Masaryk University, MIT, IAEA, TU Dresden, Research Centre Řež, Brno University of Technology, Czech Academy of Science, University of Defence, Bertin VF Nuclear, Czech Technical University

09:00 - Breakfast & coffee + welcome milk
09:30 - Faculty of Informatics - invitation - prof. Barnat dean of Faculty of Informatics Masaryk University
09:45 - Cechak - The History of Nuclear Science and Technology in Bohemia and the Czech Republic
10:00 - Kostal - RCR - Integral experiments in nuclear data evaluation process
10:15 - Trunec - MU - Unfolding neutron spectra using splines
10:30 - Forget - MIT - Embedding Nuclear Data Uncertainties in Monte Carlo Analysis: Toward predictive simulation and improved nuclear data
10:45 - posters - coffee break
11:15 - Capote - IAEA
11:30 - Melzer - TU Dresden - Upgrade of the TUD neXmess data acquisition system
11:45 - Alain Ferragut - R&D Bertin - nFacet, a portable directional gamma/neutron spectrometer
12:15 - lunch
13:00 - panel discussion (Capote, Forget, Kostal)

• The similarities and differences in data needs between fission and fusion
• AmBe and its use in activation cross section validation
• What direction should further experiments take
• Simulation tools of the future

13:30 - Jancar - Bertin VF Nuclear - PMT glass window sensitivity to gamma-rays(PMT)
13:45 - Culen (NGA-03/NGA-04)
14:00 - Mikel - Laser and optical fibers in nuclear industry
14:15 - posters - coffee break
14:45 - Burian
15:00 - Granja - Spectral-imaging detection of neutrons in wide range with Timepix detectors
15:15 - Novotny - Development of 4H-SiC PN Diodes for Fast Neutron Detection
15:30 - team Faculty of Informatics (Pecak, Horna, Hlavinka, Klimes, Szotkowski)
15:55 - Vecerak - Bertin VF Nucelar - Bertin Nuclear R&D: Collaboration with Academic Partners

17:00-23:30 - social event - Fleda

Tomáš Kulhánek - University of West Bohemia, Faculty of Electrical Engineering
Modular Digitization Platform for High-Speed Acquisition of Analog Signals in the Tens of GS/s Range
A modular high-speed digitization platform has been developed for precise acquisition of ultra-fast analog signals from modern particle detectors. The system is intended for applications in high-energy physics and time-of-flight measurements, where high temporal resolution and reliable operation at high event rates are required. The platform is based on state-of-the-art high-speed analog-to-digital converters and FPGA-based data processing. It supports sampling rates in the tens of GS/s range and enables further performance enhancement through interleaved sampling of synchronized modules, allowing scalable channel configurations and improved temporal resolution while maintaining system modularity. High-speed data transfer is implemented using modern serial interfaces, enabling integration into distributed data acquisition systems. The functionality of the system was verified on a prototype using both controlled sine-wave test signals and real signals from a fast photomultiplier tube. The results demonstrate reliable digitization of nanosecond-scale pulses and confirm the capability of the platform to capture high-rate events, including the observation of signal pile-up effects. Future development will focus on extending FPGA firmware functionality, implementing advanced on-board signal processing, and integrating additional analog front-end circuitry to further expand the applicability of the platform in high-precision timing and detector readout applications.

Carlos Granja - VSB-Tech. Univ. Ostrava
Spectral-imaging detection of neutrons in wide range with Timepix detectors
In addition to X rays and charged particles, both light (electrons, muons) and heavy (protons, ions), the spectral-sensitive imaging detectors Timepix are used also to detect and register neutrons in wide range of energy (cold, thermal, slow, fast) and fluxes. For this purpose, various configurations of the Timepix ASIC chip-sensor assemblies can be suitably exploited including the use of neutron converter masks. A general limitation is the low detection efficiency overall (1-0.1%). Advantages include the intrinsic noiseless photon-counting response, high-spatial resolution, per-pixel spectrometry and fast timing (ns level), tracking-directional response of Timepix resulting in very high discrimination against background including electrons and gamma rays. Enhanced resolving power of particle-type discrimination in complex and mixed-radiation fields is provided from high-resolution processing of the pixelated tracks and detector response lookup tables derived from extensive experimental calibrations performed at accelerator particle beams and well-defined radiation sources. An overview will be given of the imaging and spectral-tracking techniques developed with Timepix, Timepix2 and Timepix3 chips bump-bonded with different semiconductor sensors (Si, SiC, GaAs, CdTe) including thermal and fast neutron converter masks. Results will be shown from experimental data acquired in various radiation fields including well-defined/reference calibrating fields (accelerator and radionuclide based) as well as mixed-field at proton and ion radiotherapy environments.

Tomáš Czakoj - Research Centre Řež
High-Energy Tail of the ²³⁵U Total Fission Gamma Spectrum
This work presents a systematic measurement of the high-energy tail (E > 10 MeV) of the ²³⁵U fission gamma spectrum using stilbene spectrometry at three reactors. The spectra show a consistent shape above 11 MeV, independent of reactor conditions, confirming the dominance of prompt fission gammas. Comparisons with simulations indicate good agreement with ENDF/B-VIII.0, while other libraries show significant discrepancies.

Martin Schulc - Research Centre Řež
Asteroid deflection possibilities
Asteroid impacts represent a serious threat to Earth, requiring reliable deflection strategies. Nuclear explosions are a potential solution, but accurate modeling of energy deposition in asteroid material depends on precise nuclear data. This work focuses on validating neutron cross sections of silicon and oxygen, key components of chondritic asteroids. Results show significant discrepancies between libraries, particularly in certain neutron energy regions.

Radek Novotny - Czech Technical University in Prague
Development of 4H-SiC PN Diodes for Fast Neutron Detection and Allpix2-Based Response Simulation
Silicon carbide (SiC) is a promising wide-bandgap semiconductor material for radiation detection in harsh environments due to its high breakdown electric field, low leakage current, excellent thermal stability, and superior radiation hardness compared to conventional silicon detectors. In this work, custom-developed 4H-SiC PN diodes with a 50 μm active epitaxial layer are being developed and investigated for fast neutron detection applications. The study combines experimental detector characterisation with Geant4-based Allpix2 simulations to evaluate neutron response and validate the charge transport model. Detector depletion behaviour and charge collection were calibrated using a 241Am alpha source, showing good agreement between simulations and measurements at full depletion. The validated simulation framework was subsequently used to calculate neutron response matrices for incident neutron energies between 2 and 21 MeV. Measured neutron spectra exhibit the expected dominance of elastic recoil interactions at low deposited energies together with signatures of inelastic nuclear reaction channels in SiC. The simulations reproduce characteristic features reported in previous studies, including the 12C(n,α0)9Be reaction contribution near 14 MeV. The obtained response matrices provide a predictive basis for neutron spectrum unfolding and demonstrate the potential of 4H-SiC detectors for neutron dosimetry and spectroscopy in applications including nuclear monitoring, accelerator instrumentation, and space radiation measurements.

Benoit Forget - MIT
Embedding Nuclear Data Uncertainties in Monte Carlo Analysis: Toward predictive simulation and improved nuclear data
This talk presents recent work on embedding nuclear data uncertainties directly into Monte Carlo simulations to move toward truly predictive reactor analysis. Using compact, temperature-independent data representations such as windowed multipoles, uncertainty propagation can be performed efficiently within the transport calculation itself. I will discuss an embedded Monte Carlo approach, along with verification on analytic and eigenvalue benchmarks. The broader goal is to enable high-fidelity simulations that not only quantify the impact of nuclear data uncertainties, but also help identify where improved measurements and evaluations can most effectively enhance predictive capability.

David Trunec - Masaryk University
Unfolding neutron spectra using splines
We present a new algorithm to solve a deconvolution problem, which is mathematically described by the Fredholm integral equation of the first kind. This problem has to be solved in many measurements. The solution of this problem with experimental data is ill-conditioned and therefore difficult to solve numerically. It was assumed that the measured data have a Poisson distribution. The maximum likelihood method was used for the solution and the function sought was assumed to be a spline represented in a B-spline basis. The algorithm was tested using known data and it was found that the errors are smaller than those of the usually used methods. The results of the developed algorithm for the deconvolution of the neutron spectroscopy measurement with organic scintillators are presented.

Bretislav Mikel - CAS
Lasers and Optical Fibres in the Nuclear Industry
Measurements of ionising radiation and those conducted in ionising radiation environments must be mutually compatible and, ideally, complementary. Drawing on our experience and our group’s focus on optical technologies, we can make significant contributions to both aspects of this challenge. This contribution presents selected projects that use lasers and optical fibres to make measurements in environments with intense ionising radiation, such as areas around nuclear reactors. At the same time, we demonstrate that optical fibres can now be employed not only to monitor the intensity of ionising radiation but also to identify the type of radiation source. These technologies enable measurements in locations that were previously extremely difficult, or practically impossible, to access using conventional methods. By combining radiation sensing with optical measurement techniques, lasers and optical fibres provide a robust, versatile platform for diagnostics, monitoring, and safety-related applications in the nuclear industry.

Tomas Cechak - CTU
The History of Nuclear Science and Technology in Bohemia and the Czech Republic
The history of mining in the Czech Republic is associated with uranium mining and the radioactive elements polonium and radium, discovered by the Curies from Czech pitchblende. This paper explores the development of nuclear science and technology in Bohemia and later in the Czech Republic from the early discoveries of radioactivity to the modern nuclear energy sector. Special attention is given to the establishment of nuclear research institutes, the construction of nuclear power plants such as Dukovany and Temelín, and the development of nuclear education.

Vincent Melzer - TU Dresden
Upgrade of the TUD neXmess data acquisition system
One focus of the NAUTILUS research project at TUD Dresden University of Technology is the determination of the neutron spectrum at the AKR-2 reactor. In this context, the neXmess data acquisition (DAQ) system is being developed predominantly for fast neutron spectrometry using hydrogen-filled proportional detectors (HPDs) in the neutron energy range from 100 keV to 1 MeV and stilbene scintillation detectors for neutron energies above 1 MeV. The neXmess DAQ system is based on an ADC board connected to a FPGA development platform. Signal filtering, triggering, and pulse evaluation are implemented on the FPGA using a custom developed pulse processing logic. The configuration of the FPGA and the control of measurements are handled via a server software executed on the microcontroller of the FPGA platform. This presentation will showcase the current version of the system, with its several extensions and improvements. In the FPGA logic, the trigger system was extended by a constant fraction discriminator (CFD) trigger in addition to the original threshold trigger, and four new pulse evaluation modules were created. Furthermore, a middleware application written in the Rust programming language was developed as a joint between the FPGA backend server software and a future graphical web frontend. The presentation will also include measurement results obtained with hydrogen-filled proportional detectors, a stilbene scintillation detector, and a GeLi detector, demonstrating the current capabilities of the neXmess system for experimental neutron spectrometry.

• Neutron 2025
• Neutron 2024
• Neutron 2023

matej@muni.cz