Wavelength-based neutron/gamma ray discrimination in CLYC
We investigated the optical components of Cs2LiYCl6:Ce (CLYC) as a possible path to particle discrimination by measuring the effects of optical filters on the shape of the waveform and comparing filtered waveforms to unfiltered ones. Crystals packaged with two optical windows were viewed by two photomultiplier tubes operated in coincidence to be certain that the signals from the same event were analyzed. We applied long-pass optical filters with cut-off wavelengths from 280 to 455 nm, and bandpass filters with cut-off wavelengths at 313, 350, 385, and 425 nm. Waveforms from gamma rays were significantly sharpened by the 313 nm bandpass filter because this filter cut out self-trapped exciton luminescence, while neutron waveforms were largely unaffected by filtering. Cumulative distribution functions generated from average filtered waveforms indicate that the neutron/gamma assignment can be made 44 ns by applying a Kolmogorov-Smirnov test comparing an acquired waveform to the average filtered waveforms.
Digital pulse-shape discrimination of fast neutrons and gamma rays
Neutron-rich rare-earth nuclei are among the most collective nuclei that can be found in nature. In particular, the doubly mid-shell nucleus 170Dy is expected to be the nucleus where the collective structure is maximized. This has implications for the astrophysical r-process, since it has been suggested that the collectivity maximum plays an important role in the abundances of the rare-earth elements that are created in supernova explosions. In this work, the collective structure of the five nuclei 168,170Dy and 167,168,169Ho are studied and different theoretical models are used to interpret the evolution of collectivity around the mid-shell. In order to produce and study even more neutron-rich nuclei in this mass region, new radioactive ion beam facilities will be a valuable tool. These facilities, however, require advanced instruments to study the weak signals of exotic nuclei in a high background environment. Two of these instruments are the γ-ray tracking spectrometer AGATA and the neutron detector array NEDA. For AGATA to work satisfactorily, the interaction position of the gamma rays must be determined with an accuracy of at least five millimetres. The position resolution is measured in this work using a model independent method based on the Doppler correction capabilities of the detector at two different distances between the detector and the source. For NEDA, one of the critical parameters is its ability to discriminate between neutrons and γ rays. By using digital electronics it is possible to employ advanced and efficient algorithms for pulse-shape discrimination. In this work, digital versions of the common analogue methods are shownto give as good, or better, results compared to the ones obtained using analogue electronics. Another method which effectively distinguishes between neutrons and γ rays is based on artificial neural networks. This method is also investigated in this work and is shown to yield even better results.
Photoreflectance characterization of vanadium-doped GaAs layers grown by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy
Abstract We characterized the vanadium-doped (GaAs:V) layers grown on GaAs substrate by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy. The conductivity of the samples is checked by the Hall effect measurements, and it is n type with electrons concentration ranging from 2×10 13 to 2×10 17  cm −3 . We used the photoreflectance technique (PR) to study the effect of vanadium doping on the optical properties of GaAs. Our experimental results show that the built-in electric field F and the broadening parameter Γ 0 increase with V-doping concentration. Furthermore, the temperature dependence of the built-in electric field and the broadening parameter of GaAs:V samples have been investigated by PR. It has been observed that these parameters increase with increasing temperature. The decrease of the built-in electric field with decreasing temperature is due to the photovoltage effect.We characterized the vanadium-doped GaAs (GaAs:V) layers grown on GaAs substrate by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy.