Status of the HENSA collaboration at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory: results from two years of measurement of the neutron flux in hall B

TL;DR

This paper reports two years of neutron flux measurements in hall B of the Canfranc Underground Laboratory using HENSA, aiming to understand background effects for the ANAIS-112 dark matter experiment.

Contribution

It provides the first spectral reconstruction of neutron flux in hall B and discusses data analysis techniques like pulse shape discrimination.

Findings

Preliminary neutron counting rates over two years are presented.

Spectral reconstruction of neutron flux achieved.

Data analysis methods are discussed in detail.

Abstract

Thiswork deals with the characterization of the neutron flux in hall B of the CanfrancUnderground Laboratory (LSC) employing the High Efficiency Neutron Spectrometry Array (HENSA). The ultimate goal of this measurement is to set a limit on the corresponding effects of the neutron flux in the background of the ANAIS-112 experiment. The preliminary neutron counting rates of two years of measurement are reported. Various data analysis techniques, including pulse shape discrimination, are discussed. The first results on the spectral reconstruction of the neutron flux are also presented.