Publication Date:
2011-08-24
Description:
The characteristics of a conventional cylindrical geometry proportional counter filled with high pressure xenon gas up to 10 atm. were fundamentally investigated for use as a detector in hard X-ray astronomy. With a 2 percent methane gas mixture the energy resolutions at 10 atm. were 9.8 percent and 7.3 percent for 22 keV and 60 keV X-rays, respectively. From calculations of the Townsend ionization coefficient, it is shown that proportional counters at high pressure operate at weaker reduced electric field than low pressure counters. The characteristics of a parallel grid proportional counter at low pressure showed similar pressure dependence. It is suggested that this is the fundamental reason for the degradation of resolution observed with increasing pressure.
Keywords:
INSTRUMENTATION AND PHOTOGRAPHY
Type:
In: EUV, X-ray, and gamma-ray instrumentation for astronomy II; Proceedings of the Meeting, San Diego, CA, July 24-26, 1991 (A93-34376 13-35); p. 20-27.
Format:
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