A xenon gas scintillation proportional counter coupled to a photoionization detector

Abstract

Tetrakis(dimethylamino)ethylene (TMAE) vapor, with a photoionization potential of 5.4 eV, has been successfully used to detect the light from a xenon filled gas scintillation proportional counter. An energy resolution of 9.5% fwhm was achieved for 5.9 keV X-rays. Although the energy resolution of the prototype instrument is modest, it demonstrates that xenon light can be detected with a photoionization detector. This is a significant step towards making gas scintillation proportional counters with better energy resolution and with imaging capabilities.