Neutron production induced by $\alpha$-decay with Geant4

Abstract

Neutron production induced by ($\alpha$,n) reactions is important in various scenarios. One of the most relevant ones is related to underground dark matter experiments, where the neutrons produced by the $\alpha$-decay from radioactive contaminants in the detector materials can generate an irreducible background, limiting the sensitivity of the experiment. A precise estimate of the background due to these neutrons is crucial for the experiments currently taking data and for the design of the next generation detectors. In this work, we prove that Geant4 can be used to calculate neutron yields and energy spectra induced by $\alpha$-decay. These neutrons are produced according to the information compiled in data libraries originally written in the ENDF-6 format. In this article we also review the different databases available, showing the differences and similarities among them. Finally, we compare several Geant4 neutron production yields and spectra with experimental data and other codes.

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• Measurement of Electron Antineutrino Oscillation Amplitude and Frequency via Neutron Capture on Hydrogen at Daya Bay
• Comprehensive Study of Radon Progeny Attachment to Surfaces
• Radiogenic neutron background in reactor neutrino experiments
• First results from the HENSA/ANAIS collaboration at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory
• Design and characterization of AmLi neutron sources for the LZ experiment
• Optimised neutron yield calculations from ($\alpha ,n$) reactions with the modified SOURCES4 code
• Status of the HENSA collaboration at the Canfranc Underground Laboratory: results from two years of measurement of the neutron flux in hall B