Formula omitted]-[formula omitted] fast timing at X-ray energies and investigation on various timing deviations

Abstract

We report on systematic γ-γ fast-timing measurements by using four cylindrical 1.5′′×1.5′′ LaBr3(Ce) scintillator detectors which were installed in compact geometry around the focal plane of the Lohengrin fission-fragment separator at the Institut Laue–Langevin in Grenoble, France. Unconventional γ-ray sources as 185Os and 187W were produced by thermal-neutron activation to provide nearly prompt low-energy γ and K-X rays with average γ- and X-ray multiplicity equal to two. Due to practically no contribution of Compton background, highly precise results of time-walk measurements down to 40 keV are presented. Timing deviations related to different phenomena have been investigated, such as the geometry of an extended γ-ray source and the detector arrangement, long-term timing shifts and the timing contributions of the Compton background and the inter-detector Compton-scattering. The geometrical timing deviations are shown to be minimized using a multi-element detector array with a centrally symmetric arrangement relative to the center of the focal plane. Time-correction formula are proposed as analytical corrections for long-term time shifts, the time contributions of the Compton background and the position-dependent change of the time walk for cases where the calibration source cannot be placed at the center of the focal plane.