The present paper describes the method selecting for a photomultiplier with good performance, especially suitable for making the measurement with high precision and accuracy at very weak light levels, such as the ultra-violet radiation from a black body standard radiator.
The following four characteristics were studied:
(1) photocathode sensitivity,
(2) anode sensitivity and signal to noise ratio,
(3) stability or fatigue, and
(4) linearity of the electrical output to the light input.
The relations among the above four characteristics were also investigated using two kinds of measuring methods, which were D. C. method and photoelectron counting method. The former is the most conventional method for measuring average photoelectric D. C. current from a photomultiplier and the latter is a recently developed method for counting the photoelectron pulses from a photomultiplier.
Based on these studies, some notable remarks in selecting photomultipliers were revealed as follows;
(1) Although the photocathode sensitivity is the most important characteristic, there are large variations among the sensitivities of photomultipliers.
are large variations among the sensitivities of photomultipliers. photoelectron counting method, and it is independent of the photomultiplier gain in the D. C. method.
(3) Even the photomultiplier, which has the fatigue of several percent in a few hours in the D. C. method, shows better stability in the photoelectron counting method.
(4) In the linearity, there is no significant difference between the two methods.
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