Remote determination of sample temperature by neutron resonance spectroscopy

The Doppler broadening of the lower energy neutron absorption resonances of natural hafnium, tantalum, iridium and rhenium have been studied for the purpose of measuring temperature in remote or isolated environments. Three methods for the determination of sample temperature from neutron transmission data were studied and a critical comparison of the efficacy of each method made. Fitting the observed resonance line shapes with analytical expressions incorporating instrument resolution and resonance parameters provided the most accurate measure of sample temperature with an estimated uncertainty of ±10∘C at 1000∘C and did not require prior calibration experiments to be performed.