Sampling Pulses for Optimal Timing

When extracting unknown band-limited pulses from sampled data, the Nyquist criterion defines the minimum sampling frequency. With well-defined pulse shapes and a stationary noise environment one can use matched filters to recover time and amplitude, but this is usually not the case with scintillation detectors. If the noise is not stationary other methods must be used. Our study investigates different timing strategies and how the timing precision depends on ADC resolution and sample rate. It also compares the timing precision with data obtained from an analogue setup. Pulses from an LSO crystal with photomultiplier readout are studied experimentally. Our best method gives in this case a 10% improvement in timing compared to a matched filter approach. Some simulation results are also reported