Abstract
SONTRAC (SOlar Neutron TRACking imager and spectrometer) is a conceptual instrument intended to measure the energy and incident direction of 20–150 MeV neutrons produced in solar flares. The intense neutron background in a low-Earth orbit requires that imaging techniques be employed to maximize an instrument’s signal-to-noise ratio. The instrument is comprised of mutually perpendicular, alternating layers of parallel, scintillating, plastic fibers that are viewed by optoelectronic devices. Two stereoscopic views of recoil proton tracks are necessary to determine the incident neutron’s direction and energy. The instrument can also be used as a powerful energetic proton imager. Data from a fully functional 3-d prototype are presented. Early results indicate that the instrument’s neutron energy resolution is approximately 10% with the neutron incident direction determined to within a few degrees.
Department
Space Science Center, Physics
Publication Date
2001
Journal Title
AIP Conference Proceedings
Publisher
AIP Publishing
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
10.1063/1.1395374
Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Recommended Citation
SONTRAC—a scintillating plastic fiber tracking detector for neutron and proton imaging spectroscopy Ryan, James M. and Macri, John R. and McConnell, Mark L. and Miller, Richard S., AIP Conference Proceedings, 576, 571-574 (2001), DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.1395374
Rights
© 2001 American Institute of Physics