Measurement of low energy neutron spectrum below 10 keV with the slowing down time method

No general-purpose method of neutron spectrum measurement in the energy region around eV has been established so far. Neutron spectrum measurement in this energy region was attempted by applying the slowing down time (SDT) method, for the first time, inside two types of shield for fusion reactors, type 316 stainless steel (SS316) and SS316/water layered assemblies, incorporating with pulsed neutrons. In the SS316 assembly, neutron spectra below 1 keV were measured with an accuracy less than 10%. Although application of the SDT method was expected very difficult for SS316/water assembly since it contained lightest atoms of hydrogen, the measurement demonstrated that the SDT method was still effective for such shield assembly. The SDT method was also extended to thermal flux measurement in the SS316/water assembly. The present study demonstrated that the SDT method was effective for neutron spectrum measurement in the energy region around eV.