The n/γ ratio and minimum detectable dose (MDD) are two crucial parameters in the measurement of neutrons in a mixed field comprising both neutrons and gamma rays. In this study, four OSL neutron detectors based on 6LiF and very sensitive α-Al2O3:C powder with grain sizes of less than 100 and 38 μm, respectively, were developed. The first use of the detector pair comprised single-crystal α-Al2O3:C detectors and neutron-sensitive OSL composite detectors represents a pioneering advancement in the field. The n/γ ratio and MDD at various integration times were first investigated. For the four neutron detectors, the neutron response of the neutron detectors with a mixture of 1:1 mass ratio of the α-Al2O3:C powder with grain sizes of less than 100 μm and 6LiF exposed to the D2O moderated 252Cf source was the highest. When the integration time was 0.5 s, the MDD of the neutron detectors with a mixture of 1:1 mass ratio of the α-Al2O3:C powder with grain sizes of less than 100 μm and 6LiF was 6.1, 41.0, and 56.1 μSv, respectively, when irradiated by a calibrated D2O moderated 252Cf source, a bare 252Cf source and a bare 241Am–Be source. A comparison of the results indicates that the composite OSL neutron detectors based on Al2O3:C and 6LiF of this study have demonstrated a notable improvement in MDD.

中文翻译：

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基于 Al2O3：C 和 6LiF 的 OSL 复合中子探测器的中子最小可探测剂量优化


n/γ比和最小可检测剂量 （MDD） 是在由中子和伽马射线组成的混合场中测量中子的两个关键参数。在本研究中，开发了四种基于 6LiF 和非常敏感的 α-Al2O3：C 粉末的 OSL 中子探测器，晶粒尺寸分别小于 100 μm 和 38 μm。该探测器对的首次使用包括单晶 α-Al2O3：C 探测器和中子敏感 OSL 复合探测器，代表了该领域的开创性进步。首先研究了不同积分时间的 n/γ 比和 MDD。对于四个中子探测器，晶粒尺寸小于 100 μm 的 α-Al2O3：C 粉末与 6LiF 混合质量比小于 100 μm 的中子探测器和 6LiF 暴露于 D2O 慢化 252Cf 源的中子响应最高。当积分时间为 0.5 s 时，晶粒尺寸小于 100 μm 的 α-Al2O3：C 粉末与 6LiF 混合质量比为 1：1 的中子探测器的 MDD 分别为 6.1、41.0 和 56.1 μSv，当由校准的 D2O 慢化 252Cf 源、裸露的 252Cf 源和裸露的 241Am-Be 源照射时。结果比较表明，本研究基于 Al2O3：C 和 6LiF 的复合 OSL 中子探测器在 MDD 方面表现出显着改善。