High rate proton detection with single photon counting hybrid pixel detector

Abstract

We present the design and measurements of a proton detection system built using a single photon counting hybrid pixel array detector. The system uses the UFXC detector designed for operating with very high photon fluxes. We demonstrate, that with appropriately modified data acquisition firmware, the UFXC detector is capable of operating in the frame-triggered zero dead-time mode, which captures every frame containing desired information, at a rate of up to 50 kfps. The detector consists of a 128 x 256 matrix of square-shaped pixels with a pitch of 75 μm, which makes it suitable for particle tracking applications in test beam environments. We estimate the position resolution achieved with a single layer of the UFXC detector to be around 40 μm.