New detector can 'see' single neutrons over broad range

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Neutron absorption by 3He yields tens of Lyman alpha photons which result from the most fundamental energy jump in the hydrogen atom. This schematic illustrates the operation of a prototype Lyman alpha neutron detector. Credit: NIST
Neutron absorption by 3He yields tens of Lyman alpha photons, which result from the most fundamental energy jump in the hydrogen atom. This schematic illustrates the operation of a prototype Lyman alpha neutron detector. Credit: NIST

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the University of Maryland have developed a new optical method that can detect individual neutrons and record them over a range of intensities at least a hundred times greater than existing detectors.


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