Advanced picosecond precision Radio Frequency Timer

• Published in: Journal of instrumentation Vol. 19; no. 2; p. C02014
• Main Authors: Zhamkochyan, S., Kakoyan, V., Abrahamyan, S., Elbakyan, H., Ayvazyan, G., Ayvazyan, R., Ghalumyan, A., Kakoyan, A., Mayilyan, S., Papyan, A., Piloyan, A., Rostomyan, H., Safaryan, A., Sughyan, G., Vardanyan, H., Zohrabyan, H., Annand, J., Livingston, K., Montgomery, R., Achenbach, P., Pochodzalla, J., Balabanski, D.L., Nakamura, S.N., Aprahamian, A., Brodeur, M., Sharyy, V., Yvon, D., Margaryan, A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bristol IOP Publishing 01.02.2024
• Subjects: Delay lines; Electrons; Heavy ions; Heavy-ion detectors; Ion detectors; Microchannel plates; Microchannels; Nuclear physics; Photon detectors for UV, visible and IR photons (vacuum); Position sensing; Positron emission; Radio frequency; Streak cameras; Timing detectors
• ISSN: 1748-0221; 1748-0221
• DOI: 10.1088/1748-0221/19/02/C02014

Abstract A new type of radio frequency (RF) timing technique is presented. It is based on a helical deflector, which performs circular or elliptical sweeps of photo- or secondary electrons, accelerated to keV energies, by means of RF fields in the 500–1000 MHz range. By converting a time distribution of the electrons to a hit position distribution on a circle or ellipse, this device achieves extremely precise timing, similar to streak cameras. Detection of the scanned electrons, using a position sensitive detector based on microchannel plates and a delay line anode, resulted in a timing resolution of 10 ps, which can be potentially improved to 1 ps. RF-Timer-based single photon and heavy ion detectors have potential applications in different fields of science and industry, which include high energy nuclear physics and imaging technologies. This technique could play a crucial role in developing of sub 10 ps Time-of-Flight Positron Emission Tomography.