Selected topics in nuclear electronics

The IAEA training courses in the field of nuclear electronics heavily rely upon practical work in the laboratory. Accordingly, the IAEA has produced and published the Nuclear Electronics Laboratory Manual (TECDOC 309) where the experience on organizing the efficient practical training in nuclear electronics was compiled. The present publication is focused on the theoretical understanding of basic electronic circuits and is of particular importance to the attendees of the IAEA training course. The present publication does not copy any available book on nuclear electronics and instrumentation. On purpose, it does not describe the elementary electronics circuits as applied in nuclear instruments; they can be found in books. It starts the nuclear electronics study on the instruments level, continues to describe the technology and circuitries on the board level, and only in some exceptional cases investigates the circuits on the components level. It is believed that such an approach better reflects the advanced status of nuclear electronics and the philosophy of the modern design of nuclear instruments. For illustration, and wherever it appeared useful, some commercial instruments are described and analyzed