Application of Wavelet Unfolding Technique in Neutron Spectroscopic Analysis

Nonproliferation of nuclear materials is important in nuclear power industry and fuel cycle facilities. It requires technologies capable of measuring and assessing the radiation signatures of fission events. Neutrons produced in spontaneous or induced fission reactions are mainly fast. The neutron energy information allows characterization of nuclear materials and neutron sources. It can also be applied in remote sensing and source search tasks. The plastic scintillator EJ-299-33A was studied as a fast neutron detector. The detector response to a polyenergetic flux was unfolded usingthe multiple linear regression method. It yields the intensities of neutron flux of particular energy, hence, enabling the spectroscopic analysis. The wavelet technique was evaluated for the unfolding of neutron spectrum using the scintillator's response functions between 1 MeV and 14 MeV computed with the MCNPX code. This paperpresents the computational results of the wavelet-based spectrum unfolding applied to a scintillator detector with neutron / photon pulse shape discrimination properties.