Measurement of temperature of neutrons emanating from H₂O ice moderator at 77 K

Abstract

The present study concentrates on the measurement of gain in the flux of cold neutrons emanating from an H₂O ice moderator when it is cooled from ambient to a cryogenic temperature. The temperature of neutrons when the moderator is at cryogenic temperature has been determined from this gain. The integrated cold neutron flux is obtained by using a polycrystalline beryllium low pass filter in the path of a scattered neutron beam. A gain of about 7 in the cold neutron flux and a neutron temperature of about 100 K have been obtained when the temperature of water ice was reduced to 77 K.

Keywords:

• Cold neutron source
• Moderator
• Water
• Neutron temperature

Acknowledgement

The authors wish to acknowledge the invaluable help of the Mechanical Design and Prototype Development Section, Physics Group, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai.

Notes

^† [email protected]

^‡ [email protected]

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Saibal Basu

† † [email protected]

Akhtar Mehboob Shaikh

‡ ‡ [email protected]