Study for correlation between neutrons detected by Electron and Neutron Detector Array (ENDA) and soil humidity

Abstract

The electron and neutron detector (EN-detector) can detect the thermal neutrons produced by hadronic components in the secondary particles of cosmic rays. According to our previous paper about the performance of EN-detectors in Yangbajing, Tibet, during the period from August 2019 to January 2020, the number of detected neutrons in rain season is significantly (∼ 10%) lower than that in periods of dry season. In order to further study the correlation between the detector performance and humidity in soil, five soil moisture meters have been installed at different depths inside ENDA-16-HZS in August 2020. By analyzing the data in September 2020, it is demonstrated that both counting rate of EN-detector and neutrons in triggered events are negatively correlated with humidity.

Gadolinium loaded Cherenkov detectors for neutron monitoring in high energy air showers

“…Driven by several observations of this sub-luminal neutron 'cloud' [5,6], and reduction in cost of thermal neutron detectors, significant progress has been made in large area monitoring of the low energy neutron component [7]. Recently, the LHAASO experiment has published data on the time evolution of the thermal neutron component following an EAS using a distributed array of boron based thermal neutron detectors [8]. Given the complex and stochastic scattering processes that neutrons undergo as they thermalise with their surroundings, simultaneous measurements of both low and high energy neutrons across the full extent of an EAS are needed to understand the evolution of the neutron 'cloud' and its effects on water Cherenkov based cosmic ray detector arrays.…”