Neutron spectrometry of (p,n) based neutron fields at the University of Helsinki using the NCT-WES single-moderator directional spectrometer

A tunable-energy neutron beam produced with up to 1 $μ$A / 10 MeV proton beam on a solid LiF target is available at the Department of Physics of the University of Helsinki for neutron metrology and research applications. This work presents the experimental characterisation of the neutron beams produced at the Helsinki Accelerator Laboratory, and the validation of the MCNP6 and GEANT4 radiation transport codes for simulating these neutron beams. The neutron spectra produced in the forward direction from 1960, 2040, and 2310 keV protons were measured using the NCT-WES single-moderator directional spectrometer. NCT-WES (Neutron Capture Therapy Wide Energy Spectrometer) is a recently developed single-moderator neutron spectrometer with a sharply directional response, and it is a very convenient instrument to characterise neutron facilities, as it determines the whole spectrum in a single exposure, and has a low sensitivity to room-scattering. The neutron fluence was also determined with the Berthold LB 6411 neutron monitor. The data acquired with NCT-WES were unfolded using the FRUIT unfolding code, starting from guess spectra obtained from GEANT4 or MCNP6 simulations. The unfolding analysis showed that both transport codes produced plausible spectra, MCNP6 being more accurate for the 1960 and 2040 keV irradiations and GEANT4 for 2310 keV. The measured values of energy-integrated neutron fluence agree satisfactorily with simulations as well as preliminary measurements with the LB 6411 neutron monitor.