A proportional counter for resonance-electron Mössbauer spectroscopy at low temperatures down to 77.3 K

doi:10.1016/0167-5087(83)90089-3

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research

Volume 204, Issues 2–3, 1 January 1983, Pages 571-575

https://doi.org/10.1016/0167-5087(83)90089-3 Get rights and content

Abstract

The operation of a helium-filled counter has been investigated in the low temperature region down to the liquid nitrogen temperature (77.3 K). Gas mixtures used at room temperature, e.g., He/Ce₄H₁₀ and He/C₂H₂OH, are not available for the low temperature operation because of freezing of quenching gases. Quenchers examined in the present work are H₂, N₂, CH₄ and CO, of which vapour pressures are sufficiently high even at 77.3 K; all mixtures of He+5%H₂, He+5%N₂, He+5%CH₄ and He+5%CO have worked satisfactorily to detect low energy electrons at temperatures down to 77.3 K. The most stable operation has been achieved with He+5%CO.

⁵⁷Fe resonance-electron Mössbauer spectra (REMS) have been successfully obtained with the present counter technique. Some features of the low temperature counter are described. The limit of the present technique and the possibility of the REMS measurement at temperatures below 77.3 K are also discussed.

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Following the previous work by our group, the operation of the helium-filled counter has been studied more in detail at liquid-helium (∼ 5 K), liquid-nitrogen (77 K) and room (295 K) temperatures. The collimated σ-ray beam from a ²¹⁰Po source, which is installed inside the counter, has made it possible to measure the gas gain M from the ionization-chamber region with M = ∼1. The operation of the helium-filled counter is rather unstable at 77 and 295 K; when the applied voltage is increased, the gas gain steeply rises up to 10³ and the pulse rise time becomes longer than 200 μm. On the other hand, the counter works stably at 5 K, although available gas gains are comparatively small, i.e., at most 170. The slope of gas gain at 5 K is more gentle than that at 77 or 295 K and the pulse rise time does not change (∼ 2 μs) so much in the wide range of applied voltage. Measured results for gas gain and pulse rise time are reported in this paper.
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A proportional counter for resonance-electron Mössbauer spectroscopy at low temperatures down to 77.3 K

Abstract

Nucl. Instr. and Meth.

Nucl. Instr. and Meth.

Rev. Sci. Instr.