Development and experimental validation of a fast neutron spectrometry system based on Superheated Drop Detectors (SDDs) operating under different external pressures

In this paper, the spectrum of 241Am-Be neutron source was measured by developing and using a neutron spectrometer system based on Superheated Drop Detectors (SDDs) operating under various external pressures. The system consisted of a set of SDDs fabricated by in situ polymerization method. The external pressures were controlled by the amount of Freon-12 added onto the surface of detectors. Also, this system includes a Geant4 simulation application capable of calculating the response of SDDs made from various materials at various temperatures and pressures. Ultimately, the system contained a customized program to design and train the Adaptive Network-based Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) for fast neutron spectrum unfolding. This program has the capability of designing the ANFIS with different rule structures and various parameters of the fuzzy inference system.