Recent Trends in Photomultipliers for Nuclear Physics

Publisher Summary Photomultipliers (PMTs) have been effectively used for more than 40 years in nuclear physics. The reason the photomultipliers are not superseded by the solid-state detector can be attributed to three main characteristics— namely, large sensitive area, good timing characteristics, and high gain combined with low noise factor in the multiplier. The second and third characteristics signify that photomultipliers have an exceptionally high-gain bandwidth product. This chapter aims to describe the present-day state of the art of photomultiplier technology with emphasis on photocathodes, secondary emission, and new structures. The chapter specifically considers the use of photomultipliers in nuclear physics, including mainly the high-energy physics and the medical markets. In nuclear physics, the use of PMTs is exclusively restricted to applications where ionizing radiations produce light pulses during their partial or total absorption in an optically transparent medium called a scintillator. Most inorganic scintillators have higher stopping power for gamma rays than has silicon. This results in bringing cost advantages to photomultiplier.

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