Neutron detector development for microsatellites

• Main Authors: Bodnarik, Julia G., Hamara, Dave, Groza, Michael, Stowe, Ashley C., Burger, Arnold, Stassun, Keivan G., Matei, Liviu, Egner, Joanna C., Harris, Walter M., Buliga, Vladimir
• Other Authors: Univ Arizona, Lunar & Planetary Lab
• Language: en
• Published: SPIE-INT SOC OPTICAL ENGINEERING 2017
• Subjects: neutron detection instrument; CubeSat; scintillator; Si-APD; (LiInSe2)-Li-6; radiation
• Online Access: Julia G. Bodnarik, Dave K. Hamara, Arnold Burger, Vladimir Buliga, Joanna C. Egner, Michael Groza, Walter M. Harris, Liviu Matei, Keivan G. Stassun, Ashley C. Stowe, "Neutron detector development for microsatellites", Proc. SPIE 10392, Hard X-Ray, Gamma-Ray, and Neutron Detector Physics XIX, 103920M (29 August 2017); doi: 10.1117/12.2275682; https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2275682; http://hdl.handle.net/10150/627176; http://arizona.openrepository.com/arizona/handle/10150/627176

We present a preliminary design for a novel neutron detection system that is compact, lightweight, and low power consuming, utilizing the CubeSat platform making it suitable for space-based applications. This is made possible using the scintillating crystal lithium indium diselenide ((LiInSe2)-Li-6), the first crystal to include Li-6 in the crystalline structure, and a silicon avalanche photodiode (Si-APD). The schematics of this instrument are presented as well as the response of the instrument to initial testing under alpha, gamma and neutron radiation. A principal aim of this work is to demonstrate the feasibility of such a neutron detection system within a CubeSat platform. The entire end-to-end system presented here is 10 cm x 10 cm x 15 cm, weighs 670 grams and requires 5 V direct current at 3 Watts.