amplitude happen in a short time. This Mostly Increasing method is efficient and pure.