Fast Detector of Heavy Particles

Abstract

A fast, high-efficiency detector of heavy particles that results in negligible changes in the velocity and direction of the detected particles has been built. The detector consists of an electron accelerator and a scintillator that responds to delta particles emitted by the passage of each particle through a thin foil. For fission fragments, time resolutions of 3×10−9 sec, with efficiencies greater than 95%, have been obtained. The fragment velocity loss in traversing the thinnest foils used was less than 1%.