The high neutron detection efficiency, good gamma-ray discrimination and non-toxicity of ³He made of proportional counters filled with this gas the obvious choice for neutron detection, particularly in radiation portal monitors (RPM), used to control the illicit transport of nuclear material, of which neutron detectors are key components. ³He is very rare and during the last decade this gas has become increasingly difficult to acquire. With the exception of BF₃, which is toxic, no other gas can be used for neutron detection in proportional counters. We present an alternative where the ³He atoms are replaced by nanoparticles made of another neutron sensitive material, ¹⁰B. The particles are dispersed in a gaseous volume, forming an aerosol with neutron sensitive properties. A proportional counter filled with such aerosol was exposed to a thermal neutron beam and the recorded response indicates that the neutrons have interacted with the particles in the aerosol. This original technique, which transforms a standard proportional gas mixture into a neutron sensitive aerosol, is a breakthrough in the field of radiation detection and has the potential to become an alternative to the use of ³He in proportional counters.

中文翻译：

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中子检测的新概念：装有10B纳米颗粒气溶胶的比例计数器。

³ He由填充有这种气体的比例计数器制成的³ He具有很高的中子探测效率，良好的伽马射线辨别力和无毒性，是中子探测的明显选择，尤其是在用于控制核子非法运输的辐射门探测器（RPM）中。材料，其中中子探测器是关键部件。³他非常稀有，在过去的十年中，这种气体变得越来越难以获得。除了有毒的BF _3外，其他任何气体都不能在比例计数器中用于中子检测。我们提出了一种替代方案，其中³ He原子被另一种对中子敏感的材料¹⁰制成的纳米粒子代替B.颗粒分散在气态体积中，形成具有中子敏感性的气溶胶。将装满这种气溶胶的比例计数器暴露于热中子束中，记录的响应表明中子已与气溶胶中的粒子发生相互作用。这项原始技术将标准比例的气体混合物转化为对中子敏感的气溶胶，是放射线检测领域的一项突破，并且有可能成为在比例计数器中使用³ He的替代方法。