Neutron sources for large scale user facilities: The potential of high current accelerator-driven neutron sources

IF 14.5 2区物理与天体物理 Q1 PHYSICS, NUCLEAR

Progress in Particle and Nuclear Physics Pub Date : 2025-02-11 DOI:10.1016/j.ppnp.2025.104163

P. Zakalek, T. Gutberlet, Th. Brückel

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

A review of neutron sources for large scale user facilities is provided, aimed at users of neutron sources who need to understand the characteristics and peculiarities of the different types of neutron sources in order to select the most suitable source for their needs and to optimize their experimental setups for their specific scientific requirements. To this end, we provide an overview of (i) the main nuclear processes used at user facilities to release neutrons from nuclei, namely fission, spallation, and low-energy nuclear reactions, (ii) the various possibilities to tailor the time structure and spectrum of free neutrons, from pulsing to moderation, (iii) the mechanisms to extract and transport neutron beams with desired properties in terms of flux, brilliance/brightness, spectrum, pulse shape, etc., (iii) the applications and related experimental requirements in major scientific fields, with emphasis on those with a larger user community, (iv) the technology and realization of research reactors and neutron spallation sources, and (v) the progress made in Compact Accelerator-driven Neutron Sources (CANS), but especially in High Current Accelerator-driven Neutron Sources (HiCANS).

HiCANS are the focus of the current review, as this entirely new type of facility could in the future play the role in the neutron ecosystem that national reactor-based sources have played in the past. As such, HiCANS do not aim for the highest neutron brightness, but rather for parameters such as resilience, reliability, flexibility, ease of access, minimization of radioactive waste, excellent signal-to-noise ratio and optimization of the price/performance ratio. These are key features needed to further expand the community of neutron users from science and industry to whom this review is addressed.

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来源期刊

Progress in Particle and Nuclear Physics 物理-物理：核物理

CiteScore

24.50

自引率

3.10%

发文量

审稿时长

72 days

期刊介绍： Taking the format of four issues per year, the journal Progress in Particle and Nuclear Physics aims to discuss new developments in the field at a level suitable for the general nuclear and particle physicist and, in greater technical depth, to explore the most important advances in these areas. Most of the articles will be in one of the fields of nuclear physics, hadron physics, heavy ion physics, particle physics, as well as astrophysics and cosmology. A particular effort is made to treat topics of an interface type for which both particle and nuclear physics are important. Related topics such as detector physics, accelerator physics or the application of nuclear physics in the medical and archaeological fields will also be treated from time to time.