Date of Award

3-2023

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Nuclear Engineering

Department

Department of Engineering Physics

First Advisor

Juan J. Manfredi, PhD

Abstract

By leveraging new developments in fast-curing of plastic scintillators, it is possible to fabricate multi-material plastic scintillators, or metascintillators, which offer improved and/or novel capabilities for radiation detection. This document proposes one geometry of metascintillator that uses layers of green and blue scintillating material to discriminate neutron/gamma radiation, details the devices necessary to fabricate it, and analyzes the metascintillator’s response to radiation. A model of the metascintillator using Geant4 and Python suggested that spectral-based neutron/gamma event discrimination is possible with 63% of gamma events and only 1% of neutron events being multi-color. Fabrication of a 500 µm per layer metascintillator was successful, as well as design and implementation of unique light collection mechanisms that allow for effective measurement of the two-color metascintillator. Exalite-416 and 3-Hydroxyflavone were used to produce blue and green emission light, respectively. Results on neutron/gamma discrimination were inconclusive.

AFIT Designator

AFIT-ENP-MS-23-M-109

Comments

PA cleared, 88ABW‐2023‐0336.

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