Tests for measuring the pulse-height, spurious-pulse, and pulse-timing characteristics of photomultipliers used in scintillation and Cerenkov counters are presented. Five different measurement techniques are described. They are rise-time measurements, fall-time measurements, photocathode transit-time difference measurements, and transit-time spread measurements.

The photomultiplier is an essential component in scintillation and Cerenkov counting. In these applications there are special requirements with regard to pulse-height characteristics, spurious pulses, and timing.