Geiger Mode APD performance in a cryogenic two-phase Ar avalanche detector based on THGEMs

Characteristic properties of a Geiger Mode APD (G-APD) in a THGEM-based cryogenic two-phase Ar avalanche detector were studied in view of potential applications in rare-event experiments. G-APD signal amplitude and noise characteristics at cryogenic temperatures turned out to be superior to those at room temperature. The effective detection of avalanche scintillations from THGEM-multiplier holes in two-phase Ar has been demonstrated using a G-APD without wavelength shifter. At an avalanche gain of 60, the avalanche scintillation yield measured by the G-APD was as high as 0.9 photoelectrons per avalanche electron, extrapolated to 4pi acceptance.
Comment: 4 pages, 8 figures. Presented at Vienna Conference on Instrumentation (Feb 15-20, 2010, Vienna, Austria). Submitted to the Proceedings