Real-time ambient neutron dosimetry based on TOF-derived response and G(E) convolution

Accurate assessment of the ambient dose equivalent, H^*(10) , for both neutrons and gamma rays is essential for radiation protection in complex mixed-radiation fields within nuclear facilities and medical environments. Because neutrons exhibit high biological effectiveness and strong energy dependence, precise spectral characterization is crucial for reliable dosimetry. Conventional dosimetry approaches face limitations arising from trade-offs between real-time monitoring capability, spectral sensitivity, and practical deployability. We propose a spectrum-based dosimetry framework for the real-time, simultaneous estimation of H^*(10) using an organic scintillation detector. A neutron-response matrix was obtained experimentally through time-of-flight measurements using a ²⁵² Cf source and validated by a reference fission Watt spectrum. Based on the experimentally derived response, a spectrum-weighted function G(E) was obtained to directly convert the pulse-height spectra to H^*(10) without a conventional unfolding procedure. G(E) was optimized using least-squares minimization and adaptive moment estimation optimization, achieving minimum mean absolute percentage errors at optimized orders of kₘₐₓ =6 and kₘₐₓ =22, respectively. The proposed framework demonstrated strong linearity over a dose-rate range of 3–150 Sv/h , with relative errors within approximately 5 $$%$$ and a minimum mean absolute percentage error of 2.36 $$%$$ . These experimentally derived response functions enable stable real-time neutron-dose estimation, providing a practical alternative to simulation-dependent methods for radiation protection.