First neutron spectrometry measurements in the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak

A compact neutron spectrometer based on the liquid scintillator BC501A has been installed on the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak. The aim is to measure neutron energy distribution functions as footprints of fast ions distribution functions, generated mainly via Neutral Beam Injection (NBI) in present day tokamaks. A flexible and fast software has been developed to perform digital pulse shape separation and to evaluate pulse height spectra. First measurements of count rates and pulse height spectra show a good signal to noise ratio for integration times comparable to the NBI slowing down time and to the energy confinement time. Due to the perpendicular line of sight, D-d fusion with perpendicular NBI is detected more efficiently and the line broadening of the 2.45 MeV neutrons is higher. Ion Cyclotron Resonance Heating (ICRH) combined to NBI exhibits a synergy effect, with count rates higher than the sum of the counts due to NBI and ICRH separately. Although the collimator is designed to screen gammas as much as possible, some qualitative gamma analysis is also possible, providing information in case of runaway electrons during disruptions. The experimental campaign for the characterisation of the system (detector + acquisition system) is complete and the determination of the response function is in progress.