The DEuterated SCintillator Array for Neutron Tagging

A neutron tagging array based upon liquid deuterated scintillators is being developed for the study of neutron-rich systems. The DEuterated SCintillator Array for Neutron Tagging, or DESCANT, will serve as an auxiliary detector for both the TIGRESS and GRIFFIN γ-ray spectrometers located at TRIUMF’s ISAC radioactive ion beam facility. DESCANT is comprised of 70 pseudohexaconical detectors of five varieties. The array is fully close-packed, subtends a downstream angle of θ = 65° and covers 92.6% of this solid angle or 1.08π sr. Each detector is 150 mm thick and filled with Bicron BC-537 liquid deuterated scintillator. The white, red and blue detectors are viewed by 127 mm diameter Hamamatsu R4155 photomultiplier tubes while the yellow and green detectors are viewed by 78 mm diameter ET Enterprises 9822B photomultiplier tubes. The aim of this work is to report on the mechanical design of DESCANT and the performance of a prototype detector measured using mono-energetic neutrons.