Photon Counting Experiment

photon_signal_path.pdf

Handouts
expt1.txt Lab Instructions: (5 pages, by James Graham)
stat1.pdf "Errors and Statistics" (52 pages, by James Graham)
statistics1.pdf "Statistics, Probablility Distribution & Error" (42 pages, PowerPoint by James Graham)

Examples of finished student lab reports:
photon_2006_dylan_nelson.pdf
photon_2006_joey_cheung.pdf

Pictures (click to enlarge)	Info, Schematics, Drawings, Software
Photomultiplier/LED box	Description (pdf) Photomultiplier/LED box schematic (pdf) H5773 photomultiplier module datasheet (pdf) Pulse Amplifier schematic
Discriminator, Sqwaker, Pulse-shaper	Description (pdf) Discriminator schematic (pdf) Squawker schematic (pdf) Pulse-shaper schematic
rphot - Linux Computer with Counter-card	Description

Software
Data can be aquired through IDL with the function savephotons

SYNTAX:
result=savephotons(nsamples=200, rate=500,filename='data.txt')

result=0    (if no data was saved)
result=1    (if data was saved)

DESCRIPTION:
"savephotons" will request data from the Linux-computer called rphot.
The data file will be a text file with a single column of integers. The number
of integers will equal nsamples. Each integer represents the
total photons counted during a period of (1/rate).

DEFAULT:
nsamples=100
rate=1000     (Hz)
filename=photons.nsamples.rate.txt

RESTRICTIONS:
0 < nsamp < 5e5
0 < rate   < 5000 Hz    (the rates must be chosen such that (10000/n), n is an integer greater than 2)
0 <= counts < 65535

ISSUE (error making connection):
If result=savephotons=0 and there is a message "error making connection", then rphot doesn't have it's server running.
To start the server on rphot: (1)"ssh ugastro@10.32.92.5", (2)"startnet", (3)"exit"

UGAstro UC Berkeley Astronomy UC Berkeley