Title

'Speed of light' measurement using BaF2 scintillation detectors

Abstract

State-of-the-art timing technique is used to determine the 'speed of light' in an upper level undergraduate laboratory experiment. In this experiment we use the correlated 511 keV photons from positron annihilation obtained from a 100 mu Ci Na-22 source. The photons were detected by two BaF2 scintillation detectors and, after careful time calibration of the entire counting system, the prompt coincidence peaks were each recorded as a function of the position of one of the detectors. As a result, the 'speed of light' was determined to be 3.002(16)*1010 cm s-1, which is very close to the defined value of 2.99792*1010 cm s -1. This experiment demonstrates the utilization of various nuclear instrumentation and timing equipment.

Publication Date

12-1-1994

Publication Title

European Journal of Physics

Volume

15

Issue

2

Number of Pages

49-52

Document Type

Article

Identifier

scopus

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1088/0143-0807/15/2/001

Socpus ID

33744573722 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/33744573722

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