A Bragg-curve spectroscopy detector

In an ionization chamber with the electric field parallel to the particle trajectories, the time dependence of the anode signal contains all the information about the energy and the nuclear charge of the ionizing particle. By proper pulse shaping with a long and a short time constant the total ionization charge and the ionization charge integrated around the Bragg maximum, respectively, can be obtained. The former signal is proportional to the total energy, whereas the latter allows the nuclear charge to be deduced directly. An energy resolution of 0.4% and a Z resolution ΔZ/Z = 1/82 was achieved for 130 MeV 32S ions and argon-methane as the stopping medium. (orig.)