The International workshop on Position Sensitive Neutron Detectors (PSND2018)

The PSND2018 (International workshop on Position Sensitive Neutron Detectors) took place at FZJ from the 15th to the 17th May.

2 detector meetings followed it at the same place: the annual meeting of the ICND (International Collaboration for the Development of Neutron Detectors), and the meeting of the WP9/SINE2020 detector work package. The most recent detector development carried out at the ILL has been presented during these 3 events:

- Fabien Lafont showed the results obtained in BrightnESS with a new version of the MultiGrid detector equipped with large grids and operated at low gas pressure. These results demonstrate the superiority of the new design compared to the previous one in all detection parameters (see more here). The MultiGrid design, invented at the ILL in 2009, has been selected for CSPEC and T-REX at ESS, and is considered as well for other instruments.
- Julien Marchal described the new concept of trench-MWPC introduced during the XtremeD project, which allows increasing the local counting rate by a factor of 5 compared to standard MWPCs. A photo of the XtremeD detector vessel after arrival at the ILL can be seen here (jpg - 267 Ki). The detector will be operational at mid-2019.
- Damien Roulier presented the last results obtained in the SINE2020 project with a new MSGC (MicroStrip Gas Chamber), which potentially allows achieving a spatial resolution bellow 1 mm, combined with an unprecedented counting rate capability. Preliminary results obtained on the CT2 test beam line are encouraging.

The ICND meeting was the occasion to complete the description of the detector activity at the ILL by presenting the production status for the 9 detector modules of PANTHER, which is well advanced (see photos), and the recent launch of the new 2D MWPC of D10.

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One of the PANTHER MultiTubes during its assembling phase (photo on the left). Ceramics insulators are mounted on both ends of the tubes (sensitive length: 2 m; diameter: 2.2 cm). Anode wires, crimped with small copper tubes, are connected to the 32-pins feedthroughs via PCBs. After the wires are mounted, the module is closed with one aluminium vessel on each side, and tested with 16 bar of gas for pressure vessel certification. The fabrication and test of the 9 modules will be finished before mid-2019.It is already well advanced (photo on the right)