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We have 32 keV! NaI Detector Characterization, Lab Book 2014_08_13

Summary: Spent the day characterizing the NaI detector.  The cool bit is that the 32 keV peak from Cs137 is visible in the spectrum.  It was distinguished from the background and the pedestal by subtracting a background spectrum from a spectrum with the source.  With the background subtracted out, the peak was clearly visible.  This is important because while the maximum predicted x-ray energy from the experiment is in the range of 150 keV, the radiation may be over a spectrum that contains lower energies.  The smaller the energy we can detect, the better. It looks like the detector signal may not be linear with the PMT running at the high gain necessary to resolve the 32 keV peak.  This isn’t entirely unexpected.  Tomorrow lower gain tests will be run to see if the detector is any more linear at lower gains.  Linearity in this case means can the calculated voltage per channel on the detector predict where other peaks in the spectrum are....

Magnetic Pulse Simultation Lives, NaI Detector Still on Life Support: Lab Book 2014_07_24

Lab Book 2014_07_23     Hamilton Carter Summary: The NaI detector still isn't giving good results despite additional efforts to understand its operation and any possible problems.  Tomorrow, the base that provides voltage to the tube will be rebuilt.  The can crusher simulation code has produced its first correct looking current output results.  A pulsed mgnetic field from a can crusher will be used to quiench the superconducting Pb sample in the experiment  The cna crusheer simulation code is being used to model the magnetic fields that will be avilable. If you're new to the experiment, scroll to the bottom for background. The can crusher simulation code is alive!  I’m porting the original IDL code used in the AJP article [1] about the can crusher over to Sage.  The project is open source and is hosted on github [2].  The pulsed magnetic field from a can crusher apparatus like the one described in the article is goin...