Tagziria H, Hansen W
National Physical Laboratory, Teddington, Middlesex TW11 0LW, UK.
Radiat Prot Dosimetry. 2003;107(1-3):73-93. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.rpd.a006389.
Proton recoil proportional counters have been successfully used in many laboratories worldwide for more than 30 years in order to measure high-resolution neutron energy spectra. The method is well elaborated and understood, nevertheless high expertise is required for its proper application. Table 4.1 summarises typical basic data for proton recoil proportional counters and the requirements for their application. It is noteworthy that any limiting parameter can vary to a certain degree depending on the quality of the detectors used (design, gas purity, response functions, etc) and their response matrices, the data analysis and the unfolding procedures applied with a correct evaluation of the uncertainties involved. It is also important to lend a critical eye to details during measurements (e.g. environmental and electronics problems) as well as in subsequent analysis and unfolding (e.g. oscillations due to unfolding artefacts or inadequacies in detector response matrices). It is recommended that any spectrometry system (procedures for measurement and data evaluation) should be tested and validated in well-known neutron fields e.g. 252Cf standard fission or 241Am-Be. One should, however, expect that, due to different room scatter conditions, deviations from the ISO spectra may occur, especially for low neutron energies. In order to demonstrate the capability of the recoil proton counter technique, two examples of typical neutron spectra are shown in Figures 4.20 and 4.21, both measured in mixed neutron-gamma fields at nuclear research reactors.
质子反冲正比计数器在全球许多实验室中已成功应用了30多年，用于测量高分辨率中子能谱。该方法已得到充分阐述和理解，不过其正确应用需要很高的专业知识。表4.1总结了质子反冲正比计数器的典型基本数据及其应用要求。值得注意的是，任何限制参数都可能在一定程度上有所不同，这取决于所使用探测器的质量（设计、气体纯度、响应函数等）及其响应矩阵、数据分析以及所应用的解卷积程序，并对其中涉及的不确定性进行正确评估。在测量过程中（例如环境和电子问题）以及后续分析和解卷积过程中（例如由于解卷积伪像或探测器响应矩阵不足导致的振荡），仔细关注细节也很重要。建议任何能谱测量系统（测量和数据评估程序）都应在知名中子场（例如252Cf标准裂变或241Am-Be）中进行测试和验证。然而，由于不同的室内散射条件，尤其是对于低中子能量，预计会出现与ISO能谱的偏差。为了展示反冲质子计数器技术的能力，图4.20和4.21给出了两个典型中子能谱的示例，它们都是在核研究反应堆的混合中子-γ场中测量的。
