Estimate interaction timing in a large volume HgI₂ detector using cathode pulse waveforms

This paper presents experimental results on the timing resolution achieved with a 5 mm thick HgI2 detector. The timing information was derived based on the cathode pre-amplifier pulse waveform, measured using a digital oscilloscope. The times of interaction were estimated by fitting the measured pulse waveforms to pre-defined waveform models. With this approach, problems related to the conventional leading edge or constant fraction triggering, such as slow charge carrier mobility, pulse shape variation and depth-dependent detector response can be greatly reduced. As a result, we showed a 13 ns timing resolution measured using the 5 mm thick HgI2 detector and a BaF2 coincidence detector with 511 keV full energy events. In this paper, we discuss several waveform models and the results achieved using these models.