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  • Open Access

Novel coincidence detection technique for precision measurement of neutron capture-induced nuclear recoils

A. J. Biffl1,*, Gerardo D. Gonzalez1, A. N. Villano2, and N. Mirabolfathi1

  • *Contact author: ajbiffl3@tamu.edu
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Phys. Rev. D 112, 072001 – Published 3 October, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/7bnf-mxjz

Abstract

The lattice dynamics following particle interactions remain not fully understood, and effects from nuclear-recoil interactions in conventional solid-state detectors—such as defect formation—can hinder accurate event-energy interpretation. Neutron capture (n,γ) can produce detectable, precise-energy nuclear recoils for detector calibration and solid-state physics studies. This paper proposes a first-of-its-kind experiment to measure the twin products of neutron capture—the postcapture deexcitation gamma and postcapture nuclear recoil. Simulations show that with a 1 mCi californium neutron source, a positive measurement with existing detector technologies is possible in 26.1 gram-days of exposure.

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Phys. Rev. D 112, 072001– Published 3 October, 2025
  • Received 27 June 2025
  • Accepted 15 September 2025
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI. Funded by SCOAP3.

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