Characterisation of a Broad Energy Germanium (BEGe) detector

Abstract

Characterisation of Germanium detectors used for gamma-ray tracking or medical imaging is one of the current goals in the Nuclear physics community. Good knowledge of detector response to different gamma radiations is needed for this purpose. In order to develop this task, Pulse Shape Analysis (PSA) techniques have been developed for different detector geometries or setups. In this work, we present the results of the application of PSA for a Canberra Broad Energy Germanium (BEGe) detector. This detector was scanned across its front and bottom face using a fully digital data acquisition system; allowing to record detector charge pulse shapes from well defined positions with collimated sources of 241Am, 22Na and 137Cs. With the study of the data acquired, characteristics of the inner detector geometry like crystal limits or positions of contact and isolate can be found, as well as the direction of the axes for the Germanium crystal.