MainPage:Nuclear:Summer2013:FastAmplifier

Goal

Determine appropriate amplifier for a photomultiplier tube to be used in a detector, so as to prevent the background noise from drowning out the signal from the PMT.

Challenges

Slew Rate

The slew rate is defined as the measurement of how fast an amplifier can respond to an electrical signal. Thus, the slew rate determines the range of frequencies that can be amplified according to the formula S = 2πfV_p, where f is the frequency of the signal and V_p is the peak voltage. In order for our amplifier to work with the PMT, the slew rate must be high enough to catch the frequency of it's signal.

Cost

While not necessarily a major concern, it would be in the best interest of the program to find an optimal solution that gives good results with as little cost as possible.

Amplifiers

There are two models of amplifiers we will test for usage in the detector: the LM 741C operational amplifier and the LMH 730154 high speed differential amplifier.

741C Op-Amp

Pros: Cheap ($0.75)

Cons:

Second Amp

Pros:

Cons: Relatively expensive (~$10),

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