The development of flash tube detectors for high energy physics

Abstract

The work reported in this thesis describes the development of a new flash tubs detector particularly suited to nuclear accelerator experimentation, and specifically considers its application to the detection of high energy photons. A flash tube detector has been developed with characteristics which permit efficient operation in a background radiation flux of about 10 (^5) particles/tube/second and at repetition rates of the order 1 KH (_z). The viability of its application to accelerator physics was investigated and verified using the DNPL e (^+) accelerator beam with a chamber containing digitized flash tubes linked to a computerized data acquisition system. Application of the device to the detection of high energy photons has also been made with the chamber, by simulating photon induced electromagnetic showers with positrons, in the energy range 0.5 - 4.0 GeV. Results from this series of experiments have shown that both energy and spatial information may be obtained from a chamber constructed with large diameter tubas and of small overall size. The energy and spatial resolution of the device has been measured as a function of energy and shown to compare favourably with more complex and expensive techniques. Analysis of the shower data has also demonstrated that several improvements are possible. These improvements have been incorporated in the design of a new chamber capable of operating at repetition rates up to lKHz and which should measure the energy and trajectory of incident photons with a greater precision than is possible with many conventional instruments.