System Requirements for High-Resolution Gamma-Ray Spectrometry at High Counting Rates

The full potential of high-resolution gamma-ray spectrometers has been severely hampered by degradation in the quality of the pulse-height spectrum at high input data rates. Over the past year or two considerable effort has been expended in the examination of this problem. This paper will briefly review the nature of these instrumental difficulties, define realistic experimental requirements, and illustrate state-of-the-art solutions to these problems. A DC-coupled system which has been developed in our laboratory for high-rate applications will be described and performance presented.