Tension metastable fluid nuclear particle Detector-Qualification and comparisons

Fluids in states of tension metastability offer unique capabilities for detection of nuclear emissions from fission and other nuclear phenomena. This includes the ability to completely avoid photonic interference when detecting neutrons in addition to being able to detect neutrons over eight orders of magnitude with spectroscopic capabilities, and the ability to provide directionality information, all from the same instrument; altogether, representing an unsurpassed capability for next-generation application of multi-disciplinary technology for diverse fields of application. In this paper we present the underlying principles of detection using tension (negative, i.e., sub-zero) pressure fluid states at room temperature and present results of qualification of performance in terms of intrinsic efficiency of detection of neutrons from fission and fusion sources. It is found that, unlike present day systems where intrinsic efficiencies are limited to about 20% for fast neutrons, the tension metastable fluid detector (TMFD) systems offer intrinsic efficiencies of over 90% with the ability to readily scale-up in size for vastly improved effective detection. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.