A Prototype Compact Accelerator-based Neutron Source (CANS) for Canada

TL;DR

This paper proposes a staged compact accelerator-based neutron source for Canada to replace the lost neutron beams, offering a cost-effective and versatile facility for neutron scattering, BNCT, and PET applications.

Contribution

It introduces a novel staged design for a CANS in Canada, combining neutron scattering, BNCT, and PET, with a plan for future high-brightness expansion.

Findings

First stage provides medium neutron flux for multiple applications.

The design is cost-effective compared to traditional spallation sources.

Plans for a high-brightness second stage as a national neutron center.

Abstract

Canada's access to neutron beams for neutron scattering was significantly curtailed in 2018 with the closure of the National Research Universal (NRU) reactor in Chalk River, Ontario, Canada. New sources are needed for the long-term; otherwise, access will only become harder as the global supply shrinks. Compact Accelerator-based Neutron Sources (CANS) offer the possibility of an intense source of neutrons with a capital cost significantly lower than spallation sources. In this paper, we propose a CANS for Canada. The proposal is staged with the first stage offering a medium neutron-flux, linac-based approach for neutron scattering that is also coupled with a boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) station and a positron emission tomography (PET) isotope station. The first stage will serve as a prototype for a second stage: a higher brightness, higher cost facility that could be viewed as a national centre for neutron applications.