pulse-height spectrum
Quick Summary
A pulse-height spectrum is a graphical representation used in physics to analyze the energy distribution of detected radiation. When ionizing radiation interacts with a detector, it generates a signal pulse. The amplitude of this pulse is often proportional to the energy the radiation deposited in the detector.
Spectroscopy systems sort these pulses based on their amplitude, assigning them to specific channels that represent a narrow range of signal strengths. As more pulses are processed, a spectrum is built, showing the number of pulses within each amplitude range. Peaks in this spectrum typically indicate radiation of a specific energy that was detected. By analyzing the position and intensity of these peaks, scientists can determine the energy and intensity of the incident radiation. This technique is crucial for understanding the nature of radioactive sources and other radiation phenomena.12
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
radiation measurementSpectroscopy systems…channels matching their amplitude, a pulse-height spectrum is accumulated that, after a given measurement time, might resemble the example given in Figure 3. In this spectrum, peaks correspond to those pulse amplitudes around which many events occur. Because pulse amplitude is related to deposited energy, such peaks often correspond to…
Read More…channels matching their amplitude, a pulse-height spectrum is accumulated that, after a given measurement time, might resemble the example given in Figure 3. In this spectrum, peaks correspond to those pulse amplitudes around which many events occur. Because pulse amplitude is related to deposited energy, such peaks often correspond to…
Read More
radiation measurementFast-neutron detectors…be deduced by recording the pulse height-spectrum from a hydrogen-containing detector. This process generally involves applying a computer-based deconvolution code to the measured spectrum and is one of the few methods generally available to experimentally measure fast-neutron energy spectra.
Read More…be deduced by recording the pulse height-spectrum from a hydrogen-containing detector. This process generally involves applying a computer-based deconvolution code to the measured spectrum and is one of the few methods generally available to experimentally measure fast-neutron energy spectra.
Read More