Fiber optic array for continuous energy coverage in a gamma-ray spectrometer

Optical fibers are being used to obtain full coverage over a range of energies in a multi- channel, time-resolved gamma ray spectrometer. Gamma rays are incident upon a beryllium foil 60 cm from the entrance port of a Sm-Co magnet. Compton electrons from the foil are focussed according to their energy onto quartz optical fibers arrayed in close-packed configuration behind a low-Z vacuum window at the focal plane. Cerenkov radiation produced inside each of the fibers propagates down the fiber which is brought out of the magnet. Fibers are grouped into preselected energy bins corresponding to streak record channel assignments. The light from the fibers in an energy bin are combined into one signal and then transmitted to a streak camera with a specified number of channels. This unique optical fiber array serves both as the detector and as a means to define energy bins of our choosing for a streak camera recording system.