High-pressure operation of a xenon-GPSC/MSGC hybrid detector for hard X-ray spectrometry

The performance of a high-pressure xenon gas proportional scintillation counter/microstrip gas chamber (GPSC/MSGC) hybrid detector has been investigated for filling pressures from 1 up to 10 bar, for 22-, 30- and 60-keV photons. GPSC/MSGC hybrid detectors are based on a xenon-GPSC instrumented with a CsI-coated microstrip plate photosensor placed directly within the xenon envelope, as a substitute for the photomultiplier tube. This design avoids the constraints due to the use of a quartz scintillation window for GPSC-photosensor coupling, which absorbs a significant amount of scintillation and is a drawback for applications where large detection areas and high filling pressures are needed. The lowest energy resolutions are achieved for 2 bar (5.5% and 3.4%, FWHM, for 22- and 60-keV photons, respectively). Increasing the pressure to the 5-6 bar range, competitive energy resolutions of 7 % and 4.5 % are still achieved for 22- and 60-keV photons, respectively. This detector could be a compelling alternative in applications where compactness, large detection area, insensitivity to strong magnetic fields, room temperature operation, large signal-to-noise ratio and good energy resolution are important requirements. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.