Dual-stage gas proportional scintillation counter. Concept and experimental results

In this work a new prototype of a HPXe detector for charged particles, hard X-rays and gamma-rays is presented. This new detector consists of a high-pressure xenon based dual-stage gas proportional scintillation counter with a cylindrical geometry. The detection of ionizing radiation relies on secondary scintillation as the amplification stage followed by the production of photoelectrons in a photosensitive material, which is in direct contact with the gas. This work presents the first tests with alpha particles (²⁴¹Am 5.486 MeV), namely the energy resolution obtained of about 6.8%, and a gain of about 5 at a pressure of 3 bar. With these results, a gain of about 25 at 15 bar is expected, resulting in a very competitive detector for gamma rays when compared with ionization chambers and proportional ionization counters, especially in more extreme environments. (author)