Pulse shape discrimination for background rejection in germanium gamma-ray detectorsA pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) technique is developed to reject the beta-decay background resulting from activation of Ge gamma-ray detectors by cosmic-ray secondaries. These beta decays are a major source of background at 0.2-2 MeV energies in well shielded Ge detector systems. The technique exploits the difference between the detected current pulse shapes of single- and multiple-site energy depositions within the detector: beta decays are primarily single-site events, while photons at these energies typically Compton scatter before being photoelectrically absorbed to produce multiple-site events. Depending upon the amount of background due to sources other than beta decay, PSD can more than double the detector sensitivity.
Document ID
19900063218
Acquisition Source
Legacy CDMS
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Feffer, P. T. (California Univ. Berkeley, CA, United States)
Smith, D. M. (California Univ. Berkeley, CA, United States)
Campbell, R. D. (California Univ. Berkeley, CA, United States)
Primbsch, J. H. (California Univ. Berkeley, CA, United States)
Lin, R. P. (California, University Berkeley, United States)
Date Acquired
August 14, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 1989
Subject Category
Instrumentation And Photography
Meeting Information
Meeting: EUV, X-ray, and Gamma-Ray Instrumentation for Astronomy and Atomic Physics