Fast FPGA algorithm for neutron-gamma discrimination

TL;DR

This paper presents a new FPGA-based algorithm for real-time neutron-gamma discrimination that reduces computation and dead time while maintaining high precision, enabling practical on-line applications.

Contribution

A novel FPGA-compatible algorithm based on pulse shape discrimination that accounts for physical pulse properties, improving real-time neutron-gamma discrimination performance.

Findings

Effective in actual experiments with CLLB scintillation detector

Reduces computation and dead time significantly

Maintains high discrimination precision

Abstract

Various pulse shape discrimination methods have been used to solve the neutron-gamma discrimination problem. But most of them are limited to off-line calculation due to the computation amount and FPGA performance. In order to realize real time discriminating neutron and gamma, a new algorithm based on the traditional pulse shape discrimination methods was proposed in this paper. The new algorithm takes into account the physical properties of the pulse signal, which greatly reduces the computation and dead time without losing the precision, and can work on FPGA directly. It has a good performance in the actual experiment based on CLLB scintillation detector.