The consortium between Michigan State University and Florida State University proposes the construction of a highly efficient, large-area neutron detector for the detection of high-energy neutrons to be used in experiments with fast rare isotopes at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL). This consortium is joined by Ball State University, Central Michigan University, Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn., Hope College, Indiana University at South Bend, Millikin University, Western Michigan University, and Westmont College, each of which will assemble and test one complete layer of the detector.
The proposed detector consists of 144 horizontal blocks of plastic scintillator arranged in 9 layers of 16 detectors each, covering an area of 2.0 m wide by 1.6 m high. The detector is position sensitive and features multi-hit capability. The addition of passive iron converters enhances the detection efficiency for neutrons with energies above 100 MeV for an average efficiency of up to 70%. The high detection efficiency will allow the investigation of very neutron-rich nuclei that can only be produced with small intensities.
The detector will be used in connection with the new sweeper magnet with its focal plane detectors in stand-alone mode as well as with the combination of sweeper magnet and the S800 magnetic spectrograph. It will therefore be essential for the experimental program at the coupled cyclotron facility. The detector can be optimized for even higher beam energies with only minor modifications due to its modular design. It could be the first detector to be used for fast fragmentation beams at the Rare Isotope
