Pulse-shape discrimination of scintillation from alpha and beta particles with liquid scintillator and Geiger-mode multipixel avalanche diodes

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the use of Geiger-mode multipixel avalanche diodes with liquid scintillators for effective pulse-shape discrimination between alpha and beta particles, enabling portable radioactive contamination monitoring.

Contribution

It introduces a novel compact detector design utilizing GMAPDs for alpha-beta discrimination in liquid scintillators, enhancing portability and background suppression.

Findings

Effective discrimination above 0.3 MeV alpha energy

Compact, robust detector design

Potential for handheld environmental monitoring devices

Abstract

A successfull application of Geiger-mode multipixel avalanche diodes (GMAPDs) for pulse-shape discrimination in alpha-beta spectrometry using organic liquid scintillator is described in this paper. Efficient discrimination of alpha and beta components in the emission of radioactive isotopes is achieved for alpha energies above 0.3 MeV. The ultra-compact design of the scintillating detector helps to efficiently suppress cosmic-ray and ambient radiation background. This approach allows construction of hand-held robust devices for monitoring of radioactive contamination in various environmental conditions.