A Large Aperture, Spectral Radiance Calibration Source for the Ultraviolet

65852 Cherenkov radiation is commonly studied in nuclear and high energy physics because it yields information about particles that are too fast to be seen by other means. Cherenkov counters use large numbers of photomultiplier tubes, which are expensive, bulky, and have poor spatial resolution. This project will develop low-cost square photomultipliers that are suitable for large, tiled arrays. The proposed devices, based on micromachined silicon microchannel plates, are expected to have very little spurious signal and high spatial resolution. In Phase I, a test photomultiplier will be constructed to demonstrate noise reduction relative to a conventional microchannel photomultipliers (MCP) photomultiplier. An appropriate high-resolution imaging technique will be chosen for the Phase II effort Commercial Applications And Other Benefits as described by awardee: These photomultipliers are expected to find application in medical systems, particularly SPECT and PET imagers. Other uses include military nightvision systems, x-ray imagers and fiber optic communications are also envisaged.