Light Amplifier

40644 February 14, 1997 Nanosystems, Inc. Many experiments in high energy and nuclear physics anticipate the need for very large numbers of photodetector channels and/or very large areas of photocathode, at prohibitive costs. This project will make a novel fiber-optic output phototube light amplifier/compressor appropriate for the photodetector demands of the next generation of high energy experiments. In the proposed light amplifier, photoelectrons from a photocathode are accelerated onto an aluminized phosphor anode. The photon-gain output of the phosphor is coupled to an optical fiber, either directly, or through a wavelength shifting fiber. Thus the photons impinging on the photocathode are "compressed" in phase space, and amplified. Phase I will demonstrate the concept and Phase II will produce a prototype of the device Anticipated Results/Potential Commercial Applications as described by the awardee: The fiber optic output photomultiplier should find commercial applications in medical diagnostic equipment (PET scanners, CT etc.) and in industrial non-destructive testing (UV, X-rays). This device can be used in environments of extreme electronic noise, such as large electric motors or transformers, because of the decoupling of the HV power from the optical output.