Pulse shapes from electron and photon induced events in segmented high-purity germanium detectors

Abstract

Experiments built to search for neutrinoless double beta-decay are limited in their sensitivity not only by the exposure but also by the amount of background encountered. Radioactive isotopes in the surrounding of the detectors which emit gamma-radiation are expected to be a significant source of background in the GERmanium Detector Array, GERDA. Methods to select electron induced events and discriminate against photon induced events inside a germanium detector are presented in this paper. The methods are based on the analysis of the time structure of the detector response. Data were taken with a segmented GERDA prototype detector. It is shown that the analysis of the time response of the detector can be used to distinguish multiply scattered photons from electrons.

18 pages, 7 figures, to be submitted to Nucl. Instrum. Meth. A

References in corpus (5)

• Digital Pulseshape Analysis by Neural Networks for the Heidelberg-Moscow-Double-Beta-Decay-Experiment
• Pulse shape analysis in segmented detectors as a technique for background reduction in Ge double-beta decay experiments
• Characterization of the first true coaxial 18-fold segmented n-type prototype detector for the GERDA project
• Pulse Shape Discrimination in the IGEX Experiment
• Identification of photons in double beta-decay experiments using segmented germanium detectors - studies with a GERDA Phase II prototype detector

Cited by in corpus (9)

• Pulse shape discrimination studies with a Broad-Energy Germanium detector for signal identification and background suppression in the GERDA double beta decay experiment
• Characterization of ZnSe scintillating bolometers for Double Beta Decay
• Pulse shape simulation for segmented true-coaxial HPGe detectors
• Signal recognition efficiencies of artificial neural-network pulse-shape discrimination in HPGe $0\nu \beta \beta$-decay searches
• Test of pulse shape analysis using single Compton scattering events
• Measurement of the temperature dependence of pulse lengths in an n-type germanium detector
• Double Beta Decay Experiments at Canfranc Underground Laboratory
• Pulse Shape Analysis with a Broad-Energy Germanium Detector for the GERDA experiment
• Axes determination for segmented true-coaxial HPGe detectors