Accelerated Radiation Testing Method for Processor-based Computing Systems

The use of accelerated radiation testing is an invaluable tool for studying the behavior of computing systems under radiation effects. Despite the existence of relevant testing guidelines and standards, there are currently few published works dedicated to detailing methods for performing accelerated radiation tests on processor-based computing systems. This paper delineates the current form of the MultiRad project's testing method, as well as the rationale behind its design. After continuous improvements and modifications since its inception in 2020, it has been used to test various computing systems - from resource-constrained 8-bit microcontrollers to highly capable 64bit computers - under 14-MeV and thermal neutrons and can be quickly implemented for other computing system platforms. Notably, variations of the presented method have supported and enabled the publishing of 17 journal articles and 25 presentations in international conferences.