In this space, visitors are invited to post any comments, questions, or skeptical observations about Philo T. Farnsworth's contributions to the field of Nuclear Fusion research.Subject: Re: Pulsing an IEC 1,2,3 BANG!!!! (neutron activation)
Date: Oct 13, 6:07 pm
Poster: einsofOn Oct 13, 6:07 pm, einsof wrote:
>Geiger counters, of course, are the only way to determine neutron activation in situ. (most iostopes giving off beta rays.)
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> I hope the neutron activation story didn't come from a sample of coin or jewelry taken into a lab and dropped into a sealed and shielded proportional counter which can measure vanishingly small trace levels of activation. If so, this could fall back into a small accident catagory.
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>Richard Hull
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Interesting that you should mention neutron activation in the discussion of pulsed neutron detection. It is a very good way of measuring the average neutrons/second from an fusor operating in pulsed mode. Silver would be a very good choice. Its dominant activation products, Ag-108 and Ag-110, emit beta particles with half lives of 2.39 minutes and 24.6 seconds, respectively. You can measure the average neutrons/second from pulsed operation without worrying about the dead time of you detection equipment (unless there is a tremendous amount of activation). Of course, the count should be taken after the fusor is shut off to avoid counting X-rays from the fusor during operation).