Real-time monitoring of a positron beam using a microchannel plate in single-particle mode
Citation
G. Vinelli et al, "Real-time monitoring of a positron beam using a microchannel plate in single-particle mode," J. Instrum. , P11030 (2020).
- Positron Beam Monitoring
- Microchannel Plate (MCP)
- Single-Particle Detection
- Beam Characterization
- Detection Efficiency
- Spatial Resolution
- Overlap Effect
- Applications
Brief
This article presents a real-time method for monitoring and characterizing a positron beam by using a microchannel plate (MCP) and analyzing the resulting single-particle events to obtain information such as beam intensity, spatial position, shape, and width.
Summary
This 2020 article in the Journal of Instrumentation, authored by G. Vinelli, R. Ferragut, M. Giammarchi, G. Maero, M. Romé, and V. Toso, describes a method for real-time monitoring and characterization of a positron beam using a microchannel plate (MCP) detector.
Here are the key findings:
- The authors achieved a spatial resolution of 60 ± 2 μm for single-particle detection using their MCP/phosphor screen setup.
- The detection efficiency of the MCP for low-energy positrons (50 eV to 17 keV) was found to vary between 45% and 71%, depending on the positron energy. Notably, the efficiency for positrons was observed to be higher than that for electrons at energies above 0.5 keV.
- The study emphasizes the ability to quantify the positron beam intensity and geometric shape in real-time using their method, which attributes equal statistical weight to each detected particle.
- Simulations were employed to understand the influence of spot size, beam width, and the number of spots on the overlapping effect, which can impact data interpretation.
The authors highlight the potential of this real-time detection method for antimatter interferometry and deflectometry experiments. While acknowledging the superior spatial resolution of nuclear emulsions, they suggest that using magnetic lenses or the moiré rotation effect could enhance the resolution of their MCP-based system, making it suitable for discerning interference or deflection patterns of antimatter.
Origin: https://air.unimi.it/bitstream/2434/800245/2/Vinelli_2020_J._Inst._15_P11030.pdf