Millimicrosecond Light Source

Abstract

A fast light pulse can be produced by pulsing reverse current through a suitable silicon p-n junction. The light covers a range of photon energies from 1 to 3 ev. The immediate application is the testing of photomultiplier tubes, and, since any number of the junctions can be pulsed simultaneously, a method is available for lining up experiments in which large numbers of scintillators and coincidence circuits are used.