Neutron Detectors

Neutron Detectors

Detecting Neutrons

Detecting neutrons is a subtle art, these neutral particles are not easily detected as they don't interact with most materials, however in suitably chosen materials, atoms with a high cross section to neutrons sometimes capture a neutron, this reaction releases sufficient energy resulting in a small but detectable pulse.

At Gammaspectacular we have developed sensitive circuits for reliable counting of neutrons. We currently offer several models and will be adding more in the future. We can also provide calibration of neutron detectors if required.

Common types of neutron counters

Since the 1950's significant research has been done on detecting neutrons and today we have several different technologies available. The He3 neutron detector tube is proportional discharge tube of similar construction to a geiger counter but with high pressure He3 gas. Unfortunately He3 is a rare gas and only a small amount of commercially available gas exists in the world today, making it quite expensive. An alternative to He3 filled tubes is BF3 lined tubes, these are readily available, but do not have the efficiency of He3.

There are also several scintillation materials which are sensitive to neutrons, these typically contain traces of Li6 which is another isotope with large cross section to thermal neutrons. The problem with these scintillation materials is that they are also sensitive to gamma, it is however possible to count neutrons separately from gamma based on their pulse shape and height.

A third category of neutron counter is the BTI Bubble detector, unlike proportional tubes and scintillation counters, the bubble detector does not require any electronics to work, it's principle of operation is a gel containing an unstable compressed gas, which has a small probability of expanding to form a bubble when a fas neutron goes through the gel. These bubble detectors are reliable but relatively insensitive, producing only around 30 bubbles per mRem. Here on this site you can find our popular bubble detector calculator for calculating neutron flux and Total Isotropic Emission Rate (TIER) using one of these detectors.

Calibration Service

If required we can arrange to have your Neutron Counter calibrated by ANSTO which is Australia's most advanced nuclear facility. Detectors will be adjusted if required and supplied with a signed calibration certificate.

Neutron Detectors for sale

There are several types of neutron detectors, corona discharge tubes, proportional counters, bubble detectors and scintillation counters. Which type is best depends on your application and on the counting efficiency you require for your experiment. Contact us about your requirement and we will do our best to help you with a solution.

Purchasing information

Register and order online

Registering an account and ordering online is the easiest and safest way to get your order processed. Payments are securely handled by PayPal and for security reasons we do not store and payment details on our server, only your name address, email, phone and details of your purchase is retained on or server.

Student Discounts

We gladly offer full time students and amateur fusioneers a once off A$50 student discount on orders over $300, the discount is a self serve, honour system, so if you are very young or very old, and don't have a full time job or lot's of money, you simply type the word student into the coupon code field when you place your order. * To redeem a student coupong, you need to create an account and log in.

Educational Institutions

Talk to us about classroom bulk purchases, why share one spectroscopy system per class, when you can have one on every workbench. We can offer formal quotations by request and are happy to cooperate with government or institutional procurement teams. Please use contact us for a quote.