Characterization of the 9Be(d,n)10B reaction as a source of neutrons employing commercially available radio frequency quadrupole (RFQ) linacs

Compact high current RFQ linacs have proven to be reliable and robust accelerators for the generation of neutrons for a variety of applications. The 9Be(d,n)10B reaction is often preferred in such applications due to its high cross section for neutron production and the good thermal properties of metallic beryllium targets allowing for high beam power. Thick and thin beryllium target neutron and gamma spectra have been investigated in detail using the time-of-flight technique for deuteron energies of 0.9, 1.5 and 4.0 MeV. These energies were chosen to correspond to the energies of commercially available RFQ deuteron linacs. The results show characteristics of neutron and gamma ray production of importance for the applications of this neutron source.