Development of the wave-shifter fiber readout for SIGHT

The Scintillation Imaging Gas-filled Hard X-ray Telescope (SIGHT) is a balloon-borne telescope with a planned first flight in fall 1993; the telescope will image X-rays in the 35-300 keV range. The heart of the telescope is a high-pressure xenon gas scintillation drift chamber (GSDC) which combines gas scintillation with the time projection concept. The wave-shifter fiber readout for the GSDC is described. The authors present results of light attenuation studies and technical details of handling the fibers in a high-pressure environment. Techniques for coupling optical fibers to photomultiplier tubes in a manner that increases both the phototube quantum efficiency and the response uniformity are detailed.<
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