Research Focus Areas: 7
Ph.D. Students: M.A. Norsworthy & T.H. Shin
Undergraduate Students: E. King & T. Jordan
DNNG focuses on novel pulse-shape analysis and pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) techniques to improve our current abilities of characterizing waveforms. Specifically, our research focuses on pulse fitting techniques as well as digital signal processing (DSP) techniques.
Pulse fitting is being used to improve the efficiency of data processing from organic scintillators and improve pulse shape discrimination for separating neutron and photon pulses, to accurately characterize special nuclear material. These pulse fits are approximations of the physics behind the digitization of scintillator pulses and have a wide variety of applications including double pulse recovery, clipped pulse recovery, and light output applications.
DSP techniques are applied (e.g. signal filtering, frequency analysis, etc.) to investigate alternative methods for PSD. The canonical technique for PSD involves comparing the amount of charge within certain regions of the pulse (i.e. charge-integration method). DNNG is currently investigating the performance of PSD in the frequency-domain rather than the time-domain which may lead to more robust classification of particle types. Frequency-domain PSD techniques also show promise for detectors that exhibit high-noise.
Related Conference Proceedings:
- E. King, M. Norsworthy, S. Clarke, S. Pozzi, “Pulse Shape Fitting for Pulse Shape Discrimination and Light Output Applications,” Institute of Nuclear Materials Management Annual Meeting, Atlanta, GA (July 2016).