Digitizer for nuclear radiation detectors. Sampling theory and interpolation. Digital signal processing. Timing with digitized detector signals. Energy measurement with digitized detectors signals.
A.V.Oppenheim, R.W.Schafer, Discrete-Time Signal Processing, Pearson, 2010
Analog Devices Data Conversion Handbook, W. Kester ed., 2004
H.Spieler, Semiconductor Detector Systems, Oxford University Press, 2005
Steven W. Smith, ``The Scientist and Engineer's Guide to Digital Signal Processing'', - (book's website: www.DSPguide.com)
Learning Objectives
Knowledge about the most advanced experimental methods in nuclear physics. Particular emphasis on detector signal digitization and digital signal processing of detector signals.
Prerequisites
Basic knowledge about detection methods for ionizing radiation.
Courses of the three year degree in Physics and Astrophysics.
Teaching Methods
6 CFU,
Total hours of the course (including the time spent in attending lectures, seminars, private study, examinations, etc...): 150
Contact hours for: Lectures (hours): 48
Type of Assessment
Oral exam.
Course program
General introduction. Basic notions about ionizing radiation detectors and radiation-matter interaction. Signal formation in detectors. Identification methods for nuclear fragments. Introduction to energy measurement and the effect of electronic noise. Introduction to timing measurement and the effect of electronic noise.
A digitizer suited for nuclear detector signals. Analog and digital signals definition. Sampling model. Parallel A/D converter. Static specifications of an ADC. Dynamic specifications of an ADC. Subranging and pipelined ADCs. Input stage of a digitizer. Sampling theory and interpolation, cardinal sine. Nyquist frequency. Antialiasing filters: ideal case and real-life case. Typical responses: Bessel, Butterworth, Chebyshev. General interpolation formula. Reconstruction of non band-limited signals. Interpolation noise. Extracting a time-mark via interpolation.
Digital signal processing. LTI systems. Impulse response and convolution. Discrete-time Fourier Transform. Discrete Fourier Series. Discrete Fourier Transform. Fast Fourier Transform. Windowing and spectral lines. Examples of LTI systems. Moving average and other useful filters. Trapezoidal shaper. Pole-zero cancellation. Difference equation. FIR and IIR systems. Z-transform and its applications.
Effect of electronic noise in amplitude/energy measurements. Equivalent Noise Charge. Time-domain approach to ENC calculation. Amplitude measurement with digitized signals. Effect of sampling noise and peak-sensing equivalent number of bits