Nuclear electronics
Encyclopedia
Nuclear electronics is a subfield of electronics
concerned with the design and use of high-speed electronic systems for nuclear physics
and elementary particle physics research, and for industrial and medical use.
Essential elements of such systems include fast detectors for charged particles, discriminators for separating them by energy, counters for counting the pulses produced by individual particles, fast logic circuits (including coincidence and veto gates), for identification of particular types of complex particle events, and pulse height analyzer
s (PHA
s) for sorting and counting gamma rays or particle interactions by energy, for spectral analysis
.
These elements were originally developed and built in the laboratories of the scientists doing the pioneering work in the field, but are nowadays designed, developed, and manufactured by a variety of specialized vendors.
Electronics
Electronics is the branch of science, engineering and technology that deals with electrical circuits involving active electrical components such as vacuum tubes, transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, and associated passive interconnection technologies...
concerned with the design and use of high-speed electronic systems for nuclear physics
Nuclear physics
Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies the building blocks and interactions of atomic nuclei. The most commonly known applications of nuclear physics are nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons technology, but the research has provided application in many fields, including those...
and elementary particle physics research, and for industrial and medical use.
Essential elements of such systems include fast detectors for charged particles, discriminators for separating them by energy, counters for counting the pulses produced by individual particles, fast logic circuits (including coincidence and veto gates), for identification of particular types of complex particle events, and pulse height analyzer
Pulse height analyzer
A Pulse Height Analyzer is an instrument used in nuclear and elementary particle physics research which accepts electronic pulses of varying heights from particle and event detectors, digitizes the pulse heights, and saves the number of pulses of each height in registers or channels for later...
s (PHA
PHA
PHA may mean:Acronym:* Philadelphia Housing Authority* Phoenix Hebrew Academy, a Jewish day school in north central Phoenix, Arizona* Phytohaemagglutinin, a type of lectin found in plants, especially beans...
s) for sorting and counting gamma rays or particle interactions by energy, for spectral analysis
Spectral analysis
Spectral analysis or Spectrum analysis may refer to:* Spectrum analysis in chemistry and physics, a method of analyzing the chemical properties of matter from bands in their visible spectrum...
.
Elementary components
Some of the essential components that make up the elements of a nuclear electronic analysis system include:- Detectors
- Preamplifiers
- Discriminators
- Coincidence and veto logic gateGateA gate is a point of entry to a space enclosed by walls, or a moderately sized opening in a fence. Gates may prevent or control entry or exit, or they may be merely decorative. Other terms for gate include yett and port...
s. - Counters
- Pulse height analyzers
These elements were originally developed and built in the laboratories of the scientists doing the pioneering work in the field, but are nowadays designed, developed, and manufactured by a variety of specialized vendors.
See also
- NIMNIMThe Nuclear Instrumentation Module standard defines mechanical and electrical specifications for electronics modules used in experimental particle and nuclear physics...
- http://courses.washington.edu/phys433/index.php Nuclear electronics college class.