Sparsity-based pulse-processor for digital α-particle spectroscopy with Si-PIN-Diode detector.

Area of Science:

• Nuclear Instrumentation
• Digital Signal Processing
• Radiation Detection

Background:

• Digital methods are increasingly preferred over conventional signal processing in nuclear detection instruments.
• Accurate pulse shaping is crucial for digital signal analysis, analogous to analog pulse-height analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and construct a digital alpha-particle spectrometer compatible with low-cost digitizers.
• To introduce and evaluate a digital sparsity-based pulse processor for shaping charge signals from alpha particle detection.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a silicon PIN-diode detector to measure charge pulses induced by alpha particles.
• Designed and fabricated a charge-sensitive pre-amplifier for digitizer coupling.
• Employed a digital sparsity-based pulse processor for signal shaping after digitization at a low sampling rate.
• Performed off-line analysis using a digital oscilloscope and LabVIEW software to store detector pulses.
• Obtained the pulse-height spectrum using a digital multi-channel analyzer block.

Main Results:

• The sparsity-based filter demonstrated advantages in high-resolution measurements.
• Achieved an energy resolution of 12.3% for 4.78 MeV alpha particles from a Ra-226 source.
• Compared favorably against conventional filters in performance evaluation.

Conclusions:

• The developed digital sparsity-based pulse processor is effective for high-resolution alpha particle spectroscopy.
• The designed spectrometer system offers a viable, low-cost solution for nuclear detection applications.
• Sparsity-based filtering shows significant potential for enhancing digital signal processing in nuclear instrumentation.