Evaluation of the Bubble Spectrometer Performance in Space-Like Neutron Fields

Abstract

The Space Bubble Detector Spectrometer (SBDS) consists of six bubble detectors each with a different neutron energy threshold. To characterize the spectrometer in a space-like neutron field, a series of experiments were conducted with high-energy neutrons from 6.0×10⁵ eV to 7.50×10⁸ eV at the Los Alamos National Laboratory. The analysis of the obtained data provided a calibration factor to adjust the neutron sensitivity, to high-energy neutrons of the SBDS, based on its response function matrix. The results suggest that the SBDS underestimates the ambient dose equivalent in a space-like neutron field by a factor of approximately 1.55. Consequently, the readings of the spectrometer should be adjusted when used in a space radiation environment.

This paper is dedicated to studying the SBDS in a space-like neutron spectrum. It outlines a part of the results of international ground testing experimental sessions of the space instrumentation supported by the Canadian Space Agency.