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Continuous and Pulsed Fast Neutron Beams at the CNA HiSPANoS Facility

Abstract

The characteristics of the fast neutron beams produced in the HiSPANoS facility at Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA) are presented. The neutrons are generated by deuteron beams from a 3 MV tandem accelerator in either continuous (5 μA) or pulsed (2 ns width, 500 kHz and 4% duty cycle) mode. In this work, the pulsed mode was used in a time-of-flight characterization of the produced neutron beams in terms of yield, flux, energy resolution, and background. The results were then validated through their comparison with previously published data. Quasi-monoenergetic neutron beams between 2 and 6 MeV are produced by means of the 2H(d,n)3He reaction, featuring a neutron yield of 106 n/sr/μC at the target, with an energy resolution of about 7% at 150 cm. Neutron beams with broad energy distributions are produced by deuteron irradiation of thick beryllium and lithium targets, resulting in maximum neutron energies of 10 and 20 MeV, respectively. In this case, the neutron yields are significantly higher, reaching 1010 n/sr/μC. On the basis of these results, we consider that the HiSPANoS facility is now fully operational for the usage of fast neutrons by internal and external users of CNA.

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Continuous and Pulsed Fast Neutron Beams at the CNA HiSPANoS Facility

Author: Millán Callado, María de los Ángeles; Guerrero Sánchez, Carlos; Fernández Martínez, Begoña; Gómez Camacho, Joaquín José; Macías, M.; Quesada Molina, José Manuel
Publisher: Elsevier
Year: 2024
DOI: 10.1016/j.radphyschem.2023.111464
Source: https://idus.us.es/bitstreams/036ecb78-7f88-49df-b51a-44787e73ba6e/download
Radia ion Physics and Chemis y 217 (2024) 111464
A ailable online 9 Decembe 2023
0969-806X/© 2023 The Au ho s. Published by Else ie L d. This is an open access a icle unde he CC BY license (h p://c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by/4.0/).
Con en s lis s a ailable a ScienceDi ec
Radia ion Physics and Chemis y
jou nal homepage: www.else ie .com/loca e/ adphyschem
Con inuous and pulsed as neu on beams a he CNA HiSPANoS acili y
M.A. Millán-Calladoa,b, C. Gue e oa,b,∗, B. Fe nándezb, J. Gómez-Camachoa,b, M. Macíasa,b,
J.M. Quesadaa
aDp . Física A ómica, Molecula y Nuclea (FAMN), Facul ad de Física. Uni e sidad de Se illa (US), 41012 Se ille, Spain
bCen o Nacional de Acele ado es (CNA) (US-Jun a de Andalucía-CSIC), 41092 Se ille, Spain
ARTICLE INFO
Keywo ds:
Fas neu ons beam
Neu on de ec ion
Time-o - ligh
2H(d,n)
Li(d,n)
Be(d,n)
ABSTRACT
The cha ac e is ics o he as neu on beams p oduced in he HiSPANoS acili y a Cen o Nacional de
Acele ado es (CNA) a e p esen ed. The neu ons a e gene a ed by deu e on beams om a 3 MV andem
accele a o in ei he con inuous (5 μA) o pulsed (2 ns wid h, 500 kHz and 4% du y cycle) mode. In his
wo k, he pulsed mode was used in a ime-o - ligh cha ac e iza ion o he p oduced neu on beams in e ms
o yield, lux, ene gy esolu ion, and backg ound. The esul s we e hen alida ed h ough hei compa ison
wi h p e iously published da a.
Quasi-monoene ge ic neu on beams be ween 2 and 6 MeV a e p oduced by means o he 2𝐻(𝑑, 𝑛)3𝐻𝑒
eac ion, ea u ing a neu on yield o 106n/s /μ𝐶a he a ge , wi h an ene gy esolu ion o abou 7%
a 150 cm. Neu on beams wi h b oad ene gy dis ibu ions a e p oduced by deu e on i adia ion o hick
be yllium and li hium a ge s, esul ing in maximum neu on ene gies o 10 and 20 MeV, espec i ely. In his
case, he neu on yields a e signi ican ly highe , eaching 1010 n/s /μ𝐶.
On he basis o hese esul s, we conside ha he HiSPANoS acili y is now ully ope a ional o he usage
o as neu ons by in e nal and ex e nal use s o CNA.
1. In oduc ion
The e is a g owing in e es in compac accele a o -based neu on
sou ces (CANS) as a complemen o majo acili ies, especially o sup-
po la ge-scale spalla ion neu on sou ces o basic esea ch, echnical
de elopmen s, ma e ial analysis, and ins umen a ion (Ande son e al.,
2016).
The ele an cha ac e is ics o neu on beams (ene gy, lux, and
esolu ion) a y signi ican ly. Howe e , di e en applica ions ha e di -
e en equi emen s in e ms o hese cha ac e is ics. Rega ding neu on
ene gy, as neu ons in he MeV ange play a ole in ission, usion,
ma e ial i adia ion, de ec o cha ac e iza ion, adia ion- o-elec onic
(R2E) s udies, adiop o ec ion, dosime y, and o he s (Ande son e al.,
2016). Rega ding he ime s uc u e o he beams, pulsed beams a e
mo e sca ce compa ed o he widesp ead con inuous neu on beams,
bu hei a ailabili y opens an addi ional b oad ange o esea ch lines
and applica ions.
To his end, neu on beams ha e o be p oduced ou o pulsed ion
beams, inhe i ing hei empo al s uc u e. This pulsed s uc u e makes
i possible o know he momen a which all he neu ons a e emi ed
om he a ge , hence enabling he possibili y o knowing hei kine ic
ene gy (which is c ucial in many cases) om he co esponding ime-
o - ligh (TOF). Fu he mo e, he ime-o - ligh echnique allows o
∗Co esponding au ho a : Dp . Física A ómica, Molecula y Nuclea (FAMN), Facul ad de Física. Uni e sidad de Se illa (US), 41012 Se ille, Spain.
E-mail add ess: [email p o ec ed] (C. Gue e o).
s udying he cha ac e is ics o he neu on beams p oduced, which is
essen ial no only o he co esponding ime-o - ligh expe imen s bu
also o planning and analyzing expe imen s wi h con inuous neu on
beams.
HiSPANoS is he i s accele a o -d i en neu on sou ce in Spain and
is capable o deli e ing bo h con inuous and pulsed neu on beams. I
is ins alled in he 3 MV Tandem accele a o sys em a Cen o Nacional
de Acele ado es (CNA, Se ille, Spain) (Gómez-Camacho e al.,2021),
a use acili y included in he Spanish ICTS ca alog (ca alog o singula
scien i ic and echnological acili ies).
P e ious expe imen s ha e been ca ied ou wi h con inuous neu-
on beams, wi h ei he he mal (see I azola e al.,2016 ela ed o
de ec o cha ac e iza ion), epi he mal (see P aena e al.,2013,2014 o
ac i a ion c oss-sec ion measu emen s), o as neu ons (see Malagón
e al.,2017;Millán-Callado e al.,2019 o neu on i adia ion and
neu on imaging s udies). In a i s commissioning campaign o he
pulsing sys em, Macías e al. (2020) comple ed he cha ac e iza ion
o pulsed epi he mal neu on beams p oduced ia he Li(p,n) eac ion
nea i s h eshold. In his con ex , he neu on ield o he named
eac ion a 1950 keV, in e es ing o BNCT (Bo on Neu on Cap u e
The apy) s udies, was expe imen ally measu ed by he ime-o - ligh
h ps://doi.o g/10.1016/j. adphyschem.2023.111464
Recei ed 21 June 2023; Recei ed in e ised o m 20 Sep embe 2023; Accep ed 8 Decembe 2023
Radia ion Physics and Chemis y 217 (2024) 111464
2
M.A. Millán-Callado e al.
Fig. 1. Schema ic iew o he CNA Tandem accele a o , wi h he HiSPANoS neu on beamline a he a le end. The posi ion o he neu on de ec o s and he elec onic chain
used du ing he commissioning is also indica ed.
echnique (Macías e al.,2021). In he wo k p esen ed he ein, he puls-
ing sys em is used o cha ac e ize, ia ime-o - ligh , he wide a ie y
o as neu on beams ha can be p oduced om deu e on-induced
eac ions on D, Li, and Be a ge s.
In he p esen wo k, he acili y and he expe imen al se -up a e
desc ibed in Sec ion 2. The esul s and hei compa ison o he ex-
pec a ions and da a om li e a u e o quasi-monoene ge ic and b oad
ene gy neu on beams a e p esen ed in Sec ions 3and 4, espec i ely.
Finally, in Sec ion 5 he esul s a e summa ized and he ou look o he
esea ch wi h as neu on beams a HiSPANoS is p esen ed.
2. Expe imen al se up
2.1. The 3 MV andem accele a o
The accele a o sys em a CNA is a 3 MV 9SDH-2 Pelle on om
Na ional Elec os a ics Co p. (NEC) capable o accele a ing di e en ion
species by making use o i s h ee di e en ion sou ces. In pa icula ,
SNICS-II is a Cs spu e ing sou ce capable o p oducing bo h p o on and
deu e on beams wi h cu en s up o se e al ens o μA. The ion sou ce
is connec ed o an injec ion magne ha de lec s he desi ed nega i e
ions owa d he en ance o he 3 MV andem. In he HV e minal
(in he middle o he accele a ion ank), he ion cha ge changes in o
posi i e due o he elec on s ipping p ocess ha occu s in he N2gas,
allowing he ions o be accele a ed h ough he same high po en ial
wice, eaching a maximum o 6 MeV, in he case o p o ons and
deu e ons, when e minal ol age is se o i s nominal maximum o
3 MV. A he exi o he accele a o ank, a Wien il e and a 90-deg ee
analyzing magne selec he equi ed ion species. The beamline can
ei he be de lec ed by he magne o he 90-deg ee expe imen al lines
o passed di ec ly o a 0-deg ee beamline, whe e he HiSPANoS neu on
beamline is loca ed (Fig. 1).
2.1.1. HiSPANoS neu on beamline
The HiSPANoS neu on beamline is placed a 0 deg ees om he
accele a o ank. The line is equipped wi h elemen s o s ee ing and
moni o ing he beam such as Fa aday cups (FC) and beam p o ile
moni o s (BPM). A as pickup, nea he e y end o he line, allows
moni o ing he passage o pulsed ion beams. To shape he ion beam, Ta
sli s and a 350 μm Al collima o wi h a a iable opening a e a ailable
(Fig. 1).
The a ge s o p oducing neu ons a e held a he end o he
beamline, a ∼15 cm om he collima o , and elec ically isola ed om
Fig. 2. Pic u e o he expe imen al se -up a HiSPANoS.
he es o he beamline by a ce amic piece, hus allowing beam cu en
moni o ing. A ol age o −300 V is applied o he collima o in o de
o p e en he loss o seconda y elec ons emi ed in he beam– a ge
in e ac ion, which would cause an o e es ima ion o he beam cu en .
The neu on p oduc ion a ge is hen connec ed o an ORTEC 439
Digi al Cu en In eg a o module, which p oduces a logic signal when
a o al cha ge o choice (usually se o 0.1 nC) is accumula ed (Fig. 1).
2.1.2. HiSPANoS pulsing sys em and expe imen al a ea
The accele a o , as desc ibed abo e, allows o con inuous ope a-
ion, p oducing con inuous neu on beams. Howe e , a ecen upg ade
allows o pulsed ion beams, hence opening he doo o ime-o - ligh
expe imen s.
This sys em, om NEC as well, is ins alled a he low ene gy s age
o he accele a o , be ween he ion sou ces and he accele a o ank
(Fig. 1, see de ails in Fe nández e al.). I consis s o a choppe and
a bunche . The i s elemen , he choppe , elec os a ically de lec s he
ion beam ou o he beamline wi h a equency o choice ( om 32.2 kHz
o 2 MHz), p oducing ion pulses wi h a a iable wid h om 40 o
250 ns. Then, he pulsed ion beam is comp essed by he bunche , so
ha he ini ial pulse wid h o ens o ns is educed o abou 2 ns by
he ime i eaches he neu on p oduc ion a ge , a he end o he
beamline.
The HiSPANoS expe imen al a ea is in a co ne o he accele a o
hall (see Fig. 2). The a ge lies a 125 cm om he loo , wi h he wo
nea es walls a 4 m and he u hes ones a 16 m. This allows o
a maximum ligh pa h o up o 3 m in he o wa d di ec ion. Longe
Radia ion Physics and Chemis y 217 (2024) 111464
3
M.A. Millán-Callado e al.
Table 1
Summa y o he main eac ions and a ge s used o as neu on p oduc ion a HiSPANoS.
Reac ion Q- alue E𝑡ℎ Ta ge
(MeV) (MeV) Ma e ial Thickness Diame e
2𝐻(𝑑, 𝑛)3𝐻𝑒 3.27 0.0 D/Ti 546 μg/cm230 mm
9𝐵𝑒(𝑝, 𝑛)9𝐵−1.85 2.06 Be 500 μm 25 mm
9𝐵𝑒(𝑑, 𝑛)10𝐵4.36 0.0
7𝐿𝑖(𝑝, 𝑛)7𝐵𝑒 −1.64 1.88 Li 500 μm 25 mm
7𝐿𝑖(𝑑, 𝑛)8𝐵𝑒 15.03 0.0
ligh pa hs a e a ailable a o he angles, o ins ance, measu emen s
a up o 4 m ha e been pe o med a 60 deg ees.
2.2. Neu on p oduc ion eac ions and a ge s
The e a e many nuclea eac ions ha esul in he emission o neu-
ons. Conside ing he cha ac e is ics o he CNA’s andem accele a o ,
he mos p oli ic neu on p oduc ion co esponds o deu e ons impac -
ing on a hick a ge o ei he Li o Be. In addi ion, i is o en needed
o make i adia ion o de ec o calib a ions wi h quasi-monoene ge ic
neu on beams, which can be achie ed wi h deu e ons impinging on
ei he 2H o 3H hin a ge s; howe e , he use o he la e a CNA is
no cu en ly easible due o adiop o ec ion issues.
The eac ions employed o as neu on p oduc ion a HiSPANoS
and he de ails o he co esponding a ge s a e summa ized in Table 1:
•The Be and Li a ge s a e sel -sus ained oils in which he deu e on
beam is ully s opped. They a e a ached o a 500 μm hick coppe
backing ha closes he beamline, keeping i in acuum. In he
case o Li, a esh disk is p oduced o each expe imen due o he
e y apid oxida ion o me allic Li. The a ge holde , designed
as desc ibed in (P aena e al.,2013) bu made o Al ins ead o
Cu, allows o ei he ai o wa e cooling, he la e necessa y o
con inuous i adia ion o he Li a ge (which mel s a 180 ◦C)
wi h high cu en .
•The hin deu e ium a ge is a comme cially a ailable design
by SODERN (see Monning e al.,2002 o de ails) in which he
deu e ium is deposi ed in a i anium mesh o 30 mm in diame e
a ached o a 3 mm hick aluminum backing (D/Ti = 1.6). In
his case, he beam a e ses he hin D/Ti mesh and, depending
on he beam ene gy, can p oduce spu ious neu ons h ough
eac ions in bo h Ti and Al. To sub ac hose om he 2H(d,n)
neu ons, a blank ‘‘dummy’’ a ge has been used.
2.3. De ec ion sys em
Among he di e en ypes o as neu on de ec o s a ailable, liquid
scin illa o s o 2‘‘x2’’ by SCIONIX ha e been chosen o commissioning
HiSPANoS. In compa ison o ission chambe s, hese de ec o s a e
comme cially a ailable, ea u e la ge e iciencies ( hickness can be
chosen on demand), a e easy o ope a e, and allow implemen ing a ays
co e ing simul aneously se e al angles and ligh pa h dis ances. In his
case, a o al o h ee scin illa o s, one EJ-301 (Tadeo-1) and wo EJ-309
(Tadeo-2 and Tadeo-3), all coupled o as pho omul iplie s Model No.
9214 om ET En e p ises, ha e been used a di e en dis ances and
angles om he neu on sou ce.
The mos ele an cha ac e is ics o a neu on de ec o used in
neu on lux measu emen s a e i s neu on de ec ion e iciency and i s
capaci y o dis inguish be ween neu on and 𝛾- ay signals using Pulse
Shape Disc imina ion (PSD).
2.3.1. De ec o e iciency
The o ganic liquid scin illa o s used in his wo k a e based on he
de ec ion o he signal p oduced mainly by he nuclea ecoils when a
Fig. 3. Neu on e iciency o an EJ-309 2‘‘x2’’ o ganic liquid de ec o om Pino e al.
(2014) (wi h 7% accu acy), o he wo ene gy h esholds used (200 and 300 keVee).
The solid lines co espond o analy ical i s wi h 9 h deg ee polynomials.
neu on unde goes elas ic sca e ing wi h he H o C nuclei o he ma-
e ial. As he signal ampli ude depends on he ene gy o he incoming
neu on, so does he de ec ion e iciency, which is signi ican ly a ec ed
by he de ec ion h eshold applied. Since he de ec o s ha e no been
absolu ely calib a ed in a e e ence labo a o y, he e iciency epo ed
by Pino e al. Pino e al. (2014) o a simila de ec o wi h a epo ed
accu acy o 7% has been assumed. The e iciency cu es o 200 and
300 keVee h esholds a e displayed in Fig. 3, oge he wi h he 9 h
deg ee polynomial unc ions used o he in e pola ion. In he analysis,
he 200 keVee h eshold was used o he monoene ge ic neu on beams
meanwhile he 300 keVee was applied o b oad neu on beams.
2.3.2. Acquisi ion sys em and PSD
The de ec o s, he clock signal om he choppe , and he ou pu
o he cu en in eg a o a e connec ed di ec ly o he da a acquisi ion
sys em, wi hou u he elec onic manipula ion o he signal. This
da a acquisi ion sys em consis s o a CAEN V1751 digi ize ea u ing
8 channels wi h a 10 bi s esolu ion and a sampling a e o 1 GS/s.
The CAEN so wa e CoMPASS was used o con igu ing he di e en
channels and o ope a ing he DAQ in coincidence mode: he sys em
analyzes he de ec o signals only when hey a e wi hin a ime coinci-
dence window wi h espec o a e e ence channel, which is he choppe
clock. Fo each signal, he DAQ e u ns a imes amp (co esponding o
signals ising poin abo e 25% o he maximum ampli ude, i.e., a digi al
Cons an F ac ion Disc imina o , CFD) and wo alues co esponding o
he o al (Q𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 ) o pa ial (Q𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑡) in eg als o he signal. The s a ime
o bo h in eg als is well be o e he signal s a s, hen he pa ial in eg al
(Q𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑡) s ops sligh ly a e he signal maximum, beyond which he 𝛾-
ays and neu on signal shapes become di e en . This is illus a ed in
Fig. 4, whe e he men ioned imes amp and he in eg a ion in e als
a e depic ed. The ela i e di e ence be ween he wo in eg als, called
PSD and gi en by Eq. (1), p o ides he means o di e en ia e be ween
neu on and 𝛾- ay signals by Pulse Shape Disc imina ion (PSD) (B ook,
1979), a capabili y o some scin illa o s ela ed o he di e en linea
Radia ion Physics and Chemis y 217 (2024) 111464
4
M.A. Millán-Callado e al.
Fig. 4. Di e ence be ween neu on and 𝛾- ay signals in he EJ-301 de ec o and
de ini ion o he signal pa ame e s e u ned by he DAQ.
Fig. 5. Measu ed dis ibu ion o he PSD alues ob ained as a unc ion o he signal
ene gy measu ed o he 2H(d,n) eac ion wi h 𝐸𝑑= 1.5 MeV. The solid line ep esen s
he analy ical unc ion sepa a ing bo h pa icle ypes.
ene gy ans e (LET) o he nuclea ecoils and elec ons esul ing om
he neu on and 𝛾- ay in e ac ions, espec i ely.
𝑃 𝑆𝐷 =𝑄𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 −𝑄𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑡
𝑄𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔
(1)
The dis ibu ion o he PSD alues eco ded om 2H(d,n) eac ions
wi h a 1.5 MeV deu e on beam is ep esen ed in Fig. 5 as a unc ion
o he signal ene gy (in ligh equi alen keVee uni s, ob ained om he
calib a ion wi h 137Cs, 22Na and 60Co sou ces). The da a a e clea ly dis-
ibu ed along wo b anches, co esponding o neu ons (uppe b anch)
and 𝛾- ay (lowe b anch) signals. The sepa a ion be ween he wo ypes
o signals has been modeled by he 4 h-deg ee polynomial, shown as a
solid line. A low deposi ed ene gy, below ∼200 keVee, he small size o
he signals combined wi h he limi ed esolu ion o he digi ize and he
non-negligible noise le el p e en s a e y clea pa icle disc imina ion.
The upwa d bending o he wo dis ibu ions abo e 1300 keVee is
ela ed o he non-linea beha io o he ol age di ide o la ge
signals, which a ec s mo e he pa ial (𝑄𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑡) han he o al (𝑄𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔)
signal in eg als. This limi s he PSD capabili ies o a maximum o
2500 keVee.
O e all, 𝛾- ay and neu on signals a e e y well sepa a ed, as illus-
a ed in Fig. 6. The PSD ea u es a igu e-o -me i (FoM) o 1.5, whe e
FoM is de ined by Eq. (2), as in Gue e o e al. (2008).
𝐹 𝑜𝑀 =𝐷𝑛∕𝛾
𝐹 𝑊 𝐻𝑀𝑛+𝐹 𝑊 𝐻𝑀𝛾
(2)
Fig. 6. PSD dis ibu ion o signals be ween 200 and 2500 keVee (p ojec ed om
Fig. 5). The g een line co esponds o a i o wo Gaussian dis ibu ions.
2.4. Beam, a ge , and de ec o con igu a ions employed in he commission-
ing
The expe imen s ca ied ou o he beam commissioning and he
co esponding esul s a e di ided in o wo ca ego ies: 2H(d,n) eac ions
yielding quasi-monoene ge ic neu ons and hick a ge expe imen s
yielding b oad ene gy neu on beams.
The s udy o he ene gies and luxes o quasi-monoene ge ic neu-
ons ha can be p oduced a HiSPANoS by means o he 2H(d,n)
eac ion is in e es ing o u u e expe imen s equi ing such beams, bu
also a e y aluable ool o cha ac e izing he ene gy esolu ion o he
acili y, as well as o s udying he sca e ing neu on backg ound inhe -
en o a non-collima ed acili y such as HiSPANoS. Lea ing he moni o
de ec o (Tadeo-1) ixed a an angle o −30 deg ees a a dis ance o
100 cm om he neu on sou ce, he o he wo de ec o s (Tadeo-2
and Tadeo-3) we e placed a a dis ance be ween 1 and 4 m and a
angles be ween 0 and 120 deg ees. The deu e ium beam ene gy was
changed be ween 750 and 3000 keV, p oducing quasi-monoene ge ic
beams be ween 2 and 6 MeV.
On he o he hand, he eac ions om deu e ium beams impac ing
on he hick Li and Be a ge s, which p oduce neu on beams wi h a
b oad ene gy dis ibu ion, we e only s udied wi h Tadeo-2 placed in
o wa d di ec ion a a ixed ligh pa h o 150 cm. This is conside ed
a e e ence posi ion ha p o ides a easonable ene gy esolu ion while
keeping he wall e ec s negligible.
Addi ional measu emen s we e pe o med o he backg ound es i-
ma ion. In pa icula , a shadow ba (10 cm o Pb ollowed by 50 cm o
polye hylene, bo h wi h a diame e o 20 cm) was used o es ima e he
neu on sca e ing backg ound in all con igu a ions. In he case o he
2H(d,n) eac ion, he men ioned dummy a ge was used o s udy he
neu ons p oduced in he Ti and Al p esen in he D/Ti a ge assembly.
3. Quasi-monoene ge ic neu on beams
3.1. Time-o - ligh (TOF) spec a
In each expe imen , he ou pu e u ned by he DAQ is a lis o
signals cha ac e ized by hei ime, 𝑄𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑟𝑡 and 𝑄𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 . The co esponding
ime-o - ligh (𝑇 𝑂𝐹 ) his og ams a e p oduced by aking he choppe
clock signal as a e e ence s a ime. The measu ed 𝑇 𝑂𝐹 is calib a ed
so ha he 𝛾- lash (a p onounced peak co esponding o he a i al
o p omp 𝛾- ays p oduced in he in e ac ion o he pulsed ion beam
wi h he a ge ) is se o he ime equi ed by pho ons o a el he
co esponding ligh pa h, i.e. 𝑡𝑓𝑙𝑎𝑠ℎ =𝐿𝑇 𝑂𝐹 ∕𝑐, whe e 𝐿𝑇 𝑂𝐹 is de ined
as he dis ance be ween he neu on p oduc ion a ge and he cen e
o he de ec o ac i e olume (no he on ace).
Radia ion Physics and Chemis y 217 (2024) 111464
5
M.A. Millán-Callado e al.
Fig. 7. TOF spec a o he 2H(d,n) eac ion a 1.0 MeV beam ene gy measu ed a
150 cm in he o wa d di ec ion. The blue line co esponds o neu on signals (see
Sec ion 2.3.2).
Fig. 7 displays he esul o he con igu a ion o a 1.0 MeV deu e on
beam hi ing he D/Ti a ge , measu ed wi h Tadeo-2 a 150 cm dis-
ance in he o wa d di ec ion. The wo his og ams co espond o all
( ed) and neu on only (blue) signals, illus a ing he excellen PSD
capabili ies achie ed. The 𝛾- ay 𝑇 𝑂𝐹 dis ibu ion (g een) ea u es a
cons an le el (en i onmen al backg ound) and he peak co esponding
o he 𝛾- lash. The 𝛾- lash has a wid h o 2.35 ns co esponding o he
ime sp ead o he ion beam and, as men ioned abo e, se es as an
accu a e e e ence o he neu on p oduc ion ime. The neu on 𝑇 𝑂𝐹
dis ibu ion ea u es a p onounced peak co esponding o neu ons o
e y well-de ined ene gy, i.e. he quasi-monoene ge ic neu ons esul -
ing om he 2H(d,n) eac ion on he hin D a ge . The ail obse ed a
longe 𝑇 𝑂𝐹 alues, wo o de s o magni ude below he main neu on
peak, is ela ed o he deu e ium di usion in o he backing (Nol e and
Thomas,2011).
3.2. Ene gy dis ibu ions
Due o he limi ed eloci y o he neu ons (𝑣≪𝑐), he 𝑇 𝑂𝐹
dis ibu ions can be ans o med in o neu on ene gy (𝐸𝑛) dis ibu ions
using he non- ela i is ic exp ession (3):
𝐸𝑛(𝑀𝑒𝑉 ) = 1
2𝑚𝑛𝑣2=(72.293 ⋅𝐿𝑇 𝑂𝐹 (𝑚)
𝑇 𝑂𝐹 (𝑛𝑠))2
(3)
Applying his ans o ma ion o he TOF dis ibu ion om Fig. 7 (E𝑑
= 1.0 MeV) esul s in he neu on ene gy dis ibu ion displayed in he
op panel o Fig. 8. I ea u es a e y well-de ined quasi-monoene ge ic
neu on beam cen e ed a 4 MeV wi h a esolu ion o jus 7%. The ad-
di ional spec a shown in Fig. 8 ( op) co espond o he measu emen s
o he dummy a ge and he sca e ed backg ound measu ed using a
shadow ba . The bo om panel illus a es he si ua ion o a highe en-
e gy deu e on beam o 3.0 MeV, which is enough o p oduce neu ons
in he hin Ti subs a e, he Al backing, he Al collima o , and he e y
hin C con amina ion laye buil up on he su ace o he a ge (Bö ge
e al.,1989). I mus be conside ed ha he ∼11 MeV neu ons emi ed
in he Al collima o a el a longe dis ance (15 cm mo e) o each he
de ec o , he e o e appea ing a a lowe econs uc ed neu on ene gy
o ∼9 MeV. Ano he backg ound con ibu ion is gene a ed by neu ons
sca e ed ac oss he oom and hen a i ing a he de ec o , measu ed
using he p e iously men ioned shadow ba . The sub ac ion o he
dummy a ge and shadow ba con ibu ions p o ides he aimed clean
quasi-monoene ge ic neu on beam. Howe e , his is only easible up
o he maximum neu on ene gy o 6 MeV shown in he igu e, since a
highe beam ene gies, neu ons om o he deu e on-induced eac ions
in he a ge ep esen he dominan con ibu ion. In any case, e en
i ano he ype o a ge was used, he quasi-monoene ge ic neu on
Fig. 8. Recons uc ed neu on ene gy spec a measu ed wi h he D/Ti (wi h and
wi hou shadow ba ) and dummy a ge s o 𝐸𝑑= 1.0 MeV ( op) and 𝐸𝑑= 3.0 MeV
(bo om). The aimed quasi-monoene ge ic con ibu ion om he 2H(d,n) eac ion is
ob ained a e he backg ound sub ac ion. The con ibu ion o di e en eac ions is
labeled in he igu e.
p oduc ion hough he 2H(d,n) eac ions canno be pushed beyond
∼7 MeV because he neu on emission om deu e on b eak-up becomes
impo an a beam ene gies abo e ∼3.7 MeV.
The ene gy o he neu ons emi ed in he 2𝐻(𝑑, 𝑛) eac ion depends
on bo h he ion beam ene gy and he angle o emission. In o de o illus-
a e he quasi-monoene ge ic neu on beams ha can be p oduced a
HiSPANoS, he angle o he de ec o s was changed be ween 0 and 120
deg ees o a deu e ium ene gy o 1.5 MeV, and he beam ene gy was
changed be ween 0.75 and 3.0 MeV o h ee selec ed angles: 0, 30 and
120 deg ees. The esul s a e displayed in Fig. 9: as expec ed, he ene gy
o he neu ons inc eases wi h he ion beam ene gy and dec eases wi h
he angle. This shows ha HiSPANoS can p o ide neu on beams wi h
well-de ined ene gies om 2 o 6 MeV and ha he wide ange o angles
a ailable a he labo a o y allows o mul iple simul aneous neu on
ene gy expe imen s wi hou he need o changing he ol age o he
accele a o .
The da a om HiSPANoS in Fig. 9 was compa ed wi h he e e ence
da a o Liskien and Paulsen (1973), e ie ed h ough he code NeuS-
Desc (Bi ge sson e al.,2009) de eloped a JRC-Geel. NeuSDesc esul s
include he e ec o a ini e-size D/Ti a ge on he ene gy o he ou -
going neu ons (dashed lines in he plo ). The good ag eemen se es
as alida ion o he beam ene gy alue, de ec o posi ioning (dis ance
and angle), 𝑇 𝑂𝐹 ime calib a ion and neu on ene gy calcula ions
p esen ed he ein.

Radia ion Physics and Chemis y 217 (2024) 111464
6
M.A. Millán-Callado e al.
Fig. 9. Dependence o he neu on ene gy on he ion beam ene gy ( op) and angle
(bo om, 𝐸𝑑= 1.5 MeV). The lines co espond o he da a o Liskien and Paulsen
(1973), e ie ed wi h NeuSDesc (Bi ge sson e al.,2009) (which also p o ides an
es ima ion o he unce ain y). The unce ain ies o he expe imen al da a co espond o
he measu ed esolu ion in Y and o he de ec o posi ioning (bo om) o he accele a o
calib a ion ( op) in X.
3.3. Ene gy esolu ion
Ene gy esolu ion is a key ea u e o a ime-o - ligh acili y, and
he a ailabili y o quasi-monoene ge ic beams allows s udying i ac-
cu a ely. Bea ing in mind Eq. (3) and conside ing he p opaga ion o
unce ain ies, he ene gy esolu ion can be calcula ed in Eq. (4):
𝑅(𝐸𝑛, 𝐿) = 𝛥𝐸𝑛
𝐸𝑛
=√
√
√
√(2𝛥𝑡
𝑡)2
+(2𝛥𝐿
𝐿)2
+(𝛥𝐸𝑛
𝐸𝑛)2
𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑡
,(4)
Hence, he esolu ion has con ibu ions om he ligh dis ance (𝐿
and 𝛥𝐿), mainly he ini e size o he de ec o ; he ime-o - ligh (𝑡and
𝛥𝑡), mainly he du a ion o he pulsed deu e on beam; and he ene gy
sp ead o he neu ons due o he ene gy loss o he beam in he D/Ti
a ge .
Expe imen ally, he neu on ene gy esolu ion o HiSPANoS has
been de e mined om he ene gy and sp ead o he quasi-monoene g-
e ic neu on peak a 3.6 MeV, p oduced by deu e ons wi h 1.5 MeV a
60 deg ees. This esolu ion has been s udied as a unc ion o he ligh
pa h up o 4 m.
The expe imen al and calcula ed ene gy esolu ions a e displayed
in Fig. 10, showing a good ag eemen and illus a ing how i imp o es
wi h he ligh pa h. The pa ial con ibu ions o he esolu ion, also
displayed in he igu e, e idence ha he dominan ac o is he 2 ns
wid h o he beam pulse.
Fig. 10. Dependence o he neu on ene gy esolu ion on he ligh pa h dis ance,
measu ed a 60 deg ees o 3.6 MeV neu ons. The expec ed beha iou is shown as a
solid line, wi h he dashed lines co esponding o he pa ial con ibu ions.
Fig. 11. Recons uc ed neu on ene gy dis ibu ion o 𝐸𝑑= 1.5 MeV in o wa d
di ec ion, illus a ing he wall e ec (neu on sca e ing backg ound) depending on
he ligh pa h. The spec a a e no malized by L−2in me e s.
3.4. Neu on sca e ing: wall e ec s
Despi e he neu on ene gy esolu ion being imp o ed by he in-
c easing ligh pa h, he limi ed size o he expe imen al a ea is s ill an
impo an ac o o conside . Geome ically speaking, he dimensions
o he andem hall allow o a ligh pa h o up o 3.5 m a 0 deg ees
and mo e han 4 m a 60 deg ees. Howe e , when he de ec o is close
o he walls, s uc u es s a o appea in he measu ed spec a due o
sca e ed neu ons, as shown in Fig. 11. The co esponding neu on
ene gy dis ibu ions o wo di e en ligh pa h dis ances in o wa d
di ec ion o 𝐸𝑑= 1.5 MeV a e ep esen ed in he igu e. A 3 m,
he de ec o is only 75 cm om he wall and hus a sizeable neu on
sca e ed s uc u e appea s in he egion be ween 1 and 2 MeV (in
his example). A simila bu much smalle s uc u e appea s when he
de ec o is a only 1.5 m om he sou ce, hence u he om he wall.
3.5. A ailable beams
In o de o de e mine he neu on lux emi ed om he D/Ti sou ce,
he peaks obse ed in he clean neu on ene gy spec a (like hose
shown in Fig. 8) ha e been in eg a ed and di ided by he de ec ion
e iciency o he de ec o (see Fig. 3), he a ea o he de ec o ’s on
su ace and he ime-in eg a ed beam cu en . In his way, he neu on
sou ce lux is exp essed in he usual uni s o n/cm2/s a a gi en
Radia ion Physics and Chemis y 217 (2024) 111464
7
M.A. Millán-Callado e al.
Fig. 12. Neu on lux measu ed a di e en dis ances (a 0 and 60 deg ees) and
angles (a 150 cm) wi h a deu e on beam o 1.5 MeV impac ing on he D/Ti a ge .
The solid lines co espond o he da a o Liskien and Paulsen (1973) e ie ed wi h
NeuSDesc (Bi ge sson e al.,2009). The expe imen al da a shows e o ba s on bo h
axes.
dis ance. The neu on lux can hen be easily ans o med in o n/s /μC,
as emi ed a he sou ce.
In he case o he 2H(d,n) eac ions, he neu on lux has been
i s s udied o a ixed 𝐸𝑑= 1.5 MeV as a unc ion o he ligh
pa h dis ance, in o de o make su e ha i ollows he expec ed
1/𝐿𝑇 𝑂𝐹 2dependence. This is shown in Fig. 12 ( op), whe e he alues
co esponding o Liskien and Paulsen (1973), e ie ed again h ough
NeuSDesc (Bi ge sson e al.,2009), a e shown o alida ion. Since
he expe imen al alues ollow he a o emen ioned dependence on he
squa e o he dis ance, he sub ac ion o he backg ound, which has
been shown o inc ease wi h he dis ance om he neu on sou ce, is
hus alida ed. The igu e also shows a a ia ion up o a ac o o six o
he neu on lux wi h he angle (bo om). This is ano he p oo o he
co ec backg ound sub ac ion, since he neu ons sca e ed lose he
angula in o ma ion om he sou ce and he expe imen al alues a e
in e y good ag eemen wi h he e e ence da a.
O e all, Table 2 summa izes he con igu a ions (beam ene gy and
angle) a ailable and he co esponding luxes o quasi-monoene ge ic
neu on beams be ween 2 and 6 MeV. The beam ene gy o 𝐸𝑑=
1.5 MeV has been chosen o p oducing low-ene gy beams because,
al hough neu on p oduc ion is la ge a highe ene gies, he back-
g ound con ibu ion om he a ge assembly is s ill negligible a his
ene gy. In o de o ease he beam ime and coun ing a e es ima ion
o po en ial use s o he acili y, he neu on lux in e ms o n/cm2/s
o bo h con inuous and pulsed beams is gi en, conside ing a e e ence
dis ance o 150 cm, a 5 μA cu en and a 4% du y cycle. The co e-
sponding neu on yield in n/s /μC is also included in he able. The
unce ain y in he lux is abou 10%, conside ing he unce ain ies in
he de ec o e iciency (7% (Pino e al.,2014)), he ini e hickness o
he de ec o s a his dis ance (3%), and he ep oducibili y o he esul s
om he neu on moni o (7%), which also includes a 3% accu acy in
he beam cu en measu emen . O he e o sou ces ha e been deemed
negligible.
4. B oad neu on beams
As opposed o he na ow ene gy beams p oduced in he in e ac ion
o he deu e on beam wi h he hin 2H a ge , when he same beam
impinges on a hick a ge i p oduces a b oad ene gy neu on beam
wi h much highe lux.
Gi en he ene gy ange o he deu e on beam a ailable a HiS-
PANoS, he eac ions on hick Li and Be a ge s yield he highes
neu on p oduc ion. The neu on ene gies, acco ding o he posi i e Q-
alues epo ed in Table 1, a e up o 10 MeV o he Be a ge and
exceeding 15 MeV o Li. Rega ding he la e , a p ac ical aspec o be
conside ed is ha while he mel ing poin o Be is 986 ◦C, ha o Li is
only 180 ◦C, hus equi ing o ced cooling when high beam cu en s a e
applied. A HiSPANoS, his is achie ed by means o he wa e -cooled
a ge holde men ioned in Sec ion 2.2.
4.1. TOF/E𝑛spec a and sca e ing backg ound
The ime-o - ligh spec a co esponding o he Li and Be a -
ge s when bomba ded wi h he highes ene gy a ailable (5.75 MeV)
deu e on beams a e displayed in Fig. 13.
In con as o he case o he hin D/Ti a ge , he hick a ge s s op
he ions comple ely, a oiding neu on p oduc ion elsewhe e and hus
making a dummy a ge backg ound sub ac ion unnecessa y. Hence,
only he backg ound om sca e ed neu ons needs o be measu ed,
wi h he help o he a o emen ioned shadow ba . This con ibu ion
o he ime-o - ligh and neu on ene gy dis ibu ions measu ed is
illus a ed in Fig. 13, in he o m o ligh dashed lines. The neu on
sca e ing backg ound is especially ele an a long TOF (>110 ns),
co esponding o low neu on ene gy (<1 MeV), as he de ec ion e i-
ciency o di ec neu ons is smalle and e en ually null, bu sca e ed
neu ons wi h high ene gies a i ing o he de ec o a longe imes
can s ill be de ec ed. Howe e , he shadow ba me hod wo ks well and
allows an accu a e sub ac ion o he neu on sca e ing backg ound.
The ime-o - ligh and neu on ene gy dis ibu ions (displayed in
Fig. 13) ea u e s uc u es ha a e wo h being discussed. Al hough all
neu ons a e p oduced by means o (d,n) eac ions, when he deu e on
b ings enough ene gy o he sys em, he esidual nucleus (8Be in he
case o Li and 10B in he case o Be) can each di e en exci ed s a es,
which lea es less ene gy a ailable o he emi ed neu ons. Hence, he e
is a co espondence be ween he s uc u es obse ed and he ene gy o
hese exci ed s a es, as illus a ed in he bo om panel o Fig. 13. In
his igu e, he neu on ene gy (𝐸𝑛) is sub ac ed om he o al ene gy
a ailable (𝐸𝑑+𝑄). The esul demons a es he co espondence be ween
he obse ed s uc u es and he well-known nuclea le els (labeled in
he igu e) in 8Be and 10B (IAEA - Nuclea Da a Sec ion,2023).
4.2. A ailable beams
The backg ound-sub ac ed neu on ene gy dis ibu ions co espo-
nding o (d,n) eac ions on Li and Be ha e been di ided by he
e iciency, he solid angle co e ed by he de ec o , and he in e-
g a ed cu en in o de o be ans o med in o uni s o neu on lux
(n/s /MeV/μC).
The esul is displayed in Fig. 14, wi h he unce ain y in he
neu on ene gy calcula ed om Eq. (4) and he 10% unce ain y in he
neu on lux discussed in Sec ion 3.5. The igu e also includes a line
Radia ion Physics and Chemis y 217 (2024) 111464
8
M.A. Millán-Callado e al.
Table 2
Summa y o he quasi-monoene ge ic neu on beams a ailable a HiSPANoS (in e media e ene gy con igu-
a ions a e also a ailable). The neu on yield is gi en in n/s /μC. The neu on lux a a dis ance o 150 cm
o bo h con inuous and pulsed neu on beams, conside ing a 5 μA cu en and a 4% du y cycle, is gi en
in n/cm2/s.
𝐸𝑑𝜃 𝐸𝑛𝛥E/E 𝑌 𝑖𝑒𝑙𝑑 Flux (n/cm2/s)
(MeV) (deg) (MeV) (𝑛∕𝑠𝑟∕μ𝐶)𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑃 𝑢𝑙𝑠𝑒𝑑
1.5 120 2.2 5% 4.5(4)⋅105100(10) 4.0(4)
1.5 90 2.8 7% 2.7(3)⋅10560(6) 2.4(2)
1.5 60 3.5 8% 4.1(4)⋅10590(9) 3.6(4)
1.5 30 4.2 7% 1.2(1)⋅106270(30) 11(1)
1.5 0 4.5 7% 2.6(2)⋅106590(20) 23(2)
2.0 0 5.1 8% 3.1(3)⋅106680(30) 27(3)
3.0 0 6.1 7% 3.7(4)⋅106830(30) 33(3)
Fig. 13. Time-o - ligh ( op), neu on ene gy (middle) and 𝐸𝑑+𝑄−𝐸𝑛(bo om) spec a
o 𝐸𝑑= 5.75 MeV on he hick Li and Be a ge s measu ed o wa d a 150 cm. See
ex o de ails.
Fig. 14. Neu on yields a 𝐸𝑑= 5.75 MeV and a ligh pa h o 150 cm in he o wa d
di ec ion o he Li and Be hick a ge s. The blue line co esponds o he da a om
Meadows (Meadows,1993) o 5.8 MeV deu e on beams a 0◦and he yellow line
co esponds o he da a om Wea e (Wea e e al.,1973) a 5.0 MeV and 3.5◦
( e ie ed om EXFOR (O uka e al.,2014) F0218.015).
co esponding o he da a epo ed by Meadows (Meadows,1993) o
a 5.8 MeV deu e on beam impinging on a hick Be a ge , e e ed o
he o wa d di ec ion; and also he da a om Wea e (Wea e e al.,
1973) wi h a deu e on beam o 5.0 MeV impinging on a hick Li a ge
and measu ed a 3.5◦. The e is indeed an excellen ag eemen be ween
he HiSPANoS and Meadows da a in e ms o bo h ene gy dis ibu ion
and neu on lux and, in he case o Wea e , he neu on lux om
HiSPANoS is sligh ly highe in he ene gy egion om 3 o 10 MeV,
which is expec ed due o he di e ence in he deu e on ene gy and he
measu ing angle. The compa ison a low ene gy (<2 MeV) be ween his
wo k and Meadows e idences he limi a ions when measu ing neu ons
below 1–2 MeV wi h liquid scin illa o s, as in his wo k, compa ed
o measu emen s wi h ission chambe s, as in Meadows. The d op in
he e iciency (see Fig. 3) and he co esponding highe unce ain y is
esponsible o he disc epancies nea he ene gy h eshold. Then, he
be e ene gy esolu ion o Meadows and Wea e , ela ed o he longe
ligh pa h used (3.75 and 11 m espec i ely agains 1.5 m), is only
and ba ely isible a he all-o a ound 10 MeV in he case o Be, and
15 MeV in he case o Li. The ene gy esolu ion is also esponsible o
showing neu on ene gies beyond 20 MeV, which is he physical limi
acco ding o he Q- alue and he beam ene gy.
The b oad ene gy neu on beams a ailable a HiSPANoS a e summa-
ized in Table 3. In eg al neu on p oduc ion e e s o neu ons abo e
1.3 MeV, which is he lowe ene gy limi in he de ec ion e iciency
o he liquid scin illa o s used o neu on de ec ion. As in he case
o he quasi-monoene ge ic neu on beams, he neu on luxes o he
con inuous and pulsed beam con igu a ion a a dis ance o 150 cm a e
gi en in uni s o n/cm2/s, and he neu on yield a he a ge is gi en
in n/s /μ𝐶.
Radia ion Physics and Chemis y 217 (2024) 111464
9
M.A. Millán-Callado e al.
Table 3
Summa y o he b oad ene gy neu on beams a ailable a HiSPANoS (in e media e ene gy con igu a ions
a e also a ailable). The neu on yield is gi en in n/s /μC, and he neu on lux a a dis ance o 150 cm o
bo h con inuous and pulsed neu on beams is gi en in n/cm2/s.
Reac ion 𝐸𝑑Max. 𝐸𝑛Yield Flux (n/cm2/s)
(MeV) (MeV) (𝑛∕𝑠𝑟∕μ𝐶)𝐶𝑜𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑢𝑜𝑢𝑠 𝑃 𝑢𝑙𝑠𝑒𝑑
Li(d,n) 5.75 20.6 2.2(2)⋅1010 5.0(5)⋅1062.0(2)⋅105
Be(d,n) 5.75 10.1 2.5(3)⋅1010 5.4(5)⋅1062.2(2)⋅105
Fig. 15. Neu on yields a 150 cm o he main as neu on beams a ailable a
HiSPANoS. In e media e quasi-monoene ge ic neu on beams and e o ba s ha e been
omi ed o cla i y.
5. Summa y and ou look
Since 2013, he HiSPANoS acili y a CNA has ope a ed in con in-
uous mode as he i s accele a o -based neu on sou ce in Spain. In
2018, he se up was upg aded wi h a pulsing sys em p oducing ∼2 ns
pulses ha enable new ields o esea ch and applica ions using ime-o -
ligh echniques. While he capabili y o HiSPANoS o p oduce pulsed
epi he mal neu on beams has al eady been assessed (Macías e al.,
2020,2021), his wo k is de o ed o he commissioning o he as
neu on beams.
Con inuous and pulsed as neu on beams a e p oduced a HiS-
PANoS by making a deu e on beam o up o 6 MeV and ∼5μA
in e ac wi h he di e en a ge s a ailable. While a hin deu e a ed
i anium (D/Ti) a ge p oduces quasi-monoene ge ic beams be ween
2 and 6 MeV, he use o hick Be and Li a ge s p oduces neu on
beams wi h a b oad ene gy dis ibu ion up o 10 MeV and o e 15 MeV,
espec i ely.
In his wo k, he neu on ene gy, esolu ion, backg ound, and neu-
on lux o he di e en beams a ailable a HiSPANoS ( o di e en
a ge s, beam ene gies, angles, and dis ances) ha e been cha ac e ized
and shown o be in ag eemen wi h he expec a ions om exis ing
e e ence da a. As a summa y, Fig. 15 shows some o he neu on beams
a ailable in uni s o n∕s ∕μC∕MeV in he o wa d di ec ion (excep
o he lowes ene gy quasi-monoene ge ic neu on beam o 2.2 MeV,
which co esponds o 120 deg ees). The co esponding neu on yields
a he a ge a e in he o de o 106and 1010 n/s /μC o quasi-
monoene ge ic and b oad ene gy neu on beams, espec i ely (see
de ails in Tables 2 and 3). The epo ed 10% accu acy in he neu on
luxes desc ibed in his wo k is domina ed by a 7% con ibu ion om
de ec o e iciency (which could be educed by using an absolu ely
calib a ed neu on de ec o ) and ano he 7% om he ep oducibili y
o he esul s. The e is ongoing wo k a CNA aimed o educe he la e .
CRediT au ho ship con ibu ion s a emen
M.A. Millán-Callado: Me hodology, So wa e, Valida ion, Fo mal
analysis, In es iga ion, W i ing – o iginal d a . C. Gue e o: Con-
cep ualiza ion, Me hodology, Fo mal analysis, In es iga ion, Resou ces,
W i ing – e iew & edi ing, Supe ision, P ojec adminis a ion. B.
Fe nández: Concep ualiza ion, Me hodology, Fo mal analysis, In es i-
ga ion, W i ing – e iew & edi ing, Supe ision. J. Gómez-Camacho:
Resou ces, Supe ision, Funding acquisi ion. M. Macías: In es iga ion.
J.M. Quesada: Resou ces, Supe ision, Funding acquisi ion.
Decla a ion o compe ing in e es
The au ho s decla e he ollowing inancial in e es s/pe sonal ela-
ionships which may be conside ed as po en ial compe ing in e es s:
Begona Fe nandez epo s inancial suppo was p o ided by Go e n-
men o Andalusia. Jose Manuel Quesada epo s inancial suppo was
p o ided by Spain Minis y o Science and Inno a ion. Ca los Gue e o
epo s inancial suppo was p o ided by Spain Minis y o Science
and Inno a ion. Jose Manuel Quesada epo s inancial suppo was
p o ided by Eu opean Commission.
Da a a ailabili y
Da a will be made a ailable on eques and published in he IAEA
EXFOR compila ion o expe imen al nuclea eac ion da a (O uka e al.,
2014).
Acknowledgmen s
The au ho s hank he ope a o s o he CNA Tandem accele a o
(J.A. Lab ado , D. Pascual-Ál a ez, A. J. Rome o and M. A. Selle ) o
hei dedica ion and help in he commissioning o he pulsed neu on
beams.
This wo k has ecei ed unding om he Eu a om esea ch and
aining p og am 2014–2018 unde he g an ag eemen No 847594
(H2020-Eu a om-ARIEL), he Ma ie Cu ie ac ions o he 7 h F ame-
wo k P og am unde he g an ag eemen No 334315 (FP7-PEOPLE-
Neu ANdalus), he Spanish na ional p ojec s FPA2016-77689-C2-1-R,
RTI2018-098117-B-C21, and PID2021-123879OB-C21; and he FEDER
Andalucía unds unde he p ojec US-1261006.
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