EAS thermal neutron detection with the PRISMA-LHAASO-16 experiment

Abstract

On behalf of the LHAASO Collaboration and the PRISMA Collaboration EAS thermal neutrons measurement gives additional valuable advantages to study energy and mass composition of primary cosmic rays especially above the knee region. After success of the PRISMA-YBJ experiment we built a new EAS thermal neutron detection array at Tibet University, Lhasa, China (3700m a.s.l.) in March, 2017. This prototype array consists of 16 EAS en-detectors measuring two main EAS components: hadronic and electromagnetic ones. These detectors use a thin layer of a novel type of ZnS(Ag) scintillator alloyed with natural boron compound for thermal neutron capture. In this report, we introduce principle of the detection technique, deployment of the array, and the test results obtained with the array.