The silicon photomultipliers for inelastic neutron scattering at high energy transfers

The silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) is a photo sensor of recent technology. It is mostly used in particle physics, for example in the detection of minimum ionizing particles and/or Cherenkov radiation. Its performance is comparable to that of photomultiplier tubes (PMTs), but with advantages in terms of reduced volume and magnetic field insensitivity. In the present study, the performance of a SiPM as a readout for a γ-ray detector made of a yttrium-aluminum-perovskite (YAP) scintillation crystal is assessed for use in time of flight inelastic neutron spectroscopy at high energy transfers. This was done by performing explorative measurements at the Italian Neutron Experimental Station (INES) beam line at the ISIS spallation neutron source. The measurements, carried out in the so-called resonance detector (RD) configuration, demonstrate the suitability of the SiPM for this kind of application.