Antineutrino Detection Based on Heterogeneous Scintillation Lattice

A radiation detector, comprising:

• a plurality of antineutrino capture layers, said antineutrino capture layers comprised of a plurality of optically coupled cuboids, said cuboids having planar surfaces and pairwise parallel surfaces where said cuboids abut;
• said cuboids including hydrogen as a target for antineutrinos;
• said cuboids act as scintillators and contain a wavelength shifter;
• said pairwise parallel surfaces separated by a medium of a lower index of refraction;
• a plurality of neutron capture layers adapted to emit a radiation emission that remains within the layers upon the capture of a neutron;
• said antineutrino capture layers disposed between said neutron capture layers;
• said neutron capture layers act as scintillators to convert the radiation emission of a neutron capture to light for transmission to at least one of said cuboids;
• and
• said cuboids and said neutron capture layers have different scintillation time constants.

A method for detecting an antineutrino event comprising the steps of:

• creating an antineutrino capture event by providing a plurality of radiation capture layers to capture an antineutrino, said antineutrino event capture layers comprised of repeating optically coupled cells, said cells having planar surfaces and said cells have pairwise parallel surfaces where said cells abut;
• said cells including hydrogen as target for capturing antineutrinos;
• said cells act as scintillators and contain a wavelength shifter;
• said pairwise parallel surfaces separated by a medium of a lower index of refraction;
• creating a neutron capture event by providing a neutron capture medium containing a neutron capture agent for capturing a neutron, said neutron capture medium emits a radiation emission that remains within the capture medium upon the capture of a neutron;
• creating different light pulses of different duration for each capture event by adapting said cells and said neutron capture medium to have different scintillation time constants;
• and
• scintillation light originating in said cells and said neutron capture medium is transmitted through the optically coupled cells along axial channels by total internal reflection where it is read out on the surface of the detector to provide x, y and z coordinates of the event.