CLPU and CMAM conduct pioneering experiment to evaluate commercial CMOS cameras as neutron detectors
The Singular Scientific and Technical Infrastructures (ICTS) Centro de Láseres Pulsados (CLPU) and IABA (CMAM–CNA) have launched a collaboration aimed at evaluating the feasibility of using commercial CMOS cameras as neutron detectors.
This initiative is supported by funding from the projects: PR-084-2022 of the Nuclear Safety Council (CSN) and the coordinated MICIU Knowledge Generation project: SIRACUSA PID2023-148992OB-C22. It also benefits from the collaboration of the Institute of Instrumentation for Molecular Imaging (I3M, a partner in the coordinated project) and the Material Physics Center (CFM).
The work takes place in a context of growing interest in neutron sources generated by ultra-intense lasers, increasingly present in facilities based on CPA technology. These sources, highly pulsed and extremely intense, demand dosimetry systems that are faster, more accurate, and more accessible than traditional detectors, which are typically bulky and costly. In this scenario, commercial CMOS cameras emerge as a promising alternative: they are compact, affordable, and allow configurations with multiple sensors capable of reconstructing the neutron field in 3D, while enabling advanced analysis strategies thanks to their pixelated nature.
The goal of the experiment is to validate a new detection scheme based on standard CMOS sensors combined with various converters capable of transforming neutrons into signals visible to the camera. To achieve this, neutrons were generated using a LiF crystal irradiated in vacuum by the proton beam at CMAM, correlating the cameras’ response with established neutron diagnostics and studying the system’s efficiency under different configurations.
Additionally, I3M has developed new passive schemes to determine the total neutron dose. These techniques will help correlate the data obtained from the cameras with the actual thermal neutron dose. Subsequently, the irradiated LiF samples will be analyzed by both CFM and CMAM, completing the experimental characterization needed to assess the effectiveness of the new detection system.
This joint experiment between two Spanish ICTS and two leading research centers marks an important step toward developing more accessible, compact, and versatile neutron detection technologies, with great potential to improve radiological management in laser/plasma facilities and expand instrumentation possibilities in advanced experimentation.