NeuLAND: MRPC-based time-of-flight detector for 1 GeV neutrons

The NeuLAND detector at the R$^3$B experiment at the future FAIR facility in Darmstadt aims to detect fast neutrons (0.2-1.0\,GeV) with high time and spatial resolutions ($\sigma_{\rm t}$$<$100\,ps, $\sigma_{\rm x,y,z}$$<$1\,cm). The detector will consist of about 60 subsequent MRPC stacks containing a 4\,mm thick anode made of iron converter material, with an additional 4\,mm of converter material between two stacks. The secondary charged particles stemming from hadronic interactions of the high energetic neutrons in the converter will be detected in the MRPC's.

As part of the ongoing development effort, a number of prototypes for this detector have been developed and built at GSI, FZD, and SINP. By testing some prototypes from GSI and FZD in experiments with picosecond electrons at ELBE (Dresden, Germany) and with 175 MeV quasi-monochromatic neutrons at TSL (Uppsala, Sweden) it was shown that the working principle is sound.