Neutron generator burst timing measured using a pulse shape discrimination plastic scintillator with silicon photomultiplier readout

An EJ-299-34 plastic scintillator with silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) readout was used to measure the fast neutron output of a pulsed Thermo-Fisher A-325 Deuterium-Tritium sealed tube neutron generator (STNG). The SiPM signals were handled by a prototype digital pulse processing system, based on a free-running analogue to digital converter feeding a digital signal processor (DSP). Pulse shape discrimination was used to distinguish between detected fast-neutrons and gammas. Pulse detection, timing, energy and shape were all processed by the DSP in real-time. The time-dependency of the neutron output of the STNG was measured for various pulsing schemes. The switch-on characteristics of the tube strongly depended on the operating settings, with the delay between pulse turn-on and the production of neutrons ranging between 13 mu s to 74 mu s for the tested pulse rates and duty cycles. This work will facilitate the optimization and modeling of apparatus that use the neutron generator's pulsing abilities.