Real-time monitoring of a positron beam using a microchannel plate in single-particle mode

This work presents a real-time diagnostic method to monitor and characterize a positron beam by using a microchannel plate (MCP), a phosphor screen and a CCD camera. We propose a digitizing method based on single-particle detection. This approach offers the possibility to quantify the particles per unit time that interact with the MCP. This type of detector is based on a consolidated technology and its efficiency has been demonstrated for nuclear radiation and particles in many experiments. This work also presents the detection efficiency as a function of the positron kinetic energy in the range from 50 eV to 17 keV, essential for a complete characterization of the particle beam. The method allows the characterization of a positron beam in real time with a spatial resolution of the order of tens of microns.