Characterization of a Fast, Sensitive Gamma Detector Utilizing Microchannel Plate Photomultiplier

Sensitivity of a microchannel plate photomultiplier may be enhanced by coupling to Lucite or quartz with small sacrifice of time resolution. Sensitivity enhancement of a factor of 2.4 was achieved at the expense of an increase in time response from 288 ps FWHM to 330 ps. With such time resolution, amplitude resolution was observed to be 17% at 10 ma of output current and varied inversely as the square root of the current.