First experimental demonstration of time-resolved X-ray measurements with next-generation fast-timing MCP-PMT

Abstract

We report the first successful time-resolved X-ray measurements at the APS 10-ID-B beamline by coupling ultrafast scintillators with photodetectors. Multiple scintillator and sensor pairs (LYSO, plastic scintillator, dynode PMTs, MCP-PMT), as well as a standalone detector (diamond), were tested to demonstrate the time-resolved measurements using hard X-rays at energies of 20 keV and above. The experimental results show that a number of choices exist for time-resolved high-energy X-ray beam measurement. Notably, by gating the photocathode, the Argonne fabricated fast-timing microchannel plate photomultiplier and LYSO crystal pair achieved fast signal detection with a rise time of ~6 ns and a decay time of ~33 ns. These experiments pave the way towards ultrafast imaging technologies using hard X-rays for many applications.