Christen Moore
Photomultiplier Nonlinearity for Neutron Detection
Photomultiplier tubes convert light into an electrical signal. These are useful for light yield measurements of organic scintillators being conducted by my mentor, Dr. Bethany Goldblum, and members of the Bay Area Neutron Group at the 88-Inch Cyclotron at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in support of neutron detection for nuclear security applications. To properly measure the scintillator light yield, the response function of the photomultiplier tube, the signal output for a given light input, must be characterized. In some cases, this response is non-linear, which if not quantified, can lead to biases in the scintillator light yield measurements. My work this summer will focus on measurements of the photomultiplier tube response for a large neutron detection array over a range of high voltage operation points.
Message To Sponsor
I have so appreciated the opportunity to participate in the URAP summer apprenticeship program. I was able to work 40+ hours a week in my lab and experience life as a day-to-day researcher, which I wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise. I became much more skillful in taking and analyzing data, got to take part in doing research for a paper that is in review currently and should be published soon, and overall really enjoyed my experience. I am so grateful for it.