Comparison of digital and analogue data acquisition systems for nuclear spectroscopy

In the present investigation the performance of digital data acquisition (DA) and analogue data acquisition (AA) systems are compared in neutron-induced fission experiments. The DA results are practically identical to the AA results in terms of angular-, energy- and mass-resolution, and both compare very well with literature data. However, major advantages were found with the digital techniques. DA allows for a very efficient α ‐particle pile-up correction. This is important when considering the accurate measurement of fission-fragment characteristics of highly α ‐active actinide isotopes relevant for the safe operation of Generation IV reactors and the successful reduction of long-lived radioactive nuclear waste. In case of a strong α ‐emitter , when applying the α ‐particle pile-up correction, the peak-to-valley ratio of the energy distribution was significantly improved. In addition, DA offers a very flexible expanded off-line analysis and reduces the number of electronic modules drastically, leading to an increased stability against electronic drifts when long measurement times are required.