Time response of TOF spectrometer to light and heavy particles

Comparing time of flight (TOF) values for α particles and fission fragments measured at different distances between the start- and stop detector we have obtained 60 ps as the upper limit for the TOF error resulting from the assumption of equal and linear time calibrations for both types of particles. While the 60 ps limit relates only to the specific spectrometer, the problem and the suggested verification technique are of general interest.