Neutron flux measurements with a Li2B4O7 crystal

The effect of neutron irradiation on a lithium tetraborate (Li2B4O7, LBO) single crystal has been investigated. The crystals of high optical quality are found to be quite stable under high neutron fluence. This study shows that LBO crystals can be used as a proportional counter for neutron fluxes of the order 109 cm−2 s−1 and higher. The detectors fabricated were found to have a sensitivity of ∼3×10−18 A (nv)−1.