High-speed data acquisition system for neutron time-of-flight experiments

A high-speed data acquisition system comprising two parallel metering channels has been developed for neutron time-of-flight measurements. Each metering channel is equipped with a flash-ADC. The first channel is intended for measuring fast neutrons, whose energy ranges from tens of eV up to several keV, and uses a 40 MHz sampling rate. The second channel is intended for measuring slow neutrons, whose energy ranges down to several tenths of eV, and uses a 4 MHz sampling rate. Laboratory tests using the developed system have been performed and the system's efficiency dependence on the incoming counting rate has been obtained. As a result of this new design, the performance of the data acquisition system has increased by about an order of magnitude in comparison with existing systems. The designed data acquisition system is now used for the measurement of neutron capture cross-sections in a wide neutron energy range by a time-of-flight method.