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As can be seen from an overview of the primary, high-intensity neutron sources of various types [1], their characteristics enable research across a wide range of tasks in chemistry, biology, medicine, and solid-state physics. Unfortunately, Ukraine currently lacks neutron sources capable of supporting research in these fields at a sufficiently high level, or of facilitating the training and education of specialists for such work. Consequently, the development and implementation of projects involving high-intensity neutron sources within the country have become an urgent necessity [2].
One such project involves utilizing the 200 MeV electron beam from the multifunctional MAC complex NSC KIPT to create a pulsed neutron source with unique characteristics [2, 3].
In the high-charge mode, the facility’s superconducting injector will accelerate electron bunches with a charge of up to 1 nC and a duration of 5 ps at a repetition rate of 500 kHz. In this mode, the average current at the injector output will not exceed 0.5 mA. Following acceleration in the linear accelerator, the electron energy will reach 200 MeV.
As indicated in [1], a single 200 MeV electron generates approximately 0.14 neutrons in a uranium target. The total average neutron flux at the exit of the neutron channel can reach 4.4 × 10¹⁴ s⁻¹.
The short length of the electron bunch enables the generation of short neutron pulses at the target, which allows for the use of the time-of-flight technique to measure neutron energy.
To determine the neutron flux at a distance of 10 m from the converter, the interaction of an electron bunch (with a charge of 300 pC and an energy of 205.5 MeV) with a tungsten converter was simulated using the MCNPX code. Targets with diameters of 10, 5, and 1 cm were considered. Based on the simulation results, specifically regarding the optimization of the neutron yield relative to the target parameters, a converter length of approximately 3 cm was found to be the most effective. Reducing the target diameter to 5 cm improves the temporal characteristics of the neutron beam. Calculations indicate that the neutron beam intensity at a distance of 10 m from the converter would decrease by no more than 20% in this case. The total number of neutrons detectable at this location per cm² would be 5.804 × 10⁻⁹ neutrons per electron. In this geometry, the energy resolution for 10 MeV neutrons would be approximately 8 × 10⁻³.
- G.D. Kovalenko, I.S. Guk, P.I. Gladkikh, Neutron source based on the multifunctional accelerator complex of the NSC KIPT, // Problems of Atomic Science and Technology. 2023. № 6(148), p. 154-160, https://doi.org/10.46813/2023-148-154.
- P. I. Gladkikh, I. S. Guk, G. D. Kovalenko, S. I. Prokhorets, E. V. Rudychev, D. Yu. Shakhov, Multifunctional Accelerator Complex of NSC KIPT (monograph, in Ukrainian), NSC KIPT, Kharkiv: FOP Panov A. M., 2026, 124 pp. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/411425115
- P.I. Gladkikh, I.S. Guk, G.D. Kovalenko, S.I. Prokhorets, E.V. Rudychev, Pulsed neutron source at the multifunctional accelerator complex of the national science center “KIPT” // Problems of Atomic Science and Technology. 2025. №6(160), p. 47-49. https://doi.org/10.46813/2025-160-047
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