Abstract

A closed-cycle mechanical refrigeration system has been adapted to cool photomultipliers automatically. Temperature is adjustable between +5° and −55°C and is stable to within ±0.3°C. An important feature of the design is the flexible connection to the cold box which allows extensive freedom of motion; this freedom is particularly important in astronomy where the cold box is mounted on the end of a telescope. Liquid Freon refrigerants have been used to cool photomultipliers for rocket flights. A brief description of two methods is given.

© 1966 Optical Society of America

Closed Cycle Cryogenic Refrigerators as Integrated Cold Sources for Infrared Detectors

A. Daniels and F. K. du Pré
Appl. Opt. 5(9) 1457-1460 (1966)

Temperature Effects in Photomultipliers and Astronomical Photometry

Andrew T. Young
Appl. Opt. 2(1) 51-60 (1963)

The Use of Photomultipliers in Raman Spectroscopy

H. J. Marrinan
J. Opt. Soc. Am. 43(12) 1211-1215 (1953)

Distributed laser refrigeration

Anton Rayner, Madeleine Hirsch, Norman R. Heckenberg, and Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop
Appl. Opt. 40(30) 5423-5429 (2001)

Variations of the Spectral Sensitivity of RCA 6217 and 5819 Photomultipliers at Low Temperature

W. Budde and P. Kelly
Appl. Opt. 10(12) 2612-2616 (1971)