Afterpulses in a photomultiplier tube poisoned with helium

Journal Article · Sun Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1981 · Rev. Sci. Instrum.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1136585· OSTI ID:7050421

Bartlett, D F; Duncan, A L; Elliott, J R

A five-inch photomultiplier tube (RCA number4522) was run continuously for eight weeks surrounded by a pure helium atmosphere. Although some evidence of afterpulsing was seen as early as the end of the first week, the fraction of pulses having afterpulses did not reach 15% until after four weeks. The gain of the tube was unaffected by the helium until about the sixth week when suddenly the gain dropped by a factor of 10. The temporal distribution of the afterpulses (600--1200 ns) is readily explained by the voltage distribution between the cathode and the first dynode.

• Research Organization: Dept. of Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, Colorado 80309
• OSTI ID: 7050421
• Journal Information: Rev. Sci. Instrum.; (United States), Journal Name: Rev. Sci. Instrum.; (United States) Vol. 52:2; ISSN RSINA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
420800* -- Engineering-- Electronic Circuits & Devices-- (-1989)
ATMOSPHERES
CATHODES
DATA
DISTRIBUTION
DYNODES
ELECTRIC POTENTIAL
ELECTRODES
ELEMENTS
FLUIDS
GAIN
GASES
HELIUM
INFORMATION
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
NONMETALS
PHOTOMULTIPLIERS
PHOTOTUBES
POISONING
PULSES
RARE GASES
SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION
TIME DEPENDENCE