Test of the Performance of an LGAD-Based Zero-Degree Detector on the CSNS Back-n Beamline

A comprehensive and reliable nuclear database of neutron-induced processes is required by the development of accelerator-driven system (ADS) technology. Although many efforts have been made, the measurements of light charged ions (LCIs) (such as proton, tritium, and $\alpha $ ) in zero degree of the beam direction were not conducted with a high accuracy. Most detectors cannot work constantly under the strike of intense flux neutron beam, and thus their application as zero-degree detector (ZDD) is greatly limited. Recently, the low-gain avalanche diode (LGAD) technology has been developed to meet the harsh requirement of the ATLAS on the high-luminosity phase of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and could survive after $2.5 \; \times \; 10^{15} \; 1$ MeV $\text {n}_{\text {eq}}/\text {cm}^{2}$ irradiation. With its 50- $\mu $ m active thickness, 30-ps timing resolution, low cost, and good radiation hardness property, the LGAD detector is expected to be a candidate for the use of a ZDD in neutron-induced processes’ data measurements. This article represents a performance test of the LGAD detector when it is used as a ZDD on the back-streaming neutron (Back-n) beamline at CSNS. Based on the measurements of the cross section of $^{6}\text {Li}(n,{T}) \alpha $ , it shows that the LGAD performs well as a ZDD based on a good agreement with the data from evaluated nuclear data file (ENDF).