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Detector Laboratory
We are also exploring new detector technologies for ground-based gamma-ray
astronomy. The main drawback of the currently employed photosensors -
photomultiplier tubes (yes, vacuum tubes!) - is their low efficiency in
converting detected Cherenkov (bluish) light to electric signals. To this
end, we have examined the properties of avalanche photodiodes (APDs), which
are solid-state devices. Such detectors possess a quantum efficiency of
about 80% (compared to about 20% of the PMTs), although they tend to be
noisy. We focus on APDs at present but also plan to look into other
types of detectors in the future.