Next generation neutron detection technology
Under the auspices of the TECHNI project, researchers at the Hahn-Meitner Institut in Berlin have developed the prototype for a novel low-pressure, micro-strip, gas chamber (MSGC) detector type. There are clear advantages associated with the MSGC neutron detector type compared to currently available detectors. These advantages are found in the areas of performance and cost-efficiency. The MSGC detector covers the need for a fast, high-resolution, large-area neutron detector. Subject to a small number of technical alterations, this type of detector can be converted to detect X-rays instead, using a novel, cost-effective high-rate, multi-hit delay line readout technique. Linked to the development of the MSGC detector, researchers have also developed a high-speed, high-resolution data acquisition (DAQ) board type to be used with this detector type. The newly developed DAQ board type was aimed at the readout of multiwire proportional chambers (MWPC) for neutron as well as X-ray detection. These key breakthroughs in detector technology could help overcome a number of instrumentation limitations encountered at the moment.
