Reliable Neutron Detection

Neutrons are a telltale sign of nuclear reactions. Thermonuclear fusion, fission, and spallation are the three most common processes typically associated with neutron emission. Yet there is no shortage of novel theoretical concepts pertaining to ‘new physics,’ which may result in neutron emission. ‘Cold fusion’ and ‘condensed matter nuclear fusion’ are two such examples. For decades, radiation detection has been a primary tool for experimental verification of such new concepts. While neutron detection per se is well understood, a review of the literature reveals a troubling trend: a profound lack of understanding of its fundamentals among many authors, which has led to the publication of unreliable, low-quality data. The problem becomes even worse when low levels of neutron counts are presented. Great care involving the elimination of systematic errors backed by statistical analysis must accompany such results to prove that the observed signal is indeed in excess of background. Yet, more often than not, such care is missing. This is the problem we aim to address in this paper. We present a novel neutron detection system, NEUTRON-X, designed to be resilient against common electromagnetic interference. We further introduce a cost-effective MCA-PRO hardware architecture, supported by the PulseCounter Pro software, that enables real-time acquisition of detector signals, individual pulse auditing, digital pulse processing, and multi-channel analysis (MCA). Together, NEUTRON-X, MCA-PRO, and PulseCounter Pro form a platform for reliable neutron and gamma detection that is inexpensive and easy to use. To complete the discussion, we outline the neutron detection best practices and demonstrate their application in a specific use case. The objective of this publication is to establish a ‘gold standard’ for the detection of low levels of neutron radiation and encourage its adoption for the sake of the production of high-accuracy neutron counts, and thus accelerate the process of discovery.