  Neutron detectors are an essential tool for the development of many research
fields, as nuclear, particle and astroparticle physics as well as radiotherapy
and radiation safety. Since neutrons cannot directly ionize, their detection is
only possible via nuclear reactions. Consequently, neutron-based experimental
techniques are related to the detection of charged particle or electromagnetic
radiation originating from neutron-induced reactions. The study of fast
neutrons is often based on the neutron-proton elastic scattering reaction. In
this case, the ionization induced by the recoil protons in a hydrogenous
material constitutes the basic information for the design and development of
neutron detectors. Although experimental techniques have continuously improved
and refined, so far, proton-recoil track imaging is still weak in laboratory
rate environments because of the extremely small detection efficiency. To
address this deficiency, we propose a novel recoil-proton track imaging system
in which the light deriving from a fast scintillation signal is used to perform
a complete reconstruction in space and time of the event. In particular, we
report the idea of RIPTIDE (RecoIl Proton Track Imaging DEtector): an
innovative system which combines a plastic scintillator coupled to imaging
devices, based on CMOS technology, or Micro Channel Plate sensors. The proposed
apparatus aims at providing neutron spectrometry capability by stereoscopically
imaging the recoil-protons tracks, correlating the spatial information with the
time information.
