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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用于大规模用户设施的中子源：高电流加速器驱动中子源的潜力

针对中子源用户需要了解不同类型中子源的特性和特点，以便根据他们的需要选择最合适的中子源，并根据他们的具体科学要求优化他们的实验装置，对大规模用户设施的中子源进行了综述。为此，我们概述了(i)用户设施中用于从原子核中释放中子的主要核过程，即裂变、散裂和低能核反应；（ii）定制自由中子的时间结构和谱的各种可能性，从脉冲到缓和；（iii）提取和传输中子束的机制，在通量、亮度/亮度、光谱、脉冲形状等方面具有所需的特性。（iii）主要科学领域的应用和相关实验要求，重点是那些具有较大用户群体的领域；（iv）研究堆和中子散裂源的技术和实现；(v)紧凑型加速器驱动中子源（can），特别是大电流加速器驱动中子源（HiCANS）的进展。HiCANS是当前审查的重点，因为这种全新类型的设施未来可能在中子生态系统中扮演过去国家反应堆源所扮演的角色。因此，HiCANS并不以最高的中子亮度为目标，而是以弹性、可靠性、灵活性、易于获取、放射性废物最小化、优异的信噪比和性价比优化等参数为目标。这些是进一步扩大中子用户社区所需的关键特征，从科学和工业，这篇评论是针对的。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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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.