THE PHYSICS AND SHIELDING ASPECTS OF HETEROGENEOUS ISOTOPIC NEUTRON SOURCES,
Abstract
This study is concerned with the feasibility of constructing an isotopic neutron source which has the characteristic that it can be turned on or off at the option of the user. The alpha-neutron reaction was selected to be the source of neutrons. It was desired that a suitable combination of radioisotope material and target material be selected which exhibited a high neutron yield when the two materials were placed into the on mode, and yet exhibited low radiation intensities when the source was in the off mode. This way, a compace source of high intensity would be possible which would require little or no shielding when not in use. Source half-life, material availability and cost were considered. It was concluded that two radioactive materials, polonium-210 and plutonium-238, appeared to be the most attractive radioisotope materials. For a mechanical on-off system, beryllium was considered to be the best target material since it exhibits the highest yield in an alpha-neutron reaction. Typical neutron energy spectra and neutron yeilds were calculated which showed that the ratio of neutrons emitted while in the on mode compared to the off mode was on the order of 10,000. Calculations were made of neutron and gamma ray intensities.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1965
- Accession Number
- AD0625406
Entities
People
- Donald F. Knuth
Organizations
- The Catholic University of America