Experimental validation of a BNCT epithermal neutron flux detector using ⁵⁵Mn(n,)⁵⁶Mn reaction at an accelerator-based BNCT facility

The epithermal neutron flux is one of the key beam quality factors for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), its accurate measurement is extremely important as it is directly related to the beam quality assurance (QA) and radiation dose evaluation in BNCT. In this work, a spherical BNCT epithermal neutron flux detector using Mn-55(n,gamma)Mn-56 reaction was redesigned and prototyped. The detector prototype was experimentally validated at the accelerator-based BNCT (AB-BNCT) facility developed by Lanzhou University. The experimental results and related analysis indicate that the detector can be a reliable tool for the QA of BNCT treatment beam.