A large, high performance, curved 2D position-sensitive neutron detector

A new position-sensitive neutron detector has been designed and constructed for a protein crystallography station at LANLʹs pulsed neutron source. This station will be one of the most advanced instruments at a major neutron user facility for protein crystallography, fiber and membrane diffraction. The detector, based on neutron absorption in 3He, has a large sensitive area of 3000 cm2, angular coverage of 120°, timing resolution of 1 μs, rate capability in excess of 106 s−1, position resolution of about 1.5 mm FWHM, and efficiency >50% for neutrons of interest in the range 1–10 Å. Features that are key to these remarkable specifications are the utilization of eight independently operating segments within a single gas volume, fabrication of the detector vessel and internal segments with a radius of curvature of about 70 cm, optimized position readout based on charge division and signal shaping with gated baseline restoration, and engineering design with high-strength aluminum alloy.