Comparing analog and digital pulse-shape-discrimination system performance for Organic-Liquid Scintillators

This work compares the PSD performance of two systems: one digital (NI PXI-5124) and one analog (Mesytec MPD4). Both systems were optimized for the best possible PSD performance, when using the same data acquisition system: PXI-5124, having 12 bit resolution, 10 V pulse-height dynamic range, and a 200 MHz sampling rate. Measurement conditions were kept identical between systems. A 5×5" Organic-Liquid Scintillator (EJ-309), coupled to a PMT (ETL-9821), = was used to measure Cf-252. FOM values helped to quantify PSD performance for both systems. The results indicate that the analog PSD system marginally outperformed the digital PSD system.