Mirion is proud to announce its delivery of the NM-2023 neutron monitor, a groundbreaking innovation in space weather technology. The first unit has recently been installed at a national meteorological service office in Cornwall, UK. This STFC-funded ground-level enhancement event monitor (GLEEM) project, developed in collaboration with the Lancaster University and the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), will provide crucial data and measurement capabilities to enhance the UK’s space weather forecasting and mitigation efforts.
Team from Mirion, Lancaster University and the Met Office at the installation of the 4-NM-2023 system at the Met Office site in Cornwall. Pictured from left to right: Darren Shaw (Mirion), John Hancock (Mirion), Cory Binnersley (Mirion), Craig Gray (Met Office), Dr. Michael Aspinall (Lancaster U.) and Prof. Stephen Croft (Lancaster U.).
Space weather refers to the near-Earth conditions that can affect space and ground-based technological systems. Solar flares and other energy-releasing phenomena produce highly energetic cosmic rays that can penetrate the Earth’s magnetic field and reach the atmosphere as a series of particles. These events, called Ground Level Enhancement (GLE) events, can cause significant disruptions, including damage to satellite electronics, interruptions to GPS and communication systems, and increased radiation exposure for astronauts and airline passengers.
While significant GLEs are rare, the risks they pose to infrastructure and daily life can be severe. “Severe space weather” is one of the highest categories in the UK National Risk Register for its potential to impact billions of people.
Monitoring space weather is paramount to ensuring preparedness, response and recovery. The new 4-NM-2023 monitor (the 4 referring to the number of detector banks in this size system) now joins a global network of approximately 50 similar ground-based sensors that track space weather intensity using the measurement of spallation neutrons to help predict and mitigate their impact through enhanced preparedness.
Since the NM-64 “super-monitor” was standardized by H. Carmichael in 1964 and widely adopted, little has changed in the design of ground-based neutron monitors. These traditional monitors use large-diameter boron trifluoride (BF3) gas-filled proportional counters, which are highly toxic. These monitors are also complex and costly, limiting their deployment beyond the approximately 50 stations globally in operation today. While some updates in data acquisition have occurred over the years, the detector design itself has remained unchanged.
The last neutron monitoring station in the UK — an International Geophysical Year (IGY) model developed in the 1950s — ceased operating more than four decades ago. Seeing opportunities for modernization, Lancaster University worked with the UKAEA to propose a new design. They collaborated with a team at Mirion’s Warrington facility in the UK to develop a customized technology that makes significant improvements to the existing standard:
These improvements made the NM-2023 a practical solution for reintroducing neutron monitoring in the UK and expanding the global network of neutron monitors.
Learn more: A new ground level neutron monitor for space weather assessment
The 4-NM-2023 neutron monitor installed at the Met office in Cornwall, UK is smaller, lighter, safer, and more efficient than traditional models.
“Mirion is proud to be part of a team of experts with Lancaster University and UKAEA, designing and delivering a next-generation system to support vital space weather research,” said Patrick Chard, Director of Application Support for Global Systems Group at Mirion and Principal Consultant for the UK. “This combines advanced radiometric and engineering skills, to deploy the first-of-a-kind system in the UK.”
He continues, “As the world’s population increases and we become ever more reliant on global communications, this research will have a vital role to play to ensure our ability to secure the essential infrastructure.”
Beyond marking a significant step forward in the field of space weather monitoring and radiological characterization, the NM-2023 project plays a crucial role in building skills in the field of space weather monitoring. By providing a convenient and modern set of measurement equipment, it will allow researchers access to high-quality measurement data. It also helps to address the nuclear and radiation measurement skills gap in the nuclear industry as a whole. The novel neutron detection hardware, software and physics modeling developed during this project represents a substantial body of research that will promote further advancement of techniques and underlying nuclear data, through progressive improvement of the technology.
Furthermore, the large neutron detection arrays used in the NM-2023 system are expected to provide researchers access to measurement data that will support advancement in other research fields, such as nuclear material safeguards and waste measurement. This will open doors to training and development opportunities for undergraduate students, PhD students, and postdoctoral researchers, which will help to build a skilled future workforce in this critical area, increasingly important with the onset of the generation of Small Modular and Advanced Modular reactors, and the associated new nuclear fuel cycle facilities that will be needed to support them.
“We’re extremely proud to see the successful deployment of the NM-2023 monitor, a major step forward for UK space weather capability,” said Dr. Michael Aspinall, Project Lead, from the School of Engineering, Lancaster University. “This achievement reflects the dedicated, open, and highly professional approach of our partners at Mirion Technologies. Their expertise has been vital to the project’s success. The positive impact this will have on UK and global space weather monitoring is significant — enhancing our preparedness for future solar events and contributing valuable data to the international research community.”
The project is a testament to the importance of innovation and collaboration in advancing scientific and technological capabilities. Beyond advancing technology for the UK’s national weather and climate service, this project also supports the broader scientific community and the UK’s economic growth by fostering skills development and local employment. Mirion is proud to have contributed to an initiative so in line with our mission, and of its far-reaching benefits to the UK, the nuclear industry, and the advancement of science and technology overall.
Learn more about Mirion capabilities to support science and research.
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