Definition

Noun: A pulse height analyzer is a scientific instrument, specifically an electronic circuit, designed to sort and measure electrical signals. Its primary function is to allow only voltage pulses that reach a specific, predetermined magnitude (height) to pass through for further processing or counting. It is a fundamental tool in fields like nuclear physics, radiation detection, and spectroscopy for analyzing the energy distribution of particles or photons.

Usage and Examples

• Noun:
  • The researcher used a pulse height analyzer to distinguish between gamma rays of different energies emitted by the sample.
  • Accurate data collection requires calibrating the pulse height analyzer to the correct voltage threshold.

Advanced Usage

• In Spectroscopy: In applications like gamma-ray spectroscopy, a pulse height analyzer functions as the core component of a system that creates a histogram (or spectrum) of pulse counts versus voltage amplitude, directly correlating to particle energy.
• As a Discriminator: The device can be set to a single channel to act as a , counting only pulses above a certain height and rejecting noise or signals from lower-energy events.

Variants and Related Words

• Pulse Height Analysis (PHA) (n): The technique or process performed by a pulse height analyzer.
  • Pulse height analysis revealed the presence of two distinct radioactive isotopes.
• Multichannel Analyzer (MCA) (n): A more advanced version that sorts incoming pulses into many different voltage ranges (channels) simultaneously to build a full spectrum.
• Discriminator (n): A simpler circuit that performs a similar gating function based on a voltage threshold.

Synonyms

• Amplitude Analyzer: A less common synonym emphasizing the measurement of pulse amplitude (height).
• Kicksorter (n, chiefly British): An informal, historical term for a pulse height analyzer.

Related Technical Terms

• Single-Channel Analyzer (SCA) (n): A type of pulse height analyzer that examines one voltage window at a time.
• Threshold: The predetermined voltage level that a pulse must exceed (or fall within a set range) to be counted.
• Pulse Shaping: The conditioning of a signal before it is processed by the pulse height analyzer.

Noun

1. scientific instrument consisting of an electronic circuit that permits only voltage pulses of predetermined height to pass