February 16, 2009
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| X-ray spectra for a 5 KeV x-ray incident on the SPD. |
The first signals from the Spiral Particle Detector being developed at IUCF were observed on Wednesday February 10, 2009. The detector is named for the geometrical nature of the spiral electrode structure. The aim of this detector development is to provide detectors for the new high-powered neutron sources such as the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oakridge National Lab (ORNL). The newer neutron sources will require neutron detectors capable of working efficiently in a much higher peak count rate environment than traditional thermal neutron detectors are capable of currently. The unique electrode design in the final version of the SPD should allow the detector to operate efficiently in neutron flux environments that are at least one order of magnitude greater than thermal neutron detectors that are presently available.
The SPD is being developed by IUCF instrument scientist Keith Solberg. Keith has been leading novel particle detector development efforts at IUCF for more than a few decades. His designs are currently in use at several national laboratories generating critical physics data.
The attached figure shows an x-ray spectra for a 5 KeV x-ray incident on the SPD. The horizontal axis is the relative magnitude of the signal and the vertical scale is the number of signals recorded with the corresponding magnitude. The electrode structure is not in its final form. Consequently, the energy resolution and count rate capability are not as good as they will be in the final design.
