Digital instrumentation and management of dead time: first results on a NaI well-type detector setup.

The LNE-LNHB is engaged in a development program on digital instrumentation, the first step being the instrumentation of a NaI well-type detector set-up. The prototype acquisition card and its technical specifications are presented together with the first comparison with the classical NIM-based acquisition chain, for counting rates up to 100 kcps. The digital instrumentation is shown to be counting-loss free in this range. This validates the main option adopted in this project, namely the implementation of an extending dead time with live-time measurement already successfully used in the MTR2 NIM module developed at LNE-LNHB.

DUPLICATE: Digital instrumentation and management of dead time: First results on a NaI well-type detector setup.

The Publisher regrets that this article is an accidental duplication of an article that has already been published, doi:10.1016/j.apradiso.2010.01.040. The duplicate article has therefore been withdrawn.

First results in the development of an on-line digital counting platform dedicated to primary measurements.

This paper describes the first step in the development of a digital platform dedicated to primary radionuclide measurements. In order to validate the implementation of an on-line processing based on extendable dead-times, a FPGA-based digital system has been programmed for liquid scintillation counting. After a description of the hardware, TDCR (Triple to Double Coincidence Ratio) measurements are presented. Comparisons of activity measurements with the classical system operating at LNHB are used to validate the new system; coincidence counting differences observed when increasing the resolving time in the digital platform are discussed.

First measurement of the beta spectrum of 241Pu with a cryogenic detector.

The LNE-LNHB is developing metallic magnetic calorimeters, a specific type of cryogenic detectors, for beta spectrometry. The aim is the determination of the shape factors of beta spectra. Our latest detector has been designed to measure the spectrum of (241)Pu, a pure beta emitter with an endpoint energy of 20.8 keV. In this paper, the detection principle of metallic magnetic calorimeters is explained and a detailed description is given of the realization of the detector enclosing a (241)Pu source inside the detector absorber. A spectrum resulting from our first measurement is shown and compared with a theoretical spectrum.

Validation study of a new technique for absolute activity measurement with 4pi solid angle metallic magnetic calorimeters.

In this paper we present a prototype of a new class of detectors, metallic magnetic calorimeters operating at cryogenic temperatures, which we are developing for absolute activity measurement of low-energy-emitting radionuclides. We explain the detection principle and give a detailed description of the realisation of the prototype, containing an (55)Fe source inside the detector absorber. The analysis of first data taken with this detector is presented and the result of activity measurement compared with liquid scintillation counting. Some ways for reducing the uncertainty that can be achieved with this new technique are proposed.