A Segmented Total Energy Detector (sTED) optimized for (n, γ) cross-section measurements at n_TOF EAR2

Alcayne, V.; Cano-Ott, D.; Garcia, J.; González-Romero, E.; Martínez, T.; Rada, A. Pérez de; Plaza, J.; Sánchez-Caballero, A.; Balibrea-Correa, J.; Domingo-Pardo, C.; Lerendegui-Marco, J.; Casanovas, A.; Calviño, F.; Aberle, O.; Altieri, S.; Amaducci, S.; Andrzejewski, J.; Babiano-Suarez, V.; Bacak, M.; Beltrami, C.; Bennett, S.; Bernardes, A. P.; Berthoumieux, E.; Beyer, R.; Boromiza, M.; Bosnar, D.; Caamaño, M.; Calviani, M.; Castelluccio, D. M.; Cerutti, F.; Cescutti, G.; Chasapoglou, S.; Chiaveri, E.; Colombetti, P.; Colonna, N.; Camprini, P. Console; Cortés, G.; Cortés-Giraldo, M. A.; Cosentino, L.; Dellmann, S.; Di Castro, M.; Di Maria, S.; Diakaki, M.; Dietz, M.; Dressler, R.; Dupont, E.; Durán, I.; Eleme, Z.; Fargier, S.; Fernández, B.; Fernández-Domínguez, B.; Finocchiaro, P.; Fiore, S.; Furman, V.; García-Infantes, F.; Gawlik-Ramiega, A.; Gervino, G.; Gilardoni, S.; Guerrero, C.; Gunsing, F.; Gustavino, C.; Heyse, J.; Hillman, W.; Jenkins, D. G.; Jericha, E.; Junghans, A.; Kadi, Y.; Kaperoni, K.; Kaur, G.; Kimura, A.; Knapová, I.; Kokkoris, M.; Kopatch, Y.; Krtička, M.; Kyritsis, N.; Ladarescu, I.; Lederer-Woods, C.; Lerner, G.; Manna, A.; Masi, A.; Massimi, C.; Mastinu, P.; Mastromarco, M.; Maugeri, E. A.; Mazzone, A.; Mendoza, E.; Mengoni, A.; Michalopoulou, V.; Milazzo, P. M.; Mucciola, R.; Murtas, F.; Musacchio-Gonzalez, E.; Musumarra, A.; Negret, A.; Pérez-Maroto, P.; Patronis, N.; Pavón-Rodríguez, J. A.; Pellegriti, M. G.; Perkowski, J.; Petrone, C.; Piersanti, L.; Pirovano, E.; Pomp, S.; Porras, I.; Praena, J.; Quesada, J. M.; Reifarth, R.; Rochman, D.; Romanets, Y.; Rubbia, C.; Sabaté-Gilarte, M.; Schillebeeckx, P.; Schumann, D.; Sekhar, A.; Smith, A. G.; Sosnin, N. V.; Spelta, M.; Stamati, M. E.; Sturniolo, A.; Tagliente, G.; Tarifeño-Saldivia, A.; Tarrío, D.; Torres-Sánchez, P.; Vagena, E.; Valenta, S.; Variale, V.; Vaz, P.; Vecchio, G.; Vescovi, D.; Vlachoudis, V.; Vlastou, R.; Wallner, A.; Woods, P. J.; Wright, T.; Zarrella, R.; Žugec, P.

doi:10.1016/j.radphyschem.2024.111525

The neutron time-of-flight facility n_TOF at CERN is a spallation source dedicated to measurements of neutron-induced reaction cross-sections of interest in nuclear technologies, astrophysics, and other applications. Since 2014, Experimental ARea 2 (EAR2) is operational and delivers a neutron fluence of ∼4⋅107 neutrons per nominal proton pulse, which is ∼50 times higher than the one of Experimental ARea 1 (EAR1) of ∼8⋅105 neutrons per pulse. The high neutron flux at EAR2 results in high counting rates in the detectors that challenged the previously existing capture detection systems. For this reason, a Segmented Total Energy Detector (sTED) has been developed to overcome the limitations in the detector's response, by reducing the active volume per module and by using a photo-multiplier (PMT) optimized for high counting rates. This paper presents the main characteristics of the sTED, including energy and time resolution, response to γ-rays, and provides as well details of the use of the Pulse Height Weighting Technique (PHWT) with this detector. The sTED has been validated to perform neutron-capture cross-section measurements in EAR2 in the neutron energy range from thermal up to at least 400 keV. The detector has already been successfully used in several measurements at n_TOF EAR2.