Analysis of Pulse Height Distributions of a Gas Electron Multiplier Detector by Using Cs-137 and Sr-90 Radioactive Sources

• Published in: Journal of the Korean Physical Society Vol. 73; no. 1; pp. 26 - 32
• Main Authors: Ahn, Bong Jae, Hahn, Chang Hie
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Seoul The Korean Physical Society 01.07.2018; Springer Nature B.V; 한국물리학회
• Subjects: Beta rays; Carbon dioxide; Characteristic X rays; Gamma rays; Internal conversion; Mathematical and Computational Physics; Particle and Nuclear Physics; Photomultiplier tubes; Physics; Physics and Astronomy; Pulse amplitude; Radiation sources; Theoretical; X-rays; 물리학; Sr-90; Mass attenuation coefficient; Internal conversion process; Cs-137; Bethe-Block formula; Landau distribution; Pulse height distribution; Gas electron multiplier detector
• ISSN: 0374-4884; 1976-8524
• DOI: 10.3938/jkps.73.26

A double-layer gas electron multiplier (GEM) chamber was developed at the Physics Department, Changwon National University. Its performance was evaluated using Cs-137 and Sr-90 radiation sources. Using a gas mixture filling of 85% argon and 15% carbon dioxide, in the one-channel GEM chamber (5 cm × 5 cm), the pulse height distributions were detected at atmospheric pressure and room temperature. The signals from the 32-keV and the 36-keV characteristic X-rays emitted owing to internal conversion in the Cs-137 source, as were signals from the beta emissions and 662-keV gamma rays. The signals due to the 662-keV gamma rays were separated from the other signals by placing 1 mm or 1.6 mm intercepting copper plates under the source. Furthermore, regions of the GEM detector in which the photo- and Compton electrons were produced by the X-rays (32 keV and 36 keV) and gamma rays (662 keV) were analyzed.