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An approach to hardness assurance for commercial microelectronics is presented based on hardness assurance guidelines developed by the US Department of Defense in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Modifications are made to accommodate commercial variability in radiation response and frequent changes in design and process.

We consider the possibility that the Ultra High Energy Cosmic Rays arriving to Earth might be neutrons instead of protons. We stress that in such case the argument for the GZK cutoff is weaker and that it is conceivable that neutrons would not be affected by it. This scenario would require the neutron to start with an energy larger than the observed one, in order to be able to travel the distances involved, within its proper lifetime. It must then lose most of the extra energy through interaction with the galactic dark matter or some other matter in the intergalactic medium.

Micromegas-based detectors are used in a wide variety of neutron experiments. Their fast response meets the needs of time-of-flight facilities in terms of time resolution. The possibility of constructing low mass Micromegas detectors makes them appropriate for beam imaging and monitoring without affecting the beam quality or inducing background in parallel measurements. The good particle discrimination capability allows using Micromegas for neutron induced fission and (n, α) cross-section measurements. Their high radiation resistance make them suitable for working as flux monitors in the core of fission nuclear reactors as well as in the proximity of fusion chambers. New studies underlined the possibility of performing neutron computed tomography (CT) with Micromegas as neutron detectors, but also of exploiting its performances in experiments of fundamental nuclear physics.

From its invention in 1997, the Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) has been applied in nuclear and high energy physics experiments. Over time however, other applications have also exploited the favorable properties of GEMs. The use of GEMs in these applications will be explained in principle and practice.

This paper reviews applications in research, beam instrumentation and homeland security. The detectors described measure neutral radiations such as photons, x-rays, gamma rays and neutrons, as well as all kinds of charged radiation. This paper provides an overview of the still expanding range of possibilities of this versatile detector concept.

In this work, we have focused on results of measurements of the hydrogen line 2223 keV and compared them with the results of Geant4 simulations. The paraffin containing hydrogen was irradiated by neutrons produced by the weak AmBe source. Produced gammas were measured with the germanium detector. The experimental setup was placed inside a carbon chamber which provided the shielding from the external neutrons. The measurements were performed for different amounts of paraffin. The processes playing a role in the description of our measurements are transport and moderation of neutrons, production of gamma rays in neutron-hydrogen interactions, transport and detection of gamma rays. It has been shown that the correctly carried out Monte Carlo simulations reproduced the measured values of the intensity of the observed gamma line 2223 keV from the neutron capture on hydrogen. The absorption of gamma rays is also described correctly. This has been shown in comparing the measurements of gamma line 322 keV from ${}^{206}$Pb with the simulations.

We register an excess of signals from neutron detectors within a few milliseconds after passage of EAS front in Łódź EAS array. The most probable explanation is that neutrons are produced in EAS hadron interactions with lead block of muon detector. These neutrons diffuse and are thermalized before the detection. We present experimental data and results of simulations using MCNP code. This "new EAS observable" can be used as inexpensive hadron detector in EAS.

Cold neutrons are good probe for nano meter scale objects. While some huge facilities as spallation neutron sources are under construction, small local (satellite) neutron sources will help to test new ideas on research. Such small ones are considered to be complementary parts of the huge facilities. Because the threshold energy of the d-d reactions is fairly low, irradiation of deuterated polyethylene (CD₂) target by laser induced energetic deuterons may generate neutrons. A preliminary experiment performed with 1TW laser irradiating CD₂ foil just before another thick CD₂ target is described.

A mole of Mercury was suitably treated by ultrasound in order to generate in it the same conditions of local Lorentz invariance violation that were generated in a sonicated cylindrical bar of AISI 304 steel and that are the cause of neutron emission during the sonication. After 3 min, part of the mercury turned into a solid material which turned out to contain isotopes having a different mass (higher and lower) with respect to the isotopes already present in the initial material (mercury). These transformations in the atomic weight without gamma production above the background are brought about during Deformed Space–Time reactions. We present the results of the analyses performed on samples taken from the transformation product. The analyses have been done in two groups, the first one using five different analytical techniques: ICP-OES, XRF, ESEM-EDS, ICP-MS, INAA. In the second group of analyses, we used only two techniques: INAA and ICP-MS. The second group of analyses confirmed the occurring of the transformations in mercury.

In this work, spectra of energy and fluence of neutrons produced in the conditions of deformed space-time (DST), due to the violation of the local Lorentz invariance (LLI) in the nuclear interactions are shown for the first time. DST-neutrons are produced by a mechanical process in which AISI 304 steel bars undergo a sonication using ultrasounds with 20 kHz and 330 W. The energy spectrum of the DST-neutrons has been investigated both at low (less than 0.4 MeV) and at high (up to 4 MeV) energy. We could conclude that the DST-neutrons have different spectra for different energy intervals. It is therefore possible to hypothesize that the DST-neutrons production presents peculiar features not only with respect to the time (asynchrony) and space (asymmetry) but also in the neutron energy spectra.

Particle beam radiography, which uses a variety of particle probes (neutrons, protons, electrons, gammas and potentially other particles) to study the structure of materials and objects noninvasively, is reviewed, largely from an accelerator perspective, although the use of cosmic rays (mainly muons but potentially also high-energy neutrinos) is briefly reviewed. Tomography is a form of radiography which uses multiple views to reconstruct a three-dimensional density map of an object. There is a very wide range of applications of radiography and tomography, from medicine to engineering and security, and advances in instrumentation, specifically the development of electronic detectors, allow rapid analysis of the resultant radiographs. Flash radiography is a diagnostic technique for large high-explosive-driven hydrodynamic experiments that is used at many laboratories. The bremsstrahlung radiation pulse from an intense relativistic electron beam incident onto a high-Z target is the source of these radiographs. The challenge is to provide radiation sources intense enough to penetrate hundreds of g/cm² of material, in pulses short enough to stop the motion of high-speed hydrodynamic shocks, and with source spots small enough to resolve fine details. The challenge has been met with a wide variety of accelerator technologies, including pulsed-power-driven diodes, air-core pulsed betatrons and high-current linear induction accelerators. Accelerator technology has also evolved to accommodate the experimenters' continuing quest for multiple images in time and space. Linear induction accelerators have had a major role in these advances, especially in providing multiple-time radiographs of the largest hydrodynamic experiments.

The ${}^{235}$U(n,f) cross section plays a key role for nuclear physics due to its widespread use as a standard reference for neutron cross section measurements and for neutron flux measurements. Recent experimental data of the fission cross section have suggested the presence of discrepancies around 6–8% with respect to the most used libraries, precisely in the range between 10 keV and 30 keV. In order to shed light on this disagreement, an accurate measurement of the ${}^{235}$U(n,f) fission cross section has been performed at n_TOF facility @CERN, using the standard reactions ⁶Li(n,t) and ${}^{10}$B(n,$\alpha )$ as reference. A custom experimental setup based on a stack of silicon detectors sandwiched between pairs of ${}^{235}$U, ⁶Li and ${}^{10}$B targets, has been installed along the neutron beam line to intercept the same neutron flux, allowing the detection of the fission fragments and the products of the reference reactions at the same time. Such a technique allows calculation of the cross section via the “ratio method”, by normalizing the ${}^{235}$U(n,f) reaction yields with respect to the reference reactions and to the recommended data in the IAEA libraries; in particular, the integral between 7.8 and 11 eV has been chosen. Accurate Monte Carlo simulations have allowed evaluation of the neutron absorption in the different layers, as well as the detection efficiency of each detector. The data are in excellent agreement with the standard values and highlight the overestimation of the ${}^{235}$U(n,f) cross section between 9 and 18 keV in the most recent libraries.

²³²Th, ²³⁷Np, ²³⁸U, ²³⁹Pu, and ²⁴¹Am targets were bombarded with proton beam of 26.5 and 62.9 MeV energies. In this contribution some preliminary results are presented and discussed. Comparison with the predictions of the nuclear-reaction model code TALYS is also shown.

An approach to hardness assurance for commercial microelectronics is presented based on hardness assurance guidelines developed by the US Department of Defense in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Modifications are made to accommodate commercial variability in radiation response and frequent changes in design and process.

The detection efficiency of a KLOE calorimeter prototype to neutrons of kinetic energy of 21, 46 and 174 MeV has been measured by exposing it to the neutron beam of the The Svedberg Laboratory, Uppsala. The measurement of the neutron detection efficiency of a NE110 scintillator provided a reference calibration. At the lowest trigger threshold, the ratio between the calorimeter and scintillator efficiency ranges from 2.5 to 3.2.

After nearly 80 years of research on nuclear fission, we still do not fully understand the fission process. A combination of new requirements for accurate fission nuclear data, the ability to calculate sophisticated models of fission, and the development of new experimental techniques has re-energized the field. This paper concentrates on recent developments in the experimental realm and what the new results can contribute to the database for applications and to improving the underlying physical models. This overview is intended to be an introduction to fission presentations at this meeting.

Precision measurements of β-decays in nuclei, muons and neutrons allow to search for non V-A contributions in weak interactions and to set limits on parameters relevant to theoretical models beyond standard theory. Novel experiments are possible in particular at presently operating stable beam facilities and at new radioactive beam facilities such as the ISAC facility at TRIUMF, the upcoming RIKEN cyclotron facility in Japan, the new proposed FRIB (RIA) facility and the newly available facility TRIµP at KVI. EURISOL is the most powerful and versatile planned radioactive beam facility.

Particle beam radiography, which uses a variety of particle probes (neutrons, protons, electrons, gammas and potentially other particles) to study the structure of materials and objects noninvasively, is reviewed, largely from an accelerator perspective, although the use of cosmic rays (mainly muons but potentially also high-energy neutrinos) is briefly reviewed. Tomography is a form of radiography which uses multiple views to reconstruct a three-dimensional density map of an object. There is a very wide range of applications of radiography and tomography, from medicine to engineering and security, and advances in instrumentation, specifically the development of electronic detectors, allow rapid analysis of the resultant radiographs. Flash radiography is a diagnostic technique for large high-explosive-driven hydrodynamic experiments that is used at many laboratories. The bremsstrahlung radiation pulse from an intense relativistic electron beam incident onto a high-Z target is the source of these radiographs. The challenge is to provide radiation sources intense enough to penetrate hundreds of g/cm² of material, in pulses short enough to stop the motion of high-speed hydrodynamic shocks, and with source spots small enough to resolve fine details. The challenge has been met with a wide variety of accelerator technologies, including pulsed-power-driven diodes, air-core pulsed betatrons and high-current linear induction accelerators. Accelerator technology has also evolved to accommodate the experimenters' continuing quest for multiple images in time and space. Linear induction accelerators have had a major role in these advances, especially in providing multiple-time radiographs of the largest hydrodynamic experiments.