The lupin detector: Supporting least intrusive beam monitoring technique through neutron detection

The Long interval, Ultra-wide dynamic Pile-up free Neutron rem counter (LUPIN) is a novel detector initially developed for radiation protection purposes, specifically conceived for applications in pulsed neutron fields. The detector has a measurement capability varying over many orders of neutron burst intensity, from a single neutron up to thousands of interactions for each burst, without showing any saturation effect. Whilst LUPIN has been developed for applications in the radiation protection fields, its unique properties make it also well suited to support other beam instrumentation. In this contribution, the design of LUPIN is presented in detail and results from measurements carried out in different facilities summarize its main characteristics. Its potential use as beam loss monitor (BLM) and complementary detector for non-invasive beam monitoring purposes (e.g. to complement a monitor based on proton beam "halo" detection) in medical accelerators is then examined. In the context of its application as a beam loss monitor for hadrontherapy accelerators, results of measurements performed at the Italian National Centre of Hadrontherapy (CNAO) are presented and analysed.