Resolving soft X-ray absorption in energy, space and time in gaseous detectors using the VMM3a ASIC and the SRS

Abstract

The implementation of the VMM3a Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) into the Scalable Readout System (SRS) has opened a new domain for measurements with Micro-Pattern Gaseous Detectors (MPGDs). In the presented studies we demonstrate the capabilities of this system, specifically the time-resolution in the nanosecond regime in combination with a continuous multichannel readout and a 10-bit ADC. We can now resolve the interaction of argon fluorescence X-ray photons created in a gaseous detector and utilise these interactions to determine the electron drift velocity in our detector and to investigate the attenuation length of the fluorescence photons.