Digital signal processing for neutron-gamma discrimination using a liquid scintillator detector

Digital signal processing has shown promise as a reliable approach for nuclear radiation spectroscopy. In this paper, the charge-to-digital conversion technique was applied to neutron -gamma discrimination. The method is based on the direct comparison of the charge at the fast and slow components of the anode signal of the scintillator detector. The performance of the technique was tested using experimental investigation by 252Cf source and D-D neutron generator. The minimum detectable energy for reasonable separation was found to be around 0.2 MeVee. The FOM of the discrimination parameter was maximized by the optimum selection of the charge integration parameters. Excellent discrimination between neutron and gamma signals was confirmed by the presented setup. The results confirmed that the presented technique can replace analog nuclear electronics conventionally uses for pulse shape discrimination.