Question

The emission wavelength of such a scintillator1 lies between 275 nm and 450 nm and the light yield per neutron is reported to be 20000 photons/MeV neutron energy. Now, you are asked to help design a new photodetector, which receives the light emitted from that scintillator.

How much charge is being generated per single neutron, assuming a 3 MeV neutron and a photon-to-electron conversion efficiency (quantum efficiency) of 15%? Would this charge be detectable if you use an Electrometer2 that has a resolution limit of 10 fC? Hint: If that is not possible, you can build a device that performs electron multiplication, such as a Photomultiplier.

Answer 1