A compact gas-filled avalanche counter for DANCE

A compact gas-filled avalanche counter for the detection of fission fragments was developed for a highly segmented 4π γ-ray calorimeter, namely the Detector for Advanced Neutron Capture Experiments located at the Lujan Center of the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center. It has been used successfully for experiments with 235U, 238Pu, 239Pu, and 241Pu isotopes to provide a unique signature to differentiate the fission from the competing neutron-capture reaction channel. It was also used to study the spontaneous fission in 252Cf. The design and performance of this avalanche counter for targets with extreme α-decay rate up to ∼2.4×108/s are described.