The LSU-Argonne conversion electron spectrometer: A new detector for the X-Array and SATURN decay station

Authors

S. Lopez-Caceres, Louisiana State University
S. T. Marley, Louisiana State University
M. P. Carpenter, Argonne National Laboratory
G. Savard, Argonne National Laboratory
F. G. Kondev, Argonne National Laboratory
P. Copp, Argonne National Laboratory
W. Reviol, Argonne National Laboratory
C. Müller-Gatermann, Argonne National Laboratory
D. Seweryniak, Argonne National Laboratory
J. A. Clark, Argonne National Laboratory
D. Santiago-Gonzalez, Argonne National Laboratory
G. E. Morgan, Louisiana State University
A. J. Mitchell, The Australian National University
G. L. Wilson, Argonne National Laboratory
M. L. Smith, The Australian National University

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-1-2024

Abstract

A new conversion electron detector has been commissioned at the ATLAS/ CARIBU facility at Argonne National Laboratory. The LSU-Argonne Conversion Electron Spectrometer (LACES) is a LN2-cooled Si(Li) detector system designed to be incorporated into a decay station that comprises the dedicated HPGe clover array with a box geometry (X-Array) and the Scintillator and Tape Using Radioactive Nuclei (SATURN) device. This integration enables simultaneous measurements of conversion electrons and gamma-rays in decay experiments, yielding novel information on transition multipolarities, electric monopole transitions, and isomeric states that decay mostly via conversion electrons. A measurement of the energy resolution of LACES yielded 2.3-keV FWHM at 975 keV for electrons and 1.3-keV FWHM at 75 keV for X-rays. A detailed study of the absolute detection efficiency (at 5 mm from the source) was performed, where this quantity was determined experimentally in the range of electron transition energies between 25.5 keV and 1047.8 keV and subsequently simulated using the GEANT4 code. Measurement and simulations are found to be in excellent agreement. A precise characterization, for this type of detector system, of the absolute detection efficiency for such a wide energy range is reported for the first time.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A Accelerators Spectrometers Detectors and Associated Equipment

Recommended Citation

Lopez-Caceres, S., Marley, S., Carpenter, M., Savard, G., Kondev, F., Copp, P., Reviol, W., Müller-Gatermann, C., Seweryniak, D., Clark, J., Santiago-Gonzalez, D., Morgan, G., Mitchell, A., Wilson, G., & Smith, M. (2024). The LSU-Argonne conversion electron spectrometer: A new detector for the X-Array and SATURN decay station. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A Accelerators Spectrometers Detectors and Associated Equipment, 1062 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2024.169228