Pressurised xenon as scintillator for gamma spectroscopy

Abstract

Detectors based on liquid or gas xenon have been used and are in use for a number of applications, in particular for the detection of gamma rays. Xenon is a well-suited medium for gamma spectroscopy thanks to its high atomic number and, consequently, large cross-section for photo-electric absorption. This paper presents experimental studies of high pressure xenon as a scintillator, with the aim of developing a gamma ray detector for the detection of Special Nuclear Materials (SNM). The first goal was to study the dependence of the light yield and of the energy resolution on the thermodynamic conditions. We present preliminary results from an optimised version of the detector.