High-pressure xenon detectors for gamma-ray spectrometry

The main results of long-term research on compressed xenon detector properties conducted at the laboratory of cosmic physics of MEPhI are given along with a description of the latest gamma-ray spectrometers based on this work. It is shown that using xenon as working substance, it is possible to create a gamma-ray spectrometer with high energy resolution. The construction and the main physical, technical and operation performances of xenon gamma-ray spectrometers based on ionization chambers of various configurations are described. For a gamma-ray spectrometer with a cylindrical ionization chamber and shielding grid, an energy resolution of about 14 keV (10 keV intrinsic resolution) for gamma-ray line of 662 keV is obtained. The characteristics of these detectors allow one to apply them in various fields of science and engineering, moreover, their good spectrometric properties provide the opportunity to use them for metrology measurements.