Improving fast-timing time-walk calibration standards: Lifetime measurement of the 21+ state in 152Gd

• Published in: Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment, 2023-07, Vol.1052, Article 168279
• Main Authors: Knafla, L., Harter, A., Ley, M., Esmaylzadeh, A., Régis, J.-M., Bittner, D., Blazhev, A., von Spee, F., Jolie, J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 152Eu; 152Gd 2[formula omitted] 344 keV; Fast-timing; Lifetime measurement; Time-walk calibration
• ISSN: 0168-9002; 1872-9576
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nima.2023.168279

A 152Eu source was measured for 28 days using an experimental setup consisting of four LaBr3(Ce) detectors, connected to a CAEN V1730 digitizer, implementing online interpolation constant fraction discrimination for picosecond-precise timestamp determination. Using the definition of the time-walk curve, the lifetime of the 21+ (344 keV) state in 152Gd was re-measured, resulting in τ(21+)=46.9(3) ps. Compared to the previously adopted lifetime the uncertainty is reduced by an order of magnitude. This improved lifetime is of significant importance for electronic fast-timing lifetime measurements, and the impact on the systematic correction procedure and lifetime measurements in the low picosecond regime are discussed.