Neutron imager with micro channel plates (MCP) in electrostatic mirror configuration: Neutron beam test

A recent advancement in a new high transparency monitor device based on Micro Channel Plate (MCP) has been proposed for monitoring flux and beam spatial profiles of neutrons. It consisted of the assembly of a very thin aluminum (Al) foil with a 6 Li deposit placed along the beam and a MCP equipped with a phosphor screen readout viewed by a CCD camera outside the beam line. The peculiar feature of this device is that it uses an electrostatic mirror to minimize the perturbation of the neutron beam, i.e. absorption and scattering. It can be used at existing time-of-flight facilities, in particular at the neutron Time-of-Flight (n_TOF) facility at CERN, for monitoring the flux and the spatial profile of neutron beams in the thermal and epithermal region. In this contribution, the device experimental test carried out on the n_TOF neutron beam at CERN will be presented and discussed.