Fast neutron background characterization with the Radiological Multi-sensor Analysis Platform (RadMAP)

TL;DR

This study characterizes fast neutron background radiation using RadMAP with environmental and geographic data, demonstrating how atmospheric pressure and urban shielding significantly influence neutron count rates.

Contribution

The paper introduces a comprehensive method combining environmental sensors and lidar data to analyze and quantify factors affecting neutron background in urban areas.

Findings

Fast neutron count rate exponentially depends on atmospheric pressure.

Urban shielding from buildings reduces neutron background by over 50%.

Pressure effects and urban shielding are comparable in influence on neutron rates.

Abstract

In an effort to characterize the fast neutron radiation background, 16 EJ-309 liquid scintillator cells were installed in the Radiological Multi-sensor Analysis Platform (RadMAP) to collect data in the San Francisco Bay Area. Each fast neutron event was associated with specific weather metrics (pressure, temperature, absolute humidity) and GPS coordinates. The expected exponential dependence of the fast neutron count rate on atmospheric pressure was demonstrated and event rates were subsequently adjusted given the measured pressure at the time of detection. Pressure adjusted data was also used to investigate the influence of other environmental conditions on the neutron background rate. Using National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) coastal area lidar data, an algorithm was implemented to approximate sky-view factors (the total fraction of visible sky) for points along RadMAPs route. Three areas analyzed in San Francisco, Downtown Oakland, and Berkeley all demonstrated a suppression in the background rate of over 50% for the range of sky-view factors measured. This effect, which is due to the shielding of cosmic-ray produced neutrons by surrounding buildings, was comparable to the pressure influence which yielded a 32% suppression in the count rate over the range of pressures measured.