measurement of noise power spectrum in photon counting PMT's and the effect of the observed (1/f) noise on astronomical photometry |
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| Authors: | S S Raouf A R Sadik N K Wafi K M Aboud |
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| Institution: | (1) Space and Astronomy Research Center, Council of Scientific Research, Baghdad, Iraq;(2) Electrical Engineering Department, College of Engineering, University of Baghdad, Iraq |
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| Abstract: | In astronomical photometry, the sensitivity of observations is limited by the dark counts of the photomultiplier tube. In the present work, the effect of dark count noise in photon counting systems is investigated by theory and experimental measurements. Dark counts are considered to be originating from two sources, namely: dc fluctuations and random pulses.Experimental measurements were carried out to determine noise effects in different operating regions of noise dominance. The results provide strong evidence that: in normal operating mode, where the effect of random pulses is dominant, dark counts do not follow Poisson statistics. The observed noise shows strong (1/f) power spectrum, where the observed noise power is found to increase with time of observation.The results are important in photon counting systems operating under dark count limited mode. The conclusions drawn can be useful in obtaining more accurate error estimates and in assessing astronomical photometric observations and data reduction techniques. |
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