Journal of Nuclear Science, Engineering and Technology (JONSAT)
In cooperation with the Iranian Nuclear Society

Simulation and measurement of interfering cosmic muons in Mini-IRAND

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

M.J. Safari 1
E. Taghavi 2
S. Hadavandi 3
H. Rouhi 4
S. Mohtashami 1
M.R. Ghorbani 2
Z. Shahbazi Rad 2

1 Faculty of Energy and Physics Engineering, Amirkabir University of Technology, P.O.Box: 158754413, Tehran- Iran

2 Department of Radiation Applications, Faculty of Nuclear Engineering, Shahid Beheshti University, P.O.Box:1983969411, Tehran-Iran

3 Department of Nuclear Physics, Faculty of Physics, Khwaja Nasiruddin Tusi University of Technology, P.O.Box: 158754416, Tehran – Iran

4 Department of Nuclear Engineering, Faculty of Modern Sciences and Technologies, Isfahan University, P.O.Box: 8174673441, Isfahan - Iran

https://doi.org/10.24200/nst.2022.1049.1707
Abstract
Reactor antineutrino detection is of interest today because it can estimate burnup status and fuel consumption characteristics remotely. Neutrino measurements are usually based on the inverse beta decay reaction of neutrinos with protons (hydrogen atoms) in scintillation materials. In this context, the IRAND scintillator detector has been developed with a segmented design and a scaled sample of it has been developed, which is referred to as a mini-IRAND. Neutrino measurements face challenges; In particular, interfering factors in neutrino measurements need to be well identified and separated from the main signals, of which cosmic muons are one of the most important. This requires an accurate understanding of the detector's response to cosmic muons. In this study, the Geant 4 tool was used to study the muon behavior in the mini-IRAND detector. Also, cosmic muons were measured for 21 days by the mini-IRAND detector and their characteristics were determined. The experiments were carried out with the development of a special digital data collection system and the development of processing algorithms. The results provide estimates of the instantaneous events (Michel spectrum) and the delay events (Landau spectrum). Consistency of results shows the accuracy of the process.

Highlights

1. A. Bernstein, Overview of Reactor Monitoring With Antineutrinos, (In Applied Antineutrino Physics Conference, Sendai, Japan, Aug 3 2010), 1-25 (2010).
 
2. J.J. Duderstadt, L.J. Hamilton, Nuclear reactor analysis, Wiley New York, 84, (1976).
 
3. A. Bernstein, A., et al., Nuclear security applications of antineutrino detectors: current capabilities and future prospects, Science & Global Security, 18(3(, 127-192 (2010).
 
4. F. Faghihi, S.J.N.E. Mirvakili, Burn up calculations for the Iranian miniature reactor: A reliable and safe research reactor, Nuclear Engineering and Design, 239(6), 1000 (2009).
 
5. Y. Kuroda, et al., A mobile antineutrino detector with plastic scintillators, Nucl. Instrum. MethodsPhys. Res. A., 690, 41 (2012).
 
6. S. Oguri, et al., Reactor antineutrino monitoring with a plastic scintillator array as a new safeguards method, Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res., A. 757, 33 (2014(.
 
7. M. Battaglieri, et al., An anti-neutrino detector to monitor nuclear reactor's power and fuel composition, Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res., A. 617, 209-213 (2010).
 
8. M. Battaglieri, A proposal for a high segmented power reactor antineutrino detctor, In Proceedngs of the workshop Towards Neutrino Technologies, (Abdus Salaam International Center for heoretical Physics, Genova, Italy, 13- 17 July, 2009)1-34.

 

9. PROSPECT Collab. http://prospect.yale.edu.
 
10. D. Norcini, (on behalf of the PROSPECT Collab.), Development of PROSPECT Detectors for Precision Antineutrino Studies, arXiv:1510.09082 [physics.ins-det].
 
11. J. Ashenfelter, et al, The PROSPECT Physics Program, arXiv:1512.02202 [physics.ins-det].
 
12. C. Lane, et al, A new type of Neutrino Detector for Sterile Neutrino Search at Nuclear Reactors and Nuclear Nonproliferation Applications, arXiv: 1501.06935v1 [physics.ins-det].
 
13. I. Alekseev, et al, DANSS: Detector of the reactor AntiNeutrino based on Solid Scintillator, arXiv: 1606.02896v3 [physics.ins-de].
 
14. I. Alekseev, et al. DANSSino: a pilot version of the DANSS neutrino detector, Phys. Part. Nuclei Lett., 11, 473 (2014).
 
15. V.A. Li, et al, Mini Time Cube, Rev. Sci. Instrum, 87, 021301 (2016).
 
16. D. Mulmule,  et al, A plastic scintillator array for reactor based anti-neutrino studies, arXiv:1806.04421v2 [physics.ins-det].
 
17. H. Akhtari Qomi, et.al, Monte Carlo Simulation of a Segmented Detector for Low-Energy Electron Antineutrinos, Physics of Atomic Nuclei, 80, 1119 (2017).

 

18. M. Fakhrizadeh Mahabadi, Designing a large volume scintillation detector to detect reactor antineutrinos, Nuclear Engineering Doctoral Thesis, Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute (2016) (In Persian).
 
19. H. Akhtari Qomi, M.J. Safari, F. Abbasi Devani, Low Energy Neutrino Generator on the Basis of FLUKA, Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 85, 8-1 (2017) (In Persian).
 
20. L.R.P. Sanchez, F. Izraelevitch, Muon Lifetime Measurement in Chiapas and the Escaramujo project, IOP Conf. Series: Journal of Physics: Conf. Series, 866, 012011 (2017).
 
21. H. Prihtiadi, et al, Muon detector for the COSINE-100 experimen, Journal of Instrumentation, 13(02), 1 (2017).
 
22. H. Yushi, et al, A simple setup to measure muon lifetime and electron energy spectrum of muon decay and its Monte Carlo simulation, arXiv: 1608.06936 [physics.ins-det].
 
23. T. Coan, T. Liu, J. Yec, A compact apparatus for muon lifetime measurement and time dilation demonstration in the undergraduate laboratory, American Journal of Physics, 74, 2 (2006).
 
24. J.A. Farmaggio, G.P. Zeller, From eV to EeV: Neutrino cross sections across energy scale, Rev. Mod. Phys, 84 (3), 1307 (2010).
 
25. https://www.britannica.com/science/muon.
 
26. P.S. Canflanca, Monte Carlo Simulation of a detector for Cosmic Rays, Bachelor Thesis, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, (2014).
 
27. J. Paepen, et al., Characterisation of plastic scintillators used as an active background shield for neutron detection, Exploratory Research Project Intelligent Shield, Deliverable, 10 (2016).

 

28. L. Tsoukalas, Creation of a Geant4 Muon Tomography Package for Imaging of Nuclear Fuel in Dry Cask Storage, Purdue University, Project No. 13-5376, (2016).
 
29. Y. Hu, et al, A simple setup to measure muon lifetime and electron energy spectrum of muon decay and its Monte Carlo simulation, arXiv preprint arXiv:1608.06936, (2016).
 
30. V.A. Kudryavtsev, Muon simulation codes MUSIC and MUSUN for underground physics, Computer Physics Communications, 180, 339 (2009).
 
31. S. Agostinelli, et al, Geant4—a simulation toolkit, Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, A, 506, 250 (2003).
 
32. A.G. Bogdanov, et al, Geant4 simulation of production and interaction of Muons, IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science, 53(2), 513 (2006).
 
33. M.J. Safari, Differentiation method for localization of Compton edge in organic scintillation detectors, Radiation Physics and Engineering, 4, 9-16 (2019). arXive: 1610.09185 [physics.ins-det].
 
34. Geant4 User's Guide for Application Developers by Geant4 Collaboration, Version: geant4 10.2 (2015).
 
35. V.T. Jordanov, et al, Digital techniques for real-time pulse shaping in radiation measurements, Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research, 1, 261 (1994).
 
36. www.caentechnologies.com.
 
37. V.A. Baranov, et al, Study of the π+→e+νγ Decay Anomaly, Proposal for an Experiment at PSI: R-04-01.1, (2004).

Keywords

Antineutrino detection
Cosmic muon
Michel spectrum
Landau distribution
Mini-IRAND detector
1. A. Bernstein, Overview of Reactor Monitoring With Antineutrinos, (In Applied Antineutrino Physics Conference, Sendai, Japan, Aug 3 2010), 1-25 (2010).
 
2. J.J. Duderstadt, L.J. Hamilton, Nuclear reactor analysis, Wiley New York, 84, (1976).
 
3. A. Bernstein, A., et al., Nuclear security applications of antineutrino detectors: current capabilities and future prospects, Science & Global Security, 18(3(, 127-192 (2010).
 
4. F. Faghihi, S.J.N.E. Mirvakili, Burn up calculations for the Iranian miniature reactor: A reliable and safe research reactor, Nuclear Engineering and Design, 239(6), 1000 (2009).
 
5. Y. Kuroda, et al., A mobile antineutrino detector with plastic scintillators, Nucl. Instrum. MethodsPhys. Res. A., 690, 41 (2012).
 
6. S. Oguri, et al., Reactor antineutrino monitoring with a plastic scintillator array as a new safeguards method, Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res., A. 757, 33 (2014(.
 
7. M. Battaglieri, et al., An anti-neutrino detector to monitor nuclear reactor's power and fuel composition, Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res., A. 617, 209-213 (2010).
 
8. M. Battaglieri, A proposal for a high segmented power reactor antineutrino detctor, In Proceedngs of the workshop Towards Neutrino Technologies, (Abdus Salaam International Center for heoretical Physics, Genova, Italy, 13- 17 July, 2009)1-34.
 
9. PROSPECT Collab. http://prospect.yale.edu.
 
10. D. Norcini, (on behalf of the PROSPECT Collab.), Development of PROSPECT Detectors for Precision Antineutrino Studies, arXiv:1510.09082 [physics.ins-det].
 
11. J. Ashenfelter, et al, The PROSPECT Physics Program, arXiv:1512.02202 [physics.ins-det].
 
12. C. Lane, et al, A new type of Neutrino Detector for Sterile Neutrino Search at Nuclear Reactors and Nuclear Nonproliferation Applications, arXiv: 1501.06935v1 [physics.ins-det].
 
13. I. Alekseev, et al, DANSS: Detector of the reactor AntiNeutrino based on Solid Scintillator, arXiv: 1606.02896v3 [physics.ins-de].
 
14. I. Alekseev, et al. DANSSino: a pilot version of the DANSS neutrino detector, Phys. Part. Nuclei Lett., 11, 473 (2014).
 
15. V.A. Li, et al, Mini Time Cube, Rev. Sci. Instrum, 87, 021301 (2016).
 
16. D. Mulmule,  et al, A plastic scintillator array for reactor based anti-neutrino studies, arXiv:1806.04421v2 [physics.ins-det].
 
17. H. Akhtari Qomi, et.al, Monte Carlo Simulation of a Segmented Detector for Low-Energy Electron Antineutrinos, Physics of Atomic Nuclei, 80, 1119 (2017).
 
18. M. Fakhrizadeh Mahabadi, Designing a large volume scintillation detector to detect reactor antineutrinos, Nuclear Engineering Doctoral Thesis, Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute (2016) (In Persian).
 
19. H. Akhtari Qomi, M.J. Safari, F. Abbasi Devani, Low Energy Neutrino Generator on the Basis of FLUKA, Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 85, 8-1 (2017) (In Persian).
 
20. L.R.P. Sanchez, F. Izraelevitch, Muon Lifetime Measurement in Chiapas and the Escaramujo project, IOP Conf. Series: Journal of Physics: Conf. Series, 866, 012011 (2017).
 
21. H. Prihtiadi, et al, Muon detector for the COSINE-100 experimen, Journal of Instrumentation, 13(02), 1 (2017).
 
22. H. Yushi, et al, A simple setup to measure muon lifetime and electron energy spectrum of muon decay and its Monte Carlo simulation, arXiv: 1608.06936 [physics.ins-det].
 
23. T. Coan, T. Liu, J. Yec, A compact apparatus for muon lifetime measurement and time dilation demonstration in the undergraduate laboratory, American Journal of Physics, 74, 2 (2006).
 
24. J.A. Farmaggio, G.P. Zeller, From eV to EeV: Neutrino cross sections across energy scale, Rev. Mod. Phys, 84 (3), 1307 (2010).
 
25. https://www.britannica.com/science/muon.
 
26. P.S. Canflanca, Monte Carlo Simulation of a detector for Cosmic Rays, Bachelor Thesis, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, (2014).
 
27. J. Paepen, et al., Characterisation of plastic scintillators used as an active background shield for neutron detection, Exploratory Research Project Intelligent Shield, Deliverable, 10 (2016).
 
28. L. Tsoukalas, Creation of a Geant4 Muon Tomography Package for Imaging of Nuclear Fuel in Dry Cask Storage, Purdue University, Project No. 13-5376, (2016).
 
29. Y. Hu, et al, A simple setup to measure muon lifetime and electron energy spectrum of muon decay and its Monte Carlo simulation, arXiv preprint arXiv:1608.06936, (2016).
 
30. V.A. Kudryavtsev, Muon simulation codes MUSIC and MUSUN for underground physics, Computer Physics Communications, 180, 339 (2009).
 
31. S. Agostinelli, et al, Geant4—a simulation toolkit, Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, A, 506, 250 (2003).
 
32. A.G. Bogdanov, et al, Geant4 simulation of production and interaction of Muons, IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science, 53(2), 513 (2006).
 
33. M.J. Safari, Differentiation method for localization of Compton edge in organic scintillation detectors, Radiation Physics and Engineering, 4, 9-16 (2019). arXive: 1610.09185 [physics.ins-det].
 
34. Geant4 User's Guide for Application Developers by Geant4 Collaboration, Version: geant4 10.2 (2015).
 
35. V.T. Jordanov, et al, Digital techniques for real-time pulse shaping in radiation measurements, Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research, 1, 261 (1994).
 
36. www.caentechnologies.com.
 
37. V.A. Baranov, et al, Study of the π+→e+νγ Decay Anomaly, Proposal for an Experiment at PSI: R-04-01.1, (2004).

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