Digital Electronics and Their Application to Beta Decay Spectroscopy

Significant advantages can be obtained through the application of digital electronics to nuclear physics experiments by replacing the traditional timing and shaping circuits by numerical algorithms implemented in real time. One example demonstrating the power of digital techniques is the achievement of a low-energy threshold, <50 keV, for the detection of beta-decay electrons in a thick Si detector. Such a low beta detection threshold would dramatically improve the detection efficiency in standard beta decay correlation experiments.