A Minor Modification of Leading Edge Discriminator Circuitry with a Delay Line for Baseline Restoration of Scintillation Detectors
Multi-channel neutron time-of-flight detector arrays LaNSA, T-ion, Medusa, and Mandala, have been used for neutron spectroscopy in inertial confinement fusion experiments. These multi-channel neutron detector arrays consist of many identical scintillation detectors (842 {approx} 1024 channel), data acquisition electronics (discriminators, time-to digital converters, and controller). Each detector element is operated in neutron counting mode. Time-of-flight of individual detected neutrons are recorded by time to digital converters. The energy of each detected neutrons is determined from its time-of-flight. The accurate time measurement ({Delta}t {approx} 0.5 ns) and straightforward statistical features of the data obtained with these systems provides good integrity and reliability. The elements detector used in these systems are organic scintillators coupled with photo multiplier tubes. A scintillation detector operated in particle-counting mode requires finite recovery time after each detection event. The recovery time is determined by the time responses of scintillators, photo multiplier tubes, and the dead times of following discriminators and time-to digital converters. The harsh gamma ray background environment of fast ignitor experiments requires detectors that have fast recovery times. In high intensity laser experiments (I > 10{sup 19} W/cm{sup 2}), strong gamma ray bursts are produced by relativistic laser plasma interactions. Prior to the neutron signal, these strong gamma ray bursts hit the detectors and interfere with the detection of following neutron signals. In these situations, the recovery time of the system after preceding gamma ray bursts is determined mainly by the base line shift of the PMT signal (due to slower decay components of scintillators ''after glow''). Discriminators cannot detect following signal pulses until the proceeding burst decays below its threshold voltage. The base line shift caused by the after glow prolongs the recovery time of the discriminators. Typical organic scintillators have slow decay component with 300 {approx} 600 nsec.
- Research Organization:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- US Department of Energy (US)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-48
- OSTI ID:
- 15005258
- Report Number(s):
- UCRL-ID-153852; TRN: US0305347
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: PBD: 27 May 2003
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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