Research Focus Areas: 7
Ph.D. Students: W. Steinberger
Collaborators: DTRA
Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) are solid-state detectors composed of avalanche photodiode arrays operated in Geiger mode. These detectors are compact, have a low operating voltage, are immune to magnet fields, and due to relatively recent improvements, some have low operating noise. For these reasons, current research is being done to determine key parameters of the detectors to assess their potential use in nonproliferation applications. Specifically, experiments are being conducted to determine the timing resolution and pulse shape discrimination capabilities of various pairs of SiPMs coupled to organic scintillators. The goal of this research is to determine which combination of SiPM and organic scintillator exhibit the best of the above parameters for future use in detector systems that can be applied in safeguards and nonproliferation applications.
Related Journal Articles:
- M.L. Ruch, M. Flaska, S. A. Pozzi, “Pulse shape discrimination performance of stilbene coupled to low-noise silicon photomultipliers,” Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A, vol. 793, pp. 1-5, 2015.
Related Conference Proceedings:
- M.L. Ruch, J. Nguyen, M. Flaska, S. A. Pozzi, “Time Resolution of Stilbene Coupled to Silicon Photomultipliers for use in a Handheld Dual Particle Scatter Camera,” IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium Conference Record, San Diego, CA, USA. 31 October – 7 November, 2015.