Measurements of high energy neutron scattering observables from plastic scintillators at LANSCE*

The Modular Neutron Array (MoNA) is made of plastic scintillator detectors that are primarily used to measure properties of neutron unbound nuclei. Experiments at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) were performed to obtain neutron scattering data to improve simulation which will in turn be used to analyze experimental data from the Facility of Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) and in building the next-generation of neutron detectors. Experimental data were taken at LANSCE in order to test two simulation packages, MENATE_R and GEANT-4. At LANSCE, neutrons with energies 0 to 800 MeV scatter from a single plastic scintillator target and are detected by a cascading array of MoNA plastic scintillator bars located a few meters away. Neutrons with energy between 20 to 300 MeV were analyzed. The neutron scattering angles, hit multiplicity, and kinetic energy distributions were constructed and compared to simulation predictions. Preliminary results will be presented.