Large-size CsI(Tl) crystal read-out by SiPM for low-energy charged-particles detection

Silicon photomultipliers are a novel technology for the detection of photons in near ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared spectral ranges. Their application is rapidly growing and extending to many fields in physics, replacing traditional PMTs and APDs. In this study a large-size CsI(Tl) crystal coupled to small-area SiPM (3×3mm2) was used to detect α-particles and low energy protons. In particular, the detector was irradiated with proton beams accelerated by the Tandem Van-der-Graff of the INFN-Laboratori Nazionali del Sud (LNS), at incident energies between 2.5 MeV and 24 MeV. The detector performance was studied in terms of light yield, linearity and energy resolution. In addition, we investigated the dependence of the detector response on the impact point of the particles.