New scintillating media based on liquid crystals for particle detectors

CERN Document Server

Barnik, M I; Vasilchenko, V G; Golovkin, S V; Medvedkov, A M; Soloviev, A S

2000-01-01

The study results of optical, photoluminiscent and scintillation properties of a liquid crystal 4-pentyl-4'-cyanobiphenyl are presented. The scintillation light output of this liquid crystal is about 35% of crystal anthracene, its main decay time constants are 4 and 14 ns, and the maximum of light emission spectrum is about 400 nm. The light output of a dissolution of green emitting light scintillation dopant R6 in the liquid crystal is about 120% of crystal anthracene. The light output of the frozen dissolution measured at -112 deg. C is about 2.5 times higher as observed at +20 deg. C. In the uniaxially oriented liquid crystal, the predominant intensity direction of emitted light is pointed perpendicular to the liquid crystal director and an appreciable part of the emitted light is elliptically polarized. The possibility to use scintillation properties of liquid crystals is considered both for the improvement of existing particle detector characteristics and for the creation of new gated particle detectors.

Scintillation properties of CdF2 crystal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yanagida, Takayuki; Fujimoto, Yutaka; Koshimizu, Masanori; Fukuda, Kentaro

2015-01-01

CdF 2 single crystal was prepared by Tokuyama Corp. with the μ-PD method to investigate Auger free luminescence of this material. From optical transmittance spectrum, bandgap wavelength was around 280 nm. In X-ray induced radioluminescence spectrum, emission lines appeared around 350 nm and 420 nm. Excitation wavelength was investigated and excitation peak was around 250 nm. Photoluminescence and scintillation decay times were evaluated and decay time was few ns. Temperature dependence of X-ray induced radioluminescence was compared with conventional BaF 2 scintillator and scintillation of CdF 2 decreased when the temperature increased. Consequently, scintillation of CdF 2 is possibly emission at color centers or exciton related one. - Highlights: • CdF 2 crystal scinitillator was synthesized. • Emission wavelengths of CdF 2 appeared around 350 and 420 nm. • Scintillation decay time of CdF 2 was quite fast, 1.75 ns. • Excitation bands were investigated by using Synchrotron facility, UVSOR

Barium iodide and strontium iodide crystals andd scintillators implementing the same

Science.gov (United States)

Payne, Stephen A; Cherepy, Nerine J; Hull, Giulia E; Drobshoff, Alexander D; Burger, Arnold

2013-11-12

In one embodiment, a material comprises a crystal comprising strontium iodide providing at least 50,000 photons per MeV. A scintillator radiation detector according to another embodiment includes a scintillator optic comprising europium-doped strontium iodide providing at least 50,000 photons per MeV. A scintillator radiation detector in yet another embodiment includes a scintillator optic comprising SrI.sub.2 and BaI.sub.2, wherein a ratio of SrI.sub.2 to BaI.sub.2 is in a range of between 0:1 A method for manufacturing a crystal suitable for use in a scintillator includes mixing strontium iodide-containing crystals with a source of Eu.sup.2+, heating the mixture above a melting point of the strontium iodide-containing crystals, and cooling the heated mixture near the seed crystal for growing a crystal. Additional materials, systems, and methods are presented.

Scintillation properties of semiconducting {sup 6}LiInSe{sub 2} crystals to ionizing radiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wiggins, Brenden [Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN (United States); Groza, Michael; Tupitsyn, Eugene [Fisk University, Nashville, TN (United States); Lukosi, Eric [University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Stassun, Keivan; Burger, Arnold [Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN (United States); Fisk University, Nashville, TN (United States); Stowe, Ashley [Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN (United States); University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)

2015-11-21

{sup 6}LiInSe{sub 2} has gained attention recently as a semiconducting thermal neutron detector. As presented herein, the chalcogenide compound semiconductor also detects incident neutrons via scintillation, making {sup 6}LiInSe{sub 2} the only lithium containing semiconductor to respond to neutrons via both detection mechanisms. Both yellow and red crystals, which appear in the literature, were investigated. Only the yellow crystal responded favorably to ionizing radiation, similar to the semiconducting operation utilizing electrodes. The obtained light yield for yellow crystals is 4400 photons/MeV, referenced to Bi{sub 4}Ge{sub 3}O{sub 12} (BGO).The estimated thermal neutron light yield was 21,000 photons/thermal neutron. The two measured decay time components were found to be 31±1 ns (49%) and 143±9 ns (51%).This crystal provides efficient, robust detection of neutrons via scintillation with respectable light yield and rapid response, enabling its use for a broad array of neutron detection applications.

Event localization in bulk scintillator crystals using coded apertures

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ziock, K.P. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Braverman, J.B. [Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Fabris, L.; Harrison, M.J.; Hornback, D.; Newby, J. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2015-06-01

The localization of radiation interactions in bulk scintillators is generally limited by the size of the light distribution at the readout surface of the crystal/light-pipe system. By finding the centroid of the light spot, which is typically of order centimeters across, practical single-event localization is limited to ~2 mm/cm of crystal thickness. Similar resolution can also be achieved for the depth of interaction by measuring the size of the light spot. Through the use of near-field coded-aperture techniques applied to the scintillation light, light transport simulations show that for 3-cm-thick crystals, more than a five-fold improvement (millimeter spatial resolution) can be achieved both laterally and in event depth. At the core of the technique is the requirement to resolve the shadow from an optical mask placed in the scintillation light path between the crystal and the readout. In this paper, experimental results are presented that demonstrate the overall concept using a 1D shadow mask, a thin-scintillator crystal and a light pipe of varying thickness to emulate a 2.2-cm-thick crystal. Spatial resolutions of ~1 mm in both depth and transverse to the readout face are obtained over most of the crystal depth.

Event localization in bulk scintillator crystals using coded apertures

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ziock, K.P.; Braverman, J.B.; Fabris, L.; Harrison, M.J.; Hornback, D.; Newby, J.

2015-01-01

The localization of radiation interactions in bulk scintillators is generally limited by the size of the light distribution at the readout surface of the crystal/light-pipe system. By finding the centroid of the light spot, which is typically of order centimeters across, practical single-event localization is limited to ~2 mm/cm of crystal thickness. Similar resolution can also be achieved for the depth of interaction by measuring the size of the light spot. Through the use of near-field coded-aperture techniques applied to the scintillation light, light transport simulations show that for 3-cm-thick crystals, more than a five-fold improvement (millimeter spatial resolution) can be achieved both laterally and in event depth. At the core of the technique is the requirement to resolve the shadow from an optical mask placed in the scintillation light path between the crystal and the readout. In this paper, experimental results are presented that demonstrate the overall concept using a 1D shadow mask, a thin-scintillator crystal and a light pipe of varying thickness to emulate a 2.2-cm-thick crystal. Spatial resolutions of ~1 mm in both depth and transverse to the readout face are obtained over most of the crystal depth

Performance study of Philips digital silicon photomultiplier coupled to scintillating crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Z.; Pizzichemi, M.; Paganoni, M.; Auffray, E.; Lecoq, P.

2016-01-01

Silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) and scintillators are often arranged in the shape of arrays in Positron Emission Tomography (PET) systems. Digital SiPMs provide signal readout in single photon avalanche diode (SPAD) level. From the photon count rate measurement of each SPAD cell of digital SiPM, we found that the output scintillating photons distribute in an area larger than the scintillator physical coupling area. Taking advantage of the possibility to enable/disable individual cells of the digital SiPM, a group of Lutetium-yttrium oxyorthosilicate (LYSO) crystals with different dimensions coupled to a digital SiPM was used to study the influence of using different SiPM active area on the number of photons detected, energy resolution and coincidence time resolution (CTR). For the same crystal coupled to the digital SiPM, the larger the active area of digital SiPM, the higher the number of photons detected. The larger active area of the digital SiPM also results in a better energy resolution after saturation correction. The best energy resolution full width half maximum (FWHM) obtained for the 2×2×5mm 3 , 2×2×10 mm 3 , 2×2×15mm 3 , 2×2×20mm 3 LYSO crystals was 10.7%, 11.6%, 12.1%, 12.5%, respectively. For crystals with different cross sections coupled to the digital SiPM, we found that the larger the cross section of coupling area, the more photons were detected and thus a better energy resolution was obtained. The CTR of crystals fully wrapped with Teflon or without wrapping was measured by positioning two identical crystals facing each other. A larger area of digital SiPM improves the CTR and the CTR reaches the plateau when the active area is larger than 2.2×2.2mm 2 with both two configurations of wrapping. The best CTR value for the 2×2×5mm 3 , 2×2×10mm 3 , 2×2×15mm 3 , 2×2×20mm 3 LYSO crystals was 128.9 ps, 148.4 ps, 171.6 ps, 177.9 ps, respectively. The measurements performed lead us to conclude that optimising the coupling between crystal

Evaluation of a SiPM array detector coupled to a LFS-3 pixellated scintillator for PET/MR applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

David, Stratos; Fysikopoulos, Eleftherios; Georgiou, Maria; Loudos, George

2015-01-01

SiPM arrays are insensitive to magnetic fields and thus good candidates for hybrid PET/MR imaging systems. Moreover, due to their small size and flexibility can be used in dedicated small field of view small animal imaging detectors and especially in head PET/MR studies in mice. Co-doped LFS-3 scintillator crystals have higher light yield and slightly faster response than that of LSO:Ce mainly due to the co-doped activation of emission centers with varying materials such as Ce, Gd, Sc, Y, La, Tb, or Ca distributed at the molecular scale through the lutetium silicate crystal host. The purpose of this study is to investigate the behavior of the SensL ArraySL-4 (4x4 element array of 3x3 mm 2 silicon photomultipliers) optical detector coupled to a 6x6 LFS-3 scintillator array, with 2x2x5 mm 3 crystal size elements, for possible applications in small field of view PET/MR imaging detectors. We have designed a symmetric resistive charge division circuit to read out the signal outputs of 4x4 pixel SiPM array reducing the 16 pixel outputs of the photodetector to 4 position signals. The 4 position signals were digitized using free running Analog to Digital Converters. The ADCs sampling rate was 50 MHz. An FPGA (Spartan 6 LX150T) was used for triggering and digital signal processing of the pulses. Experimental evaluation was carried out with 22 Na radioactive source and the parameters studied where energy resolution and peak to valley ratio. The first preliminary results of the evaluation shows a clear visualization of the discrete 2x2x5 mm 3 LFS-3 scintillator elements. The mean peak to valley ratio of the horizontal profiles on the raw image was measured equal to 11 while the energy resolution was calculated equal to 30% at the central pixels.

Evaluation of a SiPM array detector coupled to a LFS-3 pixellated scintillator for PET/MR applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

David, Stratos; Fysikopoulos, Eleftherios [Technological Educational Institute of Athens (Greece); Georgiou, Maria [Technological Educational Institute of Athens (Greece); Department of Medical School, University of Thessaly, Larissa (Greece); Loudos, George [Technological Educational Institute of Athens (Greece)

2015-05-18

SiPM arrays are insensitive to magnetic fields and thus good candidates for hybrid PET/MR imaging systems. Moreover, due to their small size and flexibility can be used in dedicated small field of view small animal imaging detectors and especially in head PET/MR studies in mice. Co-doped LFS-3 scintillator crystals have higher light yield and slightly faster response than that of LSO:Ce mainly due to the co-doped activation of emission centers with varying materials such as Ce, Gd, Sc, Y, La, Tb, or Ca distributed at the molecular scale through the lutetium silicate crystal host. The purpose of this study is to investigate the behavior of the SensL ArraySL-4 (4x4 element array of 3x3 mm{sup 2} silicon photomultipliers) optical detector coupled to a 6x6 LFS-3 scintillator array, with 2x2x5 mm{sup 3} crystal size elements, for possible applications in small field of view PET/MR imaging detectors. We have designed a symmetric resistive charge division circuit to read out the signal outputs of 4x4 pixel SiPM array reducing the 16 pixel outputs of the photodetector to 4 position signals. The 4 position signals were digitized using free running Analog to Digital Converters. The ADCs sampling rate was 50 MHz. An FPGA (Spartan 6 LX150T) was used for triggering and digital signal processing of the pulses. Experimental evaluation was carried out with {sup 22}Na radioactive source and the parameters studied where energy resolution and peak to valley ratio. The first preliminary results of the evaluation shows a clear visualization of the discrete 2x2x5 mm{sup 3} LFS-3 scintillator elements. The mean peak to valley ratio of the horizontal profiles on the raw image was measured equal to 11 while the energy resolution was calculated equal to 30% at the central pixels.

Scintillation properties of CdF{sub 2} crystal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yanagida, Takayuki, E-mail: yanagida@lsse.kyutech.ac.jp [Kyushu Institute of Technology, 2-4 Hibikino, Wakamatsu, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka 808-0196 (Japan); Fujimoto, Yutaka; Koshimizu, Masanori [Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6-07 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8579 (Japan); Fukuda, Kentaro [Tokuyama Corp., 1-1 Mikage-cho, Shunan-shi, Yamaguchi 745-8648 Japan (Japan)

2015-01-15

CdF{sub 2} single crystal was prepared by Tokuyama Corp. with the μ-PD method to investigate Auger free luminescence of this material. From optical transmittance spectrum, bandgap wavelength was around 280 nm. In X-ray induced radioluminescence spectrum, emission lines appeared around 350 nm and 420 nm. Excitation wavelength was investigated and excitation peak was around 250 nm. Photoluminescence and scintillation decay times were evaluated and decay time was few ns. Temperature dependence of X-ray induced radioluminescence was compared with conventional BaF{sub 2} scintillator and scintillation of CdF{sub 2} decreased when the temperature increased. Consequently, scintillation of CdF{sub 2} is possibly emission at color centers or exciton related one. - Highlights: • CdF{sub 2} crystal scinitillator was synthesized. • Emission wavelengths of CdF{sub 2} appeared around 350 and 420 nm. • Scintillation decay time of CdF{sub 2} was quite fast, 1.75 ns. • Excitation bands were investigated by using Synchrotron facility, UVSOR.

New scintillating crystals for PET scanners

CERN Document Server

Lecoq, P

2002-01-01

Systematic R&D on basic mechanism in inorganic scintillators, initiated by the Crystal Clear Collaboration at CERN 10 years ago, has contributed not to a small amount, to the development of new materials for a new generation of medical imaging devices with increased resolution and sensitivity. The first important requirement for a scintillator to be used in medical imaging devices is the stopping power for the given energy range of X and gamma rays to be considered, and more precisely the conversion efficiency. A high light yield is also mandatory to improve the energy resolution, which is essentially limited by the photostatistics and the electronic noise at these energies. A short scintillation decay time allows to reduce the dead time and therefore to increase the limiting counting rate. When all these requirements are fulfilled the sensitivity and image contrast are increased for a given patient dose, or the dose can be reduced. Examples of new materials under development by the Crystal Clear Collabor...

A novel, SiPM-array-based, monolithic scintillator detector for PET

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schaart, Dennis R; Dam, Herman T van; Seifert, Stefan; Beekman, Freek J; Vinke, Ruud; Dendooven, Peter; Loehner, Herbert

2009-01-01

Silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) are of great interest to positron emission tomography (PET), as they enable new detector geometries, for e.g., depth-of-interaction (DOI) determination, are MR compatible, and offer faster response and higher gain than other solid-state photosensors such as avalanche photodiodes. Here we present a novel detector design with DOI correction, in which a position-sensitive SiPM array is used to read out a monolithic scintillator. Initial characterization of a prototype detector consisting of a 4 x 4 SiPM array coupled to either the front or back surface of a 13.2 mm x 13.2 mm x 10 mm LYSO:Ce 3+ crystal shows that front-side readout results in significantly better performance than conventional back-side readout. Spatial resolutions 2 detector, equals 960 ps FWHM.

Modifications of micro-pulling-down method for the growth of selected Li-containing crystals for neutron scintillator and VUV scintillation crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Pejchal, J.; Fujimoto, Y.; Chani, V.; Yanagida, T.; Yokota, Y.; Yoshikawa, A.; Nikl, M.; Beitlerova, A.

2012-12-01

To develop new and efficient neutron scintillator, Ti-doped LiAlO2 single crystal was grown by micro-pulling-down method. The X-ray excited radioluminescence spectra and neutron light yield were measured. Positive effect of Mg codoping on the overall scintillation efficiency was found. The BaLu2F8 single crystal was grown by micro-pulling-down method using low temperature gradient at growth interface and applying quenching immediately after growth process.

Scintillation crystal mounting apparatus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Engdahl, L.W.; Deans, A.J.

1982-01-01

An improved detector head for a gamma camera is disclosed. The detector head includes a housing and a detector assembly mounted within the housing. Components of the detector assembly include a crystal sub-assembly, a phototube array, and a light pipe between the phototube array and crystal sub-assembly. The invention provides a unique structure for maintaining the phototubes in optical relationship with the light pipe and preventing the application of forces that would cause the camera's crystal to crack

Multi element high resolution scintillator structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cusano, D.A.

1980-01-01

A gamma camera scintillator structure, suitable for detecting high energy gamma photons which, in a single scintillator camera, would require a comparatively thick scintillator crystal, so resulting in unacceptable dispersion of light photons, comprises a collimator array of a high Z material with elongated, parallel wall channels with the scintillator material being disposed in one end of the channels so as to form an integrated collimator/scintillator structure. The collimator channel walls are preferably coated with light reflective material and further light reflective surfaces being translucent to gamma photons, may be provided in each channel. The scintillators may be single crystals or preferably comprise a phosphor dispersed in a thermosetting translucent matrix as disclosed in GB2012800A. The light detectors of the assembled camera may be photomultiplier tubes charge coupled devices or charge injection devices. (author)

LiCaAlF sub 6 :Ce crystal: a new scintillator

CERN Document Server

Gektin, A V; Neicheva, S; Gavrilyuk, V; Bensalah, A; Fukuda, T; Shimamura, K

2002-01-01

Scintillation properties of LiCaAlF sub 6 :Ce crystal, well known as the effective UV laser material, is reported. Ce sup 3 sup + emission at 286-305 nm with a single exponential decay time of 35 ns provides a scintillation pulse. Radiation damage in pure and Ce-doped crystals is studied. In contrast to the majority of fluoride crystals, cerium is responsible for the ultradeep traps formation revealing thermostimulated luminescence. Overlapping of color center absorption and Ce sup 3 sup + ion emission bands limits the scintillation efficiency of LiCaAlF sub 6 :Ce at high radiation doses.

Detector block based on arrays of 144 SiPMs and monolithic scintillators: A performance study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

González, A.J.; Conde, P.; Iborra, A.; Aguilar, A.; Bellido, P.; García-Olcina, R.; Hernández, L.; Moliner, L.; Rigla, J.P.; Rodríguez-Álvarez, M.J.; Sánchez, F.; Seimetz, M.; Soriano, A.; Torres, J.; Vidal, L.F.; Benlloch, J.M.

2015-01-01

We have developed a detector block composed by a monolithic LYSO scintillator coupled to a custom made 12×12 SiPMs array. The design is mainly focused to applications such as Positron Emission Tomography. The readout electronics is based on 3 identical and scalable Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC). We have determined the main performance of the detector block namely spatial, energy, and time resolution but also the system capability to determine the photon depth of interaction, for different crystal surface treatments. Intrinsic detector spatial resolution values as good as 1.7 mm FWHM and energies of 15% for black painted crystals were measured

Development and melt growth of novel scintillating halide crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Yoshikawa, Akira; Yokota, Yuui; Shoji, Yasuhiro; Kral, Robert; Kamada, Kei; Kurosawa, Shunsuke; Ohashi, Yuji; Arakawa, Mototaka; Chani, Valery I.; Kochurikhin, Vladimir V.; Yamaji, Akihiro; Andrey, Medvedev; Nikl, Martin

2017-12-01

Melt growth of scintillating halide crystals is reviewed. The vertical Bridgman growth technique is still considered as very popular method that enables production of relatively large and commercially attractive crystals. On the other hand, the micro-pulling-down method is preferable when fabrication of small samples, sufficient for preliminary characterization of their optical and/or scintillation performance, is required. Moreover, bulk crystal growth is also available using the micro-pulling-down furnace. The examples of growths of various halide crystals by industrially friendly melt growth techniques including Czochralski and edge-defined film-fed growth methods are also discussed. Finally, traveling molten zone growth that in some degree corresponds to horizontal zone melting is briefly overviewed.

Optimization of light collection from crystal scintillators for cryogenic experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mokina, V.M.; Danevich, F.A.; Kobychev, V.V.; Kraus, H.; Mikhailik, V.B.; Nagornaya, L.L.

2012-01-01

Cryogenic scintillation bolometers are a promising technique to search for dark matter and neutrinoless double decay. Improvement of light collection and energy resolution are important requirements in such experiments. Energy resolutions and relative pulse amplitudes of scintillation detectors using ZnWO 4 scintillation crystals of different shapes (cylinder 20x20 mm and hexagonal prism with diagonal 20 mm and height 20 mm), reflector materials and shapes, optical contact and surface properties (polished and diffused) were measured. The crystal scintillator of hexagonal shape shows the better energy resolution and pulse amplitude. The best energy resolution (FWHM = 9.3 % for 662 keV γ quanta of 137 Cs) was obtained with a hexagonal scintillator with all surfaces diffuse, in optical contact with a PMT and surrounded by a reflector (3M) of size 26x25 mm. In the geometry w ithout optical contact r epresenting the conditions of light collection for a cryogenic scintillating bolometer the best energy resolution and relative pulse amplitude was obtained for a hexagonal shape scintillator with diffuse side and polished face surfaces, surrounded by a reflector with a gap between the scintillator and the reflector

Characterisation of a LSO scintillation crystal for space applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Elftmann, Robert; Grunau, Jan; Kulkarni, Shrinivasrao; Martin, Cesar; Wimmer-Schweingruber, Robert F. [IEAP, Christian-Albrechts-Universitaet Kiel (Germany)

2013-07-01

Inorganic scintillation crystals coupled with semiconductor detectors are often used in space applications as gamma ray detectors or high energy particle calorimeters. Currently BGO (Bi{sub 4}Ge{sub 3}O{sub 12}) is widely used for this purpose because of its high stopping power, the non hygroscopy and its ruggedness, which is favorable in space applications. Cerium doped LSO (Lu{sub 2}SiO{sub 5}) offers the same benefits with higher light output capabilites and a shorter decay time. In this work a cerium doped LSO scintillation crystal coupled with a photo diode is investigated. The light yield and resolution studies for two different radioactive sources, {sup 207}Bi and {sup 60}Co, are presented. To increase the light collection and consequently the energy resolution, scintillation crystals are wrapped in highly reflective material. The increase in light collection depending on the amount of layers for the LSO crystal along with investigations of quenching effects with alpha particles and the background spectrum, which arises from radioactive cerium isotopes, are also included in this work.

Precision machining and polishing of scintillating crystals for large calorimeters and hodoscopes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wuest, C.R.; Fuchs, B.A.; Holdener, F.R.; Heck, J.L. Jr.

1994-04-01

New machining and polishing techniques have been developed for large scintillating crystal arrays such as the Barium Fluoride Electromagnetic Calorimeter for the GEM Detector at SSCL, the Crystal Clear Collaboration's cerium fluoride or lead tungstenate calorimeter at the proposed LHC and CERN, the PHENIX Detector at RHIC (barium fluoride), and the cesium iodide Calorimeter for the BaBar Detector at PEP-2 B Factory at SLAC. The machining and polishing methods to be presented in this paper provide crystalline surfaces without sub-surface damage or deformation as verified by Rutherford Back-scattering (RBS) analysis. Surface roughness of about 10--20 angstroms and sub-micron mechanical tolerances have been demonstrated on large barium fluoride crystal samples. Mass production techniques have also been developed for machining the proper angled surfaces and polishing up to five 50 cm long crystals at one time. These techniques utilize kinematic mount technology developed at LLNL to allow precision machining and polishing of complex surfaces. They will present this technology along with detailed surface studies of barium fluoride and cerium fluoride crystals polished with this technique

A novel gamma-ray detector with submillimeter resolutions using a monolithic MPPC array with pixelized Ce:LYSO and Ce:GGAG crystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kato, T., E-mail: katou.frme.8180@asagi.waseda.jp [Research Institute for Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 3-4-1, Ohkubo, Shinjuku, Tokyo (Japan); Kataoka, J.; Nakamori, T.; Miura, T.; Matsuda, H.; Kishimoto, A. [Research Institute for Science and Engineering, Waseda University, 3-4-1, Ohkubo, Shinjuku, Tokyo (Japan); Sato, K.; Ishikawa, Y.; Yamamura, K.; Nakamura, S.; Kawabata, N. [Solid State Division, Hamamatsu Photonics K. K., 1126-1, Ichino-cho, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka (Japan); Ikeda, H. [ISAS/JAXA, 3-1-1, Yoshinodai, Chuo-ku, Sagamihara-shi, Kanagawa (Japan); Yamamoto, S. [Kobe City College of Technology, 8-3, Gakuenhigashimati, Nishi-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyougo 651-2194 (Japan); Kamada, K. [Materials Research Laboratory, Furukawa Co., Ltd., 1-25-13, Kannondai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0856 (Japan)

2013-01-21

We have developed a large-area monolithic Multi-Pixel Photon Counter (MPPC) array consisting of 4×4 channels with a three-side buttable package. Each channel has a photosensitive area of 3×3 mm{sup 2} and 3600 Geiger mode avalanche photodiodes (APDs). For typical operational gain of 7.5×10{sup 5} at +20 °C, gain fluctuation over the entire MPPC device is only ±5.6%, and dark count rates (as measured at the 1 p.e. level) amount to ≤400kcps per channel. We first fabricated a gamma-ray camera consisting of the MPPC array with one-to-one coupling to a Ce-doped (Lu,Y){sub 2}(SiO{sub 4})O (Ce:LYSO) crystal array (4×4 array of 3×3×10 mm{sup 3} crystals). Energy and time resolutions of 11.5±0.5% (FWHM at 662 keV) and 493±22ps were obtained, respectively. When using the charge division resistor network, which compiles signals into four position-encoded analog outputs, the ultimate positional resolution is estimated as 0.19 mm in both X and Y directions, while energy resolution of 10.2±0.4% (FWHM) was obtained. Finally, we fabricated submillimeter Ce:LYSO and Ce-doped Gd{sub 3}Ga{sub 3}Al{sub 2}O{sub 12} (Ce:GGAG) scintillator matrices each consisting of 1.0×1.0, 0.7×0.7 and 0.5×0.5 mm{sup 2} pixels, to further improve the spatial resolution. In all types of Ce:LYSO and Ce:GGAG matrices, each crystal was clearly resolved in the position histograms when irradiated by a {sup 137}Cs source. The energy resolutions for 662 keV gamma-rays for each Ce:LYSO and Ce:GGAG scintillator matrix were ≤14.3%. These results suggest excellent potential for its use as a high spatial medical imaging device, particularly in positron emission tomography (PET). -- Highlights: ► We developed a newly designed large-area monolithic MPPC array. ► We obtained fine gain uniformity, and good energy and time resolutions when coupled to the LYSO scintillator. ► We fabricated gamma-ray camera consisting of the MPPC array and submillimeter pixelized LYSO and GGAG scintillators. ► In

Basic study of single crystal fibers of Pr:Lu3Al5O12 scintillator for gamma-ray imaging applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yanagida, Takayuki; Kamada, Kei; Kawaguchi, Noriaki; Fujimoto, Yutaka; Fukuda, Kentaro; Yokota, Yuui; Chani, Valery; Yoshikawa, Akira

2011-01-01

Single-crystalline fibers were grown from 0.25, 0.70, and 1.50 mol% Pr-doped Lu 3 Al 5 O 12 (LuAG) melts by the micro-pulling down (μ-PD) method with a diameter of 0.3-0.5 mm and a length of about 200 mm. They were cut to 10 mm long specimens, and their scintillation properties, including light yield and decay time profile, were examined. These results were compared with corresponding properties of the specimens (0.8x0.8x10 mm 3 ) cut from the bulk crystals produced by conventional Czochralski (CZ) growth. The μ-PD-grown fibers demonstrated relatively low light yield and had the same decay time constant when compared with those of the samples cut from the CZ-grown crystals. The fiber crystals were used to assemble scintillating arrays with dimensions of O 0.5x10 mm 2 x20 pixels and O 0.3x10 mm 2 x30 pixels coated by a BaSO 4 reflector. After optical coupling with a position sensitive photomultiplier tube, the fiber-based arrays demonstrated acceptable imaging capability with a spatial resolution of about 0.5 mm.

A HPMT based set-up to characterize scintillating crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

D'Ambrosio, C.; Ercoli, C.; Jaaskelainen, S.; Lecoeur, G.; Leutz, H.; Loos, R.; Piedigrossi, D.; Puertolas, D.; Rosso, E.; Schomaker, R.

1999-01-01

We have developed a fully automatic measurement set-up, capable of measuring light yields arising from scintillating crystals in a linear range of about four orders of magnitude. The photodetector is a hybrid photomultiplier tube specially developed to optimize linear range and photon detection. Crystal and photodetector are temperature controlled by a closed water circuit, as this is essential when measuring low light yield scintillating crystals with a marked temperature dependence of their light yield. Gamma sources can be placed either on top or on the side of the crystal. In this latter case, the source can be automatically moved by a computer-controlled step motor to provide a uniformity profile of the light yield along the crystal. Tagged and not-tagged operation modes are possible. The whole set-up is computer-controlled in an effort to provide fast and reliable measurements, to characterize many crystals per day. This is important for the quality control of the lead tungstate crystals that will be applied in the electromagnetic calorimeter of the CMS-detector at the LHC at CERN. (author)

A HPMT based set-up to characterize scintillating crystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

D' Ambrosio, C.; Ercoli, C.; Jaaskelainen, S.; Lecoeur, G.; Leutz, H.; Loos, R.; Piedigrossi, D.; Puertolas, D.; Rosso, E.; Schomaker, R

1999-09-21

We have developed a fully automatic measurement set-up, capable of measuring light yields arising from scintillating crystals in a linear range of about four orders of magnitude. The photodetector is a hybrid photomultiplier tube specially developed to optimize linear range and photon detection. Crystal and photodetector are temperature controlled by a closed water circuit, as this is essential when measuring low light yield scintillating crystals with a marked temperature dependence of their light yield. Gamma sources can be placed either on top or on the side of the crystal. In this latter case, the source can be automatically moved by a computer-controlled step motor to provide a uniformity profile of the light yield along the crystal. Tagged and not-tagged operation modes are possible. The whole set-up is computer-controlled in an effort to provide fast and reliable measurements, to characterize many crystals per day. This is important for the quality control of the lead tungstate crystals that will be applied in the electromagnetic calorimeter of the CMS-detector at the LHC at CERN. (author)

Scintillation activity in an unirradiated single crystal of 3-hydroxyxanthine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cooke, D.W.; Jahan, M.S.; Alexander, C. Jr.

1976-01-01

A method of growing single crystals (approximately 4mm long) of 3-hydroxyxanthine is described. Observed scintillations occurring in an unirradiated single crystal of this potent oncogen as the temperature is lowered from 300 to 90 K are shown. It was found that these scintillations occur upon heating or cooling and do not diminish in activity as the number of heating and cooling cycles increase. It was found that a short duration u.v. exposure would terminate the scintillation activity and various attempts (such as annealing and pressure changes) to rejuvenate them were unsuccessful. With these observations in mind speculation is made concerning the mechanisms associated with the production of purine N-oxide derivatives. (U.K.)

Digital silicon photomultiplier readout of a new fast and bright scintillation crystal (Ce:GFAG)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Yong-Seok [Department of Bio-convergence Engineering, Korea University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Leem, Hyun-Tae [Molecular Imaging Research & Education (MiRe) Laboratory, Department of Electronic Engineering, Sogang University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Yamamoto, Seiichi [Department of Medical Technology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya (Japan); Choi, Yong, E-mail: ychoi@sogang.ac.kr [Molecular Imaging Research & Education (MiRe) Laboratory, Department of Electronic Engineering, Sogang University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kamada, Kei [New Industry Creation Hatchery Center (NICHe), Tohoku University, Sendai (Japan); C& A corporation, Sendai (Japan); Yoshikawa, Akira [New Industry Creation Hatchery Center (NICHe), Tohoku University, Sendai (Japan); C& A corporation, Sendai (Japan); Institute for Material Research, Tohoku University, Sendai (Japan); Park, Sang-Geon [Department of Electrical & Electronics, Silla University, Pusan (Korea, Republic of); Yeom, Jung-Yeol, E-mail: jungyeol@korea.ac.kr [Department of Bio-convergence Engineering, Korea University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); School of Biomedical Engineering, Korea University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

2016-10-01

A new Gadolinium Fine Aluminum Gallate (Ce:GFAG) scintillation crystal with both high energy resolution and fast timing properties has successfully been grown. Compared to Gd{sub 3}Al{sub 2}Ga{sub 3}O{sub 12} (Ce:GAGG), this new inorganic scintillation crystal has a high luminosity similar to and a faster decay time. In this paper, we report on the timing and energy performance results of the new GFAG scintillation crystal read out with digital silicon photomultipliers (dSiPM) for positron emission tomography (PET) application. The best coincidence resolving time (FWHM) of polished 3×3×5 mm{sup 3} crystals was 223±6 ps for GFAG crystals compared to 396±28 ps for GAGG crystals and 131±3 ps for LYSO crystals respectively. An energy resolution (511 keV peak of Na-22) of 10.9±0.2% was attained with GFAG coupled to dSiPM after correcting for saturation effect, compared to 9.5±0.3% for Ce:GAGG crystals and 11.9±0.4% for LYSO crystals respectively. It is expected that this new scintillator may be competitive in terms of overall properties such as energy resolution, timing resolution and growing (raw material) cost, compared to existing scintillators for positron emission tomography (PET).

Luminescence and scintillation properties of YAG:Ce single crystal and optical ceramics

CERN Document Server

Mihóková, E; Mareš, J A; Beitlerová, A; Vedda, A; Nejezchleb, K; Blažek, K; D’Ambrosio, C

2007-01-01

We use various techniques to study optical and scintillation properties of Ce-doped yttrium aluminum garnet, Y3Al5O12 (YAG:Ce), in the form of a high-quality industrial single crystal. This was compared to optical ceramics prepared from YAG:Ce nanopowders. We present experimental data in the areas of optical absorption, radioluminescence, scintillation decay, photoelectron yield, thermally stimulated luminescence and radiation-induced absorption. The results point to an interesting feature—the absence of antisite (YAl, i.e. Y at the Al site) defects in optical ceramics. The scintillation decay of the ceramics is faster than that of the single crystal, but its photoelectron yield (measured with 1 μs integration time) is about 30–40% lower. Apart from the photoelectron yield value the YAG:Ce optical ceramic is fully comparable to a high quality industrial YAG:Ce single crystal and can become a competitive scintillator material.

Photonic Crystals: Enhancing the Light Output of Scintillation Based Detectors

CERN Document Server

Knapitsch, Arno Richard

A scintillator is a material which emits light when excited by ionizing radiation. Such materials are used in a diverse range of applications; From high energy particle physics experiments, X-ray security, to nuclear cameras or positron emission tomography. Future high-energy physics (HEP) experiments as well as next generation medical imaging applications are more and more pushing towards better scintillation characteristics. One of the problems in heavy scintillating materials is related to their high index of refraction. As a consequence, most of the scintillation light produced in the bulk material is trapped inside the crystal due to total internal reflection. The same problem also occurs with light emitting diodes (LEDs) and has for a long time been considered as a limiting factor for their overall efficiency. Recent developments in the area of nanophotonics were showing now that those limitations can be overcome by introducing a photonic crystal (PhC) slab at the outcoupling surface of the substrate. P...

Experimental evidence of infrared scintillation in crystals

CERN Document Server

Belogurov, S; Carugno, Giovanni; Conti, E; Iannuzzi, D; Meneguzzo, Anna Teresa

2000-01-01

We present experimental results on infrared emission induced by protons in some solid-state samples. Infrared scintillation occurs in many crystals, with different yield values and time-response behaviours. A rough measurement of the emission wavelength of CsI(Tl) is also reported.

High luminosity operation of large solid angle scintillator arrays in Jefferson Lab Hall A

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ran Shneor

2003-01-01

This thesis describes selected aspects of high luminosity operation of large solid angle scintillator arrays in Hall A of the CEBAF (Central Electron Beam Accelerator Facility) at TJNAF (Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility ). CEBAF is a high current, high duty factor electron accelerator with a maximum beam energy of about 6 GeV and a maximum current of 200 (micro)A. Operating large solid angle scintillator arrays in high luminosity environment presents several problems such as high singles rates, low signal to noise ratios and shielding requirements. To demonstrate the need for large solid angle and momentum acceptance detectors as a third arm in Hall A, we will give a brief overview of the physics motivating five approved experiments, which utilize scintillator arrays. We will then focus on the design and assembly of these scintillator arrays, with special focus on the two new detector packages built for the Short Range Correlation experiment E01-015. This thesis also contains the description and results of different tests and calibrations which where conducted for these arrays. We also present the description of a number of tests which were done in order to estimate the singles rates, data reconstruction, filtering techniques and shielding required for these counters

Growth and scintillation properties of gadolinium and yttrium orthovanadate crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Voloshina, O.V.; Baumer, V.N.; Bondar, V.G.; Kurtsev, D.A.; Gorbacheva, T.E.; Zenya, I.M.; Zhukov, A.V.; Sidletskiy, O.Ts.

2012-01-01

Aiming to explore the possibility of using the undoped rare-earth orthovanadates as scintillation materials, we developed the procedure for growth of gadolinium (GdVO 4 ) and yttrium (YVO 4 ) orthovanadate single crystals by Czochralski method, and determined the optimal conditions of their after-growth annealing. Optical, luminescent, and scintillation properties of YVO 4 and GdVO 4 were discussed versus known literature data. Scintillation characteristics of GdVO 4 were determined for the first time.

Quality inspection of anisotropic scintillating crystals through measurement of interferometric fringe pattern parameters

CERN Document Server

Cocozzella, N; Majni, G; Paone, N; Rinaldi, D T

2001-01-01

Scintillating crystals are widely used as detectors in radiographic systems, computerized axial tomography devices and in calorimeters employed in high-energy physics. This paper results from a project motivated by the development of the CMS calorimeter at CERN, which will make use of a large number of scintillating crystals. In order to prevent crystals from breaking because of internal residual stress, a quality control system based on optic inspection of interference fringe patterns was developed. The principle of measurement procedures was theoretically modelled, and then a dedicated polariscope was designed and built, in order to observe the crystals under induced stresses or to evaluate the residual internal stresses. The results are innovative and open a new perspective for scintillating crystals quality control: the photoelastic constant normal to the optic axis of the lead tungstate crystals (PbWO sub 4) was measured, and the inspection procedure developed is applicable to mass production, not only t...

Optimization of the scintillation parameters of the lead tungstate crystals for their application in high precision electromagnetic calorimetry

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Drobychev, G.

2000-01-01

In the frame of this dissertation work scintillation properties of the lead tungstate crystals PWO) and possibilities of their use were studied foreseeing their application for electromagnetic calorimetry in extreme radiation environment conditions of new colliders. The results of this work can be summarized in the following way. 1. A model of the scintillations origin in the lead tungstate crystals which includes processes influencing on the crystals radiation hardness and presence of slow components in scintillations was developed. 2. An analysis of the influences of the PWO scintillation properties changes on the parameters of the electromagnetic calorimeter was done. 3. Methods of the light collection from the large scintillation elements of complex shape made of the birefringent scintillation crystal with high refraction index and low light yield in case of signal registration by a photodetector with sensitive surface small in compare with the output face of scintillator were Studied. 4. Physical principles of the methodology of the scintillation crystals certification during their mass production foreseeing their installation into a calorimeter electromagnetic were developed. Correlations between the results of measurements of the PWO crystals parameters by different methods were found. (author)

Crystal growth and characterization of calcium metaborate scintillators

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Fujimoto, Y.; Yanagida, T.; Kawaguchi, N.; Fukuda, K.; Totsuka, D.; Watanabe, K.; Yamazaki, A.; Chani, V.; Nikl, Martin; Yoshikawa, A.

2013-01-01

Roč. 703, MAR (2013), s. 7-10 ISSN 0168-9002 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : Czochralski method * single crystal * scintillator * calcium metaborate * luminescence Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 1.316, year: 2013

Dual-readout calorimetry with scintillating crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pinci, D

2009-01-01

The dual-readout approach, which allows an event-by-event measurement of the electromagnetic shower fraction, was originally demonstrated with the DREAM sampling calorimeter. This approach can be extended to homogeneous detectors like crystals if Cherenkov and scintillation light can be separated. In this paper we present several methods we developed for distinguishing the two components in PWO and BGO based calorimeters and the results obtained.

Luminescence and scintillation properties of Ce-doped Cs2ZnCl4 crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Sugawara, K.; Koshimizu, M.; Yanagida, T.; Fujimoto, Y.; Haruki, R.; Nishikido, F.; Kishimoto, S.; Asai, K.

2015-03-01

In this study, we have synthesized scintillation materials based on Ce-doped Cs2ZnCl4 crystals. The light yield was enhanced by up to 20% by doping Cs2ZnCl4 with Ce3+ ions. In the scintillation time profiles, fast components exhibited decay time constants on the order of nanoseconds, which was ascribed to Auger-free luminescence (AFL). The light yield of the AFL component decreased at 10 mol% Ce3+ concentration, which is mainly attributed to the reabsorption of AFL photons inside the crystals by Ce3+ ions, as seen in the scintillation spectra. Long components had decay time constants of approximately 30 ns. In addition, at 10 mol% Ce3+ concentration, a prominent band appeared at approximately 500 nm in the scintillation spectrum, which was not observed in the photoluminescence spectra. The long components in the scintillation time profiles and the 500 nm band in the scintillation spectra were tentatively attributed to self-trapped excitons perturbed by Ce3+ ions.

A new hybrid photomultiplier tube as detector for scintillating crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

De Notaristefani, F.; Vittori, F.; Puertolas, D.

2002-01-01

In this work, we have attentively studied the performance of a new hybrid photomultiplier tube (HPMT) as detector for photons from scintillating crystals. The HPMT is equipped with a YAP window in order to improve light collection and increase measured light response from scintillating crystals. Several measurements have been performed on BGO, LSO, CsI(Tl) and NaI(Tl) planar crystals having three different surface treatments as well as on YAP : Ce and CsI(Tl) matrices. Such crystals have been coupled to two HPMTs, one equipped with a YAP window (Y-HPMT) and the other with a conventional quartz window (Q-HPMT). Measurements on crystals coupled to the Y-HPMT have shown a consistent improvement of the light response, thanks to the presence of the YAP window. Indeed, the light response measured with the Y-HPMT was on average equal to 1.5, 2.1 and 2.6 times that obtained with the Q-HPMT for planar crystals with white painted (diffusive), fine ground and polished rear surfaces, respectively. With regards to crystal matrices, we measured a light response increase of about 1.2 times

ScintSim1: a new Monte Carlo simulation code for transport of optical photons in 2D arrays of scintillation detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mosleh-Shirazi, Mohammad Amin; Karbasi, Sareh; Zarrini-Monfared, Zinat; Zamani, Ali

2014-01-01

Two-dimensional (2D) arrays of thick segmented scintillators are of interest as X-ray detectors for both 2D and 3D image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT). Their detection process involves ionizing radiation energy deposition followed by production and transport of optical photons. Only a very limited number of optical Monte Carlo simulation models exist, which has limited the number of modeling studies that have considered both stages of the detection process. We present ScintSim1, an in-house optical Monte Carlo simulation code for 2D arrays of scintillation crystals, developed in the MATLAB programming environment. The code was rewritten and revised based on an existing program for single-element detectors, with the additional capability to model 2D arrays of elements with configurable dimensions, material, etc., The code generates and follows each optical photon history through the detector element (and, in case of cross-talk, the surrounding ones) until it reaches a configurable receptor, or is attenuated. The new model was verified by testing against relevant theoretically known behaviors or quantities and the results of a validated single-element model. For both sets of comparisons, the discrepancies in the calculated quantities were all <1%. The results validate the accuracy of the new code, which is a useful tool in scintillation detector optimization. (author)

Response of CsI:Pb Scintillator Crystal to Neutron Radiation

Science.gov (United States)

Costa Pereira, Maria da Conceição; Filho, Tufic Madi; Berretta, José Roberto; Náhuel Cárdenas, José Patrício; Iglesias Rodrigues, Antonio Carlos

2018-01-01

The helium-3 world crisis requires a development of new methods of neutron detection to replace commonly used 3He proportional counters. In the past decades, great effort was made to developed efficient and fast scintillators to detect radiation. The inorganic scintillator may be an alternative. Inorganic scintillators with much higher density should be selected for optimal neutron detection efficiency taking into consideration the relevant reactions leading to light emission. These detectors should, then, be carefully characterized both experimentally and by means of advanced simulation code. Ideally, the detector should have the capability to separate neutron and gamma induced events either by amplitude or through pulse shape differences. As neutron sources also generate gamma radiation, which can interfere with the measurement, it is necessary that the detector be able to discriminate the presence of such radiation. Considerable progress has been achieved to develop new inorganic scintillators, in particular increasing the light output and decreasing the decay time by optimized doping. Crystals may be found to suit neutron detection. In this report, we will present the results of the study of lead doped cesium iodide crystals (CsI:Pb) grown in our laboratory, using the vertical Bridgman technique. The concentration of the lead doping element (Pb) was studied in the range 5x10-4 M to 10-2 M . The crystals grown were subjected to annealing (heat treatment). In this procedure, vacuum of 10-6 mbar and continuous temperature of 350°C, for 24 hours, were employed. In response to neutron radiation, an AmBe source with energy range of 1 MeV to 12 MeV was used. The activity of the AmBe source was 1Ci Am. The fluency was 2.6 x 106 neutrons/second. The operating voltage of the photomultiplier tube was 1700 V; the accumulation time in the counting process was 600 s and 1800 s. The scintillator crystals used were cut with dimensions of 20 mm diameter and 10 mm height.

An algorithm for automatic crystal identification in pixelated scintillation detectors using thin plate splines and Gaussian mixture models.

Science.gov (United States)

Schellenberg, Graham; Stortz, Greg; Goertzen, Andrew L

2016-02-07

A typical positron emission tomography detector is comprised of a scintillator crystal array coupled to a photodetector array or other position sensitive detector. Such detectors using light sharing to read out crystal elements require the creation of a crystal lookup table (CLUT) that maps the detector response to the crystal of interaction based on the x-y position of the event calculated through Anger-type logic. It is vital for system performance that these CLUTs be accurate so that the location of events can be accurately identified and so that crystal-specific corrections, such as energy windowing or time alignment, can be applied. While using manual segmentation of the flood image to create the CLUT is a simple and reliable approach, it is both tedious and time consuming for systems with large numbers of crystal elements. In this work we describe the development of an automated algorithm for CLUT generation that uses a Gaussian mixture model paired with thin plate splines (TPS) to iteratively fit a crystal layout template that includes the crystal numbering pattern. Starting from a region of stability, Gaussians are individually fit to data corresponding to crystal locations while simultaneously updating a TPS for predicting future Gaussian locations at the edge of a region of interest that grows as individual Gaussians converge to crystal locations. The algorithm was tested with flood image data collected from 16 detector modules, each consisting of a 409 crystal dual-layer offset LYSO crystal array readout by a 32 pixel SiPM array. For these detector flood images, depending on user defined input parameters, the algorithm runtime ranged between 17.5-82.5 s per detector on a single core of an Intel i7 processor. The method maintained an accuracy above 99.8% across all tests, with the majority of errors being localized to error prone corner regions. This method can be easily extended for use with other detector types through adjustment of the initial

An algorithm for automatic crystal identification in pixelated scintillation detectors using thin plate splines and Gaussian mixture models

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schellenberg, Graham; Goertzen, Andrew L; Stortz, Greg

2016-01-01

A typical positron emission tomography detector is comprised of a scintillator crystal array coupled to a photodetector array or other position sensitive detector. Such detectors using light sharing to read out crystal elements require the creation of a crystal lookup table (CLUT) that maps the detector response to the crystal of interaction based on the x–y position of the event calculated through Anger-type logic. It is vital for system performance that these CLUTs be accurate so that the location of events can be accurately identified and so that crystal-specific corrections, such as energy windowing or time alignment, can be applied. While using manual segmentation of the flood image to create the CLUT is a simple and reliable approach, it is both tedious and time consuming for systems with large numbers of crystal elements. In this work we describe the development of an automated algorithm for CLUT generation that uses a Gaussian mixture model paired with thin plate splines (TPS) to iteratively fit a crystal layout template that includes the crystal numbering pattern. Starting from a region of stability, Gaussians are individually fit to data corresponding to crystal locations while simultaneously updating a TPS for predicting future Gaussian locations at the edge of a region of interest that grows as individual Gaussians converge to crystal locations. The algorithm was tested with flood image data collected from 16 detector modules, each consisting of a 409 crystal dual-layer offset LYSO crystal array readout by a 32 pixel SiPM array. For these detector flood images, depending on user defined input parameters, the algorithm runtime ranged between 17.5–82.5 s per detector on a single core of an Intel i7 processor. The method maintained an accuracy above 99.8% across all tests, with the majority of errors being localized to error prone corner regions. This method can be easily extended for use with other detector types through adjustment of the initial

An algorithm for automatic crystal identification in pixelated scintillation detectors using thin plate splines and Gaussian mixture models

Science.gov (United States)

Schellenberg, Graham; Stortz, Greg; Goertzen, Andrew L.

2016-02-01

A typical positron emission tomography detector is comprised of a scintillator crystal array coupled to a photodetector array or other position sensitive detector. Such detectors using light sharing to read out crystal elements require the creation of a crystal lookup table (CLUT) that maps the detector response to the crystal of interaction based on the x-y position of the event calculated through Anger-type logic. It is vital for system performance that these CLUTs be accurate so that the location of events can be accurately identified and so that crystal-specific corrections, such as energy windowing or time alignment, can be applied. While using manual segmentation of the flood image to create the CLUT is a simple and reliable approach, it is both tedious and time consuming for systems with large numbers of crystal elements. In this work we describe the development of an automated algorithm for CLUT generation that uses a Gaussian mixture model paired with thin plate splines (TPS) to iteratively fit a crystal layout template that includes the crystal numbering pattern. Starting from a region of stability, Gaussians are individually fit to data corresponding to crystal locations while simultaneously updating a TPS for predicting future Gaussian locations at the edge of a region of interest that grows as individual Gaussians converge to crystal locations. The algorithm was tested with flood image data collected from 16 detector modules, each consisting of a 409 crystal dual-layer offset LYSO crystal array readout by a 32 pixel SiPM array. For these detector flood images, depending on user defined input parameters, the algorithm runtime ranged between 17.5-82.5 s per detector on a single core of an Intel i7 processor. The method maintained an accuracy above 99.8% across all tests, with the majority of errors being localized to error prone corner regions. This method can be easily extended for use with other detector types through adjustment of the initial

Effects of Photonic Crystals on the Light Output of Heavy Inorganic Scintillators

CERN Document Server

Knapitsch, Arno; Fabjan, Christian W; Leclercq, Jean-Louis; Letartre, Xavier; Mazurczyk, Radoslaw; Lecoq, Paul

2013-01-01

Photonic crystals (PhCs) are optical materials which can affect the propagation of light in multiple ways. In recent years PhCs contributed to major technological developments in the field of semiconductor lasers, light emitting diodes and photovoltaic applications. In our case we are investigating the capabilities of photonic crystal slabs with the aim to improve the performance of heavy inorganic scintillators. To study the combination of scintillators and PhCs we use a Monte-Carlo program to simulate the light propagation inside a scintillator and a rigorous coupled wave analysis (RCWA) framework to analyse the optical PhC properties. The simulations show light output improvements of a wide range of scintillating materials due to light scattering effects of the PhC slabs. First samples have been produced on top of 1.2 × 2.6 × 5 mm LSO (cerium-doped Lutetium Oxyorthosilicate, Lu_2SiO_5:Ce^3+) scintillators using electron beam lithography and reactive ion etching (RIE). Our samples show a 30-60% light outp...

Basic study of single crystal fibers of Pr:Lu{sub 3}Al{sub 5}O{sub 12} scintillator for gamma-ray imaging applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yanagida, Takayuki, E-mail: t_yanagi@tagen.tohoku.ac.jp [IMRAM, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577 (Japan); Kamada, Kei [Materials Research Laboratory, Furukawa Co., Ltd., 1-25-13 Kannondai, Tukuba Ibaragi 305-0856 (Japan); Kawaguchi, Noriaki [IMRAM, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577 (Japan); Tokuyama Corporation, Shibuya 3-chome, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-8383 (Japan); Fujimoto, Yutaka [IMRAM, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577 (Japan); Fukuda, Kentaro [IMRAM, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577 (Japan); Tokuyama Corporation, Shibuya 3-chome, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-8383 (Japan); Yokota, Yuui; Chani, Valery; Yoshikawa, Akira [IMRAM, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577 (Japan)

2011-10-01

Single-crystalline fibers were grown from 0.25, 0.70, and 1.50 mol% Pr-doped Lu{sub 3}Al{sub 5}O{sub 12} (LuAG) melts by the micro-pulling down ({mu}-PD) method with a diameter of 0.3-0.5 mm and a length of about 200 mm. They were cut to 10 mm long specimens, and their scintillation properties, including light yield and decay time profile, were examined. These results were compared with corresponding properties of the specimens (0.8x0.8x10 mm{sup 3}) cut from the bulk crystals produced by conventional Czochralski (CZ) growth. The {mu}-PD-grown fibers demonstrated relatively low light yield and had the same decay time constant when compared with those of the samples cut from the CZ-grown crystals. The fiber crystals were used to assemble scintillating arrays with dimensions of O 0.5x10 mm{sup 2}x20 pixels and O 0.3x10 mm{sup 2}x30 pixels coated by a BaSO{sub 4} reflector. After optical coupling with a position sensitive photomultiplier tube, the fiber-based arrays demonstrated acceptable imaging capability with a spatial resolution of about 0.5 mm.

Ultra-fast scintillation properties of β-Ga2O3 single crystals grown by Floating Zone method

Science.gov (United States)

He, Nuotian; Tang, Huili; Liu, Bo; Zhu, Zhichao; Li, Qiu; Guo, Chao; Gu, Mu; Xu, Jun; Liu, Jinliang; Xu, Mengxuan; Chen, Liang; Ouyang, Xiaoping

2018-04-01

In this investigation, β-Ga2O3 single crystals were grown by the Floating Zone method. At room temperature, the X-ray excited emission spectrum includes ultraviolet and blue emission bands. The scintillation light output is comparable to the commercial BGO scintillator. The scintillation decay times are composed of the dominant ultra-fast component of 0.368 ns and a small amount of slightly slow components of 8.2 and 182 ns. Such fast component is superior to most commercial inorganic scintillators. In contrast to most semiconductor crystals prepared by solution method such as ZnO, β-Ga2O3 single crystals can be grown by traditional melt-growth method. Thus we can easily obtain large bulk crystals and mass production.

High efficiency scintillation detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noakes, J.E.

1976-01-01

A scintillation counter consisting of a scintillation detector, usually a crystal scintillator optically coupled to a photomultiplier tube which converts photons to electrical pulses is described. The photomultiplier pulses are measured to provide information on impinging radiation. In inorganic crystal scintillation detectors to achieve maximum density, optical transparency and uniform activation, it has been necessary heretofore to prepare the scintillator as a single crystal. Crystal pieces fail to give a single composite response. Means are provided herein for obtaining such a response with crystal pieces, such means comprising the combination of crystal pieces and liquid or solid organic scintillator matrices having a cyclic molecular structure favorable to fluorescence. 8 claims, 6 drawing figures

Optical and scintillation properties of bulk ZnO crystal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yanagida, Takayuki [Kyushu Institute of Technology, 2-4 Hibikino, Wakamatsu, Kitakyushu 808-0196 (Japan); Fujimoto, Yutaka; Kurosawa, Shunsuke [Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8577 (Japan); Yamanoi, Kohei; Sarukura, Nobuhiko [Institute of Laser Engineering, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Kano, Masataka; Wakamiya, Akira [Daishinku Corporation, 1389 Shinzaike, Hiraoka-cho, Kakogawa, Hyogo 675-0194 (Japan)

2012-12-15

Single crystal bulk ZnO scintillator grown by the hydrothermal method was tested on its scintillation performances. In X-ray induced radio luminescence spectrum, it exhibited two intense emission peaks at 400 and 550 nm. The former was ascribed to the free and bound exciton related luminescence and the latter to oxygen vacancy related one, respectively. X-ray induced scintillation decay time of the exciton related emission measured by the pulse X-ray streak camera system resulted {proportional_to} 4 ns. Finally, the light yield under {sup 241}Am 5.5 MeV {alpha}-ray was examined and it resulted {proportional_to} 500 ph/5.5 MeV-{alpha}.(copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

A scintillating fibre detector for the Crystal Barrel experiment at ELSA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suft, G.; Anton, G.; Bogendoerfer, R.; Ehmanns, A.; Foesel, A.; Hoessl, J.; Kalinowsky, H.; Kueppersbusch, C.; Walther, D.

2005-01-01

A scintillating fibre detector with high spatial granularity was built for the Crystal Barrel experiment at ELSA (CB-ELSA) in Bonn. It consists of 513 scintillating fibres with 2mm in diameter, arranged in three layers with cylindrical geometry inside the Crystal Barrel detector surrounding the target cell. Two layers are wound in opposite directions, the third is parallel to the incident beam direction, resulting in an unambiguous hit reconstruction and a position resolution better than 1.6mm for charged particles. The read-out is done with 16-channel multi-anode photomultipliers. The detector was designed to cover the full angular acceptance of the Crystal Barrel detector with an angular range of 12 deg. ≤θ = 168 deg. and 0 deg. ≤φ≤360 deg. in the lab frame

Scintillation properties of pure and Ca-doped ZnWO4 crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Danevich, F.A.; Shkulkova, O.G.; Henry, S.; Kraus, H.; McGowan, R.; Mikhailik, V.B.; Telfer, J.

2008-01-01

Following the investigations of the structure and scintillation properties of Ca-doped zinc tungstate powder [phys. stat. sol. (a) 204, 730 (2007)] a single-crystal of ZnWO 4 -Ca (0.5 mol%) was grown and characterised. The relative light output, energy resolution and decay characteristics were measured for pure and Ca-doped ZnWO 4 scintillators. An increase in the light yield of ∝40% compared with the undoped crystal, and an energy resolution 9.6% ( 137 Cs) were obtained for Ca-doped ZnWO 4 . The observed improvement is attributed to the reduction of self-absorption (bleaching) of the crystal. The cause of bleaching as well as the possible contribution of scattering is discussed. (copyright 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Scintillation response of CsI: Tl crystal under neutron, gamma, alpha particles and beta excitations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pereira, Maria da Conceicao Costa; Madi Filho, Tufic; Lopes, Valdir Maciel; Berretta, Jose Roberto; Cardenas, Jose Patricio Nahuel, E-mail: macoper@ipen.br [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)

2015-07-01

Among the converters of X and gamma radiation in light photons, known as scintillators, the one which is the most efficient emits photons with a wavelength near 400 nm. Particularly, among them, the cesium iodine doped with thallium (CsI:Tl) crystal is that which matches better between the light emission spectrum (peak at 540 nm) and the quantum sensitivity curve of the photodiodes and CCD (Charge Coupled Device). This explains the renewed interest in using this crystal as scintillator. Although the CsI:Tl crystal is commercially available, its local development would give the possibility to obtain it in different geometric configurations and coupling. Moreover, there is a special interest in studying new conditions that will alter the properties of this crystal in order to achieve a optimal level of its functional characteristics. Having an efficient national scintillator with low cost is a strategic opportunity to study the response of a detector applied to different types of radiation. The crystal of cesium iodide activated with thallium (CsI:Tl) has a high gamma detection efficiency per unit volume. In this paper, the CsI:Tl crystal, grown by the vertical Bridgman technique in evacuated silica ampoules and with the purpose of use as radiation detectors, is described. To evaluate the scintillator, measures of the thallium distribution in the crystal volume were taken, with overall efficiency score. The scintillator response was studied through gamma radiation from sources of {sup 137}Cs, {sup 60}Co, {sup 22}Na, {sup 54}Mn, {sup 131}I and {sup 99m}Tc; the beta radiation from source of {sup 90}Sr/{sup 90}Y, alpha particles from {sup 241}Am source and the scintillator response to neutrons from Am/Be source. The energetic resolution for {sup 137}Cs gamma rays (662 keV) was 10%. The results showed the validity of using the CsI:Tl crystal developed in our laboratory, in many applications in the area of radiation detectors. (author)

Precision machining and polishing of scintillating crystals for large calorimeters and hodoscopes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wuest, C.R.; Fuchs, B.A.

1993-05-01

New machining and polishing techniques have been developed for large barium fluoride scintillating crystals that provide crystalline surfaces without sub-surface damage or deformation as verified by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Rutherford Back-scattering (RBS) analyses. Surface roughness of about 10--20 angstroms and sub-micron mechanical tolerances have been demonstrated on large crystal samples. Mass production techniques have also been developed for machining and polishing up to five 50 cm long crystals at one time. We present this technology along with surface studies of barium fluoride crystals polished with this technique. This technology is applicable for a number of new crystal detectors proposed at Colliders including the Barium Fluoride Electromagnetic Calorimeter at SSC, the Crystal Clear Collaboration's cerium fluoride calorimeter at LHC, and the KTeV and PHENIX scintillating hodoscopes at Fermilab, and RHIC, respectively. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) has an active program of study on barium fluoride scintillating crystals for the Barium Fluoride Electromagnetic Calorimeter Collaboration and cerium fluoride and lead fluoride for the Crystal Clear Collaboration. This program has resulted in a number of significant improvements in the mechanical processing, polishing and coating of fluoride crystals. Techniques have been developed using diamond-loaded pitch lapping that can produce 15 angstrom RMS surface finishes over large areas. Also, special polishing fixtures have been designed based on mounting technology developed for the 1.1 m diameter optics used in LLNL's Nova Laser. These fixtures allow as many as five 25--50 cm long crystals to be polished and lapped at the same time with tolerances satisfying the stringent requirements of crystal calorimeters. We also discuss results on coating barium fluoride with UV reflective layers of magnesium fluoride and aluminum

Scintillation quenching in BGO crystal of the Solar Orbiter HET

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grunau, J.; Kulkarni, Shrinivasrao; Martin, C.; Boettcher, Stephan; Seimetz, L.; Schuster, B.; Kulemzin, A.; Wimmer-Schweingruber, Robert F. [IEAP, Christian-Albrechts-Universitaet zu Kiel (Germany)

2013-07-01

The High-Energy Telescope (HET) on ESA's Solar Orbiter mission will measure electrons from 300 keV up to about 30 MeV, protons from 10 to 100 MeV and heavy ions from approximately 20 to 200 MeV/nuc. These measurement capabilities are reached by a combination of solid-state tracking detectors and a scintillator calorimeter. This setup can perform particle identification via the dE/dx vs total E technique. The scintillator approach provides a good resolution over the complete energy range but the total energy deposition has to be corrected for the scintillation quenching. The quenching lowers light output depending on the type and energy of the incident particle. We measured the crystal response for different heavy ions and energies and compared them to simulated values. Simulations were carried out using the GEANT4 toolkit provided by CERN. From comparison of simulated and measured data we were able to calculate quenching factors for the BGO crystals for ions up to iron. The results are of great interest for later data analysis with the HET telescope.

How Photonic Crystals Can Improve the Timing Resolution of Scintillators

CERN Document Server

Lecoq, P; Knapitsch, A

2013-01-01

Photonic crystals (PhCs) and quantum optics phenomena open interesting perspectives to enhance the light extraction from scintillating me dia with high refractive indices as demonstrated by our previous work. By doing so, they also in fl uence the timing resolution of scintillators by improving the photostatistics. The present cont ribution will demonstrate that they are actually doing much more. Indeed, photonic crystals, if properly designed, allow the extr action of fast light propagation modes in the crystal with higher efficiency, therefore contributing to increasing the density of photons in the early phase of the light pulse. This is of particular interest to tag events at future high-energy physics colliders, such as CLIC, with a bunch-crossing rate of 2 GHz, as well as for a new generation of time-of-flight positron emission tomographs (TOFPET) aiming at a coincidence timing resolution of 100 ps FWHM. At this level of precision, good control of the light propagation modes is crucial if we consid...

Crystal scintillators for use in check-light source for thermoluminescent systems

Science.gov (United States)

Nagpal, J. S.; Sabharwal, S. C.; Chougaonkar, M. P.; Godbole, S. V.

1999-08-01

Beta ( 63Ni, Emax 0.063 MeV) excited radioluminescence of indigenously grown crystal scintillators CsI(Tl), Bi 4Ge 3O 12 and CdWO 4 has been studied for its use in check-light source needed for thermoluminescence systems. Temperature coefficient of the light output over 298-323 K and the beta-induced TL of the scintillators over 298-553 K are reported.

Rare-Earth Tantalates and Niobates Single Crystals: Promising Scintillators and Laser Materials

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renqin Dou

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Rare-earth tantalates, with high density and monoclinic structure, and niobates with monoclinic structure have been paid great attention as potential optical materials. In the last decade, we focused on the crystal growth technology of rare-earth tantalates and niobates and studied their luminescence and physical properties. A series of rare-earth tantalates and niobates crystals have been grown by the Czochralski method successfully. In this work, we summarize the research results on the crystal growth, scintillation, and laser properties of them, including the absorption and emission spectra, spectral parameters, energy levels structure, and so on. Most of the tantalates and niobates exhibit excellent luminescent properties, rich physical properties, and good chemical stability, indicating that they are potential outstanding scintillators and laser materials.

Photonic crystals: A novel approach to enhance the light output of scintillation based detectors

CERN Document Server

Knapitsch, A; Leclercq, J L; Letartre, X; Auffray, E; Fabjan, C W

2011-01-01

Future high-energy physics (HEP) experiments as well as next generation medical imaging applications are more and more pushing towards better scintillation characteristics. One of the problems in heavy scintillating materials is related to their high electronic density, resulting in a large index of refraction. As a consequence, most of the scintillation light produced in the bulk material is trapped inside the crystal due to total internal reflection. The same problem also occurs with light emitting diodes (LEDs) and has for a long time been considered as a limiting factor for their overall efficiency. Recent studies have shown that those limits can be overcome by means of light scattering effects of photonic crystals (PhCs). In our simulations we could show light yield improvements between 90\\% and 110\\% when applying PhC structures to different scintillator materials. To evaluate the results, a PhC modified scintillator was produced in cooperation with the NIL (Nanotechnology Institute of Lyon). By using s...

Photonic Crystal Nanocavity Arrays

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Altug, Hatice; Vuckovic, Jelena

2006-01-01

We recently proposed two-dimensional coupled photonic crystal nanocavity arrays as a route to achieve a slow-group velocity of light in all crystal directions, thereby enabling numerous applications...

Clinical prototype of a plastic water-equivalent scintillating fiber dosimeter array for QA applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lacroix, Frederic; Archambault, Louis; Gingras, Luc; Guillot, Mathieu; Beddar, A. Sam; Beaulieu, Luc

2008-01-01

A clinical prototype of a scintillating fiber dosimeter array for quality assurance applications is presented. The array consists of a linear array of 29 plastic scintillation detectors embedded in a water-equivalent plastic sheet coupled to optical fibers used to guide optical photons to a charge coupled device (CCD) camera. The CCD is packaged in a light-tight, radiation-shielded housing designed for convenient transport. A custom designed connector is used to ensure reproducible mechanical positioning of the optical fibers relative to the CCD. Profile and depth dose characterization measurements are presented and show that the prototype provides excellent dose measurement reproducibility (±0.8%) in-field and good accuracy (±1.6% maximum deviation) relative to the dose measured with an IC10 ionization chamber

Barium iodide and strontium iodide crystals and scintillators implementing the same

Science.gov (United States)

Payne, Stephen A.; Cherepy, Nerine; Pedrini, Christian; Burger, Arnold

2016-09-13

In one embodiment, a crystal includes at least one metal halide; and an activator dopant comprising ytterbium. In another general embodiment, a scintillator optic includes: at least one metal halide doped with a plurality of activators, the plurality of activators comprising: a first activator comprising europium, and a second activator comprising ytterbium. In yet another general embodiment, a method for manufacturing a crystal suitable for use in a scintillator includes mixing one or more salts with a source of at least one dopant activator comprising ytterbium; heating the mixture above a melting point of the salt(s); and cooling the heated mixture to a temperature below the melting point of the salts. Additional materials, systems, and methods are presented.

Crystal growth and characterization of calcium metaborate scintillators

Science.gov (United States)

Fujimoto, Y.; Yanagida, T.; Kawaguchi, N.; Fukuda, K.; Totsuka, D.; Watanabe, K.; Yamazaki, A.; Chani, V.; Nikl, M.; Yoshikawa, A.

2013-03-01

Calcium metaborate CaB2O4 single crystals were grown by the Czochralski (CZ) method with the radio-frequency (RF) heating system. In these crystals, a plane cleavage was observed along the growth direction. The crystals had an 80% transparency, and no absorption bands were detected in the 190-900 nm wavelength range. The 241Am 5.5 MeV α-ray-excited radioluminescence spectrum of CaB2O4 demonstrated a broad intrinsic luminescence peak at 300-400 nm, which originated from the lattice defects or an exciton-based emission. According to the pulse height spectrum, when irradiated by neutrons from a 252Cf source, the scintillation light yielded approximately 3200 photons per neutron (ph/n).

Technique investigation on large area neutron scintillation detector array

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Jiabin

2006-12-01

The detailed project for developing Large Area Neutron Scintillation Detector Array (LaNSA) to be used for measuring fusion fuel area density on Shenguang III prototype is presented, including experimental principle, detector working principle, electronics system design and the needs for target chamber etc. The detailed parameters for parts are given and the main causes affecting the system function are analyzed. The realization path is introduced. (authors)

Scintillation properties of a La,Lu-admix gadolinium pyrosilicate crystal

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kurosawa, S.; Shishido, T.; Suzuki, A.; Sugawara, T.; Nomura, A.; Yubuta, K.; Shoji, Y.; Yokota, Y.; Pejchal, Jan; Ohashi, Y.; Kamada, K.; Yoshikawa, A.

2015-01-01

Roč. 784, Jun (2015), s. 115-118 ISSN 0168-9002 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : scintillator * pyrosilicate crystal * Ce-doped (La, Lu, Gd) Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 1.200, year: 2015

A novel method to calibrate DOI function of a PET detector with a dual-ended-scintillator readout

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shao Yiping; Yao Rutao; Ma Tianyu

2008-01-01

The detection of depth-of-interaction (DOI) is a critical detector capability to improve the PET spatial resolution uniformity across the field-of-view and will significantly enhance, in particular, small bore system performance for brain, breast, and small animal imaging. One promising technique of DOI detection is to use dual-ended-scintillator readout that uses two photon sensors to detect scintillation light from both ends of a scintillator array and estimate DOI based on the ratio of signals (similar to Anger logic). This approach needs a careful DOI function calibration to establish accurate relationship between DOI and signal ratios, and to recalibrate if the detection condition is shifted due to the drift of sensor gain, bias variations, or degraded optical coupling, etc. However, the current calibration method that uses coincident events to locate interaction positions inside a single scintillator crystal has severe drawbacks, such as complicated setup, long and repetitive measurements, and being prone to errors from various possible misalignments among the source and detector components. This method is also not practically suitable to calibrate multiple DOI functions of a crystal array. To solve these problems, a new method has been developed that requires only a uniform flood source to irradiate a crystal array without the need to locate the interaction positions, and calculates DOI functions based solely on the uniform probability distribution of interactions over DOI positions without knowledge or assumption of detector responses. Simulation and experiment have been studied to validate the new method, and the results show that the new method, with a simple setup and one single measurement, can provide consistent and accurate DOI functions for the entire array of multiple scintillator crystals. This will enable an accurate, simple, and practical DOI function calibration for the PET detectors based on the design of dual-ended-scintillator readout. In

Crystal scintillators for use in check-light source for thermoluminescent systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nagpal, J.S.; Sabharwal, S.C.; Chougaonkar, M.P.; Godbole, S.V

1999-08-11

Beta ({sup 63}Ni, E{sub max} 0.063 MeV) excited radioluminescence of indigenously grown crystal scintillators CsI(Tl), Bi{sub 4}Ge{sub 3}O{sub 12} and CdWO{sub 4} has been studied for its use in check-light source needed for thermoluminescence systems. Temperature coefficient of the light output over 298-323 K and the beta-induced TL of the scintillators over 298-553 K are reported. (author)

ISPA (imaging silicon pixel array) experiment

CERN Document Server

Patrice Loïez

2002-01-01

Application components of ISPA tubes are shown: the CERN-developed anode chip, special windows for gamma and x-ray detection, scintillating crystal and fibre arrays for imaging and tracking of ionizing particles.

Luminescence and scintillation properties of Rb2HfCl6 crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saeki, Keiichiro; Wakai, Yuki; Fujimoto, Yutaka; Koshimizu, Masanori; Asai, Keisuke; Yanagida, Takayuki; Nakauchi, Daisuke

2016-01-01

We developed a scintillator based on a Rb 2 HfCl 6 crystal as a ternary halide crystal with intrinsic luminescence. In the photoluminescence spectra, two emission bands are observed at 383 and 434 nm. The 434 nm emission band for Rb 2 HfCl 6 may be attributed to [HfCl 6 ] 2- complex ion or [ZrCl 6 ] 2- impurity, since the Rb 2 HfCl 6 contained Zr as impurity at 0.62 mol %. The radioluminescence band is observed at 420 nm and can be attributed to the same origin as the photoluminescence band at 434 nm. The scintillation decay-time constants were 0.84 and 5.4 μs. The light yield was estimated to be 24,100 photons/MeV. (author)

Crystal growth and scintillation properties of Lu substituted CeBr.sub.3./sub. single crystals

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Ito, T.; Yokota, Y.; Kurosawa, S.; Král, Robert; Kamada, K.; Pejchal, Jan; Ohashi, Y.; Yoshikawa, A.

2016-01-01

Roč. 452, Oct (2016), s. 65-68 ISSN 0022-0248. [American Conference on Crystal Growth and Epitaxy /20./ (ACCGE) / 17th Biennial Workshop on Organometallic Vapor Phase Epitaxy (OMVPE) / 2nd 2D Electronic Materials Symposium. Big Sky, MT, 02.08.2015-07.08.2015] Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : radiation * halides * scintillator materials * crystal growth Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 1.751, year: 2016

Inorganic scintillators for detector systems physical principles and crystal engineering

CERN Document Server

Lecoq, Paul; Korzhik, Mikhail

2017-01-01

This second edition features new chapters highlighting advances in our understanding of the behavior and properties of scintillators, and the discovery of new families of materials with light yield and excellent energy resolution very close to the theoretical limit. The book focuses on the discovery of next-generation scintillation materials and on a deeper understanding of fundamental processes. Such novel materials with high light yield as well as significant advances in crystal engineering offer exciting new perspectives. Most promising is the application of scintillators for precise time tagging of events, at the level of 100 ps or higher, heralding a new era in medical applications and particle physics. Since the discovery of the Higgs Boson with a clear signature in the lead tungstate scintillating blocks of the CMS Electromagnetic Calorimeter detector, the current trend in particle physics is toward very high luminosity colliders, in which timing performance will ultimately be essential to mitigating...

Scintillation camera

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zioni, J.; Klein, Y.; Inbar, D.

1975-01-01

The scintillation camera is to make pictures of the density distribution of radiation fields created by the injection or administration radioactive medicaments into the body of the patient. It contains a scintillation crystal, several photomultipliers and computer circuits to obtain an analytical function at the exits of the photomultiplier which is dependent on the position of the scintillations at the time in the crystal. The scintillation crystal is flat and spatially corresponds to the production site of radiation. The photomultipliers form a pattern whose basic form consists of at least three photomultipliers. They are assigned to at least two crossing parallel series groups where a vertical running reference axis in the crystal plane belongs to each series group. The computer circuits are each assigned to a reference axis. Each series of a series group assigned to one of the reference axes in the computer circuit has an adder to produce a scintillation dependent series signal. Furthermore, the projection of the scintillation on this reference axis is calculated. A series signal is used for this which originates from a series chosen from two neighbouring photomultiplier series of this group. The scintillation must have appeared between these chosen series. They are termed as basic series. The photomultiplier can be arranged hexagonally or rectangularly. (GG/LH) [de

Testing the radiation hardness of lead tungstate scintillating crystals

CERN Document Server

Shao, M; Li Chuan; Chen, H; Xu, Z Z; Wang, Z M

2000-01-01

Large Hadron Collider operation will produce a high radiation background. PbWO/sub 4/ crystals are selected as scintillators for the CMS electromagnetic calorimeter. To reach the precise requirement for energy measurements, a strict requirement for the radiation hardness is needed. In this paper, we present a method for evaluating the radiation hardness and its measurement. Results for several full size (23 cm length) lead tungstate crystals under Co/sup 60/ gamma - ray irradiation are given, investigating the light yield loss and its longitudinal uniformity. (8 refs).

Direct photon-counting scintillation detector readout using an SSPM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stapels, Christopher J.; Squillante, Michael R.; Lawrence, William G.; Augustine, Frank L.; Christian, James F.

2007-01-01

Gamma-ray detector technologies, capable of providing adequate energy information, use photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) or silicon avalanche photodiodes to detect the light pulse from a scintillation crystal. A new approach to detect the light from scintillation materials is to use an array of small photon counting detectors, or a 'detector-on-a-chip' based on a novel 'Solid-state Photomultiplier' (SSPM) concept. A CMOS SSPM coupled to a scintillation crystal uses an array of CMOS Geiger photodiode (GPD) pixels to collect light and produce a signal proportional to the energy of the radiation. Each pixel acts as a binary photon detector, but the summed output is an analog representation of the total photon intensity. We have successfully fabricated arrays of GPD pixels in a CMOS environment, which makes possible the production of miniaturized arrays integrated with the detector electronics in a small silicon chip. This detector technology allows for a substantial cost reduction while preserving the energy resolution needed for radiological measurements. In this work, we compare designs for the SSPM detector. One pixel design achieves maximum detection efficiency (DE) for 632-nm photons approaching 30% with a room temperature dark count rate (DCR) of less than 1 kHz for a 30-μm-diameter pixel. We characterize after pulsing and optical cross talk and discuss their effects on the performance of the SSPM. For 30-μm diameter, passively quenched CMOS GPD pixels, modeling suggests that a pixel spacing of approximately 90 μm optimizes the SSPM performance with respect to DE and cross talk

Quality inspection of anisotropic scintillating lead tungstate (PbWO4) crystals through measurement of interferometric fringe pattern parameters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cocozzella, N.; Lebeau, M.; Majni, G.; Paone, N.; Rinaldi, D.

2001-01-01

Scintillating crystals are widely used as detectors in radiographic systems, computerized axial tomography devices and in calorimeters employed in high-energy physics. This paper results from a project motivated by the development of the CMS calorimeter at CERN, which will make use of a large number of scintillating crystals. In order to prevent crystals from breaking because of internal residual stress, a quality control system based on optic inspection of interference fringe patterns was developed. The principle of measurement procedures was theoretically modelled, and then a dedicated polariscope was designed and built, in order to observe the crystals under induced stresses or to evaluate the residual internal stresses. The results are innovative and open a new perspective for scintillating crystals quality control: the photoelastic constant normal to the optic axis of the lead tungstate crystals (PbWO 4 ) was measured, and the inspection procedure developed is applicable to mass production, not only to optimize the crystal processing, but also to establish a quality inspection procedure

Quality inspection of anisotropic scintillating lead tungstate (PbWO 4) crystals through measurement of interferometric fringe pattern parameters

Science.gov (United States)

Cocozzella, N.; Lebeau, M.; Majni, G.; Paone, N.; Rinaldi, D.

2001-08-01

Scintillating crystals are widely used as detectors in radiographic systems, computerized axial tomography devices and in calorimeters employed in high-energy physics. This paper results from a project motivated by the development of the CMS calorimeter at CERN, which will make use of a large number of scintillating crystals. In order to prevent crystals from breaking because of internal residual stress, a quality control system based on optic inspection of interference fringe patterns was developed. The principle of measurement procedures was theoretically modelled, and then a dedicated polariscope was designed and built, in order to observe the crystals under induced stresses or to evaluate the residual internal stresses. The results are innovative and open a new perspective for scintillating crystals quality control: the photoelastic constant normal to the optic axis of the lead tungstate crystals (PbWO 4) was measured, and the inspection procedure developed is applicable to mass production, not only to optimize the crystal processing, but also to establish a quality inspection procedure.

Scintillation of lead tungstate crystal studied with single-electron beam from KUFEL

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rizwan, Mohamad, E-mail: rizwan@nucl.kyushu-u.ac.jp; Uozumi, Yusuke; Matsuo, Kazuki [Department of Applied Quantum Physics and Nuclear Engineering, Kyushu University, Fukuoka (Japan); Ohgaki, Hideaki; Kii, Toshiteru; Zen, Heishun [Institute of Advanced Energy, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto (Japan); Tsamalaidze, Zviadi; Evtoukhovitch, Petr; Valentin, Samoilov [Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, JINR, Joliot-Curie Str.6, Dubna (Russian Federation)

2015-04-29

Lead tungstate (PWO) crystal has a very fast response, high atomic density and high radiation hardness. Therefore, they are suitable to be used for high-energy nuclear data measurements under high-background circumstances. Although a good electron-ion separation with a pulse shape analysis technique is essential, scintillation pulse shapes have not been observed with electron beams of a wide energy range. A single-electron beam technique has been developed at Kyoto University Free Electron Laser (KUFEL), and electron beams of 4-38 MeV are available. During the experiments, single electron beams bombarded a PWO crystal. By using oscilloscope we observed scintillation pulses of a PWO crystal coupled with a photomultiplier tube. Measured spectra were compared with the simulation code of EGS5 to analyze scattering effects. As the result, the pulse amplitudes show good linearity and the pulse shapes are almost constant in the observed energy range.

Optimization of detection system based on inorganic scintillation crystal coupled with a long lightguide

CERN Document Server

Globus, M; Ratner, M

2002-01-01

Operation characteristics of a scintillation crystal, linked with the photomultiplier by a long transparent lightguide, are considered (such detection systems are used for monitoring the seawater pollution, scintillation measurements in magnetic field, etc.). This system is optimized with respect to the refractive index of the liquid, coupling the crystal with the lightguide, and the roughness degree of the crystal surface. It is shown that the energy resolution of the system can be significantly improved by using the coupling liquid with a refractive index somewhat less than that of the lightguide (a difference of about 0.2 is optimal). Light output and especially energy resolution becomes better with an increase of the roughness degree of the reflecting surface.

Optimization of the scintillation parameters of the lead tungstate crystals for their application in high precision electromagnetic calorimetry; Optimisation des parametres de scintillation des cristaux de tungstate de plomb pour leur application dans la calorimetrie electromagnetique de haute precision

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Drobychev, G

2000-04-12

In the frame of this dissertation work scintillation properties of the lead tungstate crystals (PWO) and possibilities of their use were studied foreseeing their application for electromagnetic calorimetry in extreme radiation environment conditions of new colliders. The results of this work can be summarized in the following way. 1. A model of the scintillations origin in the lead tungstate crystals which includes processes influencing on the crystals radiation hardness and presence of slow components in scintillations was developed. 2. An analysis of the influences of the PWO scintillation properties changes on the parameters of the electromagnetic calorimeter was done. 3. Methods of the light collection from the large scintillation elements of complex shape made of the birefringent scintillation crystal with high refraction index and low light yield in case of signal registration by a photodetector with sensitive surface small in compare with the output face of scintillator were Studied. 4. Physical principles of the methodology of the scintillation crystals certification during their mass production foreseeing their installation into a calorimeter electromagnetic were developed. Correlations between the results of measurements of the PWO crystals parameters by different methods were found. (author)

On the ionization scintillation calorimeter based on KMgF3 crystal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Buzulutskov, A.F.

1990-01-01

The development of the ionization scintillation calorimeter, using KMgF 3 crystals and high efficiency photocathodes, is proposed. Some characteristics of such calorimeter are compared with those of the high pressure gas one. 6 refs.; 2 figs.; 2 tabs

arXiv Strong reduction of the effective radiation length in an oriented PWO scintillator crystal

CERN Document Server

Bandiera, L.; Romagnoni, M.; Argiolas, N.; Bagli, E.; Ballerini, G.; Berra, A.; Brizzolani, C.; Camattari, R.; De Salvador, D.; Haurylavets, V.; Mascagna, V.; Mazzolari, A.; Prest, M.; Soldani, M.; Sytov, A.; Vallazza, E.

We measured a considerable increase of the emitted radiation by 120 GeV/c electrons in an axially oriented lead tungstate scintillator crystal, if compared to the case in which the sample was not aligned with the beam direction. This enhancement resulted from the interaction of particles with the strong crystalline electromagnetic field. The data collected at the external lines of CERN SPS were critically compared to Monte Carlo simulations based on the Baier Katkov quasiclassical method, highlighting a reduction of the scintillator radiation length by a factor of five in case of beam alignment with the [001] crystal axes. The observed effect opens the way to the realization of compact electromagnetic calorimeters/detectors based on oriented scintillator crystals in which the amount of material can be strongly reduced with respect to the state of the art. These devices could have relevant applications in fixed-target experiments as well as in satellite-borne gamma-telescopes.

A SiPM-based isotropic-3D PET detector X'tal cube with a three-dimensional array of 1 mm{sup 3} crystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yamaya, Taiga; Mitsuhashi, Takayuki; Inadama, Naoko; Nishikido, Fumihiko; Yoshida, Eiji; Murayama, Hideo [Molecular Imaging Center, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555 (Japan); Matsumoto, Takahiro; Kawai, Hideyuki; Suga, Mikio [Chiba University, 1-33 Yayoicho, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8522 (Japan); Watanabe, Mitsuo, E-mail: taiga@nirs.go.jp [Central Research Laboratory, Hamamatsu Photonics K.K., 5000 Hirakuchi, Hamakita-ku, Hamamatsu 434-8601 (Japan)

2011-11-07

We are developing a novel, general purpose isotropic-3D PET detector X'tal cube which has high spatial resolution in all three dimensions. The research challenge for this detector is implementing effective detection of scintillation photons by covering six faces of a segmented crystal block with silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs). In this paper, we developed the second prototype of the X'tal cube for a proof-of-concept. We aimed at realizing an ultimate detector with 1.0 mm{sup 3} cubic crystals, in contrast to our previous development using 3.0 mm{sup 3} cubic crystals. The crystal block was composed of a 16 x 16 x 16 array of lutetium gadolinium oxyorthosilicate (LGSO) crystals 0.993 x 0.993 x 0.993 mm{sup 3} in size. The crystals were optically glued together without inserting any reflector inside and 96 multi-pixel photon counters (MPPCs, S10931-50P, i.e. six faces each with a 4 x 4 array of MPPCs), each having a sensitive area of 3.0 x 3.0 mm{sup 2}, were optically coupled to the surfaces of the crystal block. Almost all 4096 crystals were identified through Anger-type calculation due to the finely adjusted reflector sheets inserted between the crystal block and light guides. The reflector sheets, which formed a belt of 0.5 mm width, were placed to cover half of the crystals of the second rows from the edges in order to improve identification performance of the crystals near the edges. Energy resolution of 12.7% was obtained at 511 keV with almost uniform light output for all crystal segments thanks to the effective detection of the scintillation photons.

Gamma-ray detection with an UV-enhanced photodiode and scintillation crystals emitting at short wavelengths

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johansen, G.A.

1997-01-01

A low-noise ion implanted photodiode with high spectral response in the deep blue/UV region has been tested as read-out device for scintillation crystals with matching emission spectra (YAP(Ce), GSO(Ce), BGO and CsI(Tl)). This gamma-ray detector concept is attractive in many industrial applications where compactness, reliability and ambient temperature operation are important. The results show that the amount of detected scintillation light energy falls rapidly off as the wavelength of the scintillation light decreases. It is concluded that the dynamic spectral response of the photodiode, due to increasing carrier collection times, is considerably less than the DC response at short wavelengths. The diode is not useful in pulse mode operation with scintillation crystals emitting at wavelengths below about 400 nm. For read-out of CsI(Tl) with 661.6 keV gamma-radiation, however, the photodiode concept shows better energy resolution (7.1%) than other detectors. (orig.)

Growth and fabrication of large size sodium iodide crystal scintillator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sabharwal, S.C.; Karandikar, S.C.; Mirza, T.; Ghosh, B.; Deshpande, R.Y.

1979-01-01

The growth of 80 - 135 mm dia. Sodium iodide crystals activated with thallium is described in the present report. The growth is effected in a glazed porcelain crucible in a protective ambient of dry nitrogen. The technical details of the equipment developed have been fully described. The results of measurements on the rate of growth of crystal and the optimization of different growth parameters are reported. The dependence of various factors upon the performance characteristics of the scintillator detectors made using these crystals is also discussed. The energy resolution obtained for a typical detector of dimensions 76 mm dia x 76 mm ht. is 10 percent. (auth.)

Development of high-resolution gamma detector using sub-mm GAGG crystals coupled to TSV-MPPC array

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lipovec, A.; Shimazoe, K.; Takahashi, H.

2016-01-01

In this study a high-resolution gamma detector based on an array of sub-millimeter Ce:GAGG (Cerium doped Gd 3 Al 2 Ga 3 O 12 ) crystals read out by an array of surface-mount type of TSV-MPPC was developed. MPPC sensor from Hamamatsu which has a 26 by 26 mm 2 detector area with 64 channels was used. One channel has a 3 by 3 mm 2 photosensitive area with 50 μ m pitch micro cells. MPPC sensor provides 576 mm 2 sensing area and was used to decode 48 by 48 array with 0.4 by 0.4 by 20 mm 3 Ce:GAGG crystals of 500 μ m pitch. The base of the detector with the crystal module was mounted to a read out board which consists of charge division circuit, thus allowing for a read out of four channels to identify the position of the incident event on the board. The read out signals were amplified using charge sensitive amplifiers. The four amplified signals were digitized and analyzed to produce a position sensitive event. For the performance analysis a 137 Cs source was used. The produced events were used for flood histogram and energy analysis. The effects of the glass thickness between the Ce:GAGG and MPPC were analyzed using the experimental flood diagrams and Geant4 simulations. The glass between the scintillator and the detector allows the spread of the light over different channels and is necessary if the channel's sensitive area is bigger than the scintillator's area. The initial results demonstrate that this detector module is promising and could be used for applications requiring compact and high-resolution detectors. Experimental results show that the detectors precision increases using glass guide thickness of 1.35 mm and 1.85 mm; however the precision using 2.5 mm are practically the same as if using 0.8 mm or 1.0 mm glass guide thicknesses. In addition, simulations using Geant4 indicate that the light becomes scarcer if thicker glass is used, thus reducing the ability to indicate which crystal was targeted. When 2.5 mm glass thickness is used, the scarce

Crystal growth and scintillation properties of Pr-doped SrI2 single crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Yokota, Yuui; Ito, Tomoki; Yoshino, Masao; Yamaji, Akihiro; Ohashi, Yuji; Kurosawa, Shunsuke; Kamada, Kei; Yoshikawa, Akira

2018-04-01

Pr-doped SrI2 (Pr:SrI2) single crystals with various Pr concentrations were grown by the halide-micro-pulling-down (H-μ-PD) method, and the scintillation properties were investigated. Pr1%:SrI2 single crystal with high transparency could be grown by the H-μ-PD method while Pr2, 3 and 5%:SrI2 single crystals included some cracks and opaque parts. In the photoluminescence spectrum of the Pr1%:SrI2 single crystal, an emission peak originated from the Pr3+ ion was observed around 435 nm while the radioluminescence spectra showed an emission peak around 535 nm for the undoped SrI2 and Pr:SrI2 single crystals. Light yields of Pr1, 2, 3 and 5%:SrI2 single crystals under γ-ray irradiation were 7700, 8700, 7200 and 6700 photons/MeV, respectively. Decay times of Pr1 and 2%:SrI2 single crystals under γ-ray irradiation were 55.9 and 35.0 ns of the fast decay component, and 435 and 408 ns of the slow decay component, respectively.

Crystal growth and scintillation properties of multi-component oxide single crystals: Ce:GGAG and Ce:La-GPS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoshikawa, A., E-mail: yoshikawa@imr.tohoku.ac.jp [Institute for Materials Research (IMR), Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577 (Japan); New Industry Creation Hatchery Center (NICHe), Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8579 (Japan); C& A Corporation, 6-6-40 Aramaki Aza Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8579 (Japan); Kamada, K. [New Industry Creation Hatchery Center (NICHe), Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8579 (Japan); C& A Corporation, 6-6-40 Aramaki Aza Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8579 (Japan); Kurosawa, S. [Institute for Materials Research (IMR), Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577 (Japan); New Industry Creation Hatchery Center (NICHe), Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8579 (Japan); Shoji, Y. [Institute for Materials Research (IMR), Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577 (Japan); C& A Corporation, 6-6-40 Aramaki Aza Aoba, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8579 (Japan); Yokota, Y. [New Industry Creation Hatchery Center (NICHe), Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8579 (Japan); Chani, V.I. [Institute for Materials Research (IMR), Tohoku University, Sendai 980-8577 (Japan); Nikl, M. [Institute of Physics, AS CR, Cukrovarnická 10, 162 53 Prague (Czech Republic)

2016-01-15

Crystal growth by micro-pulling-down, Czochralski, and floating zone methods and scintillation properties of Ce:Gd{sub 3}(Ga,Al){sub 5}O{sub 12} (Ce:GGAG) multi-component oxide garnets, and Ce:Gd{sub 2}Si{sub 2}O{sub 7} (Ce:GPS) or Ce:(La,Gd){sub 2}Si{sub 2}O{sub 7} (Ce:La-GPS) pyro-silicates are reviewed. GGAG crystals demonstrated practically linear dependences of some of the parameters including lattice constant, emission wavelength, and band gap on Ga content. However, emission intensity, light yield and energy resolution showed maxima for intermediate compositions. GGAG crystals had the highest light yield of 56,000 photon/MeV for Ga content of 2.7 atoms per garnet formula unit. Similarly the light yield and energy resolution of La-GPS showed the highest values of 40,000 photon/MeV and 4.4%@662 keV, respectively, for La-GPS containing 10% of La. Moreover, La-GPS demonstrated stable scintillation performance up to 200 °C.

Scintillation characteristics of Tm3+ in Ca3(BO3)2 crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujimoto, Yutaka; Yanagida, Takayuki; Yokota, Yuui; Kawaguchi, Noriaki; Fukuda, Kentaro; Totsuka, Daisuke; Watanabe, Kenichi; Yamazaki, Atsushi; Yoshikawa, Akira

2011-01-01

Basic optical properties and radiation responses of undoped, Tm 3+ 1.0% and 2.0% activated Ca 3 (BO 3 ) 2 (CBO) crystalline scintillator prepared by the micro-pulling down (μ-PD) method are reported. Tm 3+ : CBO crystals showed three weak absorption bands around 190, 260 and 350 nm, owing to the Tm 3+ 4f–4f transition. Strong blue luminescence peaks at 360 and 460 nm which are ascribed to the 1 D 2 – 3 H 6 and 1 D 2 – 3 F 4 transitions of Tm 3+ respectively were observed under 241 Am 5.5 MeV α-ray excitation. The scintillation light yield of 2.0% Tm 3+ -doped CBO crystal was evaluated to be about 250 ph/n from the 252 Cf excited pulse height spectrum.

Photon statistics in scintillation crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Bora, Vaibhav Joga Singh

Scintillation based gamma-ray detectors are widely used in medical imaging, high-energy physics, astronomy and national security. Scintillation gamma-ray detectors are eld-tested, relatively inexpensive, and have good detection eciency. Semi-conductor detectors are gaining popularity because of their superior capability to resolve gamma-ray energies. However, they are relatively hard to manufacture and therefore, at this time, not available in as large formats and much more expensive than scintillation gamma-ray detectors. Scintillation gamma-ray detectors consist of: a scintillator, a material that emits optical (scintillation) photons when it interacts with ionization radiation, and an optical detector that detects the emitted scintillation photons and converts them into an electrical signal. Compared to semiconductor gamma-ray detectors, scintillation gamma-ray detectors have relatively poor capability to resolve gamma-ray energies. This is in large part attributed to the "statistical limit" on the number of scintillation photons. The origin of this statistical limit is the assumption that scintillation photons are either Poisson distributed or super-Poisson distributed. This statistical limit is often dened by the Fano factor. The Fano factor of an integer-valued random process is dened as the ratio of its variance to its mean. Therefore, a Poisson process has a Fano factor of one. The classical theory of light limits the Fano factor of the number of photons to a value greater than or equal to one (Poisson case). However, the quantum theory of light allows for Fano factors to be less than one. We used two methods to look at the correlations between two detectors looking at same scintillation pulse to estimate the Fano factor of the scintillation photons. The relationship between the Fano factor and the correlation between the integral of the two signals detected was analytically derived, and the Fano factor was estimated using the measurements for SrI2:Eu, YAP

Analysis of thermal treatment effects upon optico-luminescent and scintillation characteristics of oxide and chalcogenide crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ryzhikov, Vladimir D.; Grinyov, Boris V.; Pirogov, Evgeniy N.; Galkin, Sergey N.; Nagornaya, Lyudmila L.; Bondar, Vladimir G.; Babiychuk, Inna P.; Krivoshein, Vadim I.; Silin, Vitaliy I.; Lalayants, Alexandr I.; Voronkin, Evgeniy F.; Katrunov, Konstantin A.; Onishchenko, Gennadiy M.; Vostretsov, Yuriy Ya.; Malyi, Pavel Yu.; Lisetskaya, Elena K.; Lisetskii, Longin N.

2005-01-01

This work has been aimed at analyzing the effects of various thermal treatment factors upon optical-luminescent, scintillation and other functional characteristics of complex oxide and chalcogenide crystals. The crystals considered in this work are scintillators with intrinsic (PWO, CWO, BGO), activator (GSO:Ce) or complex-defect ZnSe(Te) type of luminescence. Important factors of thermal treatment are not only the temperature and its variation with time, but also the chemical composition of the annealing medium, its oxidation-reduction properties

Scintillation properties of a La, Lu-admix gadolinium pyrosilicate crystal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kurosawa, Shunsuke, E-mail: kurosawa@imr.tohoku.ac.jp [Institute for Materials Research (IMR), Tohoku University 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577 (Japan); New Industry Creation Hatchery Center (NICHe) 6-6-10 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579 (Japan); Shishido, Toetsu; Suzuki, Akira; Sugawara, Takamasa; Nomura, Akiko; Yubuta, Kunio [Institute for Materials Research (IMR), Tohoku University 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577 (Japan); Shoji, Yasuhiro [Institute for Materials Research (IMR), Tohoku University 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577 (Japan); C& A Corporation, 6-6-40 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577 (Japan); Yokota, Yuui [New Industry Creation Hatchery Center (NICHe) 6-6-10 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579 (Japan); Pejchal, Jan [New Industry Creation Hatchery Center (NICHe) 6-6-10 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579 (Japan); Institute of Physics, AS CR, Cukrovarnická 10, 162 53 Prague (Czech Republic); Ohashi, Yuji [Institute for Materials Research (IMR), Tohoku University 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577 (Japan); Kamada, Kei [New Industry Creation Hatchery Center (NICHe) 6-6-10 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579 (Japan); C& A Corporation, 6-6-40 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577 (Japan); Yoshikawa, Akira [Institute for Materials Research (IMR), Tohoku University 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577 (Japan); New Industry Creation Hatchery Center (NICHe) 6-6-10 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579 (Japan); C& A Corporation, 6-6-40 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577 (Japan)

2015-06-01

In order to obtain new scintillator with higher effective atomic number, a pyrosilicate crystal with a composition (Ce{sub 0.01}, Gd{sub 0.54}, La{sub 0.25}, Lu{sub 0.20}){sub 2}Si{sub 2}O{sub 7} (Ce:LaLu-GPS) was grown by the floating zone method. Emission wavelengths of this material were at 370 and 390 nm. Gamma-ray-excited pulse height and scintillation decay measurement showed that Ce:LaLu-GPS had a light output of 34,000±2000 photons/MeV, an FWHM energy resolution of 6.9±0.2%, and the decay time components of 59±1 ns (13%) and 570±20 ns (87%)

Development of phonon and photon detectors for rare events searches using scintillating crystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ahrens, Felix; Enss, Christian; Fleischmann, Andreas; Gastaldo, Loredana; Hassel, Clemens; Hendricks, Sebastian; Kempf, Sebastian [Kirchhoff-Institut fuer Physik, Universit at Heidelberg (Germany); Kim, Yong-Hamb [Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Loidl, Martin; Navick, Xavier-Francois; Rodrigues, Matias [Commissariat a l' energie atomique, Saclay (France)

2016-07-01

The use of scintillating crystals in cryogenic experiments searching for neutrinoless double beta decay and for direct interaction of dark matter particles allows for an efficient background reduction due to particle discrimination. We develop phonon and photon detectors based on metallic magnetic calorimeters (MMCs) to perform simultaneous measurements of heat and light generated by the interaction of a particle in a scintillating crystal. As designed we expect for the phonon sensor an energy resolution of ΔE{sub FWHM}<100 eV and a signal rise time τ<200 μs whereas for the photon detector we expect ΔE{sub FWHM}<5 eV and τ<50 μs. We discuss the design and the fabrication of these detectors and present recent results.

Scintillating fiber array for tagging post-bremsstrahlung electrons

Science.gov (United States)

Cole, Philip; Alef, Stefan; Reitz, Björn-Eric; Schmieden, Hartmut; Hannappel, Jürgen; Jude, Thomas; Sandri, Paolo Levi; BGO-OD Collaboration

2016-03-01

We seek to extract the kinematic fingerprints of baryon resonances by making use of a high-quality beam of linearly polarized photons at the BGO-OD experiment at ELSA (Bonn, German). We constructed a unique device for precisely determining the degree of polarization in the coherent bremsstrahlung peak. Deflection of post-bremsstrahlung electrons in the magnetic field of the photon tagger provides precise information on the energy and polarization of the bremsstrahlung photons. And thereby will constrain the overall kinematics of the final-state particles in all decay channels of the photoproduced baryon resonances. We designed, prototyped, built, calibrated, and have been operating a three-layered, multi-stranded, scintillating-fiber detector for ensuring the quality of the linearly polarization of the photon beam. The overlapping 2.00-mm scintillating fibers form an array giving ARGUS over 500 channels. The very befitting name harkens to the mythological all-seeing creature Argus Panoptes, the multi-eyed giant. Our work was supported through a Fulbright Scholarship Award and by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft through the Collaborative Research Center (Sonderforschungsbereich SFB/TR-16) of the universities in Bonn, Giessen and Bochum, Germany. NSF-PHY-1307340.

Monte Carlo simulation of the standardization of {sup 22}Na using scintillation detector arrays

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sato, Y., E-mail: yss.sato@aist.go.j [National Metrology Institute of Japan, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Quantum Radiation Division, Radioactivity and Neutron Section, Tsukuba Central 2, 1-1-1 Umezono, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8568 (Japan); Murayama, H. [National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1, Anagawa, Inage, Chiba 263-8555 (Japan); Yamada, T. [Japan Radioisotope Association, 2-28-45, Hon-komagome, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-8941 (Japan); National Metrology Institute of Japan, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Quantum Radiation Division, Radioactivity and Neutron Section, Tsukuba Central 2, 1-1-1 Umezono, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8568 (Japan); Tohoku University, 6-6, Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba, Sendai 980-8579 (Japan); Hasegawa, T. [Kitasato University, 1-15-1, Kitasato, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 228-8555 (Japan); Oda, K. [Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology, 1-1 Nakacho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo 173-0022 (Japan); Unno, Y.; Yunoki, A. [National Metrology Institute of Japan, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Quantum Radiation Division, Radioactivity and Neutron Section, Tsukuba Central 2, 1-1-1 Umezono, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8568 (Japan)

2010-07-15

In order to calibrate PET devices by a sealed point source, we contrived an absolute activity measurement method for the sealed point source using scintillation detector arrays. This new method was verified by EGS5 Monte Carlo simulation.

Grooved windows for scintillation crystals and light pipes of high refractive index

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Swinehart, C.F.

1975-01-01

Scintillation crystals are disclosed which have improved resolution and pulse height. An improved crystal has shallow grooves or spot depressions cut in the window, usually an end surface. Typical grooves are about 1.5 mm wide and about .1 mm deep. The grooves may be either horizontal, generally parallel grooves in spaced apart relationship, or concentric rings in radially spaced apart relationship. A light pipe of high refractive index, such as a crystal of pure sodium iodide, may also be improved with shallow grooves or spot depressions cut in an end surface

X-ray detection capability of a Cs2ZnCl4 single-crystal scintillator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yahaba, Natsuna; Koshimizu, Masanori; Sun, Yan; Asai, Keisuke; Yanagida, Takayuki; Fujimoto, Yutaka; Haruki, Rie; Nishikido, Fumihiko; Kishimoto, Shunji

2014-01-01

The X-ray detection capability of a scintillation detector equipped with a Cs 2 ZnCl 4 single crystal was evaluated. The scintillation decay kinetics can be expressed as the sum of two exponential decay components. The fast decay component had a decay time constant of 1.8 ns, and its relative intensity was 95%. The total light output was 630 photons/MeV, and a subnanosecond timing resolution of 0.66 ns was obtained. The detection efficiency of 67.4 keV X-rays was 80% for a detector equipped with a 2.2-mm-thick Cs 2 ZnCl 4 crystal. Thus, excellent timing resolution and high detection efficiency were achieved simultaneously. (author)

Preparation and characterisation of radiation hard PbWO4 crystal scintillator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sabharwal, S.C.; Desai, D.G.; Sangeeta; Karandikar, S.C.; Chauhan, A.K.; Sangiri, A.K.; Keshwani, K.S.; Ahuja, M.N.

1996-01-01

The selective loss of one of the crystal constituents is found to be responsible for the yellowish coloration of PbWO 4 crystals. However, using the already pulled crystals as the starting charge for the subsequent growth, colorless crystals can be grown. The crystals exhibiting excellent transmission characteristics have been grown employing a low temperature gradient, a moderate rotation rate of 15 rpm and a pull speed of 1 mm/h. The colored crystals show some radiation damage on gamma irradiation, while the colorless ones remain unaffected even for irradiation doses as high as 10 Mrad. Both the types of crystals show the presence of weak thermoluminescence (TL) emission when high irradiation doses (similar 10 Mrad) are given. Only one TL glow peak is obtained in both the cases but the peak temperatures are different. The emission centers responsible for the TL emission are found to be the ones which give rise to the scintillation emission in the crystal. (orig.)

Scintillation and bit error rate analysis of a phase-locked partially coherent flat-topped array laser beam in oceanic turbulence.

Science.gov (United States)

Yousefi, Masoud; Kashani, Fatemeh Dabbagh; Golmohammady, Shole; Mashal, Ahmad

2017-12-01

In this paper, the performance of underwater wireless optical communication (UWOC) links, which is made up of the partially coherent flat-topped (PCFT) array laser beam, has been investigated in detail. Providing high power, array laser beams are employed to increase the range of UWOC links. For characterization of the effects of oceanic turbulence on the propagation behavior of the considered beam, using the extended Huygens-Fresnel principle, an analytical expression for cross-spectral density matrix elements and a semi-analytical one for fourth-order statistical moment have been derived. Then, based on these expressions, the on-axis scintillation index of the mentioned beam propagating through weak oceanic turbulence has been calculated. Furthermore, in order to quantify the performance of the UWOC link, the average bit error rate (BER) has also been evaluated. The effects of some source factors and turbulent ocean parameters on the propagation behavior of the scintillation index and the BER have been studied in detail. The results of this investigation indicate that in comparison with the Gaussian array beam, when the source size of beamlets is larger than the first Fresnel zone, the PCFT array laser beam with the higher flatness order is found to have a lower scintillation index and hence lower BER. Specifically, in the sense of scintillation index reduction, using the PCFT array laser beams has a considerable benefit in comparison with the single PCFT or Gaussian laser beams and also Gaussian array beams. All the simulation results of this paper have been shown by graphs and they have been analyzed in detail.

Scintillators and other particle optical detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chipaux, R.

2011-01-01

The author reports and comments his researcher career in the field of particle optical detectors. He addresses the cases of organic scintillators (scintillating fibers, liquid scintillators), inorganic scintillators (crystals for electromagnetic calorimetry, crystals for solar neutrino spectroscopy), and Cherenkov Effect detectors. He also reports his works on Cd Te detectors and their modelling

Comparison of polystyrene scintillator fiber array and monolithic polystyrene for neutron imaging and radiography

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Simpson, R., E-mail: raspberry@lanl.gov; Cutler, T. E.; Danly, C. R.; Espy, M. A.; Goglio, J. H.; Hunter, J. F.; Madden, A. C.; Mayo, D. R.; Merrill, F. E.; Nelson, R. O.; Swift, A. L.; Wilde, C. H.; Zocco, T. G. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (United States)

2016-11-15

The neutron imaging diagnostic at the National Ignition Facility has been operating since 2011 generating neutron images of deuterium-tritium (DT) implosions at peak compression. The current design features a scintillating fiber array, which allows for high imaging resolution to discern small-scale structure within the implosion. In recent years, it has become clear that additional neutron imaging systems need to be constructed in order to provide 3D reconstructions of the DT source and these additional views need to be on a shorter line of sight. As a result, there has been increased effort to identify new image collection techniques that improve upon imaging resolution for these next generation neutron imaging systems, such as monolithic deuterated scintillators. This work details measurements performed at the Weapons Neutron Research Facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory that compares the radiographic abilities of the fiber scintillator with a monolithic scintillator, which may be featured in a future short line of sight neutron imaging systems.

Silicon drift detectors coupled to CsI(Tl) scintillators for spaceborne gamma-ray detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marisaldi, M.; Fiorini, C.; Labanti, C.; Longoni, A.; Perotti, F.; Rossi, E.; Soltau, H.

2006-01-01

Silicon Drift Detectors (SDDs), thanks to their peculiar low noise characteristics, have proven to be excellent photodetectors for CsI(Tl) scintillation light detection. Two basic detector configurations have been developed: either a single SDD or a monolithic array of SDDs coupled to a single CsI(Tl) crystal. A 16 independent detectors prototype is under construction, designed to work in conjunction with the MEGA Compton telescope prototype under development at MPE, Garching, Germany. A single SDD coupled to a CsI(Tl) crystal has also been tested as a monolithic detector with an extended energy range between 1.5 keV and 1 MeV. The SDD is used as a direct X-ray detector for low energy photons interacting in silicon and as a scintillation light photodetector for photons interacting in the crystal. The type of interaction is identified by means of pulse shape discrimination technique. Detectors based on an array of SDDs coupled to a single CsI(Tl) crystal have also been built. The readout of these detectors is based on the Anger camera technique, and submillimeter spatial resolution can be achieved. The two detectors' approaches and their applications will be described

A cadmium-zinc-telluride crystal array spectrometer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McHugh, H. R.; Quam, W.; DeVore, T.; Vogle, R.; Weslowski, J.

2003-01-01

This paper describes a gamma detector employing an array of eight cadmium-zinc-telluride (CZT) crystals configured as a high resolution gamma ray spectrometer. This detector is part of a more complex instrument that identifies the isotope,displays this information, and records the gamma spectrum. Various alarms and other operator features are incorporated in this battery operated rugged instrument. The CZT detector is the key component of this instrument and will be described in detail in this paper. We have made extensive spectral measurements of the usual laboratory gamma sources, common medical isotopes, and various Special Nuclear Materials (SNM) with this detector. Some of these data will be presented as spectra. We will also present energy resolution and detection efficiency for the basic 8-crystal array. Additional data will also be presented for a 32-crystal array. The basic 8-crystal array development was completed two years ago, and the system electronic design has been imp roved recently. This has resulted in significantly improved noise performance. We expect to have a much smaller detector package, using 8 crystals, in a few months. This package will use flip-chip packaging to reduce the electronics physical size by a factor of 5

Nd-doped Lu3Al5O12 single-crystal scintillator for X-ray imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sugiyama, Makoto; Fujimoto, Yutaka; Yanagida, Takayuki; Totsuka, Daisuke; Chani, Valery; Yokota, Yuui; Yoshikawa, Akira

2013-01-01

The optical and scintillation properties of Nd-doped Lu 3 Al 5 O 12 (Nd:LuAG) crystals grown by the Czochralski (Cz) method were examined under X-ray excitation. Their applicability for X-ray imaging was also inspected. The radioluminescence spectrum induced by X-rays showed a broad host emission and sharp Nd 3+ 4f–4f emission peaks in the UV to visible wavelengths. The light output current of the Nd:LuAG was 85% of that of a standard CdWO 4 X-ray scintillator. The afterglow value measured 20 ms after X-ray irradiation was 1.5%. An X-ray radiographic image was successfully obtained using the Nd:LuAG scintillator coupled with the charge coupled device (CCD) photodetector. -- Highlights: ► The Nd:LuAG single crystal was produced to perform X-ray imaging test. ► The sample exhibited the 85% light output current of the standard CdWO 4 . ► The afterglow intensity of the sample was very high compared with the CdWO 4 . ► The X-ray radiographic image was obtained from the Nd:LuAG single crystal

Optical and scintillating properties of Ce:Li(Y,Lu)F4 single crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yokota, Yuui; Kurosawa, Shunsuke; Chani, Valery; Kamada, Kei; Yoshikawa, Akira

2014-01-01

We have investigated the optical and scintillating properties of Lu co-doped Ce:LiYF 4 single crystals with various Lu content. In the transmittance and absorption spectra, the absorption peaks at 243 nm get systematically red shifted in contrast to the peaks at 197 and 200 nm which get blue shifted with the increase in Lu content. At the same time, emission peaks at 306 nm and 200 nm under 295 nm excitation also get red shifted. The decay time of Ce:Li(Y,Lu)F 4 crystals under 295 nm excitation is found to be faster than that of Ce:LiYF 4 and Ce:LiLuF 4 crystals. The alpha-peak positions in the pulse-height spectra and decay times of crystals under alpha-ray irradiation are found to vary with the Lu content. - Highlights: • Optical and scintillation properties of Ce:Li(Y 1-x Lu x )F 4 crystals were inspected. • Increase of Lu content resulted change of the position of four absorption peaks. • Admixing of Y and Lu decreased the light yield and increased the decay time. • The Ce:LiLuF 4 crystal indicated the largest light yield in the pulse-height spectra. • Li[(Y 0.8 Lu 0.2 ) 0.98 Ce 0.02 ]F 4 indicated larger light yield than Ce:LiYF 4 crystal

Detector construction for a scintillation camera

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ashe, J.B.

1977-01-01

An improved transducer construction for a scintillation camera in which a light conducting element is equipped with a layer of moisture impervious material is described. A scintillation crystal is thereafter positioned in optical communication with the moisture impervious layer and the remaining surfaces of the scintillation crystal are encompassed by a moisture shield. Affixing the moisture impervious layer to the light conducting element prior to attachment of the scintillation crystal reduces the requirement for mechanical strength in the moisture impervious layer and thereby allows a layer of reduced thickness to be utilized. Preferably, photodetectors are also positioned in optical communication with the light conducting element prior to positioning the scintillation crystal in contact with the impervious layer. 13 claims, 4 figures

Scintillation properties of μPD-grown Y{sub 4}Al{sub 2}O{sub 9}:Pr (YAM:Pr) crystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Drozdowski, Winicjusz, E-mail: wind@fizyka.umk.pl [Institute of Physics, Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Informatics, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Grudziadzka 5, 87-100 Torun (Poland); Brylew, Kamil [Institute of Physics, Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Informatics, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Grudziadzka 5, 87-100 Torun (Poland); Malinowski, Michał [Institute of Microelectronics and Optoelectronics, Koszykowa 75, 00-662 Warsaw (Poland); Turczyński, Sebastian [Institute of Electronic Materials Technology, Wolczynska 133, 01-919 Warsaw (Poland)

2015-05-25

Highlights: • YAM:Pr crystals do scintillate and as such deserve further interest. • Fast d–f luminescence of Pr{sup 3+} ions appears in X-ray excited spectra. • Two components (24 and 790 ns) constitute scintillation time profiles. - Abstract: Y{sub 4}Al{sub 2}O{sub 9}:Pr (YAM:Pr) crystals have been grown by the micro-pulling-down method and their scintillation properties have been investigated. YAM:0.1%Pr displays a light yield of about 2000 ph/MeV and its scintillation time profile contains a prompt component with a decay time of 23.5 ns and a contribution of 20%. Radioluminescence spectra show both fast d–f and slow f–f praseodymium emissions. Low temperature glow curves are complex, consisting of discrete peaks and broad bands related to quasi-continuous trap distributions. Overall scintillation performance of YAM:Pr deteriorates with increasing praseodymium concentration.

A high-spatial-resolution three-dimensional detector array for 30-200 keV X-rays based on structured scintillators

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Ulrik Lund; Schmidt, Søren; Poulsen, Henning Friis

2008-01-01

A three-dimensional X-ray detector for imaging 30-200 keV photons is described. It comprises a set of semi-transparent structured scintillators, where each scintillator is a regular array of waveguides in silicon, and with pores filled with CsI. The performance of the detector is described...

Scintillation and optical properties of Ce{sup 3+}-doped CaGdAl{sub 3}O{sub 7} single crystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mori, Masaki, E-mail: masaki.mori.mz4@ms.naist.jp [Graduate School of Materials Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST), 8916-5 Takayama-cho, Ikoma-shi, Nara 630-0192 (Japan); Nakauchi, Daisuke; Okada, Go [Graduate School of Materials Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST), 8916-5 Takayama-cho, Ikoma-shi, Nara 630-0192 (Japan); Fujimoto, Yutaka [Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6-07 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8579 (Japan); Kawaguchi, Noriaki [Graduate School of Materials Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST), 8916-5 Takayama-cho, Ikoma-shi, Nara 630-0192 (Japan); Koshimizu, Masanori [Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6-07 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, 980-8579 (Japan); Yanagida, Takayuki [Graduate School of Materials Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST), 8916-5 Takayama-cho, Ikoma-shi, Nara 630-0192 (Japan)

2017-06-15

The single crystals of 0, 0.6, 1, 1.6 and 2 mol% Ce doped CaGdAl{sub 3}O{sub 7} (Ce:CGAM) were grown by the Floating Zone method, and investigated on photoluminescence (PL) and scintillation properties. In the PL spectra, a broad emission appeared over 380–500 nm under 280 and 360 nm excitations with the quantum yield of 33.8–38.8%. Under a vacuum ultraviolet excitation (90 nm) using a synchrotron source, non-doped CGAM single crystal showed broad emissions over 250–650 nm. The PL decay time profiles followed a monotonic exponential decay with a decay time constant of around 33 ns. The scintillation spectra were similar to those of PL. All of the samples exhibited a clear photoabsorption peak and Compton edge in the pulse height spectra measured under {sup 137}Cs γ-ray irradiation, and the absolute scintillation light yield (LY) was highest for the 2% Ce-doped sample with the value of 3300±300 ph/MeV. The scintillation decay profiles were approximated by a third order exponential decay function, and the extracted decay time of Ce{sup 3+} emission component was around 36–44 ns. Among all the samples, 2%Ce:CGAM single crystal sample showed the best afterglow level as a scintillator under X-ray irradiation. - Highlights: •Ce{sup 3+}-doped CaGdAl{sub 3}O{sub 7} single crystals were synthesized by the FZ method. •Optical and scintillation properties of Ce{sup 3+}-doped CaGdAl{sub 3}O{sub 7} were investigated. •Photoabsorption peak in a pulse height spectrum was clearly observed under γ-rays.

Scintillating crystals: the best things come in small packages

CERN Multimedia

Anaïs Schaeffer

2011-01-01

The European project ENDO TOFPET-US, which involves a team from the PH Department, was officially launched last month. Its main objective is to design a high-performance medical imaging device for use in pancreatic cancer research. 13 partners (including three hospitals and three companies) are involved in the initiative, which has obtained funding of 5.5 million euros from the European Union's FP7 programme and will last for four years.   CERN researchers participating in the ENDO TOFPET-US project. The scintillating crystals developed at CERN have a wide variety of applications, ranging from the LHC to use in hospitals. Now experts in the field, members of the PH Department are currently working on the development of a new type of crystal in the framework of the European project ENDO TOFPET-US. These new-generation crystals, which will be used in endoscopic probes for studying the biological processes associated with pancreatic cancer, are among the finest grown for medical imaging in the world...

Influence of Mo impurity on the spectroscopic and scintillation properties of PbWO4 crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boehm, M.; Hofstaetter, A.; Luh, M.; Meyer, B.K.; Scharmann, A.; Drobychev, G.Yu.; Grenoble-1 Univ., 74 - Annecy; Peigneux, J.P.

1997-12-01

The influence of molybdenum doping on the spectroscopic and scintillation properties of lead tungstate crystals has been investigated. From the results the slow scintillation component as well as the afterglow are found to be due to the Mo impurity. In addition the blue luminescence from excited (WO 4 ) 2- -complex seems to be increasingly suppressed as the doping concentration goes on. Possible mechanisms for the effects have been discussed. (author)

Scintillation crystals for positron emission tomography having a non reflecting band

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thompson, C.J.

1992-01-01

This invention relates generally to positron emission tomography, a sub-field of the class of medical imaging techniques using ionizing radiation and image reconstruction techniques; and more particularly to devices which use an array of scintillation detectors to detect the annihilation radiation from positron disintegration and use this information to reconstruct an image of the distribution of positron emitting isotope within a body section. 6 figs

Optimization of decay kinetics of YAG:Ce single crystal scintillators for S(T)EM electron detectors

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Schauer, Petr

2011-01-01

Roč. 269, č. 21 (2011), s. 2572-2577 ISSN 0168-583X R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP102/10/1410 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20650511 Keywords : scintillation detector * electron microscope * cathodoluminescence * YAG:Ce single crystal scintillator * decay time * afterglow * kinetic model * SEM * STEM Subject RIV: JA - Electronics ; Optoelectronics, Electrical Engineering Impact factor: 1.211, year: 2011

Growth and scintillation properties of 3 in. diameter Ce doped Gd.sub.3./sub.Ga.sub.3./sub.Al.sub.2./sub.O.sub.12./sub. scintillation single crystal

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kamada, K.; Shoji, Y.; Kochurikhin, V.V.; Okumura, S.; Yamamoto, S.; Nagura, A.; Yeom, J.Y.; Kurosawa, S.; Yokota, Y.; Ohashi, Y.; Nikl, Martin; Yoshikawa, A.

2016-01-01

Roč. 452, Oct (2016), s. 81-84 ISSN 0022-0248. [American Conference on Crystal Growth and Epitaxy /20./ (ACCGE) / 17th Biennial Workshop on Organometallic Vapor Phase Epitaxy (OMVPE) / 2nd 2D Electronic Materials Symposium. Big Sky, MT, 02.08.2015-07.08.2015] R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LH14266; GA ČR GJ15-18300Y EU Projects: European Commission(XE) 644260 - INTELUM Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : single crystal growth * oxides * scintillator materials * scintillators Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 1.751, year: 2016

Crystal Growth and Scintillation Properties of Eu2+ doped Cs4CaI6 and Cs4SrI6

Science.gov (United States)

Stand, L.; Zhuravleva, M.; Chakoumakos, B.; Johnson, J.; Loyd, M.; Wu, Y.; Koschan, M.; Melcher, C. L.

2018-03-01

In this work we present the crystal growth and scintillation properties of two new ternarymetal halide scintillators activated with divalent europium, Cs4CaI6 and Cs4SrI6. Single crystals of each compound were grown in evacuated quartz ampoules via the vertical Bridgman technique using a two-zone transparent furnace. Single crystal X-ray diffraction experiments showed that both crystals have a trigonal (R-3c) structure, with a density of 3.99 g/cm3 and 4.03 g/cm3. The radioluminescence and photoluminescence measurements showed typical luminescence properties due to the 5d-4f radiative transitions in Eu2+. At this early stage of development Cs4SrI6:Eu and Cs4CaI6:Eu have shown very promising scintillation properties, with light yields and energy resolutions of 62,300 ph/MeV and 3.3%, and 51,800 photons/MeV and 3.6% at 662 keV, respectively.

Scintillation characteristics of LiB3O5 and β-BaB2O4 single crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nazarenko, B.P.; Pedash, V.Yu.; Shekhovtsov, A.N.; Tarasov, V.A.; Zelenskaya, O.V.

2006-01-01

LiB 3 O 5 and β-BaB 2 O 4 single crystals have been grown by the top seeded solution growth technique. The optical characteristics and scintillation parameters of the grown single crystals have been tested and discussed

LaBr3:Ce crystal: The latest advance for scintillation cameras

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pani, R.; Pellegrini, R.; Cinti, M.N.; Bennati, P.; Betti, M.; Vittorini, F.; Mattioli, M.; Trotta, G.; Orsolini Cencelli, V.; Scafe, R.; Montani, L.; Navarria, F.; Bollini, D.; Baldazzi, G.; Moschini, G.; Rossi, P.; De Notaristefani, F.

2007-01-01

Recent availability of LaBr 3 :Ce crystal is attracting researchers for the development of new advanced SPECT e PET systems. The crystal shows excellent energy resolution values good radiation absorption properties and speed. At present, LaBr 3 :Ce crystal is available with continuous shape covering 5x5 cm 2 area with a thickness up to 1 in. With the aim of analysing the imaging performances of LaBr 3 :Ce for Single Photon Emission Tomography (SPET), we tested three continuous crystals with the same detection area of 5x5 cm 2 and various thicknesses ranging between 4 and 10 mm. Three small scintillation cameras were assembled by coupling LaBr3:Ce crystal to Hamamatsu H8500 Flat panel PMT. The results show very good imaging performances for single photon emission application with superior energy and spatial resolution up 7.5% and 0.9 mm, respectively, and a detection efficiency up to 95% at 140 keV photon energy

Crystal growth and scintillation properties of Ce-doped sodium calcium lutetium complex fluoride

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Wakahara, S.; Furuya, Y.; Yanagida, T.; Yokota, Y.; Pejchal, Jan; Sugiyama, M.; Kawaguchi, N.; Totsuka, D.; Yoshikawa, A.

2012-01-01

Roč. 34, č. 4 (2012), s. 729-732 ISSN 0925-3467 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10100521 Keywords : scintillator * micro-pulling-down method * single crystal * gamma-ray stopping power Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 1.918, year: 2012

Optical and scintillation properties of Sr7%:Ce15%:GdF.sub.3./sub. single crystal

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Fukabori, A.; Kamada, K.; Yanagida, T.; Chani, V.; Aoki, K.; Yokota, Y.; Maeo, S.; Nikl, Martin; Yoshikawa, A.

2011-01-01

Roč. 318, č. 1 (2011), s. 1175-1178 ISSN 0022-0248. [International Conference on Crystal Growth (ICCG16) /16./ and International Conference on Vapor Growth and Epitaxy (ICVGE14) /14./. Beijing, 08.08.2010-13.08.2010] Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10100521 Keywords : radiation * inorganic compounds * scintillator materials * scintillators Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 1.726, year: 2011

Gross beta determination in drinking water using scintillating fiber array detector.

Science.gov (United States)

Lv, Wen-Hui; Yi, Hong-Chang; Liu, Tong-Qing; Zeng, Zhi; Li, Jun-Li; Zhang, Hui; Ma, Hao

2018-04-04

A scintillating fiber array detector for measuring gross beta counting is developed to monitor the real-time radioactivity in drinking water. The detector, placed in a stainless-steel tank, consists of 1096 scintillating fibers, both sides of which are connected to a photomultiplier tube. The detector parameters, including working voltage, background counting rate and stability, are tested, and the detection efficiency is calibrated using standard potassium chloride solution. Water samples are measured with the detector and the results are compared with those by evaporation method. The results show consistency with those by evaporation method. The background counting rate of the detector is 38.131 ± 0.005 cps, and the detection efficiency for β particles is 0.37 ± 0.01 cps/(Bq/l). The MDAC of this system can be less than 1.0 Bq/l for β particles in 120 min without pre-concentration. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Scintillation and optical properties of Pb-doped YCa{sub 4}O(BO{sub 3}){sub 3} crystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fujimoto, Yutaka, E-mail: fuji-you@tagen.tohoku.ac.jp [IMRAM, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8577 (Japan); JSPS, 8 Ichibanmachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-8472 (Japan); Yanagida, Takayuki; Yokota, Yuui [IMRAM, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8577 (Japan); Kawaguchi, Noriaki [Tokuyama Corporation, 3 Shibuya Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-8383 (Japan); Fukuda, Kentaro [IMRAM, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8577 (Japan); Tokuyama Corporation, 3 Shibuya Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-8383 (Japan); Totsuka, Daisuke [Nihon Kessho Kogaku Co., Ltd., 810-5 Nobe-cho Tatebayashi Gunma (Japan); Watanabe, Kenichi; Yamazaki, Atsushi [Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8603 (Japan); Chani, Valery [IMRAM, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8577 (Japan); Yoshikawa, Akira [IMRAM, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8577 (Japan); NICHe, Tohoku University, 6-6-10 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8579 (Japan)

2011-10-01

This communication reports optical properties and radiation responses of Pb{sup 2+} 0.5 and 1.0 mol%-doped YCa{sub 4}O(BO{sub 3}){sub 3} (YCOB) single crystals grown by the micro-pulling-down ({mu}-PD) method for neutron scintillator applications. The crystals had no impurity phases according to the results of X-ray powder diffraction. These Pb{sup 2+}-doped crystals demonstrated blue-light luminescence at 330 nm because of Pb{sup 2+1}S{sub 0}-{sup 3}P{sub 0,1} transition in the photoluminescence spectra. The main emission decay component was determined to be about 250-260 ns under 260 nm excitation wavelength. When irradiated by a {sup 252}Cf source, the relative light yield of 0.5% Pb{sup 2+}-doped crystal was about 300 ph/n that was determined using the light yield of a reference Li-glass scintillator.

Neutron crosstalk between liquid scintillators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Verbeke, J.M., E-mail: verbeke2@llnl.gov; Prasad, M.K., E-mail: prasad1@llnl.gov; Snyderman, N.J., E-mail: snyderman1@llnl.gov

2015-09-11

A method is proposed to quantify the fractions of neutrons scattering between liquid scintillators. Using a spontaneous fission source, this method can be utilized to quickly characterize an array of liquid scintillators in terms of crosstalk. The point model theory due to Feynman is corrected to account for these multiple scatterings. Using spectral information measured by the liquid scintillators, fractions of multiple scattering can be estimated, and mass reconstruction of fissile materials under investigation can be improved. Monte Carlo simulations of mono-energetic neutron sources were performed to estimate neutron crosstalk. A californium source in an array of liquid scintillators was modeled to illustrate the improvement of the mass reconstruction.

Neutron crosstalk between liquid scintillators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Verbeke, J.M.; Prasad, M.K.; Snyderman, N.J.

2015-01-01

A method is proposed to quantify the fractions of neutrons scattering between liquid scintillators. Using a spontaneous fission source, this method can be utilized to quickly characterize an array of liquid scintillators in terms of crosstalk. The point model theory due to Feynman is corrected to account for these multiple scatterings. Using spectral information measured by the liquid scintillators, fractions of multiple scattering can be estimated, and mass reconstruction of fissile materials under investigation can be improved. Monte Carlo simulations of mono-energetic neutron sources were performed to estimate neutron crosstalk. A californium source in an array of liquid scintillators was modeled to illustrate the improvement of the mass reconstruction

The X'tal cube PET detector with a monolithic crystal processed by the 3D sub-surface laser engraving technique: Performance comparison with glued crystal elements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yoshida, Eiji, E-mail: rush@nirs.go.jp [Molecular Imaging Center, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555 (Japan); Hirano, Yoshiyuki; Tashima, Hideaki; Inadama, Naoko; Nishikido, Fumihiko [Molecular Imaging Center, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555 (Japan); Moriya, Takahiro; Omura, Tomohide; Watanabe, Mitsuo [Hamamatsu Photonics K.K., 5000 Hirakuchi, Hamakita-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 434-8601 (Japan); Murayama, Hideo; Yamaya, Taiga [Molecular Imaging Center, National Institute of Radiological Sciences, 4-9-1 Anagawa, Inage-ku, Chiba 263-8555 (Japan)

2013-09-21

The X'tal cube is a depth-of-interaction (DOI)-PET detector which is aimed at obtaining isotropic resolution by effective readout of scintillation photons from six sides of the crystal block. The X'tal cube is composed of a 3D crystal block with isotropic segments. Each face of the 3D crystal block is covered with a 4×4 array of multi-pixel photon counters (MPPCs). Previously, in order to fabricate the 3D crystal block efficiently and precisely, we applied a sub-surface laser engraving technique to a monolithic crystal block instead of gluing segmented small crystals. A dense arrangement of multiple micro-cracks carved by the laser beam works efficiently as a scattering wall for the scintillation photons. The X'tal cube with the laser-processed block showed excellent performance with respect to crystal identification and energy resolution. In this work, for characteristics comparison between the laser-processed block and the conventional segmented array block, we made the laser-processed block and two types of segmented array blocks, one with air gaps and the other with glued segmented small crystals. All crystal blocks had 3D grids of 2 mm pitch. The 4×4 MPPC arrays were optically coupled to each surface of the crystal block. When performance was evaluated using a uniform irradiation of 511 keV, we found that the X'tal cubes with the laser-processed block could easily achieve 2 mm{sup 3} uniform crystal identification. Also, the average energy resolution of each 3D grid was 11.1±0.7%. On the other hand, the glued segmented array block had a pinched distribution and crystals could not be separated clearly. The segmented array block with air gaps had satisfactory crystal identification performance; however, the laser-processed block had higher crystal identification performance. Also, the energy resolution of the laser-processed block was better than for the segmented array blocks. In summary, we found the laser-processed X'tal cube had

Four-layer DOI PET detectors using a multi-pixel photon counter array and the light sharing method

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nishikido, Fumihiko, E-mail: funis@nirs.go.jp; Inadama, Naoko; Yoshida, Eiji; Murayama, Hideo; Yamaya, Taiga

2013-11-21

Silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) provide many advantages for PET detectors, such as their high internal gain, high photon detection efficiency and insensitivity to magnetic fields. The number of detectable scintillation photons of SiPMs, however, is limited by the number of microcells. Therefore, pulse height of PET detectors using SiPMs is saturated when large numbers of scintillation photons enter the SiPM pixels. On the other hand, we previously presented a depth-of-interaction (DOI) encoding method that is based on the light sharing method. Since our encoding method detects scintillation photons with multiple readout pixels, the saturation effect can be suppressed. We constructed two prototype four-layer DOI detectors using a SiPM array and evaluated their performances. The two prototype detectors consisted of four layers of a 6×6 array of Lu{sub 2(1−x)}Y{sub 2x}SiO{sub 5} (LYSO) crystals and a SiPM (multi-pixel photon detector, MPPC, Hamamatsu Photonics K.K.) array of 4×4 pixels. The size of each LYSO crystal element was 1.46 mm×1.46 mm×4.5 mm and all surfaces of the crystal elements were chemically etched. We used two types of MPPCs. The first one had 3600 microcells and high photon detection efficiency (PDE). The other one had 14,400 microcells and lower PDE. In the evaluation experiment, all the crystals of the detector using the MPPC which had the high PDE were clearly identified. The respective energy and timing resolutions of lower than 15% and 1.0 ns were achieved for each crystal element. No saturation of output signals was observed in the 511 keV energy region due to suppression of the saturation effect by detecting scintillation photons with several MPPC pixels by the light sharing method. -- Highlights: •We constructed and evaluated four-layer DOI detectors by the light sharing method using a MPPC array. •The detectors using two types of the MPPC array were compared. •The energy and timing resolutions of lower than 15% and 1.0 ns were

Four-layer DOI PET detectors using a multi-pixel photon counter array and the light sharing method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishikido, Fumihiko; Inadama, Naoko; Yoshida, Eiji; Murayama, Hideo; Yamaya, Taiga

2013-01-01

Silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) provide many advantages for PET detectors, such as their high internal gain, high photon detection efficiency and insensitivity to magnetic fields. The number of detectable scintillation photons of SiPMs, however, is limited by the number of microcells. Therefore, pulse height of PET detectors using SiPMs is saturated when large numbers of scintillation photons enter the SiPM pixels. On the other hand, we previously presented a depth-of-interaction (DOI) encoding method that is based on the light sharing method. Since our encoding method detects scintillation photons with multiple readout pixels, the saturation effect can be suppressed. We constructed two prototype four-layer DOI detectors using a SiPM array and evaluated their performances. The two prototype detectors consisted of four layers of a 6×6 array of Lu 2(1−x) Y 2x SiO 5 (LYSO) crystals and a SiPM (multi-pixel photon detector, MPPC, Hamamatsu Photonics K.K.) array of 4×4 pixels. The size of each LYSO crystal element was 1.46 mm×1.46 mm×4.5 mm and all surfaces of the crystal elements were chemically etched. We used two types of MPPCs. The first one had 3600 microcells and high photon detection efficiency (PDE). The other one had 14,400 microcells and lower PDE. In the evaluation experiment, all the crystals of the detector using the MPPC which had the high PDE were clearly identified. The respective energy and timing resolutions of lower than 15% and 1.0 ns were achieved for each crystal element. No saturation of output signals was observed in the 511 keV energy region due to suppression of the saturation effect by detecting scintillation photons with several MPPC pixels by the light sharing method. -- Highlights: •We constructed and evaluated four-layer DOI detectors by the light sharing method using a MPPC array. •The detectors using two types of the MPPC array were compared. •The energy and timing resolutions of lower than 15% and 1.0 ns were achieved for

Simulation Study of Using High-Z EMA to Suppress Recoil Protons Crosstalk in Scintillating Fiber Array for 14.1 MeV Neutron Imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Jia, Qinggang; Hu, Huasi; Zhang, Fengna; Zhang, Tiankui; Lv, Wei; Zhan, Yuanpin; Liu, Zhihua

2013-12-01

This paper studies the effect of a high-Z extra mural absorber (EMA) to improve the spatial resolution of a plastic (polystyrene) scintillating fiber array for 14.1 MeV fusion neutron imaging. Crosstalk induced by recoil protons was studied, and platinum (Pt) was selected as EMA material, because of its excellent ability to suppress the recoil protons penetrating the fibers. Three common fiber arrays (cylindrical scintillating fibers in square and hexagonal packing arrangements and square scintillating fibers) were simulated using the Monte Carlo method for evaluating the effect of Pt-EMA in improving spatial resolution. It is found that the resolution of the 100 μm square fiber array can be improved from 1.7 to 3.4 lp/mm by using 10- μm-thick Pt-EMA; comparatively, using an array with thinner square fibers (50 μm) only obtains a resolution of 2.1 lp/mm. The packing fraction decreases with the increase of EMA thickness. Our results recommend the use of 10 μm Pt-EMA for the square and the cylindrical (hexagonal packing) scintillating fiber arrays with fibers of 50-200 μm in the cross-sectional dimension. Besides, the dead-zone material should be replaced by high-Z material for the hexagonal packing cylindrical fiber array with fibers of 50-200 μm in diameter. Tungsten (W) and gold (Au) are also used as EMA in the three fiber arrays as a comparison. The simulation results show that W can be used at a lower cost, and Au does not have any advantages in cost and resolution improvement.

Comparison of SensL and Hamamatsu 4×4 channel SiPM arrays in gamma spectrometry with scintillators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Grodzicka-Kobylka, M., E-mail: m.grodzicka@ncbj.gov.pl; Szczesniak, T.; Moszyński, M.

2017-06-01

The market of Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) consists of many manufacturers that produce their detectors in different technology. Hamamatsu (Japan) and SensL (Ireland) seems to be the most popular companies that produce large SiPM arrays. The aim of this work is characterization and comparison of 4×4 channel SiPM arrays produced by these two producers. Both of the tested SiPMs are made in through-silicon via (TSV) technology, consist of 16, 3×3 mm avalanche photodiode (APD) cells and have fill factor slightly above 60%. The largest difference is a single APD cell size and hence total number of APD cells (55,424 for Hamamatsu, 76,640 for SensL). In the case of SensL SiPM, its spectral response characteristics is shifted slightly toward shorter wavelengths with maximum at 420 nm (450 nm for Hamamatsu). The presented measurements cover selection of the SiPM optimum operating voltage (in respect to energy resolution), verification of the excess noise factor and check of the linearity characteristics. Moreover, the gamma spectrometry with LSO, BGO and CsI:Tl scintillators together with pulse characteristics for these crystals (rise time and fall time) is reported, as well as temperature dependence. The presented measurements show better performance of the SensL array comparing to the Hamamatsu detector.

Recent R&D trends in inorganic single crystal scintillator materials for radiation detection

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Nikl, Martin; Yoshikawa, A.

2015-01-01

Roč. 3, č. 4 (2015), s. 463-481 ISSN 2195-1071 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LH14266; GA ČR GAP204/12/0805 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : scintillator * single crystal * luminescence Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 5.359, year: 2015

FLARES: A flexible scintillation light apparatus for rare event searches

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sisti, M., E-mail: monica.sisti@mib.infn.it [Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Milano-Bicocca and INFN – Sezione di Milano-Bicocca, Milano (Italy); Baldazzi, G. [Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università di Bologna and INFN – Sezione di Bologna, Bologna (Italy); Bonvicini, V. [INFN – Sezione di Trieste, Trieste (Italy); Campana, R. [INAF/IASF and INFN – Sezione di Bologna, Bologna (Italy); Capelli, S. [Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Milano-Bicocca and INFN – Sezione di Milano-Bicocca, Milano (Italy); Evangelista, Y.; Feroci, M. [INAF/IASF and INFN – Sezione di Roma2, Roma (Italy); Fuschino, F. [Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università di Bologna and INFN – Sezione di Bologna, Bologna (Italy); INAF/IASF and INFN – Sezione di Bologna, Bologna (Italy); Gironi, L. [Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Milano-Bicocca and INFN – Sezione di Milano-Bicocca, Milano (Italy); Labanti, C.; Marisaldi, M. [INAF/IASF and INFN – Sezione di Bologna, Bologna (Italy); Previtali, E. [Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Milano-Bicocca and INFN – Sezione di Milano-Bicocca, Milano (Italy); Rignanese, L. [Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università di Bologna and INFN – Sezione di Bologna, Bologna (Italy); Rachevsky, A. [INFN – Sezione di Trieste, Trieste (Italy); Vacchi, A. [INFN – Sezione di Trieste, Trieste (Italy); Dipartimento di Matematica e Informatica, Università di Udine, Udine (Italy); Zampa, G.; Zampa, N. [INFN – Sezione di Trieste, Trieste (Italy); Zuffa, M. [Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università di Bologna and INFN – Sezione di Bologna, Bologna (Italy)

2016-07-11

FLARES is a project for an innovative detector technology to be applied to rare event searches, and in particular to neutrinoless double beta decay experiments. Its novelty is the enhancement and optimization of the collection of the scintillation light emitted by ultra-pure crystals through the use of arrays of high performance silicon photodetectors cooled to 120 K. This would provide scintillation detectors with 1% level energy resolution, with the advantages of a technology offering relatively simple low cost mass scalability and powerful background reduction handles, as requested by future neutrinoless double beta decay experimental programs. The performances of a first production of matrices of Silicon Drift Detectors are presented and discussed in this paper.

FLARES: A flexible scintillation light apparatus for rare event searches

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sisti, M.; Baldazzi, G.; Bonvicini, V.; Campana, R.; Capelli, S.; Evangelista, Y.; Feroci, M.; Fuschino, F.; Gironi, L.; Labanti, C.; Marisaldi, M.; Previtali, E.; Rignanese, L.; Rachevsky, A.; Vacchi, A.; Zampa, G.; Zampa, N.; Zuffa, M.

2016-01-01

FLARES is a project for an innovative detector technology to be applied to rare event searches, and in particular to neutrinoless double beta decay experiments. Its novelty is the enhancement and optimization of the collection of the scintillation light emitted by ultra-pure crystals through the use of arrays of high performance silicon photodetectors cooled to 120 K. This would provide scintillation detectors with 1% level energy resolution, with the advantages of a technology offering relatively simple low cost mass scalability and powerful background reduction handles, as requested by future neutrinoless double beta decay experimental programs. The performances of a first production of matrices of Silicon Drift Detectors are presented and discussed in this paper.

Quantum mechanical cluster calculations of critical scintillation processes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Derenzo, Stephen E.; Klintenberg, Mattias K.; Weber, Marvin J.

2000-01-01

This paper describes the use of commercial quantum chemistry codes to simulate several critical scintillation processes. The crystal is modeled as a cluster of typically 50 atoms embedded in an array of typically 5,000 point charges designed to reproduce the electrostatic field of the infinite crystal. The Schrodinger equation is solved for the ground, ionized, and excited states of the system to determine the energy and electron wave function. Computational methods for the following critical processes are described: (1) the formation and diffusion of relaxed holes, (2) the formation of excitons, (3) the trapping of electrons and holes by activator atoms, (4) the excitation of activator atoms, and (5) thermal quenching. Examples include hole diffusion in CsI, the exciton in CsI, the excited state of CsI:Tl, the energy barrier for the diffusion of relaxed holes in CaF2 and PbF2, and prompt hole trapping by activator atoms in CaF2:Eu and CdS:Te leading to an ultra-fast (<50ps) scintillation rise time.

Dose mapping of the rectal wall during brachytherapy with an array of scintillation dosimeters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cartwright, L. E.; Suchowerska, N.; Yin, Y.; Lambert, J.; Haque, M.; McKenzie, D. R.

2010-01-01

Purpose: In pelvic brachytherapy treatments, the rectum is an organ at risk. The authors have developed an array of scintillation dosimeters suitable for in vivo use that enables quality assurance of the treatment delivery and provides an alert to potential radiation accidents. Ultimately, this will provide evidence to direct treatment planning and dose escalation and correlate dose with the rectal response. Methods: An array of 16 scintillation dosimeters in an insertable applicator has been developed. The dosimeters were calibrated simultaneously in a custom designed circular jig before use. Each dosimeter is optically interfaced to a set of pixels on a CCD camera located outside the treatment bunker. A customized software converts pixel values into dose rate and accumulates dose for presentation during treatment delivery. The performance of the array is tested by simulating brachytherapy treatments in a water phantom. The treatment plans were designed to deliver a known dose distribution on the surface of the rectal applicator, assumed to represent the dose to the rectal wall. Results: The measured doses were compared to those predicted by the treatment plan and found to be in agreement to within the uncertainty in measurement, usually within 3%. The array was also used to track the progression of the source as it moved along the catheter. The measured position was found to agree with the position reported by the afterloader to within the measurement uncertainty, usually within 2 mm. Conclusions: This array is capable of measuring the actual dose received by each region of the rectal wall during brachytherapy treatments. It will provide real time monitoring of treatment delivery and raise an alert to a potential radiation accident. Real time dose mapping in the clinical environment will give the clinician additional confidence to carry out dose escalation to the tumor volume while avoiding rectal side effects.

Calculated Absolute Detection Efficiencies of Cylindrical Nal (Tl) Scintillation Crystals for Aqueous Spherical Sources

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Strindehag, O; Tollander, B

1968-08-15

Calculated values of the absolute total detection efficiencies of cylindrical scintillation crystals viewing spherical sources of various sizes are presented. The calculation is carried out for 2 x 2 inch and 3 x 3 inch Nal(Tl) crystals and for sources which have the radii 1/4, 1/2, 3/4 and 1 times the crystal radius. Source-detector distances of 5-20 cm and gamma energies in the range 0.1 - 5 MeV are considered. The correction factor for absorption in the sample container wall and in the detector housing is derived and calculated for a practical case.

Linear energy transfer effects on time profiles of scintillation of Ce-doped LiCaAlF6 crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yanagida, Takayuki; Koshimizu, Masanori; Kurashima, Satoshi; Iwamatsu, Kazuhiro; Kimura, Atsushi; Taguchi, Mitsumasa; Fujimoto, Yutaka; Asai, Keisuke

2015-01-01

We measured temporal profiles of the scintillation of Ce-doped LiCaAlF 6 scintillator crystals at different linear energy transfers (LETs). Based on the comparison of high-LET temporal profiles with those at low LET, a fast component was observed only at low LET. The disappearance of the fast component at high LET is tentatively ascribed to the quenching of excited states at crystal defects owing to the interaction between excited states via the Auger process. In addition, the rise and the initial decay behavior were dependent on the LET. This LET-dependent behavior is explained by an acceleration process and a deceleration process in energy transfer at high LET. The LET-dependent temporal profiles provide the basis for a discrimination technique of gamma-ray and neutron detection events using these scintillators based on the nuclear reaction, 6 Li(n,α)t.

Eu-activated fluorochlorozirconate glass-ceramic scintillators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, J. A.; Schweizer, S.; Henke, B.; Chen, G.; Woodford, J.; Newman, P. J.; MacFarlane, D. R.

2006-01-01

Rare-earth-doped fluorochlorozirconate (FCZ) glass-ceramic materials have been developed as scintillators and their properties investigated as a function of dopant level. The paper presents the relative scintillation efficiency in comparison to single-crystal cadmium tungstate, the scintillation intensity as a function of x-ray intensity and x-ray energy, and the spatial resolution (modulation transfer function). Images obtained with the FCZ glass-ceramic scintillator and with cadmium tungstate are also presented. Comparison shows that the image quality obtained using the glass ceramic is close to that from cadmium tungstate. Therefore, the glass-ceramic scintillator could be used as an alternative material for image formation resulting from scintillation. Other inorganic scintillators such as single crystals or polycrystalline films have limitations in resolution or size, but the transparent glass-ceramic can be scaled to any shape or size with excellent resolution

An optimized method for the reconstruction of the direction of air showers for scintillator arrays

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krawczynski, H.; Prahl, J.; Arqueros, F.; Bradbury, S.; Cortina, J.; Deckers, T.; Eckmann, R.; Feigl, E.; Fernandez, J.; Fonseca, V.; Funk, B.; Gebauer, J.; Gonzalez, J.C.; Haustein, V.; Heinzelmann, G.; Holl, I.; Kirstein, O.; Kornmeyer, H.; Krennrich, F.; Lindner, A.; Lorenz, E.; Magnussen, N.; Martinez, S.; Merck, M.; Meyer, H.; Mirzoyan, R.; Moeller, H.; Moralejo, A.; Mueller, N.; Padilla, L.; Petry, D.; Plaga, R.; Prosch, C.; Rauterberg, G.; Rhode, W.; Samorski, M.; Sanchez, J.A.; Schmele, D.; Sooth, R.N.; Stamm, W.; Westerhoff, S.; Wiebel-Sooth, B.; Willmer, M. [Hamburg Univ. (Germany). 2. Inst. fuer Experimentalphys.]|[Universidad Complutense, Facultad de Ciencias Fisicas, Ciudad Universitaria, E-28040 Madrid (Spain)]|[Max Planck Institut fuer Physik, Foehringer Ring 6, D-80805 Muenchen (Germany)]|[Universitaet Kiel, Institut fuer Kernphysik, Olshausenstr. 40, D-24118 Kiel (Germany)]|[Universitaet Wuppertal, Fachbereich Physik, Gaussstr.20, D-42097 Wuppertal (Germany)

1996-12-11

An optimized method is presented for the reconstruction of air shower directions for scintillator arrays. The method takes into account that both the expectation value and the spread of the measured arrival times not only depend on the distance of a counter from the shower axis, but also on the number of particles registered in that counter. It also takes into account that the distributions of the measured arrival times are not Gaussian. For showers recorded with the HEGRA scintillator array above the threshold energy of E{sub thres}= 20 TeV the mean angular resolution obtained with this method is left angle {sigma}{sup {theta}}{sub 63%} right angle =1.0 {sup circle}, and above a threshold E{sub thres}= 50 TeV it is left angle {sigma}{sup {theta}}{sub 63%} right angle =0.6 {sup circle}. Comparing the new procedure with the HEGRA standard procedure the angular resolution has improved on average by a factor of 1.33. The mis-pointing has been determined with an accuracy of 0.15 {sup circle}. The method is developed using experimental data. (orig.).

An optimized method for the reconstruction of the direction of air showers for scintillator arrays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Krawczynski, H.; Prahl, J.; Arqueros, F.; Bradbury, S.; Cortina, J.; Deckers, T.; Eckmann, R.; Feigl, E.; Fernandez, J.; Fonseca, V.; Funk, B.; Gebauer, J.; Gonzalez, J.C.; Haustein, V.; Heinzelmann, G.; Holl, I.; Kirstein, O.; Kornmeyer, H.; Krennrich, F.; Lindner, A.; Lorenz, E.; Magnussen, N.; Martinez, S.; Merck, M.; Meyer, H.; Mirzoyan, R.; Moeller, H.; Moralejo, A.; Mueller, N.; Padilla, L.; Petry, D.; Plaga, R.; Prosch, C.; Rauterberg, G.; Rhode, W.; Samorski, M.; Sanchez, J.A.; Schmele, D.; Sooth, R.N.; Stamm, W.; Westerhoff, S.; Wiebel-Sooth, B.; Willmer, M.

1996-01-01

An optimized method is presented for the reconstruction of air shower directions for scintillator arrays. The method takes into account that both the expectation value and the spread of the measured arrival times not only depend on the distance of a counter from the shower axis, but also on the number of particles registered in that counter. It also takes into account that the distributions of the measured arrival times are not Gaussian. For showers recorded with the HEGRA scintillator array above the threshold energy of E thres = 20 TeV the mean angular resolution obtained with this method is left angle σ θ 63% right angle =1.0 circle , and above a threshold E thres = 50 TeV it is left angle σ θ 63% right angle =0.6 circle . Comparing the new procedure with the HEGRA standard procedure the angular resolution has improved on average by a factor of 1.33. The mis-pointing has been determined with an accuracy of 0.15 circle . The method is developed using experimental data. (orig.)

Pulse shape discrimination using EJ-299-33 plastic scintillator coupled with a Silicon Photomultiplier array

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liao, Can; Yang, Haori

2015-01-01

Recent developments in organic plastic scintillators capable of pulse shape discrimination (PSD) have gained much interest. Novel photon detectors, such as Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs), offer numerous advantages and can be used as an alternative to conventional photo multiplier tubes (PMTs) in many applications. In this work, we evaluate the PSD performance of the EJ-299-33 plastic scintillator coupled with a SiPM array. 2D PSD plots as well as the Figure of Merit (FOM) parameters are presented to demonstrate the PSD capability of EJ-299-33 using a SiPM as the light sensor. The best FOM of 0.76 was observed with a 1.0 MeVee (MeV-electron-equivalent) energy threshold, despite the high noise level of the SiPM array. A high-speed digital oscilloscope was used to acquire data, which was then processed offline in MATLAB. A performance comparison between two different PSD algorithms was carried out. The dependence of PSD quality on the sampling rate was also evaluated, stimulated by the interest to implement this setup for handheld applications where power consumption is crucial

QUANTUM-MECHANICAL MODELING OF SPATIAL AND BAND STRUCTURE OF Y3AL5O12 SCINTILLATION CRYSTAL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

I. I. Vrubel

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Spatial and electronic structures of a unit cell of yttrium-aluminum garnet have been studied. Quantum-mechanical model have been presented. Semi-empirical methods PM6 and PM7 have been used for geometry optimization of the crystal unit cell. Band structure has been calculated within density functional theory with the use of PBE exchange-correlation functional. Histograms of metal-oxygen distances for equilibrium geometry have been constructed. Comparison of the used methods has been carried out and recommendation about their applicability for such problems was given. The single-particle wave functions and energies have been calculated. The bandgap was estimated. The band structure was plotted. It was shown that the method gives reliable results for spatial and band structure of Y3Al5O12 scintillation crystal. The results of this work can be used for improvement of characteristics of garnet scintillation crystals.

Shock-resistant scintillation detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Novak, W.P.

1979-01-01

A unique scintillation detector unit is disclosed which employs a special light transfer and reflector means that encases and protects the scintillator crystal against high g forces. The light transfer means comprises a flexible silicon rubber optical material bonded between the crystal and the optical window and having an axial thickness sufficient to allow the scintillator to move axially inside the container under high g forces without destroying the bonds. The reflector means comprises a soft elastic silicone rubber sleeve having a multiplicity of closely arranged tapered protrusions radiating toward and engaging the periphery of the scintillator crystal to cushion shocks effectively and having a reflective material, such as aluminum oxide powder, in the spaces between the protrusions. The reflector means provides improved shock absorption because of the uniform support and cushioning action of the protrusions and also provides the detector with high efficiency. The silicon rubber composition is specially compounded to include a large amount of aluminum oxide which enables the rubber to function effectively as a light reflector

Effects of Na co-doping on optical and scintillation properties of Eu:LiCaAlF.sub.6./sub. scintillator single crystals

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Tanaka, Ch.; Yokota, Y.; Kurosawa, S.; Yamaji, A.; Ohashi, Y.; Kamada, K.; Nikl, Martin; Yoshikawa, A.

2017-01-01

Roč. 468, Jun (2017), s. 399-402 ISSN 0022-0248 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LH14266 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : doping * single crystal growth * lithium compounds * scintillator materials Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism OBOR OECD: Condensed matter physics (including formerly solid state physics, supercond.) Impact factor: 1.751, year: 2016

Linear energy transfer effects on time profiles of scintillation of Ce-doped LiCaAlF{sub 6} crystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yanagida, Takayuki [Graduate School of Materials Science, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, 8916-5 Takayama-Cho, Ikoma, Nara 630-0192 (Japan); Koshimizu, Masanori [Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6-07 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8579 (Japan); Kurashima, Satoshi [Takasaki Advanced Radiation Research Institute, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 1233 Watanuki, Takasaki, Gunma 370-1292 (Japan); Iwamatsu, Kazuhiro [Graduate School of Engineering, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656 (Japan); Kimura, Atsushi; Taguchi, Mitsumasa [Quantum Beam Science Directorate, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 1233 Watanuki, Takasaki, Gunma 370-1292 (Japan); Fujimoto, Yutaka; Asai, Keisuke [Department of Applied Chemistry, Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, 6-6-07 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8579 (Japan)

2015-12-15

We measured temporal profiles of the scintillation of Ce-doped LiCaAlF{sub 6} scintillator crystals at different linear energy transfers (LETs). Based on the comparison of high-LET temporal profiles with those at low LET, a fast component was observed only at low LET. The disappearance of the fast component at high LET is tentatively ascribed to the quenching of excited states at crystal defects owing to the interaction between excited states via the Auger process. In addition, the rise and the initial decay behavior were dependent on the LET. This LET-dependent behavior is explained by an acceleration process and a deceleration process in energy transfer at high LET. The LET-dependent temporal profiles provide the basis for a discrimination technique of gamma-ray and neutron detection events using these scintillators based on the nuclear reaction, {sup 6}Li(n,α)t.

Arrays of Segmented, Tapered Light Guides for Use With Large, Planar Scintillation Detectors

Science.gov (United States)

Raylman, Raymond R.; Vaigneur, Keith; Stolin, Alexander V.; Jaliparthi, Gangadhar

2015-06-01

Metabolic imaging techniques can potentially improve detection and diagnosis of cancer in women with radiodense and/or fibrocystic breasts. Our group has previously developed a high-resolution positron emission tomography imaging and biopsy device (PEM-PET) to detect and guide the biopsy of suspicious breast lesions. Initial testing revealed that the imaging field-of-view (FOV) of the scanner was smaller than the physical size of the detector's active area, which could hinder sampling of breast areas close to the chest wall. The purpose of this work was to utilize segmented, tapered light guides for optically coupling the scintillator arrays to arrays of position-sensitive photomultipliers to increase both the active FOV and identification of individual scintillator elements. Testing of the new system revealed that the optics of these structures made it possible to discern detector elements from the complete active area of the detector face. In the previous system the top and bottom rows and left and right columns were not identifiable. Additionally, use of the new light guides increased the contrast of individual detector elements by up to 129%. Improved element identification led to a spatial resolution increase by approximately 12%. Due to attenuation of light in the light guides the detector energy resolution decreased from 18.5% to 19.1%. Overall, these improvements should increase the field-of-view and spatial resolution of the dedicated breast-PET system.

Units of signals in the surface and underground scintillation detectors of the Yakutsk array

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dedenko, L G; Fedorova, G F; Roganova, T M

2013-01-01

Signals in the surface and underground scintillation detectors from the extensive air shower particles at the Yakutsk array are measured in some practical units. These units are signals in detectors caused by the near vertical muons. These signals from the near vertical muons in the surface and underground detectors have been simulated with the help of the GEANT4 package. These simulations follow up the real experimental calibration of the surface and underground detectors carried out at the Yakutsk array. Results of simulations show the noticeable difference of ∼5% in energies deposited in these two types of detectors. This difference should be taken into account to interpret correctly data on the fraction of muons observed at the Yakutsk array and to make real conclusions about the composition of the primary cosmic radiation at ultra-high energies.

The Real-Time Dose Measurement Scintillating Fiber Array for Brachytherapy Procedures

Science.gov (United States)

Tynes, Lawrence

2007-03-01

Brachytherapy is a treatment modality that uses tiny radioactive sources (few mm in length) by delivering enough doses to kill cancer tumors or plaque build-up. The type of sources used in hospitals include both gamma and beta emitters. Presently, the technique suffers from not having a single detector with the capability of providing accurate dose distribution information within sub-mm accuracy. The current standard is based primarily on well chambers and film dosimetry. The Center for Advanced Medical Instrumentation (CAMI) at Hampton University is developing a Scintillating Fiber Based Beta Detector prototype in collaboration with the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) to address this problem. The device is composed of an array of 1x1 mm^2 scintillating fibers optically coupled to photo-multiplier tubes for photon-to-current conversion. A CAMAC LabView based data acquisition system is used for real time data collection and histogramming, data analysis. A set of data were collected at the nearby Bon Secours DePaul Medical Center using a GammaMed 12i HDR after-loader housing a 6.62 mCi Ir-192 source. Preliminary comparison between our device and film dosimetry will be discussed.

Scintillation light read-out by thin photodiodes in silicon wells

CERN Document Server

Allier, C P; Sarro, P M; Eijk, C W E

2000-01-01

Several applications of X-ray and gamma ray imaging detectors, e.g. in medical diagnostics, require millimeter or sub-millimeter spatial resolution and good energy resolution. In order to achieve such features we have proposed a new type of camera, which takes advantage of micromachining technology. It consists of an array of scintillator crystals encapsulated in silicon wells with photodiodes at the bottom. Several parameters of the photodiode need to be optimised: uniformity and efficiency of the light detection, gain, electronic noise and breakdown voltage. In order to evaluate these parameters we have processed 3x3 arrays of 1.8 mm sup 2 , approx 10 mu m thick photodiodes using (1 0 0) wafers etched in a KOH solution. Their optical response at 675 nm wavelength is comparable to that of a 500 mu m thick silicon PIN diode. Their low light detection efficiency is compensated by internal amplification. Several scintillator materials have been positioned in the wells on top of the thin photodiodes, i.e. a 200 ...

LUCIFER: A Scintillating Bolometer Array for the Search of Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cardani, L

2012-01-01

One of the main limitations in the study of 0vDBD is the presence of a radioactive background in the energy region of interest. This limit can be overcome by the technological approach of the LUCIFER project, which is based the double read-out of the heat and scintillation light produced by ZnSe scintillating bolometers. This experiment aims at a background lower than 10 −3 counts/keV/kg/y in the energy region of the 0νDBD of 82 Se. Such a low background level will provide a sensitivity on the effective neutrino mass of the order of 100 meV. In the following, the results of the recent R and D activity are discussed, the single module for the LUCIFER detector is described, and the process for the production of 82 Se-enriched ZnSe crystals is presented.

Silicon photomultiplier arrays for the LHCb scintillating fibre tracker

CERN Multimedia

Girard, Olivier Goran; Kuonen, Axel Kevin; Stramaglia, Maria Elena

2017-01-01

For the LHCb detector upgrade in 2019, a large scale scintillating fibre tracker read out with silicon photomultipliers is under construction. The harsh radiation environment (neutron and ionising radiation), the 40MHz read-out rate of the trigger less system and the large detector surface of 320m2 impose many challenges. We present the results from lab tests with 1MeV electrons and from the SPS test facility at CERN for the mulitchannel SiPM array that combines peak photo-detection efficiency of 48% and extremely low correlated noise. The measurements were performed with detectors irradiated with neutrons up to a fluence of 12*1011 neq/cm2 and single photon detection was maintained. First results of the characterization of the pre-series of 500 detectors delivered by Hamamatsu and irradiation studies on a large sample will be included.

Growth and luminescent properties of Yb3+--doped oxide single crystals for scintillator application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshikawa, A.; Ogino, H.; Shim, J.B.; Nikl, M.; Solovieva, N.; Fukuda, T.

2004-01-01

Rod-shaped (Lu 1-x Yb x ) 3 Al 5 O 12 with x=0.05, 0.15, 0.30 and (Y 1-x Yb x )AlO 3 with x=0.05, 0.10, 0.30 single crystals were grown by the micro-pulling-down method. Edge-defined film-fed growth method was used to prepare (Y 0.9 Yb 0.1 )VO 4 crystal, while Ca 8 (La 1.98 Yb 0.02 )(PO 4 ) 6 O 2 crystal was grown by the Czochralski method. Luminescence of these crystals was studied with main attention paid to the charge transfer emission of Yb 3+ . Temperature tuned decay times in the time scale of units--tens of nanosecond was measured as a feature possibly interesting for an application in scintillation detectors in positron emission tomography

Monte Carlo and Lambertian light guide models of the light output from scintillation crystals at megavoltage energies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evans, Philip M.; Mosleh-Shirazi, M. Amin; Harris, Emma J.; Seco, Joao

2006-01-01

A new model of the light output from single-crystal scintillators in megavoltage energy x-ray beams has been developed, based on the concept of a Lambertian light guide model (LLG). This was evaluated in comparison with a Monte Carlo (MC) model of optical photon transport, previously developed and reported in the literature, which was used as a gold standard. The LLG model was developed to enable optimization of scintillator detector design. In both models the dose deposition and light propagation were decoupled, the scintillators were cuboids, split into a series of cells as a function of depth, with Lambertian side and entrance faces, and a specular exit face. The signal in a sensor placed 1 and 1000 mm beyond the exit face was calculated. Cesium iodide (CSI) crystals of 1.5 and 3 mm square cross section and 1, 5, and 10 mm depth were modeled. Both models were also used to determine detector signal and optical gain factor as a function of CsI scintillator thickness, from 2 to 10 mm. Results showed a variation in light output with position of dose deposition of a factor of up to approximately 5, for long, thin scintillators (such as 10x1.5x1.5 mm 3 ). For short, fat scintillators (such as 1x3x3 mm 3 ) the light output was more uniform with depth. MC and LLG generally agreed to within 5%. Results for a sensor distance of 1 mm showed an increase in light output the closer the light originates to the exit face, while a distance of 1000 mm showed a decrease in light output the closer the light originates to the exit face. For a sensor distance of 1 mm, the ratio of signal for a 10 mm scintillator to that for a 2 mm scintillator was 1.98, whereas for the 1000 mm distance the ratio was 3.00. The ratio of quantum efficiency (QE) between 10 and 2 mm thicknesses was 4.62. We conclude that these models may be used for detector optimization, with the light guide model suitable for parametric study

A compact, discrete CsI(Tl) scintillator/Si photodiode gamma camera for breast cancer imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gruber, Gregory J. [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)

2000-01-01

Recent clinical evaluations of scintimammography (radionuclide breast imaging) are promising and suggest that this modality may prove a valuable complement to X-ray mammography and traditional breast cancer detection and diagnosis techniques. Scintimammography, however, typically has difficulty revealing tumors that are less than 1 cm in diameter, are located in the medial part of the breast, or are located in the axillary nodes. These shortcomings may in part be due to the use of large, conventional Anger cameras not optimized for breast imaging. In this thesis I present compact single photon camera technology designed specifically for scintimammography which strives to alleviate some of these limitations by allowing better and closer access to sites of possible breast tumors. Specific applications are outlined. The design is modular, thus a camera of the desired size and geometry can be constructed from an array (or arrays) of individual modules and a parallel hole lead collimator for directional information. Each module consists of: (1) an array of 64 discrete, optically-isolated CsI(Tl) scintillator crystals 3 x 3 x 5 mm³ in size, (2) an array of 64 low-noise Si PIN photodiodes matched 1-to-1 to the scintillator crystals, (3) an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) that amplifies the 64 photodiode signals and selects the signal with the largest amplitude, and (4) connectors and hardware for interfacing the module with a motherboard, thereby allowing straightforward computer control of all individual modules within a camera.

A compact, discrete CsI(Tl) scintillator/Si photodiode gamma camera for breast cancer imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gruber, Gregory J.

2000-01-01

Recent clinical evaluations of scintimammography (radionuclide breast imaging) are promising and suggest that this modality may prove a valuable complement to X-ray mammography and traditional breast cancer detection and diagnosis techniques. Scintimammography, however, typically has difficulty revealing tumors that are less than 1 cm in diameter, are located in the medial part of the breast, or are located in the axillary nodes. These shortcomings may in part be due to the use of large, conventional Anger cameras not optimized for breast imaging. In this thesis I present compact single photon camera technology designed specifically for scintimammography which strives to alleviate some of these limitations by allowing better and closer access to sites of possible breast tumors. Specific applications are outlined. The design is modular, thus a camera of the desired size and geometry can be constructed from an array (or arrays) of individual modules and a parallel hole lead collimator for directional information. Each module consists of: (1) an array of 64 discrete, optically-isolated CsI(Tl) scintillator crystals 3 x 3 x 5 mm 3 in size, (2) an array of 64 low-noise Si PIN photodiodes matched 1-to-1 to the scintillator crystals, (3) an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) that amplifies the 64 photodiode signals and selects the signal with the largest amplitude, and (4) connectors and hardware for interfacing the module with a motherboard, thereby allowing straightforward computer control of all individual modules within a camera

Progress in the development of LuAlO3 based scintillators

CERN Document Server

Belsky, A; Lecoq, P; Dujardin, C; Garnier, N; Canibano, H; Pédrini, C; Petrosian, A

2000-01-01

LuAlO3:Ce3+ (LuAP) and LuxY1-xAlO3:Ce3+ (LuYAP) crystals are the promote scintillation materials for Positron Emission Tomography. Actual study of these scintillators develops in the tree directions: (i) growth of large size LuAP crystals with stable properties, (ii) relationship between composition of LuYAP crystals and scintillation properties, and (iii) scintillation mechanisms in lutetium compounds. After improving of growth conditions a large size samples (length greater than 40 mm) have been prepared. Crystals show a good correlation between growth parameters, light yield and transmission spectra. We performed a series of samples with calibrated size (2x2x10 mm3) and compare the light yield with a standard BGO and LSO samples. Mixed crystals with composition of 0.6 less than x less than 0.8 show a significant increase of light yield. We suggest that the short order clusterisation in mixed crystals may by playing an important role in governing the scintillation efficiency. In order to clarify the scintil...

Coupled Photonic Crystal Cavity Array Laser

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schubert, Martin

in the quadratic lattice. Processing techniques are developed and optimized in order fabricate photonic crystals membranes in gallium arsenide with quantum dots as gain medium and in indium gallium arsenide phosphide with quantum wells as gain medium. Several key issues in process to ensure good quality....... The results are in good agreement with standard coupled mode theory. Also a novel type of photonic crystal structure is proposed called lambda shifted cavity which is a twodimensional photonic crystal laser analog of a VCSEL laser. Detailed measurements of the coupled modes in the photonic crystals...... with quantum dots are carried out. In agreement with a simple gain model the structures do not show stimulated emission. The spectral splitting due to the coupling between single cavities as well as arrays of cavities is studied theoretically and experimentally. Lasing is observed for photonic crystal cavity...

Performance evaluation of novel LaBr3(Ce) scintillator geometries for fast-timing applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vedia, V.; Carmona-Gallardo, M.; Fraile, L.M.; Mach, H.; Udías, J.M.

2017-01-01

We evaluate the performance of two LaBr 3 (Ce) crystals that were produced with special geometries, aimed at enhancing the scintillation light collection and thus the time resolution. Their design was motivated by the construction of high-performance fast-timing arrays like the FAst TIMing array for DESPEC (FATIMA), which demands a high packing factor in addition to good time and energy resolutions. Energy resolution and efficiency were measured using standard calibration sources. Timing measurements were performed at 60 Co and 22 Na γ-energies against a fast BaF 2 reference detector. The time resolution was optimized by the choice of the photomultiplier bias voltage and the fine tuning of the constant fraction discriminator parameters. Monte Carlo simulations using the Geant4 toolkit were performed in order to achieve a better understanding of how the new geometries affect the light transport and thus the performance of the crystals. It is found that the conical-shaped LaBr 3 (Ce) crystals are optimal for fast-timing applications and for the construction of arrays such as FATIMA.

Effects of packaging SrI{sub 2}(Eu) scintillator crystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sturm, Benjamin W., E-mail: sturm1@llnl.gov [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA 94550 (United States); Cherepy, Nerine J.; Drury, Owen B.; Thelin, Peter A.; Fisher, Scott E.; Payne, Stephen A. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA 94550 (United States); Burger, Arnold [Fisk University, Nashville, TN 37201 (United States); Boatner, Lynn A.; Ramey, Joanne O. [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37830 (United States); Shah, Kanai S.; Hawrami, Rastgo [Radiation Monitoring Devices, Watertown, MA 02472 (United States)

2011-10-01

Recent renewed emphasis placed on gamma-ray detectors for national security purposes has motivated researchers to identify and develop new scintillator materials capable of high energy resolution and growable to large sizes. We have discovered that SrI{sub 2}(Eu) has many desirable properties for gamma-ray detection and spectroscopy, including high light yield of {approx}90,000 photons/MeV and excellent light yield proportionality. We have measured <2.7% FWHM at 662 keV with small detectors (<1 cm{sup 3}) in direct contact with a photomultiplier tube, and {approx}3% resolution at 662 keV is obtained for 1 in.{sup 3} crystals. Due to the hygroscopic nature of SrI{sub 2}(Eu), similar to NaI(Tl), proper packaging is required for field use. This work describes a systematic study performed to determine the key factors in the packaging process to optimize performance. These factors include proper polishing of the surface, the geometry of the crystal, reflector materials and windows. A technique based on use of a collimated {sup 137}Cs source was developed to examine light collection uniformity. Employing this technique, we found that when the crystal is packaged properly, the variation in the pulse height at 662 keV from events near the bottom of the crystal compared to those near the top of the crystal could be reduced to <1%. This paper describes the design and engineering of our detector package in order to improve energy resolution of 1 in.{sup 3}-scale SrI{sub 2}(Eu) crystals.

Development of surgical gamma probes with TlBr semiconductors and CsI(Tl) scintillators crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Costa, Fabio Eduardo da

2006-01-01

Radio guided surgery, using probes with radiation detectors, has been prominence in the medical area in the last decade. This technique consists in injecting a radioactive substance to concentrate in tumour and assist the localization during the surgical procedure. The radio guided surgeries allowing the identification of lymph node has revolutioned the behavior of tumour in initial stadium when are being spread by lymphatic way. The conditions imposed to the surgery due the proximity between some lymph nodes, demands of the probes, a small diameters and capacity of individual identification of these lymph nodes radiolabelled by a specific tracer. The international market supplies these probes with CdTe semiconductors and scintillators, but there is some time lack a promptly technical assistance in the Brazilian market. This work developed probes with national technology, using CsI(Tl) scintillators crystals and, in substitution to CdTe crystals semiconductors, the TlBr crystal, that is a new semiconductor detector in a world-wide development, with advantages in relation to the CdTe. Both crystals have been grown in IPEN. All the necessary electronics, specially, the preamplifier, that was also a restrictive factor for development of these types of probe in the country, have been developed with components found in the national market. Systematic measures of spatial resolution, spatial selectivity, maximum sensitivity and quality of the shielding have been carried the probes development. The results have shown that the probes, one with the CsI(Tl) crystal and another with TlBr semiconductor presented the requested performance in the international literature for radio guided probes. (author)

Status of LUMINEU program to search for neutrinoless double beta decay of {sup 100}Mo with cryogenic ZnMoO{sub 4} scintillating bolometers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Danevich, F. A., E-mail: danevich@kinr.kiev.ua; Boiko, R. S.; Chernyak, D. M.; Kobychev, V. V. [Institute for Nuclear Research, MSP 03680 Kyiv (Ukraine); Bergé, L.; Chapellier, M.; Drillien, A.-A.; Dumoulin, L.; Humbert, V.; Marcillac, P. de; Marnieros, S.; Marrache-Kikuchi, C.; Olivieri, E.; Plantevin, O.; Tenconi, M. [Centre de Sciences Nucléaires et de Sciences de la Matière, CNRS/IN2P3, Université Paris-Sud, 91405 Orsay (France); Coron, N.; Redon, T.; Torres, L. [IAS, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, 91405 Orsay (France); Devoyon, L.; Koskas, F. [CEA, Centre d’Etudes Saclay, Orphée, 91191 Gif-Sur-Yvette Cedex (France); and others

2015-10-28

The LUMTNEU program aims at performing a pilot experiment on 0ν2β decay of {sup 100}Mo using radiopure ZnMoO{sub 4} crystals enriched in {sup 100}Mo operated as cryogenic scintillating bolometers. Large volume ZnMoO{sub 4} crystal scintillators (∼ 0.3 kg) were developed and tested showing high performance in terms of radiopurity, energy resolution and α/β particle discrimination capability. Zinc molybdate crystal scintillators enriched in {sup 100}Mo were grown for the first time by the low-thermal-gradient Czochralski technique with a high crystal yield and an acceptable level of enriched molybdenum irrecoverable losses. A background level of ∼ 0.5 counts/(yr keV ton) in the region of interest can be reached in a large detector array thanks to the excellent detectors radiopurity and particle discrimination capability, suppression of randomly coinciding events by pulse-shape analysis, and anticoincidence cut. These results pave the way to future sensitive searches based on the LUMTNEU technology, capable of approachingand exploring the inverted hierarchy region of the neutrino mass pattern.

Growth and scintillation properties of Ce{sup 3+}-doped (Y{sub 1-x}Gd{sub x})AlO{sub 3} crystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fujimoto, Yutaka; Wakahara, Shingo; Suzuki, Shotaro; Kurosawa, Shunsuke [Institute of Materials Research, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577 (Japan); Yanagida, Takayuki [New Industry Creation Hatchery Center, Tohoku University, 6-6-10 Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8579 (Japan); Yoshikawa, Akira [Institute of Materials Research, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577 (Japan); New Industry Creation Hatchery Center, Tohoku University, 6-6-10 Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8579 (Japan)

2012-12-15

The optical and scintillation properties of 0.5% fixed Ce-doped (Y{sub 1-x}Gd{sub x})AlO{sub 3} single crystals have been investigated at three different levels of Gd doping: x = 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6. Single crystal of the Ce{sup 3+}-doped (Y{sub 0.8}Gd{sub 0.2})AlO{sub 3}, (Y{sub 0.6}Gd{sub 0.4})AlO{sub 3} and (Y{sub 0.4}Gd{sub 0.6})AlO{sub 3} were successfully grown by {mu}-PD technique in nitrogen atmosphere. From X-ray diffraction analysis, no impurity phase was detected for the grown Ce-doped crystals. Ce-doped (Y{sub 0.6}Gd{sub 0.4})AlO{sub 3} crystal demonstrated highest fluorescence quantum efficiency ({proportional_to} 25%) with improvement of excitation efficiency due to the Gd-doping. When irradiated by the alpha-rays from a {sup 241}Am source, all the Ce-doped crystals showed luminescence band that corresponding to 5d (t{sub 2g})-4f transition of Ce{sup 3+}. The scintillation decay time was characterized by two components; the fast component (5-15 ns) is ascribed to 5d-4f transition of Ce{sup 3+}, while the slow one (100-200 ns) may be related to energy transfer between Ce{sup 3+} and Gd{sup 3+} ion. According to the result of {sup 137}Cs gamma-ray irradiated pulse height spectra compared with BGO scintillator, the relative scintillation light output was found to be about 12200 {+-} 1220 (Gd 20%) and 16000 {+-} 1600 (Gd 40%) ph/MeV. (copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

Performance evaluation of novel LaBr{sub 3}(Ce) scintillator geometries for fast-timing applications

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vedia, V., E-mail: mv.vedia@ucm.es [Grupo de Física Nuclear, Facultad de CC. Físicas, Universidad Complutense, CEI Moncloa, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Carmona-Gallardo, M.; Fraile, L.M. [Grupo de Física Nuclear, Facultad de CC. Físicas, Universidad Complutense, CEI Moncloa, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Mach, H. [Grupo de Física Nuclear, Facultad de CC. Físicas, Universidad Complutense, CEI Moncloa, 28040 Madrid (Spain); National Centre for Nuclear Research, Division for Nuclear Physics, BP1, Warsaw (Poland); Udías, J.M. [Grupo de Física Nuclear, Facultad de CC. Físicas, Universidad Complutense, CEI Moncloa, 28040 Madrid (Spain)

2017-06-11

We evaluate the performance of two LaBr{sub 3}(Ce) crystals that were produced with special geometries, aimed at enhancing the scintillation light collection and thus the time resolution. Their design was motivated by the construction of high-performance fast-timing arrays like the FAst TIMing array for DESPEC (FATIMA), which demands a high packing factor in addition to good time and energy resolutions. Energy resolution and efficiency were measured using standard calibration sources. Timing measurements were performed at {sup 60}Co and {sup 22}Na γ-energies against a fast BaF{sub 2} reference detector. The time resolution was optimized by the choice of the photomultiplier bias voltage and the fine tuning of the constant fraction discriminator parameters. Monte Carlo simulations using the Geant4 toolkit were performed in order to achieve a better understanding of how the new geometries affect the light transport and thus the performance of the crystals. It is found that the conical-shaped LaBr{sub 3}(Ce) crystals are optimal for fast-timing applications and for the construction of arrays such as FATIMA.

Performance assessment of a 2D array of plastic scintillation detectors for IMRT quality assurance

Science.gov (United States)

Guillot, Mathieu; Gingras, Luc; Archambault, Louis; Beddar, Sam; Beaulieu, Luc

2013-07-01

The purposes of this work are to assess the performance of a 2D plastic scintillation detectors array prototype for quality assurance in intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and to determine its sensitivity and specificity to positioning errors of one multileaf collimator (MLC) leaf and one MLC leaf bank by applying the principles of signal detection theory. Ten treatment plans (step-and-shoot delivery) and one volumetric modulated arc therapy plan were measured and compared to calculations from two treatment-planning systems (TPSs) and to radiochromic films. The averages gamma passing rates per beam found for the step-and-shoot plans were 95.8% for the criteria (3%, 2 mm), 97.8% for the criteria (4%, 2 mm), and 98.1% for the criteria (3%, 3 mm) when measurements were compared to TPS calculations. The receiver operating characteristic curves for the one leaf errors and one leaf bank errors were determined from simulations (theoretical upper limits) and measurements. This work concludes that arrays of plastic scintillation detectors could be used for IMRT quality assurance in clinics. The use of signal detection theory could improve the quality of dosimetric verifications in radiation therapy by providing optimal discrimination criteria for the detection of different classes of errors.

Performance assessment of a 2D array of plastic scintillation detectors for IMRT quality assurance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guillot, Mathieu; Gingras, Luc; Archambault, Louis; Beaulieu, Luc; Beddar, Sam

2013-01-01

The purposes of this work are to assess the performance of a 2D plastic scintillation detectors array prototype for quality assurance in intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and to determine its sensitivity and specificity to positioning errors of one multileaf collimator (MLC) leaf and one MLC leaf bank by applying the principles of signal detection theory. Ten treatment plans (step-and-shoot delivery) and one volumetric modulated arc therapy plan were measured and compared to calculations from two treatment-planning systems (TPSs) and to radiochromic films. The averages gamma passing rates per beam found for the step-and-shoot plans were 95.8% for the criteria (3%, 2 mm), 97.8% for the criteria (4%, 2 mm), and 98.1% for the criteria (3%, 3 mm) when measurements were compared to TPS calculations. The receiver operating characteristic curves for the one leaf errors and one leaf bank errors were determined from simulations (theoretical upper limits) and measurements. This work concludes that arrays of plastic scintillation detectors could be used for IMRT quality assurance in clinics. The use of signal detection theory could improve the quality of dosimetric verifications in radiation therapy by providing optimal discrimination criteria for the detection of different classes of errors. (paper)

New prototype scintillator detector for the Tibet ASγ experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Y.; Gou, Q.-B.; Cai, H.; Chen, T.-L.; Danzengluobu; Feng, C.-F.; Feng, Y.-L.; Feng, Z.-Y.; Gao, Q.; Gao, X.-J.; Guo, Y.-Q.; Guo, Y.-Y.; Hou, Y.-Y.; Hu, H.-B.; Jin, C.; Li, H.-J.; Liu, C.; Liu, M.-Y.; Qian, X.-L.; Tian, Z.; Wang, Z.; Xue, L.; Zhang, X.-Y.; Zhang, Xi-Ying

2017-11-01

The hybrid Tibet AS array was successfully constructed in 2014. It has 4500 m2 underground water Cherenkov pools used as the muon detector (MD) and 789 scintillator detectors covering 36900 m2 as the surface array. At 100 TeV, cosmic-ray background events can be rejected by approximately 99.99%, according to the full Monte Carlo (MC) simulation for γ-ray observations. In order to use the muon detector efficiently, we propose to extend the surface array area to 72900 m2 by adding 120 scintillator detectors around the current array to increase the effective detection area. A new prototype scintillator detector is developed via optimizing the detector geometry and its optical surface, by selecting the reflective material and adopting dynode readout. {This detector can meet our physics requirements with a positional non-uniformity of the output charge within 10% (with reference to the center of the scintillator), time resolution FWHM of ~2.2 ns, and dynamic range from 1 to 500 minimum ionization particles}.

Estimation of Fano factor in inorganic scintillators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bora, Vaibhav, E-mail: bora.vaibhav@gmail.com [Center for Gamma-Ray Imaging, Department of Medical Imaging, University of Arizona and College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724 (United States); Barrett, Harrison H., E-mail: barrett@radiology.arizona.edu [Center for Gamma-Ray Imaging, Department of Medical Imaging, University of Arizona and College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724 (United States); Fastje, David, E-mail: dfastje@gmail.com [Center for Gamma-Ray Imaging, Department of Medical Imaging, University of Arizona and College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724 (United States); Clarkson, Eric, E-mail: clarkson@radiology.arizona.edu [Center for Gamma-Ray Imaging, Department of Medical Imaging, University of Arizona and College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724 (United States); Furenlid, Lars, E-mail: furen@radiology.arizona.edu [Center for Gamma-Ray Imaging, Department of Medical Imaging, University of Arizona and College of Optical Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85724 (United States); Bousselham, Abdelkader, E-mail: abousselham@qf.org.qa [Qatar Foundation, QEERI, P.O. Box 5825, Doha (Qatar); Shah, Kanai S., E-mail: kanaishah@yahoo.com [Radiation Monitoring Devices, Inc., Watertown, MA 02472 (United States); Glodo, Jarek, E-mail: jglodo@rmdinc.com [Radiation Monitoring Devices, Inc., Watertown, MA 02472 (United States)

2016-01-01

The Fano factor of an integer-valued random variable is defined as the ratio of its variance to its mean. Correlation between the outputs of two photomultiplier tubes on opposite faces of a scintillation crystal was used to estimate the Fano factor of photoelectrons and scintillation photons. Correlations between the integrals of the detector outputs were used to estimate the photoelectron and photon Fano factor for YAP:Ce, SrI{sub 2}:Eu and CsI:Na scintillator crystals. At 662 keV, SrI{sub 2}:Eu was found to be sub-Poisson, while CsI:Na and YAP:Ce were found to be super-Poisson. An experiment setup inspired from the Hanbury Brown and Twiss experiment was used to measure the correlations as a function of time between the outputs of two photomultiplier tubes looking at the same scintillation event. A model of the scintillation and the detection processes was used to generate simulated detector outputs as a function of time for different values of Fano factor. The simulated outputs from the model for different Fano factors was compared to the experimentally measured detector outputs to estimate the Fano factor of the scintillation photons for YAP:Ce, LaBr{sub 3}:Ce scintillator crystals. At 662 keV, LaBr{sub 3}:Ce was found to be sub-Poisson, while YAP:Ce was found to be close to Poisson.

Study on the property of the avalanche photodiode as the readout component for scintillation crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

He Jingtang; Chen Duanbao; Zhu Guoyi; Mao Yufang; Dong Xiaoli; Li Zuhao

1996-01-01

The new avalanche photodiode (APD) and a CsI(Tl) crystal formed a scintillation detector. The energy spectrum of γ rays was measured by this detector. The measured results were compared with that measured by photomultiplier. Our plan is to use APD as PbWO 4 readout component for forward luminosity electromagnetic calorimeter at τ-C factory

Depth-of-interaction measurement in a single-layer crystal array with a single-ended readout using digital silicon photomultiplier

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Min Sun; Lee, Jae Sung

2015-01-01

We present the first experimental evaluation of a depth-of-interaction (DOI) positron emission tomography (PET) detector using a digital silicon photomultiplier (dSiPM). To measure DOI information from a mono-layer array of scintillation crystals with a single-ended readout, our group has previously proposed and developed a new method based on light spread using triangular reflectors. Since this method relies on measurement of the light distribution, dSiPM, which has a fully digital interface, has several merits for our DOI measurement. The DOI PET detector comprised of a dSiPM sensor (DPC-3200-22-44) coupled with a 14   ×   14 array of 2 mm  ×  2 mm  ×  20 mm unpolished LGSO crystals. All crystals were covered with triangular reflectors. To obtain a good performance of the DOI PET detector, several parameters of detector were selected as a preliminary experiment. Detector performance was evaluated with the selected parameters and the optimal experimental setup, and a DOI measurement was conducted by irradiating the crystal block at five DOI positions spaced at intervals of 4 mm. Maximum-likelihood estimation was employed for DOI positioning and the optimal DOI estimation scheme was also investigated in this study. As a result, the DOI PET detector showed clear crystal identification. The energy resolution (full-width at half-maximum (FWHM)) averaged over all depths was 10.21%  ±  0.15% at 511 keV, and time resolution averaged over all depths was 1198.61   ±   39.70 ps FWHM. The average DOI positioning accuracy for all depths was 74.22%  ±  6.77%, which equates to DOI resolution of 4.67 mm. Energy and DOI resolutions were uniform over all crystal positions except for the back parts of the array. Furthermore, additional simulation studies were conducted to verify the results of our DOI measurement method that is combined with dSiPM technology. In conclusion, our continuous DOI PET detector

Progress in the development of LuAlO$_{3}$ based scintillators

CERN Document Server

Belsky, A; Lecoq, P; Dujardin, C; Garnier, N; Canibano, H; Pédrini, C; Petrosian, A

2000-01-01

LuAlO/sub 3/:Ce/sup 3+/ (LuAP) and Lu/sub x/Y/sub 1/-xAlO/sub 3/:Ce /sup 3+/ (LuYAP) crystals are used as scintillation materials for positron emission tomography. The actual study of these scintillators develops in three directions: (i) growth of large size LuAP crystals with stable properties, (ii) the relationship between the composition of LuYAP crystals and scintillation properties, and (iii) scintillation mechanisms in lutetium compounds. After improving of growth conditions a large size samples (length >40 mm) have been prepared. Crystals show a good correlation between growth parameters, light yield and transmission spectra. We studied a series of samples with calibrated size (2*2*10 mm3) and compare the light yield with standard BGO and LSO samples. Mixed crystals with composition of 0.6crystals may play an important role in governing the scintillation efficiency. In order to clarify the s...

Cerium-doped single crystal and transparent ceramic lutetium aluminum garnet scintillators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cherepy, Nerine J.; Kuntz, Joshua D.; Tillotson, Thomas M.; Speaks, Derrick T.; Payne, Stephen A.; Chai, B.H.T.; Porter-Chapman, Yetta; Derenzo, Stephen E.

2007-01-01

For rapid, unambiguous isotope identification, scintillator detectors providing high-resolution gamma ray spectra are required. We have fabricated Lutetium Aluminum Garnet (LuAG) using transparent ceramic processing, and report a 2-mm thick ceramic exhibiting 75% transmission and light yield comparable to single-crystal LuAG:Ce. The LuAG:Ce luminescence peaks at 550 nm, providing an excellent match for Silicon Photodiode readout. LuAG is dense (6.67 g/cm 3 ) and impervious to water, exhibits good proportionality and a fast decay (∼40 ns), and we measure light yields in excess of 20,000 photons/MeV

Low-cost scalable quartz crystal microbalance array for environmental sensing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anazagasty, Cristain [University of Puerto Rico; Hianik, Tibor [Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia; Ivanov, Ilia N [ORNL

2016-01-01

Proliferation of environmental sensors for internet of things (IoT) applications has increased the need for low-cost platforms capable of accommodating multiple sensors. Quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) crystals coated with nanometer-thin sensor films are suitable for use in high-resolution (~1 ng) selective gas sensor applications. We demonstrate a scalable array for measuring frequency response of six QCM sensors controlled by low-cost Arduino microcontrollers and a USB multiplexer. Gas pulses and data acquisition were controlled by a LabVIEW user interface. We test the sensor array by measuring the frequency shift of crystals coated with different compositions of polymer composites based on poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) while films are exposed to water vapor and oxygen inside a controlled environmental chamber. Our sensor array exhibits comparable performance to that of a commercial QCM system, while enabling high-throughput 6 QCM testing for under $1,000. We use deep neural network structures to process sensor response and demonstrate that the QCM array is suitable for gas sensing, environmental monitoring, and electronic-nose applications.

High resolution phoswich gamma-ray imager utilizing monolithic MPPC arrays with submillimeter pixelized crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kato, T; Kataoka, J; Nakamori, T; Kishimoto, A; Yamamoto, S; Sato, K; Ishikawa, Y; Yamamura, K; Kawabata, N; Ikeda, H; Kamada, K

2013-01-01

We report the development of a high spatial resolution tweezers-type coincidence gamma-ray camera for medical imaging. This application consists of large-area monolithic Multi-Pixel Photon Counters (MPPCs) and submillimeter pixelized scintillator matrices. The MPPC array has 4 × 4 channels with a three-side buttable, very compact package. For typical operational gain of 7.5 × 10 5 at + 20 °C, gain fluctuation over the entire MPPC device is only ± 5.6%, and dark count rates (as measured at the 1 p.e. level) amount to ≤ 400 kcps per channel. We selected Ce-doped (Lu,Y) 2 (SiO 4 )O (Ce:LYSO) and a brand-new scintillator, Ce-doped Gd 3 Al 2 Ga 3 O 12 (Ce:GAGG) due to their high light yield and density. To improve the spatial resolution, these scintillators were fabricated into 15 × 15 matrices of 0.5 × 0.5 mm 2 pixels. The Ce:LYSO and Ce:GAGG scintillator matrices were assembled into phosphor sandwich (phoswich) detectors, and then coupled to the MPPC array along with an acrylic light guide measuring 1 mm thick, and with summing operational amplifiers that compile the signals into four position-encoded analog outputs being used for signal readout. Spatial resolution of 1.1 mm was achieved with the coincidence imaging system using a 22 Na point source. These results suggest that the gamma-ray imagers offer excellent potential for applications in high spatial medical imaging.

Development of scintillation materials for PET scanners

CERN Document Server

Korzhik, Mikhail; Annenkov, Alexander N; Borissevitch, Andrei; Dossovitski, Alexei; Missevitch, Oleg; Lecoq, Paul

2007-01-01

The growing demand on PET methodology for a variety of applications ranging from clinical use to fundamental studies triggers research and development of PET scanners providing better spatial resolution and sensitivity. These efforts are primarily focused on the development of advanced PET detector solutions and on the developments of new scintillation materials as well. However Lu containing scintillation materials introduced in the last century such as LSO, LYSO, LuAP, LuYAP crystals still remain the best PET species in spite of the recent developments of bright, fast but relatively low density lanthanum bromide scintillators. At the same time Lu based materials have several drawbacks which are high temperature of crystallization and relatively high cost compared to alkali-halide scintillation materials. Here we describe recent results in the development of new scintillation materials for PET application.

A flexible scintillation light apparatus for rare event searches

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bonvicini, V. [INFN-Sezione di Trieste, Trieste (Italy); Capelli, S.; Gironi, L.; Pavan, M.; Sisti, M. [Universita di Milano-Bicocca, Dipartimento di Fisica, Milan (Italy); INFN-Sezione di Milano-Bicocca, Milan (Italy); Cremonesi, O.; Previtali, E. [INFN-Sezione di Milano-Bicocca, Milan (Italy); Cucciati, G. [Universita di Milano-Bicocca, Dipartimento di Fisica, Milan (Italy)

2014-11-15

Compelling experimental evidences of neutrino oscillations and their implication that neutrinos are massive particles have given neutrinoless double beta decay (ββ0ν) a central role in astroparticle physics. In fact, the discovery of this elusive decay would be a major breakthrough, unveiling that neutrino and antineutrino are the same particle and that the lepton number is not conserved. It would also impact our efforts to establish the absolute neutrino mass scale and, ultimately, understand elementary particle interaction unification. All current experimental programs to search for ββ0ν are facing with the technical and financial challenge of increasing the experimental mass while maintaining incredibly low levels of spurious background. The new concept described in this paper could be the answer which combines all the features of an ideal experiment: energy resolution, low cost mass scalability, isotope choice flexibility and many powerful handles to make the background negligible. The proposed technology is based on the use of arrays of silicon detectors cooled to 120 K to optimize the collection of the scintillation light emitted by ultrapure crystals. It is shown that with a 54 kg array of natural CaMoO{sub 4} scintillation detectors of this type it is possible to yield a competitive sensitivity on the half-life of the ββ0ν of {sup 100}Mo as high as ∝10{sup 24} years in only 1 year of data taking. The same array made of {sup 40}Ca{sup nat}MoO{sub 4} scintillation detectors (to get rid of the continuous background coming from the two neutrino double beta decay of {sup 48}Ca)will instead be capable of achieving the remarkable sensitivity of ∝10{sup 25} years on the half-life of {sup 100}Mo ββ0ν in only 1 year of measurement. (orig.)

A prototype high-resolution animal positron tomograph with avalanche photodiode arrays and LSO crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ziegler, S.I.; Pichler, B.J.; Rafecas, M.; Schwaiger, M.

2001-01-01

To fully utilize positron emission tomography (PET) as a non-invasive tool for tissue characterization, dedicated instrumentation is being developed which is specially suited for imaging mice and rats. Semiconductor detectors, such as avalanche photodiodes (APDs), may offer an alternative to photomultiplier tubes for the readout of scintillation crystals. Since the scintillation characteristics of lutetium oxyorthosilicate (LSO) are well matched to APDs, the combination of LSO and APDs seems favourable, and the goal of this study was to build a positron tomograph with LSO-APD modules to prove the feasibility of such an approach. A prototype PET scanner based on APD readout of small, individual LSO crystals was developed for tracer studies in mice and rats. The tomograph consists of two sectors (86 mm distance), each comprising three LSO-APD modules, which can be rotated for the acquisition of complete projections. In each module, small LSO crystals (3.7 x 3.7 x 12 mm 3 ) are individually coupled to one channel within matrices containing 2 x 8 square APDs (2.6 x 2.6 mm 2 sensitive area per channel). The list-mode data are reconstructed with a penalized weighted least squares algorithm which includes the spatially dependent line spread function of the tomograph. Basic performance parameters were measured with phantoms and first experiments with rats and mice were conducted to introduce this methodology for biomedical imaging. The reconstructed field of view covers 68 mm, which is 80% of the total detector diameter. Image resolution was shown to be 2.4 mm within the whole reconstructed field of view. Using a lower energy threshold of 450 keV, the system sensitivity was 350 Hz/MBq for a line source in air in the centre of the field of view. In a water-filled cylinder of 4.6 cm diameter, the scatter fraction at the centre of the field of view was 16% (450 keV threshold). The count rate was linear up to 700 coincidence counts per second. In vivo studies of anaesthetized

Method and apparatus for enhancing vortex pinning by conformal crystal arrays

Science.gov (United States)

Janko, Boldizsar; Reichhardt, Cynthia; Reichhardt, Charles; Ray, Dipanjan

2015-07-14

Disclosed is a method and apparatus for strongly enhancing vortex pinning by conformal crystal arrays. The conformal crystal array is constructed by a conformal transformation of a hexagonal lattice, producing a non-uniform structure with a gradient where the local six-fold coordination of the pinning sites is preserved, and with an arching effect. The conformal pinning arrays produce significantly enhanced vortex pinning over a much wider range of field than that found for other vortex pinning geometries with an equivalent number of vortex pinning sites, such as random, square, and triangular.

Scintillation and optical properties of Sn-doped Ga2O3 single crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Usui, Yuki; Nakauchi, Daisuke; Kawano, Naoki; Okada, Go; Kawaguchi, Noriaki; Yanagida, Takayuki

2018-06-01

Sn-doped Ga2O3 single crystals were synthesized by the Floating Zone (FZ) method. In photoluminescence (PL) under the excitation wavelength of 280 nm, we observed two types of luminescence: (1) defect luminescence due to recombination of the donor/acceptor pairs which appears at 430 nm and (2) the nsnp-ns2 transitions of Sn2+ which appear at 530 nm. The PL and scintillation decay time curves of the Sn-doped samples were approximated by a sum of exponential decay functions. The faster two components were ascribed to the defect luminescence, and the slowest component was owing to the nsnp-ns2 transitions. In the pulse height spectrum measurements under 241Am α-rays irradiation, all the Sn-doped Ga2O3 samples were confirmed to show a full energy absorption peak but the undoped one. Among the present samples, the 1% Sn-doped sample exhibited the highest scintillation light yield (1,500 ± 150 ph/5.5 MeV-α).

Systematic study of (d,n) reactions at Ed = 16 MeV using a deuterated scintillator array

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Febbraro, M.; Becchetti, F.D.; Torres-Isea, R.O.; Riggins, A.; Lawrence, C.; Howard, A.M.; Kolata, J.J.

2014-01-01

We have developed a multi-element deuterated liquid scintillator array for the study of reactions involving neutrons utilizing high-speed digital signal processing. The liquid organic scintillators exhibit good digital pulse shape discrimination (DPSD). Typical configuration involves the detectors fixed to adjustable aluminium mounts, secured to an 80/20 aluminium frame. This allows for quick and adaptable configurations to be made for varying experimental conditions including measurements over a large angular range. A systematic study of (d,n) reactions at E d = 16 MeV on 9 Be, 11 B, 13 C, 14 N, 15 N, and 19 F has been conducted from 10 to 160 degrees (lab). In addition to previously unmeasured back-angle cross sections, this data can complement existing and future ( 3 He,d) measurements as an analog to (p,γ) for astrophysics applications

A new technique for infrared scintillation measurements

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chiossi, F., E-mail: federico.chiossi@studenti.unipd.it [Dip. di Fisica e Astronomia and INFN, University of Padua, Via F. Marzolo 8, I-35131 Padova (Italy); Brylew, K. [Institute of Physics, Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Informatics, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Grudziadzka 5, 87-100 Torun (Poland); Borghesani, A.F. [CNISM Unit and Dip. di Fisica e Astronomia, University of Padua, Via F. Marzolo 8, I-35131 Padova (Italy); Braggio, C.; Carugno, G. [Dip. di Fisica e Astronomia and INFN, University of Padua, Via F. Marzolo 8, I-35131 Padova (Italy); Drozdowski, W. [Institute of Physics, Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Informatics, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Grudziadzka 5, 87-100 Torun (Poland); Guarise, M. [Dip. di Fisica e Astronomia and INFN, University of Padua, Via F. Marzolo 8, I-35131 Padova (Italy)

2017-05-21

We propose a new technique to measure the infrared scintillation light yield of rare earth doped crystals by comparing it to near UV–visible scintillation of a calibrated Pr:(Lu{sub 0.75}Y{sub 0.25}){sub 3}Al{sub 5}O{sub 12} sample. As an example, we apply this technique to provide the light yield in visible and infrared range up to 1700 nm of this crystal.

A new technique for infrared scintillation measurements

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chiossi, F.; Brylew, K.; Borghesani, A.F.; Braggio, C.; Carugno, G.; Drozdowski, W.; Guarise, M.

2017-01-01

We propose a new technique to measure the infrared scintillation light yield of rare earth doped crystals by comparing it to near UV–visible scintillation of a calibrated Pr:(Lu_0_._7_5Y_0_._2_5)_3Al_5O_1_2 sample. As an example, we apply this technique to provide the light yield in visible and infrared range up to 1700 nm of this crystal.

Effect of Aspect Ratio on the Light Output of Scintillators

CERN Document Server

Pauwels, Kristof; Gundacker, S.; Knapitsch, A.; Lecoq, P.

2012-01-01

The influence of the geometry of the scintillators is presented in this paper. We focus on the effect of narrowing down the section of crystals that have a given length. The light output of a set of crystals with very similar scintillating properties but different geometries measured with several coupling/wrapping configurations is provided. We observe that crystals shaped in thin rods have a lower light output as compared to bulk or sliced crystals. The effect of unpolishing the crystal faces is also investigated, and it is shown that highest light outputs are not necessarily obtained with crystals having all faces polished. Simulation results based on a realistic model of the crystal that implements light scattering on the crystal edges are in agreement with the experimental data. Fine-tuning of this model would allow us to further explore the details of light propagation in scintillators and would be highly valuable to fast timing detection and highly granular detectors.

Scintillation properties of polycrystalline LaxY1-xO3 ceramic

Science.gov (United States)

Sahi, Sunil; Chen, Wei; Kenarangui, Rasool

2015-03-01

Scintillators are the material that absorbs the high-energy photons and emits visible photons. Scintillators are commonly used in radiation detector for security, medical imaging, industrial applications and high energy physics research. Two main types of scintillators are inorganic single crystals and organic (plastic or liquid) scintillators. Inorganic single crystals are expensive and difficult to grow in desire shape and size. Also, some efficient inorganic scintillator such as NaI and CsI are not environmental friendly. But on the other hand, organic scintillators have low density and hence poor energy resolution which limits their use in gamma spectroscopy. Polycrystalline ceramic can be a cost effective alternative to expensive inorganic single crystal scintillators. Here we have fabricated La0.2Y1.8O3 ceramic scintillator and studied their luminescence and scintillation properties. Ceramic scintillators were fabricated by vacuum sintering of La0.2Y1.8O3 nanoparticles at temperature below the melting point. La0.2Y1.8O3 ceramic were characterized structurally using XRD and TEM. Photoluminescence and radioluminescence studies were done using UV and X-ray as an excitation source. We have used gamma isotopes with different energy to studies the scintillation properties of La0.2Y1.8O3 scintillator. Preliminary studies of La0.2Y1.8O3 scintillator shows promising result with energy resolution comparable to that of NaI and CsI.

Compensation Methods for Non-uniform and Incomplete Data Sampling in High Resolution PET with Multiple Scintillation Crystal Layers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Jae Sung; Kim, Soo Mee; Lee, Dong Soo; Hong, Jong Hong; Sim, Kwang Souk; Rhee, June Tak

2008-01-01

To establish the methods for sinogram formation and correction in order to appropriately apply the filtered backprojection (FBP) reconstruction algorithm to the data acquired using PET scanner with multiple scintillation crystal layers. Formation for raw PET data storage and conversion methods from listmode data to histogram and sinogram were optimized. To solve the various problems occurred while the raw histogram was converted into sinogram, optimal sampling strategy and sampling efficiency correction method were investigated. Gap compensation methods that is unique in this system were also investigated. All the sinogram data were reconstructed using 2D filtered backprojection algorithm and compared to estimate the improvements by the correction algorithms. Optimal radial sampling interval and number of angular samples in terms of the sampling theorem and sampling efficiency correction algorithm were pitch/2 and 120, respectively. By applying the sampling efficiency correction and gap compensation, artifacts and background noise on the reconstructed image could be reduced. Conversion method from the histogram to sinogram was investigated for the FBP reconstruction of data acquired using multiple scintillation crystal layers. This method will be useful for the fast 2D reconstruction of multiple crystal layer PET data

Characterizations of Pr-doped Yb3Al5O12 single crystals for scintillator applications

Science.gov (United States)

Yoshida, Yasuki; Shinozaki, Kenji; Igashira, Takuya; Kawano, Naoki; Okada, Go; Kawaguchi, Noriaki; Yanagida, Takayuki

2018-04-01

Yb3Al5O12 (YbAG) single crystals doped with different concentrations of Pr were synthesized by the Floating Zone (FZ) method. Then, we evaluated their basic optical and scintillation properties. All the samples showed photoluminescence (PL) with two emission bands appeared approximately 300-500 nm and 550-600 nm due to the charge transfer luminescence of Yb3+ and intrinsic luminescence of the garnet structure, respectively. A PL decay profile of each sample was approximated by a sum of two exponential decay functions, and the obtained decay times were 1 ns and 3-4 ns. In the scintillation spectra, we observed emission peaks in the ranges from 300 to 400 nm and from 450 to 550 nm for all the samples. The origins of these emissions were attributed to charge transfer luminescence of Yb3+ and intrinsic luminescence of the garnet structure, respectively. The scintillation decay times became longer with increasing the Pr concentrations. Among the present samples, the 0.1% Pr-doped sample showed the lowest scintillation afterglow level. In addition, pulse height spectrum of 5.5 MeV α-rays was demonstrated using the Pr-doped YbAG, and we confirmed that all the samples showed a full energy deposited peak. Above all, the 0.1% Pr-doped sample showed the highest light yield with a value of 14 ph/MeV under α-rays excitation.

Radiation Damage Mechanism in PbWO4 Crystal and Radiation Hardness Quality Control of PWO Scintillators for CMS

CERN Document Server

Baccaro, Stefania; Borgia, Bruno; Cavallari, Francesca; Cecilia, Angelica; Dafinei, Ioan; Diemoz, Marcella; Lecoq, Paul; Longo, Egidio; Montecchi, Marco; Organtini, Giovanni; Salvatori, S

1997-01-01

The optical damage induced by UV light in PbWO4 crystals is found to be similar to that induced by g radiation. Due to the peculiarities of optical absorption in PbWO4, the damage induced by UV light is a bulk process. This fact has important consequences for the approach to be adopted both for the use of the crystal as scintillator and for the qualification methods foreseen in the Regional Centres of the ECAL CMS Collaboration.

Crystal growth and evaluation of scintillation properties of Eu and alkali-metal co-doped LiSrAlF{sub 6} single crystals for thermal neutron detector

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wakahara, Shingo; Yokota, Yuui; Yamaji, Akihiro; Fujimoto, Yutaka; Sugiyama, Makoto; Kurosawa, Shunsuke [Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577 (Japan); Yanagida, Takayuki [New Industry Creation Hatchery Center (NICHe), 6-6-10 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579 (Japan); Pejchal, Jan [Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577 (Japan); Institute of Physics AS CR, Cukrovarnicka 10, Prague 16253 (Czech Republic); Kawaguchi, Noriaki [Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577 (Japan); Tokuyama, Co. Ltd., Shibuya 3-chome, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-8383 (Japan); Fukuda, Kentaro [Tokuyama, Co. Ltd., Shibuya 3-chome, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-8383 (Japan); Yoshikawa, Akira [Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577 (Japan); New Industry Creation Hatchery Center (NICHe), 6-6-10 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579 (Japan)

2012-12-15

In recent work, Na co-doping have found to improve the light output of Eu doped LiCaAlF{sub 6} (Eu:LiCAF) for thermal neutron scintillator. We grew Eu 2% and alkali metal 1% co-doped LiSAF crystals by Micro-Pulling down method to understand the effect of alkali metal co-doping on scintillation properties and mechanism compared with LiCAF. In photo- and {alpha}-ray induced radio-luminescence spectra of the all grown crystals, the emissions from d-f transition of Eu{sup 2+} were observed. Without relation to excitation source, decay times of co-doped LiSAF were longer than Eu only doped one. The light yield of Na, K and Cs co-doped LiSAF under {sup 252}Cf neutron excitation were improved. Especially, K co-doped Eu:LiSAF reached 33200 ph/n, which outperformed Eu only doped one by approximately 20% (copyright 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH and Co. KGaA, Weinheim) (orig.)

submitter Light Extraction From Scintillating Crystals Enhanced by Photonic Crystal Structures Patterned by Focused Ion Beam

CERN Document Server

Modrzynski, Pawel; Knapitsch, Arno; Kunicki, Piotr; Lecoq, Paul; Moczala, Magdalena; Papakonstantinou, Ioannis; Auffray, Etiennette

2016-01-01

“Photonic Crystals (PhC)” have been used in a variety of fields as a structure for improving the light extraction efficiency from materials with high index of refraction. In previous work we already showed the light extraction improvement of several PhC covered LYSO crystals in computer simulations and practical measurements. In this work, new samples are made using different materials and techniques which allows further efficiency improvements. For rapid prototyping of PhC patterns on scintillators we tested a new method using “Focused Ion Beam (FIB)” patterning. The FIB machine is a device similar to a “Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)”, but it uses ions (mainly gallium) instead of electrons for the imaging of the samples' surface. The additional feature of FIB devices is the option of surface patterning in nano-scale which was exploited for our samples. Three samples using FIB patterning have been produced. One of them is a direct patterning of the extraction face of a 0.8×0.8×10 $mm^3$ LYS...

Search of new scintillation materials for nuclear medicine application

CERN Document Server

Korzhik, M

2001-01-01

Oxide crystals have a great potential to develop new advanced scintillation materials which are dense, fast, and bright. This combination of parameters, when combined to affordable price, gives a prospect for materials to be applied in nuclear medicine devices. Some of them have been developed for the last two decades along the line of rear-earth (RE) garnet (RE//3Al//5O//1//2) oxiorthosilicate (RE//2SiO//5) and perovskite (REAlO//3) crystals doped with Ce ions. Among recently developed oxide materials the lead tungstate scintillator (PWO) becomes the most used scintillation materials in high energy physics experiments due to its application in CMS and ALICE experiments at LHC. In this paper we discuss scintillation properties of some new heavy compounds doped with Ce as well as light yield improvement of PWO crystals to apply them in low energy physics and nuclear medicine. 18 Refs.

Luminescence and scintillation properties of rare-earth-doped LuF.sub.3./sub. scintillation crystals

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Pejchal, Jan; Fukuda, K.; Kurosawa, S.; Yokota, Y.; Yoshikawa, A.

2015-01-01

Roč. 41, Mar SI (2015), s. 58-62 ISSN 0925-3467 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : lutetium fluoride * scintillator * scintillator * VUV luminescence Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 2.183, year: 2015

Measurement of gamma quantum interaction point in plastic scintillator with WLS strips

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smyrski, J., E-mail: smyrski@if.uj.edu.pl [Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Applied Computer Science, Jagiellonian University, S. Łojasiewicza 11, 30-348 Cracow (Poland); Alfs, D.; Bednarski, T.; Białas, P.; Czerwiński, E.; Dulski, K.; Gajos, A.; Głowacz, B.; Gupta-Sharma, N. [Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Applied Computer Science, Jagiellonian University, S. Łojasiewicza 11, 30-348 Cracow (Poland); Gorgol, M.; Jasińska, B. [Department of Nuclear Methods, Institute of Physics, Maria Curie-Sklodowska University, 20-031 Lublin (Poland); Kajetanowicz, M.; Kamińska, D.; Korcyl, G. [Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Applied Computer Science, Jagiellonian University, S. Łojasiewicza 11, 30-348 Cracow (Poland); Kowalski, P. [Świerk Computing Centre, National Centre for Nuclear Research, 05-400 Otwock-Świerk (Poland); Krzemień, W. [High Energy Department, National Centre for Nuclear Research, 05-400 Otwock-Świerk (Poland); Krawczyk, N.; Kubicz, E.; Mohammed, M.; Niedźwiecki, Sz. [Faculty of Physics, Astronomy and Applied Computer Science, Jagiellonian University, S. Łojasiewicza 11, 30-348 Cracow (Poland); and others

2017-04-11

The feasibility of measuring the aśxial coordinate of a gamma quantum interaction point in a plastic scintillator bar via the detection of scintillation photons escaping from the scintillator with an array of wavelength-shifting (WLS) strips is demonstrated. Using a test set-up comprising a BC-420 scintillator bar and an array of sixteen BC-482A WLS strips we achieved a spatial resolution of 5 mm (σ) for annihilation photons from a {sup 22}Na isotope. The studied method can be used to improve the spatial resolution of a plastic-scintillator-based PET scanner which is being developed by the J-PET collaboration.

The LUCIFER/CUPID-0 demonstrator: searching for the neutrinoless double-beta decay with Zn82Se scintillating bolometers

Science.gov (United States)

Artusa, D. R.; Balzoni, A.; Beeman, J. W.; Bellini, F.; Biassoni, M.; Brofferio, C.; Camacho, A.; Capelli, S.; Cardani, L.; Carniti, P.; Casali, N.; Cassina, L.; Clemenza, M.; Cremonesi, O.; Cruciani, A.; D'Addabbo, A.; Dafinei, I.; Di Domizio, S.; di Vacri, M. L.; Ferroni, F.; Gironi, L.; Giuliani, A.; Gotti, C.; Keppel, G.; Maino, M.; Mancuso, M.; Martinez, M.; Morganti, S.; Nagorny, S. S.; Nastasi, M.; Nisi, S.; Nones, C.; Orlandi, D.; Pagnanini, L.; Pallavicini, M.; Palmieri, V.; Pattavina, L.; Pavan, M.; Pessina, G.; Pettinacci, V.; Pirro, S.; Pozzi, S.; Previtali, E.; Puiu, A.; Rusconi, C.; Schäffner, K.; Tomei, C.; Vignati, M.; Zolotarova, A.

2017-09-01

Future experiments on neutrinoless double beta-decay with the aim of exploring the inverted hierarchy region have to employ detectors with excellent energy resolution and zero background in the energy region of interest. Cryogenic scintillating bolometers turn out to be a suitable candidate since they offer particle discrimination: the dual channel detection of the heat and the scintillation light signal allows for particle identification. In particular such detectors permit for a suppression of α-induced backgrounds, a key-issue for next-generation tonne-scale bolometric experiments. We report on the progress and current status of the LUCIFER/CUPID-0 demonstrator, the first array of scintillating bolometers based on enriched Zn82Se crystals which is expected to start data taking in 2016 and the potential of this detection technique for a future tonne-scale bolometric experiment after CUORE.

Conceptual design and optimization of a plastic scintillator array for 2D tomography using a compact D-D fast neutron generator.

Science.gov (United States)

Adams, Robert; Zboray, Robert; Cortesi, Marco; Prasser, Horst-Michael

2014-04-01

A conceptual design optimization of a fast neutron tomography system was performed. The system is based on a compact deuterium-deuterium fast neutron generator and an arc-shaped array of individual neutron detectors. The array functions as a position sensitive one-dimensional detector allowing tomographic reconstruction of a two-dimensional cross section of an object up to 10 cm across. Each individual detector is to be optically isolated and consists of a plastic scintillator and a Silicon Photomultiplier for measuring light produced by recoil protons. A deterministic geometry-based model and a series of Monte Carlo simulations were used to optimize the design geometry parameters affecting the reconstructed image resolution. From this, it is expected that with an array of 100 detectors a reconstructed image resolution of ~1.5mm can be obtained. Other simulations were performed in order to optimize the scintillator depth (length along the neutron path) such that the best ratio of direct to scattered neutron counts is achieved. This resulted in a depth of 6-8 cm and an expected detection efficiency of 33-37%. Based on current operational capabilities of a prototype neutron generator being developed at the Paul Scherrer Institute, planned implementation of this detector array design should allow reconstructed tomograms to be obtained with exposure times on the order of a few hours. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Scintillation properties of YAlO3 doped with Lu and Nd perovskite single crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Akatsuka, Masaki; Usui, Yuki; Nakauchi, Daisuke; Kato, Takumi; Kawano, Naoki; Okada, Go; Kawaguchi, Noriaki; Yanagida, Takayuki

2018-05-01

YAlO3 (YAP) single crystals doped with Lu and Nd were grown by the Floating Zone (FZ) method to evaluate their scintillation properties particularly emissions in the near-infrared (NIR) range. The Nd concentration was fixed to 0 or 1 mol% while the Lu concentration was varied from 0 to 30%. When X-ray was irradiated, the scintillation of Nd-doped samples was observed predominantly at 1064 nm due to 4F3/2 → 4I11/2 transition of Nd3+. In contrast, a weak emission around 700 nm appeared in the samples doped with only Lu, and the emission origin was attributed to defect centers. In the Nd3+-doped samples, the decay time was 94-157 μs due to the 4f-4f transitions of Nd3+ whereas the Lu-doped samples showed signal with the decay time of 1.45-1.54 ms. The emission origin of the latter signal was attributed to the perovskite lattice defect.

FLUKA studies of hadron-irradiated scintillating crystals for calorimetry at the High-Luminosity LHC

CERN Document Server

Quittnat, Milena Eleonore

2015-01-01

Calorimetry at the High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) will be performed in a harsh radiation environment with high hadron fluences. The upgraded CMS electromagnetic calorimeter design and suitable scintillating materials are a focus of current research. In this paper, first results using the Monte Carlo simulation program FLUKA are compared to measurements performed with proton-irradiated LYSO, YSO and cerium fluoride crystals. Based on these results, an extrapolation to the behavior of an electromagnetic sampling calorimeter, using one of the inorganic scintillators above as an active medium, is performed for the upgraded CMS experiment at the HL-LHC. Characteristic parameters such as the induced ambient dose, fluence spectra for different particle types and the residual nuclei are studied, and the suitability of these materials for a future calorimeter is surveyed. Particular attention is given to the creation of isotopes in an LYSO-tungsten calorimeter that might contribute a prohibitive background to the measu...

Numerical modeling of Czochralski growth of Li2MoO4 crystals for heat-scintillation cryogenic bolometers

Science.gov (United States)

Stelian, Carmen; Velázquez, Matias; Veber, Philippe; Ahmine, Abdelmounaim; Sand, Jean-Baptiste; Buşe, Gabriel; Cabane, Hugues; Duffar, Thierry

2018-06-01

Lithium molybdate Li2MoO4 (LMO) crystals of mass ranging between 350 and 500 g are excellent candidates to build heat-scintillation cryogenic bolometers likely to be used for the detection of rare events in astroparticle physics. In this work, numerical modeling is applied in order to investigate the Czochralski growth of Li2MoO4 crystals in an inductive furnace. The numerical model was validated by comparing the numerical predictions of the crystal-melt interface shape to experimental visualization of the growth interface. Modeling was performed for two different Czochralski furnaces that use inductive heating. The simulation of the first furnace, which was used to grow Li2MoO4 crystals of 3-4 cm in diameter, reveals non-optimal heat transfer conditions for obtaining good quality crystals. The second furnace, which will be used to grow crystals of 5 cm in diameter, was numerically optimized in order to reduce the temperature gradients in the crystal and to avoid fast crystallization of the bath at the later stages of the growth process.

Measurement of ultimate tensile strength and Young modulus in LYSO scintillating crystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Scalise, Lorenzo, E-mail: l.scalise@univpm.it [Dipartimento di Meccanica, Universita Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona (Italy); Rinaldi, Daniele [Dipartimento di Fisica e Ingegneria dei Materiali e del Territorio, Universita Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona (Italy); Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Section of Perugia (Italy); Davi, Fabrizio [Dipartimento di Architettura Costruzioni e Strutture, Universita Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona (Italy); Paone, Nicola [Dipartimento di Meccanica, Universita Politecnica delle Marche, Via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona (Italy)

2011-10-21

Scintillating crystals are employed in high energy physics, in medical imaging, diagnostic and security. Two mechanical properties of lutetium-yttrium oxyorthosilicate cerium-doped Lu{sub 2(1-x)}Y{sub 2x}SiO{sub 5}:Ce with x=0.1 (LYSO) crystals have been measured: the ultimate tensile stress ({sigma}{sub UTS}) and the Young elastic modulus (E). Measurements are made by means of a 4-points loading device and the experimental results account for an elastic-brittle stress-strain relation, which depends heavily on the specimen preparation and the material defects. {sigma}{sub UTS} along the [0 1 0] tensile direction ranges within 68.14 and 115.61 MPa, which, in the lowest case, is more than twice with respect to those measured for PbWO{sub 4} (PWO), exhibiting a marked difference between the annealed and the not-annealed samples. The mean elastic modulus (E), along the same direction, is E=1.80x10{sup 11} ({+-}2.15x10{sup 10}) N/m{sup 2}, with lower dispersion respect to UTS data. This type of analysis and study can be included into quality control procedures of crystals, based on samples taken out of production; such procedures can be established for industrial processing of crystals aimed to the high energy physics (calorimeters) and medical imaging (PET, etc.) applications.

High-efficiency organic glass scintillators

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Patrick L.; Carlson, Joseph S.

2017-12-19

A new family of neutron/gamma discriminating scintillators is disclosed that comprises stable organic glasses that may be melt-cast into transparent monoliths. These materials have been shown to provide light yields greater than solution-grown trans-stilbene crystals and efficient PSD capabilities when combined with 0.01 to 0.05% by weight of the total composition of a wavelength-shifting fluorophore. Photoluminescence measurements reveal fluorescence quantum yields that are 2 to 5 times greater than conventional plastic or liquid scintillator matrices, which accounts for the superior light yield of these glasses. The unique combination of high scintillation light-yields, efficient neutron/gamma PSD, and straightforward scale-up via melt-casting distinguishes the developed organic glasses from existing scintillators.

Methods for a systematic, comprehensive search for fast, heavy scintillator materials

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Derenzo, S.E.; Moses, W.W.; Weber, M.J.; West, A.C.

1994-01-01

Over the years a number of scintillator materials have been developed for a wide variety of nuclear detection applications in industry, high energy physics, and medical instrumentation. To expand the list of useful scintillators, the authors are pursuing the following systematic, comprehensive search: (1) select materials with good gamma-ray interaction properties from the 200,000 data set NIST crystal diffraction file, (2) synthesize samples (doped and undoped) in powdered or single crystal form, (3) test the samples using sub-nanosecond pulsed x-rays to measure important scintillation properties such as rise times, decay times, emission wavelengths, and light output, (4) prepare large, high quality crystals of the most promising candidates, and (5) test the crystals as gamma-ray detectors in representative configurations. An important parallel effort is the computation of electronic energy levels of activators and the band structure of intrinsic and host crystals to aid in the materials selection process. In this paper the authors interested mainly in scintillator materials for detecting 511 keV gamma rays in positron emission tomography

A novel fast-neutron tomography system based on a plastic scintillator array and a compact D–D neutron generator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Adams, Robert; Zboray, Robert; Prasser, Horst-Michael

2016-01-01

Very few experimental imaging studies using a compact neutron generator have been published, and to the knowledge of the authors none have included tomography results using multiple projection angles. Radiography results with a neutron generator, scintillator screen, and camera can be seen in Bogolubov et al. (2005), Cremer et al. (2012), and Li et al. (2014). Comparable results with a position-sensitive photomultiplier tube can be seen in Popov et al. (2011). One study using an array of individual fast neutron detectors in the context of cargo scanning for security purposes is detailed in Eberhardt et al. (2005). In that case, however, the emphasis was on very large objects with a resolution on the order of 1 cm, whereas this study focuses on less massive objects and a finer spatial resolution. In Andersson et al. (2014) three fast neutron counters and a D–T generator were used to perform attenuation measurements of test phantoms. Based on the axisymmetry of the test phantoms, the single-projection information was used to calculate radial attenuation distributions of the object, which was compared with the known geometry. In this paper a fast-neutron tomography system based on an array of individual detectors and a purpose-designed compact D–D neutron generator is presented. Each of the 88 detectors consists of a plastic scintillator read out by two Silicon photomultipliers and a dedicated pulse-processing board. Data acquisition for all channels was handled by four single-board microcontrollers. Details of the individual detector design and testing are elaborated upon. Using the complete array, several fast-neutron images of test phantoms were reconstructed, one of which was compared with results using a Co-60 gamma source. The system was shown to be capable of 2 mm resolution, with exposure times on the order of several hours per reconstructed tomogram. Details about these measurements and the analysis of the reconstructed images are given, along with a

On improvement of scintillation characteristics of Gd2SiO5:Ce crystals by thermal treatment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bondar, Valery G.; Grinyov, Boris V.; Katrunov, Konstantin A.; Lisetski, Longin N.; Nagornaya, Lyudmila L.; Ryzhikov, Vladimir D.; Spasov, Vladimir G.; Starzhinskiy, Nikolai; Tamulaitis, Gintautas

2005-01-01

Effects of thermal treatment of Gd 2 SiO 5 :Ce crystals at T∼0.7T m under low pressure on their optical and scintillation properties were studied. It is shown that thermal treatment in the atmosphere with the chemical potential of ∼40 J mol -1 decreases the absorption in the UV region and substantially improves the crystal transparency in the region of intrinsic emission peaked at 427 nm.Narrowing of the emission band due to suppression of the long-wave component in the range of 520-560 nm, light output increase by 7-10%, decrease of the emission decay time, and improvement of thermal stability of the luminescence yield were also observed. Transformations of the ensemble of structural defects in cerium-activated gadolinium oxyorthosilicate crystals are under discussion

Single crystal and optical ceramic multicomponent garnet scintillators: A comparative study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, Yuntao; Luo, Zhaohua; Jiang, Haochuan; Meng, Fang; Koschan, Merry; Melcher, Charles L.

2015-01-01

Multicomponent garnet materials can be made in optical ceramic as well as single crystal form due to their cubic crystal structure. In this work, high-quality Gd 3 Ga 3 Al 2 O 12 :0.2 at% Ce (GGAG:Ce) single crystal and (Gd,Lu) 3 Ga 3 Al 2 O 12 :1 at% Ce (GLuGAG:Ce) optical ceramics were fabricated by the Czochralski method and a combination of hot isostatic pressing (HIPing) and annealing treatment, respectively. Under optical and X-ray excitation, the GLuGAG:Ce optical ceramic exhibits a broad Ce 3+ transition emission centered at 550 nm, while the emission peak of the GGAG:Ce single crystal is centered at 540 nm. A self-absorption effect in GLuGAG:Ce optical ceramic results in this red-shift of the Ce 3+ emission peak compared to that in the GGAG:Ce single crystal. The light yield under 662 keV γ-ray excitation was 45,000±2500 photons/MeV and 48,200±2410 photons/MeV for the GGAG:Ce single crystal and GLuGAG:Ce optical ceramic, respectively. An energy resolution of 7.1% for 662 keV γ-rays was achieved in the GLuGAG:Ce optical ceramic with a Hamamatsu R6231 PMT, which is superior to the value of 7.6% for a GGAG:Ce single crystal. Scintillation decay time measurements under 137 Cs irradiation show two exponential decay components of 58 ns (47%) and 504 ns (53%) for the GGAG:Ce single crystal, and 84 ns (76%) and 148 ns (24%) for the GLuGAG:Ce optical ceramic. The afterglow level after X-ray cutoff in the GLuGAG:Ce optical ceramic is at least one order of magnitude lower than in the GGAG:Ce single crystal. - Highlights: • GGAG:Ce single crystal and GLuGAG:Ce optical ceramics were fabricated. • The light yield of both ceramic and crystal G(Lu)GAG:Ce reached the level of 45,000 photons/MeV. • GLuGAG:Ce optical ceramic showed a better energy resolution of 7.1% for 662 keV. • GLuGAG:Ce ceramics exhibited lower afterglow level than that of GGAG:Ce single crystals. • The possible optimization strategies for multicomponent aluminate garnets are discussed

A LaBr{sub 3}: Ce fast-timing array for DESPEC at FAIR

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Roberts, Oliver J., E-mail: O.J.Roberts@brighton.ac.uk [School of Computing, Engineering and Mathematics, University of Brighton, Brighton BN2 4GJ (United Kingdom); Bruce, Alison M. [School of Computing, Engineering and Mathematics, University of Brighton, Brighton BN2 4GJ (United Kingdom); Regan, Patrick H. [Department of Physics, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH (United Kingdom); National Physics Laboratory, Teddington, TW11 0LW (United Kingdom); Podolyák, Zsolt; Townsley, Christopher M. [Department of Physics, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH (United Kingdom); Smith, John F.; Mulholland, Kieran F. [School of Engineering, The University of the West of Scotland, Paisley PA1 2BE (United Kingdom); Smith, Andrew [The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL (United Kingdom)

2014-06-01

The design of a fast-timing γ-ray detection array aimed at measuring sub-nanosecond half-lives using LaBr{sub 3}:Ce scintillation crystals is presented. This array will complement novel and existing charged particle and neutron detector arrays at the low-energy branch of a fragment separator (Super-FRS) to be built within the NuSTAR collaboration as part of the future Facility for Anti-proton and Ion Research (FAIR). The array will be used in conjunction with the Advanced Implantation Detector Array (AIDA), to measure implant-decay correlations. Monte-Carlo simulations have been performed to determine the design of the proposed fast-timing array around a localised implantation point. In particular, simulations were used to determine the full-energy peak efficiencies for single cylindrical, conical and ‘hybrid’ detector geometries, as well as complete array configurations of ‘hybrid’ and ∅1.5 in.×2 in. cylindrical crystals. Timing precision calculations were then used to determine the timing response for each configuration based on its simulated efficiency. An informed decision based on the simulated efficiencies and timing precision calculations allowed the optimum configuration for the array to be determined.

Growth of LiF/LiBaF.sub.3./sub. eutectic scintillator crystals and their optical properties

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kurosawa, S.; Yamaji, A.; Pejchal, Jan; Yokota, Y.; Ohashi, Y.; Kamada, K.; Yoshikawa, A.

2017-01-01

Roč. 52, č. 10 (2017), s. 5531-5536 ISSN 0022-2461 Grant - others:AV ČR(CZ) JSPS-17-18 Program:Bilaterální spolupráce Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : scintillators * eutectics * crystal growth Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism OBOR OECD: Condensed matter physics (including formerly solid state physics, supercond.) Impact factor: 2.599, year: 2016

Influence of the reactor irradiation on the radiation-optical features of the PbWO4:La scintillation crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ashurov, M.Kh.; Ismoilov, Sh.Kh.; Khatamov, K.; Gasanov, Eh.M.; Rustamov, I.R.

2001-01-01

Within an International LHC project the lead tungstates (PbWO 4 ) scintillation crystals radiation stability activated by La ions was carried out. In the 400-700 nm length range the transmission spectra were measured on the different parts of the standard PbWO 4 :La crystals. The spectra were measured before and after irradiation by both fast neutrons and γ-radiation. On the base of obtained data the contribution of γ-quanta and neutrons in the radiation-induced losses value of optical radiation in the active media of the electromagnetic colorimeter was estimated

Energy resolution of scintillation detectors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moszyński, M., E-mail: M.Moszynski@ncbj.gov.pl; Syntfeld-Każuch, A.; Swiderski, L.; Grodzicka, M.; Iwanowska, J.; Sibczyński, P.; Szczęśniak, T.

2016-01-01

According to current knowledge, the non-proportionality of the light yield of scintillators appears to be a fundamental limitation of energy resolution. A good energy resolution is of great importance for most applications of scintillation detectors. Thus, its limitations are discussed below; which arise from the non-proportional response of scintillators to gamma rays and electrons, being of crucial importance to the intrinsic energy resolution of crystals. The important influence of Landau fluctuations and the scattering of secondary electrons (δ-rays) on intrinsic resolution is pointed out here. The study on undoped NaI and CsI at liquid nitrogen temperature with a light readout by avalanche photodiodes strongly suggests that the non-proportionality of many crystals is not their intrinsic property and may be improved by selective co-doping. Finally, several observations that have been collected in the last 15 years on the influence of the slow components of light pulses on energy resolution suggest that more complex processes are taking place in the scintillators. This was observed with CsI(Tl), CsI(Na), ZnSe(Te), and undoped NaI at liquid nitrogen temperature and, finally, for NaI(Tl) at temperatures reduced below 0 °C. A common conclusion of these observations is that the highest energy resolution, and particularly intrinsic resolution measured with the scintillators, characterized by two or more components of the light pulse decay, is obtainable when the spectrometry equipment integrates the whole light of the components. In contrast, the slow components observed in many other crystals degrade the intrinsic resolution. In the limiting case, afterglow could also be considered as a very slow component that spoils the energy resolution. The aim of this work is to summarize all of the above observations by looking for their origin.

Simulation of light collection in calcium tungstate scintillation detectors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

F. A. Danevich

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Due to high operational properties, the oxide scintillators are perspective for cryogenic scintillation experiments with aim of study rare nuclear processes. In order to optimize light yield and the energy resolution we performed calculations of the efficiency of light collection for different geometries of scintillation detector with CaWO4 crystal by Monte-Carlo method using Litrani, Geant4 and Zemax packages. The calculations were compared with experimental data in the same configurations, depending on the crystal shape, surface treatment, material and shape of the reflector and presence of optical contact. The best results were obtained with crystals shaped as the right prism with triangle base, with completely diffused surfaces, using mirror reflector shaped as a truncated cone. Simulations by using Litrani have shown the best agreement with experimental results.

Design, development and evaluation of a resistor-based multiplexing circuit for a 20×20 SiPM array

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Zhonghai; Sun, Xishan; Lou, Kai; Meier, Joseph; Zhou, Rong; Yang, Chaowen; Zhu, Xiaorong; Shao, Yiping

2016-01-01

One technical challenge in developing a large-size scintillator detector with multiple Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPM) arrays is to read out a large number of detector output channels. To achieve this, different signal multiplexing circuits have been studied and applied with different performances and cost-effective tradeoffs. Resistor-based multiplexing circuits exhibit simplicity and signal integrity, but also present the disadvantage of timing shift among different channels. In this study, a resistor-based multiplexing circuit for a large-sized SiPM array readout was developed and evaluated by simulation and experimental studies. Similarly to a multiplexing circuit used for multi-anode PMT, grounding and branching resistors were connected to each SiPM output channel. The grounding resistor was used to simultaneously reduce the signal crosstalk among different channels and to improve timing performance. Both grounding and branching resistor values were optimized to maintain a balanced performance of the event energy, timing, and positioning. A multiplexing circuit was implemented on a compact PCB and applied for a flat-panel detector which consisted of a 32×32 LYSO scintillator crystals optically coupled to 5×5 SiPM arrays for a total 20×20 output channels. Test results showed excellent crystal identification for all 1024 LYSO crystals (each with 2×2×30 mm"3 size) with "2"2Na flood-source irradiation. The measured peak-to-valley ratio from typical crystal map profile is around 3:1 to 6.6:1, an average single crystal energy resolution of about 17.3%, and an average single crystal timing resolution of about 2 ns. Timing shift among different crystals, as reported in some other resistor-based multiplexing circuit designs, was not observed. In summary, we have designed and implemented a practical resistor-based multiplexing circuit that can be readily applied for reading out a large SiPM array with good detector performance.

Design, development and evaluation of a resistor-based multiplexing circuit for a 20×20 SiPM array

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, Zhonghai [College of Physical Science and Technology, Key Laboratory of Radiation Physics and Technology, Ministry of Education, Sichuan University, Chengdu (China); Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Tx (United States); Sun, Xishan [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Tx (United States); Lou, Kai [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Tx (United States); Meier, Joseph [Department of Imaging Physics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Tx (United States); Zhou, Rong; Yang, Chaowen [College of Physical Science and Technology, Key Laboratory of Radiation Physics and Technology, Ministry of Education, Sichuan University, Chengdu (China); Zhu, Xiaorong [Department of Radiation Physics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Tx (United States); Shao, Yiping [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Tx (United States)

2016-04-21

One technical challenge in developing a large-size scintillator detector with multiple Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPM) arrays is to read out a large number of detector output channels. To achieve this, different signal multiplexing circuits have been studied and applied with different performances and cost-effective tradeoffs. Resistor-based multiplexing circuits exhibit simplicity and signal integrity, but also present the disadvantage of timing shift among different channels. In this study, a resistor-based multiplexing circuit for a large-sized SiPM array readout was developed and evaluated by simulation and experimental studies. Similarly to a multiplexing circuit used for multi-anode PMT, grounding and branching resistors were connected to each SiPM output channel. The grounding resistor was used to simultaneously reduce the signal crosstalk among different channels and to improve timing performance. Both grounding and branching resistor values were optimized to maintain a balanced performance of the event energy, timing, and positioning. A multiplexing circuit was implemented on a compact PCB and applied for a flat-panel detector which consisted of a 32×32 LYSO scintillator crystals optically coupled to 5×5 SiPM arrays for a total 20×20 output channels. Test results showed excellent crystal identification for all 1024 LYSO crystals (each with 2×2×30 mm{sup 3} size) with {sup 22}Na flood-source irradiation. The measured peak-to-valley ratio from typical crystal map profile is around 3:1 to 6.6:1, an average single crystal energy resolution of about 17.3%, and an average single crystal timing resolution of about 2 ns. Timing shift among different crystals, as reported in some other resistor-based multiplexing circuit designs, was not observed. In summary, we have designed and implemented a practical resistor-based multiplexing circuit that can be readily applied for reading out a large SiPM array with good detector performance.

Development of a PET detector module incorporating a silicon photodiode array

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rosenfeld, A.B.; Takacs, G.J.; Lerch, M.L.F.; Simmonds, P.E.

2000-01-01

Full text: We are developing a new Positron Emission Tomography (PET) detection sub-module with depth of interaction capability. The new sub-module is simple and robust to minimise module assembly complications and is completely independent of photomultiplier tubes. The new sub-module has also been designed to maximise its flexibility for easy sub-module coupling so as to form a complete, customised, detection module to be used in PET scanners dedicated to human brain and breast, and small animal studies. Blue enhanced, silicon 8x8 detector arrays are used to read out the scintillation crystals, and form the basis of the new module. The new detectors were designed by the Centre for Medical Radiation Physics (CMRP) at the University of Wollongong in collaboration with the High Energy Physics Department, University of Melbourne and produced by SPO D etector , Ukraine. Complementing the work on the silicon photodetectors, we have also carried out simulations of the propagation of the scintillation light in the crystals, and the effect of crystal dimensions and surface treatment on the distribution of light detected by the photodiode array. The distribution of light over the photodiodes has then been used to test various algorithms for calculating the point of interaction of the gamma ray in the crystal. Simulations of the light propagation show that for a crystal of dimensions 25mm x 25mm x 3mm, it is possible to determine the point of interaction in 2 dimensions with an average accuracy of just over 0.5mm. The resulting photon distribution detected by the array. The surface treatment, while having a large effect on the light output, does not have a great effect on the accuracy. If these dimensions change to 25mm x 25mm x 6mm then the surface conditions have a greater effect on the accuracy. It is possible however, with careful surface treatment, to achieve an accuracy of around 0.6mm, only marginally worse than the case for the 3mm thick crystal. Gamma ray

Assessment of array scintillation detector for follicle thyroid 2-d image acquisition using Monte Carlo simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Silva, Carlos Borges da; Braz, Delson

2008-01-01

Full text: This work presents an innovative study to find out the adequate scintillation inorganic detector array to be used coupled to a specific light photo sensor, a charge coupled device (CCD), through a fiber optic plate. The goal is to choose the type of detector that fits a 2-dimensional imaging acquisition of a cell thyroid tissue application with high resolution and detection efficiency in order to map a follicle image using gamma radiation emission. A point or volumetric source-detector simulation by using a MCNP4B general code, considering different source energies, detector materials and geometry including pixel sizes and reflector types was performed. In this study, simulations were performed for 7 x 7, 31 x 31 and 127 x 127 arrays using CsI(Tl), BGO, CdWO 4 , LSO, GOS and GSO scintillation detectors with pixel dimensions ranging from 1 x 1 cm 2 to 10 x 10 μm 2 and radiation thickness ranging from 1 mm to 10 mm. The effect of all these parameters was investigated to find the best source-detector system that results in an image with the best contrast details. The results showed that it is possible to design a specific imaging system that allows searching for in-vitro studies, specifically in radiobiology applied to endocrine physiology. A 2D image of two thyroid follicles simulated by using MCNP4B code is shown

A sub-millimeter resolution PET detector module using a multi-pixel photon counter array

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Song, Tae Yong; Wu Heyu; Komarov, Sergey; Tai, Yuan-Chuan; Siegel, Stefan B

2010-01-01

A PET block detector module using an array of sub-millimeter lutetium oxyorthosilicate (LSO) crystals read out by an array of surface-mount, semiconductor photosensors has been developed. The detector consists of a LSO array, a custom acrylic light guide, a 3 x 3 multi-pixel photon counter (MPPC) array (S10362-11-050P, Hamamatsu Photonics, Japan) and a readout board with a charge division resistor network. The LSO array consists of 100 crystals, each measuring 0.8 x 0.8 x 3 mm 3 and arranged in 0.86 mm pitches. A Monte Carlo simulation was used to aid the design and fabrication of a custom light guide to control distribution of scintillation light over the surface of the MPPC array. The output signals of the nine MPPC are multiplexed by a charge division resistor network to generate four position-encoded analog outputs. Flood image, energy resolution and timing resolution measurements were performed using standard NIM electronics. The linearity of the detector response was investigated using gamma-ray sources of different energies. The 10 x 10 array of 0.8 mm LSO crystals was clearly resolved in the flood image. The average energy resolution and standard deviation were 20.0% full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) and ±5.0%, respectively, at 511 keV. The timing resolution of a single MPPC coupled to a LSO crystal was found to be 857 ps FWHM, and the value for the central region of detector module was 1182 ps FWHM when ±10% energy window was applied. The nonlinear response of a single MPPC when used to read out a single LSO was observed among the corner crystals of the proposed detector module. However, the central region of the detector module exhibits significantly less nonlinearity (6.5% for 511 keV). These results demonstrate that (1) a charge-sharing resistor network can effectively multiplex MPPC signals and reduce the number of output signals without significantly degrading the performance of a PET detector and (2) a custom light guide to permit light sharing

Process for obtaining oxygen doped zinc telluride monocrystals and scintillator crystals obtained by this process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schneider, Maurice; Moreau, Roland; D'Haenen, J.-P.; Merenda, Pierre.

1976-01-01

A process is described for obtaining oxygen doped zinc telluride monocrystals, for use as scintillator crystals for ionising radiation detectors. The following operations are carried out in succession: one or several zinc telluride crystals are introduced into a silica ampoule together with a ternary mixture of zinc tellurium and oxygen, as an oxide or hydroxide of these elements; the ampoule is pumped down to a high vacuum and sealed; the sealed ampoule containing the mixture and monocrystals is placed in a kiln and brought to a uniform temperature sufficient to make the mixture three-phased, depending on its composition; the zinc telluride crystalline compound remains solid; the ampoule is then tempered to bring it quickly back to ambient temperature [fr

A BaF2 crystal array for high energy -ray measurements

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

A very well-known such array is called two-arm-photon- spectrometer (TAPS) [1]. It consists of large (25 cm long) hexagonal BaF¾ crystals ar- ranged in packs of 64 crystals. ... light which may not reach the photomultiplier tube. A sketch of the ...

Prospects for first-principle calculations of scintillator properties

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Derenzo, Stephen E.; Weber, Marvin J.

1999-01-01

Several scintillation processes can be modeled from first principles using quantum chemistry cluster calculations and recently available high-performance computers. These processes include the formation of excitons and trapping centers, the diffusion of ionization energy (electrons and holes) through a host crystal, and the efficient capture of these carriers by an activator atom to form a luminous, non-quenched excited state. As examples of such calculations, results are presented for (1) hole transport in the known scintillator host crystal CsI, (2) hole trapping in the non-scintillator PbF 2 , (3) hole transport in the experimentally unexplored PbF 4 , and (4) the electronic nature of excited states of CsI : Tl and CsI : Na

Neutron detection and multiplicity counting using a boron-loaded plastic scintillator/bismuth germanate phoswich detector array

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, M.C.

1998-03-01

Neutron detection and multiplicity counting has been investigated using a boron-loaded plastic scintillator/bismuth germanate phoswich detector array. Boron-loaded plastic combines neutron moderation (H) and detection ( 10 B) at the molecular level, thereby physically coupling increasing detection efficiency and decreasing die-away time with detector volume. Both of these characteristics address a fundamental limitation of thermal-neutron multiplicity counters, where 3 He proportional counters are embedded in a polyethylene matrix. Separation of the phoswich response into its plastic scintillator and bismuth germanate components was accomplished on a pulse-by-pulse basis using custom integrator and timing circuits. In addition, a custom time-tag module was used to provide a time for each detector event. Analysis of the combined energy and time event stream was performed by calibrating each detector's response and filtering based on the presence of a simultaneous energy deposition corresponding to the 10 B(n,alpha) reaction products in the plastic scintillator (93 keV ee ) and the accompanying neutron-capture gamma ray in the bismuth germanate (478 keV). Time-correlation analysis was subsequently performed on the filtered event stream to obtain shift-register-type singles and doubles count rates. Proof-of-principle measurements were conducted with a variety of gamma-ray and neutron sources including 137 Cs, 54 Mn, AmLi, and 252 Cf. Results of this study indicate that a neutron-capture probability of ∼10% and a die-away time of ∼10 micros are possible with a 4-detector array with a detector volume of 1600 cm 3 . Simulations were performed that indicate neutron-capture probabilities on the order of 50% and die-away times of less than 4 micros are realistically achievable. While further study will be required for practical application of such a detection system, the results obtained in this investigation are encouraging and may lead to a new class of high

A fast, high light output scintillator for gamma ray and neutron detection. Fifth Semi-Annual Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Entine, Gerald; Kanai, S.; Shah, M.S.; Leonard Cirignano, M.S.; Jarek Glodo; Van Loef, Edgar V.

2003-01-01

In view of the attractive properties of RbGd2Br7:Ce for gamma-ray and thermal neutron detection, and the lack of larger volume crystals, the goal of the Phase I project was to perform a rigorous investigation of the crystal growth of this exciting material and explore its capabilities for gamma-ray and thermal neutron detection. The Phase I research was very successful. All technical objectives were met and in many cases exceeded expectations. We were able to produce large (>1 cm3) RbGd2Br7:Ce crystals with excellent scintillation properties and demonstrated the possibility to detect thermal neutrons. As far as we are aware, our Phase I experiment was the first to demonstrate thermal neutron detection with RbGd2Br7:Ce. Clearly, the feasibility of the proposed research was adequately proven. The Phase II research builds on the successful results obtained during Phase I. Phase II will initially focus on optimizing the RbGd2Br7:Ce growth process to produce high quality, larger volume RbGd2Br7:Ce crystals. We will continue to use the versatile Bridgman technique. During this process, crystal growth parameters will be adjusted for optimal growth conditions. Our goal is to produce high quality RbGd2Br7:Ce crystals of size 1 inch x 1 inch x 1 inch (∼16 cm3). We will work on packaging aspects that allow efficient light collection and prevent crystal degradation. We will study and measure emission spectra, light yield, scintillation decay, energy and time resolution. The effects of variation in Ce concentration on the scintillation properties of RbGd2Br7:Ce will be examined in detail. Comprehensive gamma-ray spectroscopic and imaging studies will be conducted. Also, optimization of RbGd2Br7:Ce for thermal neutron detection will be addressed. Our initial studies will determine the optimal geometry of the RbGd2Br7:Ce crystals for neutron detection. For thermal neutron detection experiments, we will produce large area, thin samples in order to minimize gamma-ray sensitivity

Crystal growth and scintillation properties of Er-doped Lu3Al5O12 single crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sugiyama, Makoto; Fujimoto, Yutaka; Yanagida, Takayuki; Totsuka, Daisuke; Kurosawa, Shunsuke; Futami, Yoshisuke; Yokota, Yuui; Chani, Valery; Yoshikawa, Akira

2012-01-01

Er-doped Lu 3 Al 5 O 12 (Er:LuAG) single crystalline scintillators with different Er concentrations of 0.1, 0.5, 1, and 3% were grown by the micro-pulling-down (μ-PD) method. The grown crystals were composed of single-phase material, as demonstrated by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). The radioluminescence spectra measured under 241 Am α-ray excitation indicated host emission at approximately 350 nm and Er 3+ 4f-4f emissions. According to the pulse height spectra recorded under γ-ray irradiation, the 0.5% Er:LuAG exhibited the highest peak channel among the samples. The γ-ray excited decay time profiles were well fitted by the two-component exponential approximation (0.8 μs and 6-10 μs).

GAGG:ce single crystalline films: New perspective scintillators for electron detection in SEM

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bok, Jan; Lalinský, Ondřej; Hanuš, Martin; Onderišinová, Zuzana; Kelar, Jakub; Kučera, Miroslav

2016-01-01

Single crystal scintillators are frequently used for electron detection in scanning electron microscopy (SEM). We report gadolinium aluminum gallium garnet (GAGG:Ce) single crystalline films as a new perspective scintillators for the SEM. For the first time, the epitaxial garnet films were used in a practical application: the GAGG:Ce scintillator was incorporated into a SEM scintillation electron detector and it showed improved image quality. In order to prove the GAGG:Ce quality accurately, the scintillation properties were examined using electron beam excitation and compared with frequently used scintillators in the SEM. The results demonstrate excellent emission efficiency of the GAGG:Ce single crystalline films together with their very fast scintillation decay useful for demanding SEM applications. - Highlights: • First practical application of epitaxial garnet films demonstrated in SEM. • Improved image quality of SEM equipped with GAGG:Ce single crystalline thin film scintillator. • Scintillation properties of GAGG:Ce films compared with standard bulk crystal scintillators.

Development of scintillation materials for medical imaging and other applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Melcher, C. L.

2013-01-01

Scintillation materials that produce pulses of visible light in response to the absorption of energetic photons, neutrons, and charged particles, are widely used in various applications that require the detection of radiation. The discovery and development of new scintillators has accelerated in recent years, due in large part to their importance in medical imaging as well as in security and high energy physics applications. Better understanding of fundamental scintillation mechanisms as well as the roles played by defects and impurities have aided the development of new high performance scintillators for both gamma-ray and neutron detection. Although single crystals continue to dominate gamma-ray based imaging techniques, composite materials and transparent optical ceramics potentially offer advantages in terms of both synthesis processes and scintillation performance. A number of promising scintillator candidates have been identified during the last few years, and several are currently being actively developed for commercial production. Purification and control of raw materials and cost effective crystal growth processes can present significant challenges to the development of practical new scintillation materials.

Characterization of scintillating CaWO{sub 4} crystals for the CRESST experiment using two-photon excitation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hampf, Raphael; Dandl, Thomas; Muenster, Andrea; Oberauer, Lothar; Roth, Sabine; Schoenert, Stefan; Ulrich, Andreas [Physik-Department and Excellence Cluster Universe, Technische Universitaet Muenchen, D-85747 Garching (Germany)

2016-07-01

In the CRESST experiment for direct dark matter search, phonon and photon signals from cryogenic CaWO{sub 4} crystals are used to search for WIMP-induced nuclear recoil events. We present a novel table-top setup in which the scintillation of CaWO{sub 4} is induced by 0.7 ns laser pulses of 355 nm wavelength. The excitation occurs via two-photon absorption in the bulk material. The scintillation light is observed by time resolved optical spectroscopy. By varying the focusing of the laser-beam the excitation density can be made high enough to study quenching effects due to exciton-exciton annihilation. This allows to perform experiments to test models for the quenching factors of different ionizing projectiles in CaWO{sub 4} which are used to identify these projectiles on an event by event basis.

Liquid crystal-based hydrophone arrays

Science.gov (United States)

Brodzeli, Zourab; Silvestri, Leonardo; Michie, Andrew; Chigrinov, Vladimir G.; Guo, Qi; Pozhidaev, Eugene P.; Kiselev, Alexei D.; Ladouceur, Francois

2012-09-01

We describe a fiber optic hydrophone array system that could be used for underwater acoustic surveillance applications (e.g. military, counter terrorist, and customs authorities in protecting ports and harbors), offshore production facilities or coastal approaches as well as various marine applications. In this paper, we propose a new approach to underwater sonar systems using the voltage-controlled liquid crystals and simple multiplexing method. The proposed method permits measurement of sound under water at multiple points along an optical fiber using the low cost components and standard single mode fiber, without complex interferometric measurement techniques, electronics or demodulation software.

First scintillating bolometer tests of a CLYMENE R&D on Li2MoO4 scintillators towards a large-scale double-beta decay experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Buşe, G.; Giuliani, A.; de Marcillac, P.; Marnieros, S.; Nones, C.; Novati, V.; Olivieri, E.; Poda, D. V.; Redon, T.; Sand, J.-B.; Veber, P.; Velázquez, M.; Zolotarova, A. S.

2018-05-01

A new R&D on lithium molybdate scintillators has begun within a project CLYMENE (Czochralski growth of Li2MoO4 crYstals for the scintillating boloMeters used in the rare EveNts sEarches). One of the main goals of the CLYMENE is a realization of a Li2MoO4 crystal growth line to be complementary to the one recently developed by LUMINEU in view of a mass production capacity for CUPID, a next-generation tonne-scale bolometric experiment to search for neutrinoless double-beta decay. In the present paper we report the investigation of performance and radiopurity of 158-g and 13.5-g scintillating bolometers based on a first large-mass (230 g) Li2MoO4 crystal scintillator developed within the CLYMENE project. In particular, a good energy resolution (2-7 keV FWHM in the energy range of 0.2-5 MeV), one of the highest light yield (0.97 keV/MeV) amongst Li2MoO4 scintillating bolometers, an efficient alpha particles discrimination (10 σ) and potentially low internal radioactive contamination (below 0.2-0.3 mBq/kg of U/Th, but 1.4 mBq/kg of 210Po) demonstrate prospects of the CLYMENE in the development of high quality and radiopure Li2MoO4 scintillators for CUPID.

R&D on scintillation materials for novel ionizing radiation detectors for High Energy Physics, medical imaging and industrial applications

CERN Multimedia

Chipaux, R; Rinaldi, D; Boursier, Y M; Vasilyev, A; Tikhomirov, V; Morel, C; Choi, Y; Tamulaitis, G

2002-01-01

The Crystal Clear Collaboration (CCC) was approved by the Detector R&D Committee as RD18 in 1990 with the objective of developing new inorganic scintillators suitable for crystal electromagnetic calorimeters of LHC experiments. From 1990 to 1994, CCC made an intensive investigation for the quest of the most adequate ideal scintillator for the LHC; three main candidates were identified and extensively studied : CeF$_{3}$, PbWO$_{4}$ and heavy scintillating glasses. Lead tungstate was chosen by CMS and ALICE as the most cost effective crystal compliant to LHC conditions. Today 76648 PWO crystals are installed in CMS and 17920 in ALICE. After this success Crystal clear has continued its investigation on new scintillators and the understanding of scintillation mechanisms and light transfer properties in particular : The understanding of cerium ion as activator, The development of LuAP, LuYAP crystals for medical imaging applications, (CERN patent) Investigation of Ytterbium based scintillators for solar ne...

Fine-granularity electromagnetic calorimeter using plastic scintillator strip-array

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nagano, A.; Yamauchi, S.; Matsunaga, H.; Kim, S.; Matsumoto, T.; Sekiguchi, K.; Uchida, N.; Yamada, Y.; Yamamoto, S.; Evtoukhovitch, P.; Fujii, Y.; Garutti, E.; Iba, S.; Itoh, S.; Kajino, F.; Kalinnikov, V.; Kallies, W.; Kanzaki, J.; Kawagoe, K.; Kishimoto, S.; Miyata, H.; Mzavia, D.; Nakajima, N.; Nakamura, R.; Ono, H.; Samoilov, V.; Sanchez, A.L.C.; Takeshita, T.; Tamura, Y.; Tsamalaidze, Z.

2006-01-01

For the future linear collider calorimetry, fine-granularity is indispensable for energy measurements based on particle flow algorithm, which could achieve better energy resolution for jets than the conventional method. To explore the possibility for such a calorimeter using scintillator, an electromagnetic calorimeter test module, made of scintillator-strips and lead plates, was constructed and tested with test beams. Performance of the test module is presented in this article, in terms of the shower profile studies as well as energy and spatial measurements

Co-doping effects on luminescence and scintillation properties of Ce doped Lu3Al5O12 scintillator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kamada, Kei; Nikl, Martin; Kurosawa, Shunsuke; Beitlerova, Alena; Nagura, Aya; Shoji, Yasuhiro; Pejchal, Jan; Ohashi, Yuji; Yokota, Yuui; Yoshikawa, Akira

2015-01-01

The Mg, Ca, Sr and Ba 200 ppm co-doped Ce:Lu 3 Al 5 O 12 single crystals were prepared by micro pulling down method. Absorption and luminescence spectra were measured together with several other scintillation characteristics, namely the scintillation decay and light yield to reveal the effect of the co-doping. The scintillation decays were accelerated by both Mg and Ca co-dopants. The Mg co-doped samples showed the fastest decay and the highest light yield among the co-doped samples

Inorganic-organic rubbery scintillators

CERN Document Server

Gektin, A V; Pogorelova, N; Neicheva, S; Sysoeva, E; Gavrilyuk, V

2002-01-01

Spectral-kinetic luminescence properties of films, containing homogeneously dispersed scintillation particles of CsI, CsI:Tl, CsI:Na, and NaI:Tl in optically transparent organosiloxane matrix, are presented. Material is flexible and rubbery and in consequence the detectors of convenient shapes can be produced. It is found that luminescence spectra of the received films are identical whereas decay times are much shorter compared to the same ones of the corresponding single crystals. Layers with pure CsI demonstrate only the fast UV emission (307 nm, 10 ns) without blue microsecond afterglow typical for crystals. The films containing NaI:Tl are non-hygroscopic and preserve scintillation properties for a long time in humid atmosphere unlike single crystals. Organosiloxane layers with CsI:Tl particles provide high light output with good energy resolution for sup 5 sup 5 Fe, sup 1 sup 0 sup 9 Cd, sup 2 sup 4 sup 1 Am sources, and are capable of detecting both X-rays and alpha-, beta-particles.

Scintillation properties of selected oxide monocrystals activated with Ce and Pr

Science.gov (United States)

Wojtowicz, Andrzej J.; Drozdowski, Winicjusz; Wisniewski, Dariusz; Lefaucheur, Jean-Luc; Galazka, Zbigniew; Gou, Zhenhui; Lukasiewicz, Tadeusz; Kisielewski, Jaroslaw

2006-01-01

In the last 10-15 years there has been a significant effort toward development of new, more efficient and faster materials for detection of ionizing radiation. A growing demand for better scintillator crystals for detection of 511 keV gamma particles has been due mostly to recent advances in modern imaging systems employing positron emitting radionuclides for medical diagnostics in neurology, oncology and cardiology. While older imaging systems were almost exclusively based on BGO and NaI:Tl crystals the new systems, e.g., ECAT Accel, developed by Siemens/CTI, are based on recently discovered and developed LSO (Lu 2SiO 5:Ce, Ce-activated lutetium oxyorthosilicate) crystals. Interestingly, despite very good properties of LSO, there still is a strong drive toward development of new scintillator crystals that would show even better performance and characteristics. In this presentation we shall review spectroscopic and scintillator characterization of new complex oxide crystals, namely LSO, LYSO, YAG, LuAP (LuAlO 3, lutetium aluminate perovskite) and LuYAP activated with Ce and Pr. The LSO:Ce crystals have been grown by CTI Inc (USA), LYSO:Ce, LuAP:Ce and LuYAP:Ce crystals have been grown by Photonic Materials Ltd., Scotland (PML is the only company providing large LuAP:Ce crystals on a commercial scale), while YAG:Pr and LuAP:Pr crystals have been grown by Institute of Electronic Materials Technology (Poland). All these crystals have been characterized at Institute of Physics, N. Copernicus University (Poland). We will review and compare results of measurements of radioluminescence, VUV spectroscopy, scintillation light yields, scintillation time profiles and low temperature thermoluminescence performed on these crystals. We will demonstrate that all experiments clearly indicate that there is a significant room for improvement of LuAP, LuYAP and YAG. While both Ce-activated LSO and LYSO perform very well, we also note that LuYAP:Ce, LuAP:Ce and YAG:Pr offer some

Structure for collimated scintillation detectors, that can be used in tomography

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1979-01-01

Structures for containing and supporting scintillator bodies are disclosed in which the optical output of the scintillator body is channeled by light reflective means to photoelectrically responsive devices mounted on the top and bottom of the detector array. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, the internal surfaces of the collimating array are coated with either a diffuse or specular reflective coating. In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, the photoelectrically responsive transducers are located at the top and bottom of the array rather than at the rear. In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, reflective light channeling wedges are provided to improve spacing requirements for the photoelectrically responsive transducers. The scintillator structures of the present invention provide superior optical coupling to photoelectrically responsive devices. (Auth.)

The measurement of temperature effect of light output of scintillators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ji Changsong; Zhou Zaiping; Zhang Longfang

1999-01-01

The author describes a experiment equipment used for measurement of temperature effect of light output of scintillators; gives some measurement results of temperature effect of light output for NaI(Tl), CsI(Tl), plastic scintillator, ZnS(Ag), anthracene crystal glass scintillator; analyzes the error factors affecting the measurement results. The total uncertainty of the temperature effect measurement for NaI(Tl) and plastic scintillator is 11%

Characterization and quality control of avalanche photodiode arrays for the Clear-PEM detector modules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abreu, Conceicao; Amaral, Pedro; Carrico, Bruno; Ferreira, Miguel; Luyten, Joan; Moura, Rui; Ortigao, Catarina; Rato, Pedro; Varela, Joao

2007-01-01

Clear-PEM is a Positron Emission Mammography (PEM) prototype being developed in the framework of the Crystal Clear Collaboration at CERN. This device is a dedicated PET camera for mammography, based on LYSO:Ce scintillator crystals, Avalanche PhotoDiodes (APD) and a fast, low-noise electronics readout system, designed to examine both the breast and the axillary lymph node areas, and aiming at the detection of tumors down to 2 mm in diameter. The prototype has two planar detector heads, each composed of 96 detector modules. The Clear-PEM detector module is composed of a matrix of 32 identical 2x2x20 mm 3 LYSO:Ce crystals read at both ends by Hamamatsu S8550 APD arrays (4x8) for Depth-of-Interaction (DoI) capability. The APD arrays were characterized by the measurement of gain and dark current as a function of bias voltage, under controlled temperature conditions. Two independent setups were used. The full set of 398 APD arrays followed a well-defined quality control (QC) protocol, aiming at the rejection of arrays not complying within defined specifications. From a total of 398 arrays, only 2 (0.5%) were rejected, reassuring the trust in these detectors for prototype assembly and future developments

Effects of Na and K co-doping on growth and scintillation properties of Eu:SrI.sub.2./sub. crystals\

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Ito, T.; Yokota, Y.; Kurosawa, S.; Král, Robert; Pejchal, Jan; Ohashi, Y.; Kamada, K.; Nikl, Martin; Yoshikawa, A.

2016-01-01

Roč. 90, Jul (2016), 157-161 ISSN 1350-4487 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LH14266 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : Eu:SrI 2 * scintillator * single crystal * alkali metal * light yield * non-proportionality Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 1.442, year: 2016

Measurement of the point spread function of a pixelated detector array

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ritzer, Christian; Hallen, Patrick; Schug, David; Schulz, Volkmar [Department of Physics of Molecular Imaging Systems, Institute for Experimental Molecular Imaging, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen (Germany)

2015-05-18

In order to further understand the PET/MRI scanner of our group, we measured the point spread function of a preclinical scintillation crystal array with a pitch of 1 mm and a total size of 30 mm ~ 30 mm ~ 12 mm. It is coupled via a lightguide to a dSiPM from Philips Digital Photon Counting, used on the TEK-setup. Crystal identification is done with a centre of gravity algorithm and the whole data analysis is performed with the same processing software as for the PET insert, giving comparable results. The beam is created with a 22 NA-Point-Source and a lead collimator, with 0.5 mm bore diameter. The algorithm sorted 62 % of the coincidences into the correct crystal.

Measurement of the point spread function of a pixelated detector array

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ritzer, Christian; Hallen, Patrick; Schug, David; Schulz, Volkmar

2015-01-01

In order to further understand the PET/MRI scanner of our group, we measured the point spread function of a preclinical scintillation crystal array with a pitch of 1 mm and a total size of 30 mm ~ 30 mm ~ 12 mm. It is coupled via a lightguide to a dSiPM from Philips Digital Photon Counting, used on the TEK-setup. Crystal identification is done with a centre of gravity algorithm and the whole data analysis is performed with the same processing software as for the PET insert, giving comparable results. The beam is created with a 22 NA-Point-Source and a lead collimator, with 0.5 mm bore diameter. The algorithm sorted 62 % of the coincidences into the correct crystal.

Comparative study of optical and scintillation properties of YVO4, (Lu0.5Y0.5)VO4, and LuVO4 single crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujimoto, Yutaka; Yanagida, Takayuki; Yokota, Yuui; Chani, Valery; Kochurikhin, Vladimir V.; Yoshikawa, Akira

2011-01-01

Optical and scintillation properties of YVO 4 , (Lu 0.5 Y 0.5 )VO 4 , and LuVO 4 single crystals grown by the Czochralski (CZ) method with RF heating system are compared. All vanadate crystals show high transmittance (∼80%) in the 400-900 nm wavelength range. In both photo- and radio-luminescence spectra, intense peak around 400-500 nm, which was ascribed to the transition from triplet state of VO 4 3- , was clearly observed. The main decay time component was about 38 μs (YVO 4 ), 18 μs ((Lu 0.5 Y 0.5 )VO 4 ), and 17 μs (LuVO 4 ) under 340 nm excitation. The scintillation light yields of YVO 4 , (Lu 0.5 Y 0.5 )VO 4 , and LuVO 4 crystals (obtained from the 137 Cs excited pulse height spectra) were evaluated to be about 11,200, 10,700, and 10,300 ph/MeV, respectively.

New heavy scintillating materials for precise heterogeneous EM-calorimeters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Britvich, G.I.; Britvich, I.G.; Vasil'chenko, V.G.; Lishin, V.A.; Obraztsov, V.F.; Polyakov, V.A.; Solovjev, A.S.; Ryzhikov, V.D.

2001-01-01

This investigation shows some optical and scintillation properties of new scintillating media, based on heavy composite materials and an inorganic crystal CsI:Br, intended for the creation of precise heterogeneous EM-calorimeters with the energy resolution σ/E congruent with 4-5% E-radical. The possibility to use cheap heavy scintillating plates based on optical ceramics as active media in heterogeneous EM-calorimeters is considered

Detector of reactor antineutrinos with plastic scintillation bars

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Georgadze, A.Sh.; Pavlovich, V.M.

2015-01-01

Project of a segmented antineutrino detector is developed with the use of plastic scintillator rectangular bars 10 x 10 x 100 cm, wrapped in Gd foils and assembled to an array of 1 m3 active volume. The scintillation array is sandwiched at both sides by the continuous light guides of 100 x 100 x 10 cm size, from which the scintillation light is spreading simultaneously through continuous light guides between all photomultipliers, forming the specific Light Response Function (LRF), which is character to a certain nuclear event in detector. Analysis of LRF allows one effectively reject background events, providing high efficiency detection of antineutrino capture in the detector. Monte Carlo simulations with the help of MCNP and ZEMAX software show that with the use of selection criteria the neutrino events are well separated from the background

Perspectives on the future development of new scintillators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Melcher, C.L.

2005-01-01

The search for new scintillators has become increasingly sophisticated and increasingly successful in recent years, driven to a large degree by the rapidly growing needs of medical imaging and high energy physics. Better understanding of the various scintillation mechanisms has led to innovative new materials for both gamma-ray and neutron detection, and the concept of scintillator design and engineering has emerged, whereby materials are optimized according to the scintillation properties needed by specific applications. Numerous promising candidates have been identified during the last few years, and several are currently being actively developed for commercial production. Economical crystal growth often represents a significant challenge in the practical application of new scintillation materials

Structured scintillators for X-ray imaging with micrometre resolution

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Ulrik Lund; Schmidt, Søren; Poulsen, Henning Friis

2009-01-01

A 3D X-ray detector for imaging of 30–200 keV photons is described. It comprises a stack of semitransparent structured scintillators, where each scintillator is a regular array of waveguides in silicon, and with pores filled with CsI. The performance of the detector is described theoretically...

SiPM optical crosstalk amplification due to scintillator crystal: effects on timing performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gola, Alberto; Ferri, Alessandro; Tarolli, Alessandro; Zorzi, Nicola; Piemonte, Claudio

2014-01-01

For a given photon detection efficiency (PDE), the primary, Poisson distributed, dark count rate of the detector (DCR 0 ) is one of the most limiting factors affecting the timing resolution of a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) in the scintillation light readout. If the effects of DCR 0  are removed through a suitable baseline compensation algorithm or by cooling, it is possible to clearly observe another phenomenon that limits the PDE, and thus the timing resolution of the detector. It is caused by the optical crosstalk of the SiPM, which is significantly increased by the presence of the scintillator. In this paper, we describe this phenomenon, which is also easily observed from the reverse I–V curve of the device, and we relate it to the measured coincidence resolving time in 511 keV γ-ray measurements. We discuss its consequences on the SiPM design and, in particular, we observe that there is an optimal cell size, dependent on both SiPM and crystal parameters, that maximizes the PDE in presence of optical crosstalk. Finally, we report on a crosstalk simulator developed to study the phenomenon and we compare the simulation results obtained for different SiPM technologies, featuring different approaches to the reduction of the crosstalk. (paper)

Plastic fiber scintillator response to fast neutrons

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Danly, C. R.; Sjue, S.; Wilde, C. H.; Merrill, F. E.; Haight, R. C. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87544 (United States)

2014-11-15

The Neutron Imaging System at NIF uses an array of plastic scintillator fibers in conjunction with a time-gated imaging system to form an image of the neutron emission from the imploded capsule. By gating on neutrons that have scattered from the 14.1 MeV DT energy to lower energy ranges, an image of the dense, cold fuel around the hotspot is also obtained. An unmoderated spallation neutron beamline at the Weapons Neutron Research facility at Los Alamos was used in conjunction with a time-gated imaging system to measure the yield of a scintillating fiber array over several energy bands ranging from 1 to 15 MeV. The results and comparison to simulation are presented.

Cerium doped lanthanum halides: fast scintillators for medical imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Selles, O.

2006-12-01

This work is dedicated to two recently discovered scintillating crystals: cerium doped lanthanum halides (LaCl 3 :Ce 3+ and LaBr 3 :Ce 3+ ).These scintillators exhibit interesting properties for gamma detection, more particularly in the field of medical imaging: a short decay time, a high light yield and an excellent energy resolution. The strong hygroscopicity of these materials requires adapting the usual experimental methods for determining physico-chemical properties. Once determined, these can be used for the development of the industrial manufacturing process of the crystals. A proper comprehension of the scintillation mechanism and of the effect of defects within the material lead to new possible ways for optimizing the scintillator performance. Therefore, different techniques are used (EPR, radioluminescence, laser excitation, thermally stimulated luminescence). Alongside Ce 3+ ions, self-trapped excitons are involved in the scintillation mechanism. Their nature and their role are detailed. The knowledge of the different processes involved in the scintillation mechanism leads to the prediction of the effect of temperature and doping level on the performance of the scintillator. A mechanism is proposed to explain the thermally stimulated luminescence processes that cause slow components in the light emission and a loss of light yield. Eventually the study of afterglow reveals a charge transfer to deep traps involved in the high temperature thermally stimulated luminescence. (author)

High-resolution x-ray imaging using a structured scintillator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hormozan, Yashar, E-mail: hormozan@kth.se; Sychugov, Ilya; Linnros, Jan [Materials and Nano Physics, School of Information and Communication Technology, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Electrum 229, Kista, Stockholm SE-16440 (Sweden)

2016-02-15

Purpose: In this study, the authors introduce a new generation of finely structured scintillators with a very high spatial resolution (a few micrometers) compared to conventional scintillators, yet maintaining a thick absorbing layer for improved detectivity. Methods: Their concept is based on a 2D array of high aspect ratio pores which are fabricated by ICP etching, with spacings (pitches) of a few micrometers, on silicon and oxidation of the pore walls. The pores were subsequently filled by melting of powdered CsI(Tl), as the scintillating agent. In order to couple the secondary emitted photons of the back of the scintillator array to a CCD device, having a larger pixel size than the pore pitch, an open optical microscope with adjustable magnification was designed and implemented. By imaging a sharp edge, the authors were able to calculate the modulation transfer function (MTF) of this finely structured scintillator. Results: The x-ray images of individually resolved pores suggest that they have been almost uniformly filled, and the MTF measurements show the feasibility of a few microns spatial resolution imaging, as set by the scintillator pore size. Compared to existing techniques utilizing CsI needles as a structured scintillator, their results imply an almost sevenfold improvement in resolution. Finally, high resolution images, taken by their detector, are presented. Conclusions: The presented work successfully shows the functionality of their detector concept for high resolution imaging and further fabrication developments are most likely to result in higher quantum efficiencies.

Characteristics of Un doped and Europium-doped SrI2 Scintillator Detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sturm, Benjamin; Cherepy, Nerine; Drury, Owen; Thelin, P.; Fisher, S.E.; O'Neal, S.P.; Payne, Stephen A.; Burger, Arnold; Boatner, Lynn A.; Ramey, Joanne Oxendine; Shah, Kanai; Hawrami, Rastgo

2012-01-01

High energy resolution gamma-ray detectors that can be formed into relatively large sizes while operating at room temperature offer many advantages for national security applications. We are working toward that goal through the development of SrI 2 (Eu) scintillator detectors, which routinely provide ;10 cm 3 . In this study, we have tested pure, undoped SrI 2 to gain a better understanding of the scintillation properties and spectroscopic performance achievable without activation. An undoped crystal grown from 99.999% pure SrI 2 pellets was tested for its spectroscopic performance, its light yield, and uniformity of scintillation light collection as a function of gamma-ray interaction position relative to the crystal growth direction. Undoped SrI 2 was found to provide energy resolution of 5.3% at 662 keV, and the light collection nonuniformity varied by only 0.72% over the length of the crystal. Measurements of both a 3% Eu-doped and the undoped SrI 2 crystal were carried out in the SLYNCI facility and indicate differences in their light yield non-proportionality. The surprisingly good scintillation properties of the pure SrI 2 crystal suggests that with high-purity feedstock, further reduction of the Eu concentration can be made to grow larger crystals while not adversely impacting the spectroscopic performance.

MgO reflectance data for Monte Carlo simulation of LaBr{sub 3}:Ce scintillation crystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Scafè, Raffaele, E-mail: raffaele.scafe@uniroma1.it [Dept. of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, I-00161 Rome (Italy); Pani, Roberto; Pellegrini, Rosanna; Cinti, Maria Nerina [Dept. of Molecular Medicine, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale Regina Elena 324, I-00161 Rome (Italy); Bennati, Paolo [INFN-Roma I, Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics, Piazzale Aldo Moro 5, I-00185 Rome (Italy); Lo Meo, Sergio [National Institution for Insurance against Accidents at Work, Via Fontana Candida 1, I-00040, Monte Porzio Catone (Italy)

2013-02-11

Present paper is aimed to estimate the spectral reflectance of MgO as a function of layer thickness around LaBr{sub 3}:5%Ce crystals. A reference emission spectrum of scintillator was calculated averaging 15 experimental trends from literature. A survey on MgO reflectance provided experimental data in the wavelength region of interest without thickness information, while trends with dimensional facts were found in the adjacent wavelength region. An algorithm was developed for interpolating spectral data in the wavelength region of interest for given thickness. A comparison between reflectors for LaBr{sub 3}:Ce is summarized in Appendix A. Results are presented in form of weighted average values as well as numerical trends suitable, in particular, as input for Monte Carlo simulations of encapsulated crystals.

Epitaxial Ge-crystal arrays for X-ray detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kreiliger, T; Falub, C V; Müller, E; Känel, H von; Isa, F; Isella, G; Chrastina, D; Bergamaschini, R; Marzegalli, A; Miglio, L; Kaufmann, R; Niedermann, P; Neels, A; Dommann, A; Meduňa, M

2014-01-01

Monolithic integration of an X-ray absorber layer on a Si CMOS chip might be a potentially attractive way to improve detector performance at acceptable costs. In practice this requires, however, the epitaxial growth of highly mismatched layers on a Si-substrate, both in terms of lattice parameters and thermal expansion coefficients. The generation of extended crystal defects, wafer bowing and layer cracking have so far made it impossible to put the simple concept into practice. Here we present a way in which the difficulties of fabricating very thick, defect-free epitaxial layers may be overcome. It consists of an array of densely packed, three-dimensional Ge-crystals on a patterned Si(001) substrate. The finite gap between neighboring micron-sized crystals prevents layer cracking and substrate bowing, while extended defects are driven to the crystal sidewalls. We show that the Ge-crystals are indeed defect-free, despite the lattice misfit of 4.2%. The electrical characteristics of individual Ge/Si heterojunction diodes are obtained from in-situ measurements inside a scanning electron microscope. The fabrication of monolithically integrated detectors is shown to be compatible with Si-CMOS processing

Dosimetric performance and array assessment of plastic scintillation detectors for stereotactic radiosurgery quality assurance.

Science.gov (United States)

Gagnon, Jean-Christophe; Thériault, Dany; Guillot, Mathieu; Archambault, Louis; Beddar, Sam; Gingras, Luc; Beaulieu, Luc

2012-01-01

To compare the performance of plastic scintillation detectors (PSD) for quality assurance (QA) in stereotactic radiosurgery conditions to a microion-chamber (IC), Gafchromic EBT2 films, 60 008 shielded photon diode (SD) and unshielded diodes (UD), and assess a new 2D crosshair array prototype adapted to small field dosimetry. The PSD consists of a 1 mm diameter by 1 mm long scintillating fiber (BCF-60, Saint-Gobain, Inc.) coupled to a polymethyl-methacrylate optical fiber (Eska premier, Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan). Output factors (S(c,p)) for apertures used in radiosurgery ranging from 4 to 40 mm in diameter have been measured. The PSD crosshair array (PSDCA) is a water equivalent device made up of 49 PSDs contained in a 1.63 cm radius area. Dose profiles measurements were taken for radiosurgery fields using the PSDCA and were compared to other dosimeters. Moreover, a typical stereotactic radiosurgery treatment using four noncoplanar arcs was delivered on a spherical phantom in which UD, IC, or PSD was placed. Using the Xknife planning system (Integra Radionics Burlington, MA), 15 Gy was prescribed at the isocenter, where each detector was positioned. Output Factors measured by the PSD have a mean difference of 1.3% with Gafchromic EBT2 when normalized to a 10 × 10 cm(2) field, and 1.0% when compared with UD measurements normalized to the 35 mm diameter cone. Dose profiles taken with the PSD crosshair array agreed with other single detectors dose profiles in spite of the presence of the 49 PSDs. Gamma values comparing 1D dose profiles obtained with PSD crosshair array with Gafchromic EBT2 and UD measured profiles shows 98.3% and 100.0%, respectively, of detector passing the gamma acceptance criteria of 0.3 mm and 2%. The dose measured by the PSD for a complete stereotactic radiosurgery treatment is comparable to the planned dose corrected for its SD-based S(c,p) within 1.4% and 0.7% for 5 and 35 mm diameter cone, respectively. Furthermore

Dosimetric performance and array assessment of plastic scintillation detectors for stereotactic radiosurgery quality assurance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gagnon, Jean-Christophe; Theriault, Dany; Guillot, Mathieu; Archambault, Louis; Beddar, Sam; Gingras, Luc; Beaulieu, Luc [Departement de Physique, de Genie Physique et d' Optique, Universite Laval, Quebec, Quebec G1K 7P4 (Canada) and Departement de Radio-Oncologie, Hotel-Dieu de Quebec, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Quebec, Quebec G1R 2J6 (Canada); Departement de Radio-Oncologie, Hotel-Dieu de Quebec, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Quebec, Quebec G1R 2J6 (Canada); Departement de Physique, de Genie Physique et d' Optique, Universite Laval, Quebec, Quebec G1K 7P4 (Canada) and Departement de Radio-Oncologie, Hotel-Dieu de Quebec, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Quebec, Quebec G1R 2J6 (Canada); Department of Radiation Physics, Unit 94, University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, Texas 77030 (United States); Departement de Physique, de Genie Physique et d' Optique, Universite Laval, Quebec, Quebec G1K 7P4 (Canada) and Departement de Radio-Oncologie, Hotel-Dieu de Quebec, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Quebec, Quebec G1R 2J6 (Canada)

2012-01-15

Purpose: To compare the performance of plastic scintillation detectors (PSD) for quality assurance (QA) in stereotactic radiosurgery conditions to a microion-chamber (IC), Gafchromic EBT2 films, 60 008 shielded photon diode (SD) and unshielded diodes (UD), and assess a new 2D crosshair array prototype adapted to small field dosimetry. Methods: The PSD consists of a 1 mm diameter by 1 mm long scintillating fiber (BCF-60, Saint-Gobain, Inc.) coupled to a polymethyl-methacrylate optical fiber (Eska premier, Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan). Output factors (S{sub c,p}) for apertures used in radiosurgery ranging from 4 to 40 mm in diameter have been measured. The PSD crosshair array (PSDCA) is a water equivalent device made up of 49 PSDs contained in a 1.63 cm radius area. Dose profiles measurements were taken for radiosurgery fields using the PSDCA and were compared to other dosimeters. Moreover, a typical stereotactic radiosurgery treatment using four noncoplanar arcs was delivered on a spherical phantom in which UD, IC, or PSD was placed. Using the Xknife planning system (Integra Radionics Burlington, MA), 15 Gy was prescribed at the isocenter, where each detector was positioned. Results: Output Factors measured by the PSD have a mean difference of 1.3% with Gafchromic EBT2 when normalized to a 10 x 10 cm{sup 2} field, and 1.0% when compared with UD measurements normalized to the 35 mm diameter cone. Dose profiles taken with the PSD crosshair array agreed with other single detectors dose profiles in spite of the presence of the 49 PSDs. Gamma values comparing 1D dose profiles obtained with PSD crosshair array with Gafchromic EBT2 and UD measured profiles shows 98.3% and 100.0%, respectively, of detector passing the gamma acceptance criteria of 0.3 mm and 2%. The dose measured by the PSD for a complete stereotactic radiosurgery treatment is comparable to the planned dose corrected for its SD-based S{sub c,p} within 1.4% and 0.7% for 5 and 35 mm diameter cone

Dosimetric performance and array assessment of plastic scintillation detectors for stereotactic radiosurgery quality assurance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gagnon, Jean-Christophe; Theriault, Dany; Guillot, Mathieu; Archambault, Louis; Beddar, Sam; Gingras, Luc; Beaulieu, Luc

2012-01-01

Purpose: To compare the performance of plastic scintillation detectors (PSD) for quality assurance (QA) in stereotactic radiosurgery conditions to a microion-chamber (IC), Gafchromic EBT2 films, 60 008 shielded photon diode (SD) and unshielded diodes (UD), and assess a new 2D crosshair array prototype adapted to small field dosimetry. Methods: The PSD consists of a 1 mm diameter by 1 mm long scintillating fiber (BCF-60, Saint-Gobain, Inc.) coupled to a polymethyl-methacrylate optical fiber (Eska premier, Mitsubishi Rayon Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan). Output factors (S c,p ) for apertures used in radiosurgery ranging from 4 to 40 mm in diameter have been measured. The PSD crosshair array (PSDCA) is a water equivalent device made up of 49 PSDs contained in a 1.63 cm radius area. Dose profiles measurements were taken for radiosurgery fields using the PSDCA and were compared to other dosimeters. Moreover, a typical stereotactic radiosurgery treatment using four noncoplanar arcs was delivered on a spherical phantom in which UD, IC, or PSD was placed. Using the Xknife planning system (Integra Radionics Burlington, MA), 15 Gy was prescribed at the isocenter, where each detector was positioned. Results: Output Factors measured by the PSD have a mean difference of 1.3% with Gafchromic EBT2 when normalized to a 10 x 10 cm 2 field, and 1.0% when compared with UD measurements normalized to the 35 mm diameter cone. Dose profiles taken with the PSD crosshair array agreed with other single detectors dose profiles in spite of the presence of the 49 PSDs. Gamma values comparing 1D dose profiles obtained with PSD crosshair array with Gafchromic EBT2 and UD measured profiles shows 98.3% and 100.0%, respectively, of detector passing the gamma acceptance criteria of 0.3 mm and 2%. The dose measured by the PSD for a complete stereotactic radiosurgery treatment is comparable to the planned dose corrected for its SD-based S c,p within 1.4% and 0.7% for 5 and 35 mm diameter cone, respectively

Spatially distributed scintillator arrays for diagnosing runaway electron transport and energy behavior in tokamaks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

James, A. N.; Hollmann, E. M.; Tynan, G. R.

2010-01-01

We present details of a new bismuth germanate [Bi 4 Ge 3 O 12 (BGO)] scintillator array used to diagnose the transport and energy behavior of runaway electrons (REs) in DIII-D. BGO exhibits important properties for these compact detectors including high light yield which sufficiently excites photodiode detectors (8500 photons/MeV), high density and atomic numbers of constituent materials which maximizes sensitivity, and relative neutron blindness which minimizes complications in data interpretation. The detectors observe primarily hard x-ray radiation emitted in a forward beamed pattern by RE when they strike first wall materials or bulk ions and neutrals in the plasma, although we also address photoneutron signals. The arrangement of the array enables time resolved location of x-ray emission and associated asymmetries which help identify instabilities and confinement properties of RE. By shielding a subset of detectors with different thicknesses of lead, and with interpretative support of the code EGSNRC, we also measure RE energy, although due to the often distributed nature of RE strike points and the forward beamed character of emitted hard x-rays, we restrict interpretation as a lower bound for RE energy.

Spatially distributed scintillator arrays for diagnosing runaway electron transport and energy behavior in tokamaks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

James, A. N.; Hollmann, E. M.; Tynan, G. R. [UC San Diego Center for Energy Research, La Jolla, California 92093-0417 (United States)

2010-10-15

We present details of a new bismuth germanate [Bi{sub 4}Ge{sub 3}O{sub 12} (BGO)] scintillator array used to diagnose the transport and energy behavior of runaway electrons (REs) in DIII-D. BGO exhibits important properties for these compact detectors including high light yield which sufficiently excites photodiode detectors (8500 photons/MeV), high density and atomic numbers of constituent materials which maximizes sensitivity, and relative neutron blindness which minimizes complications in data interpretation. The detectors observe primarily hard x-ray radiation emitted in a forward beamed pattern by RE when they strike first wall materials or bulk ions and neutrals in the plasma, although we also address photoneutron signals. The arrangement of the array enables time resolved location of x-ray emission and associated asymmetries which help identify instabilities and confinement properties of RE. By shielding a subset of detectors with different thicknesses of lead, and with interpretative support of the code EGSNRC, we also measure RE energy, although due to the often distributed nature of RE strike points and the forward beamed character of emitted hard x-rays, we restrict interpretation as a lower bound for RE energy.

Scintillator structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cusano, D.A.; Prener, J.S.

1979-01-01

A scintillator structure comprises at least one layer of transparent fused quartz with a phosphor coating on one or both sides adjacent to at least one transparent layer of epoxy resin which directs light from the phosphor to a detector. The phosphor layer may be formed from a powder optionally with a binder, a single crystal or a melt, or by evaporation or sintering. A plurality of multiple layers may be used or the structure tilted for greater absorption. The structure may be surrounded by another such structure optionally operating in cascade with the first. Many phosphors are specified. A scintillator structure comprises phosphor particles dispersed in epoxy resin or copoly imide-silicone and cast in a multi-compartment box with long sides transparent to X-rays and dividers opaque to X-rays. (UK)

Chloride, bromide and iodide scintillators with europium

Science.gov (United States)

Zhuravleva, Mariya; Yang, Kan

2016-09-27

A halide scintillator material is disclosed where the halide may comprise chloride, bromide or iodide. The material is single-crystalline and has a composition of the general formula ABX.sub.3 where A is an alkali, B is an alkali earth and X is a halide which general composition was investigated. In particular, crystals of the formula ACa.sub.1-yEu.sub.yI.sub.3 where A=K, Rb and Cs were formed as well as crystals of the formula CsA.sub.1-yEu.sub.yX.sub.3 (where A=Ca, Sr, Ba, or a combination thereof and X=Cl, Br or I or a combination thereof) with divalent Europium doping where 0.ltoreq.y.ltoreq.1, and more particularly Eu doping has been studied at one to ten mol %. The disclosed scintillator materials are suitable for making scintillation detectors used in applications such as medical imaging and homeland security.

Efficiency and yield spectra of inorganic scintillates

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodnyi, P.A.

1998-01-01

Recent developments in the field of energy loss in inorganic scintillators are reviewed. The main parameters, which control the fundamental limit of the scintillator energy efficiency, are determined. It is shown that together with simple cascade processes one should take into account the production of plasmons to estimate the energy efficiency of scintillators or other phosphors excited by an ionizing radiation. Core-to-valence luminescence related to 5pCs→3pCl transitions is investigated in some chlorides: CsCl, KCl, RbCl, NaCl, KCaCl 3 , RbCaCl 3 . The yield spectra of the crystals in the VUV and X-ray regions are also studied. It is shown that the 4pRb-core states are involved in the process of creation of holes in the 5pCs-core band in Rb-based crystals. The formation of holes in the potassium core band acts as a competing process and suppresses the radiative core-to-valence transitions

Rare isotope beam energy measurements and scintillator developments for ReA3

Science.gov (United States)

Lin, Ling-Ying

respect to the acceleration RF clock. The time-of-flight system can provide beam energy information with precision of single crystal YAG: Ce under He+ irradiation at low energies between 28 and 58 keV has been systematically studied. The scintillator was irradiated at the rare isotope ReAccelerator (ReA) facility. The scintillation emission is attributed to its rapid 5d-4f transition of Ce3+ ions. As the bombardment time increases, an exponential decay of the light output is observed due to the induced radiation damage of the crystal lattice. The decrease of the experimentally observed light yield as a function of particle fluence is found to be in fair agreement with the Birks model. Analysis indicates that the damage cross section of scintillation centers slightly decreases with the ion energy. The scintillator degrades slower under higher-energy irradiation. In order to investigate scintillation degradation over a wide range of irradiation energies and scintillator materials, the scintillation processes for KBr, YAG:Ce, CaF2:Eu and CsI:Tl crystals under H2 + irradiation in the energy range of 600-2150 keV/u have been investigated. The data indicates that YAG:Ce and CsI:Tl can maintain stable luminescence under continuous ion bombardment for at least a total fluence of 1.8x10 12 ions/mm2. On the other hand, the luminescence of CaF2:Eu shows a rapid initial decay but then maintains a nearly constant luminescence yield. The extraordinary scintillation response of KBr is initially enhanced under ion bombardment, approaches a maximum, and then eventually decays. The scintillation efficiency of the CsI:Tl scintillator is superior to the other materials. The low-energy H2+ bombardment (25 keV/u) on the YAG:Ce scintillator can lead to the significant degradation of the scintillation yields. Different scintillation degradation responses for the low- and high-energy bombardments can be attributed to the transmission loss of the emitted light inside the crystal caused by

Crystal growth and luminescence properties of Yb.sub.2./sub.Si.sub.2./sub.O.sub.7./sub. infra-red emission scintillator

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Horiai, T.; Kurosawa, S.; Murakami, R.; Pejchal, Jan; Yamaji, A.; Shoji, Y.; Chani, V.I.; Ohashi, Y.; Kamada, K.; Yokota, Y.; Yoshikawa, A.

2016-01-01

Roč. 58, Aug (2016), s. 14-17 ISSN 0925-3467 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LH14266 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : scintillator * pyrosilicate * charge transfer * infra-red * single crystal Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 2.238, year: 2016

Modular scintillation camera

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barrett, H. H.

1985-01-01

Improved optical coupling modules to be used in coded-aperture-type radiographic imaging systems. In a first system, a rotating slit coded-aperture is employed between the radioactive object and the module. The module consists of one pair of side-by-side photomultipliers receiving light rays from a scintillation crystal exposed to the object via the coded-aperture. The light rays are guided to the photomultipliers by a mask having a central transverse transparent window, or by a cylindrical lens, the mask or lens being mounted in a light-conveying quartz block assembly providing internal reflections at opposite faces of the assembly. This generates output signals from the photomultipliers which can be utilized to compute one-dimensional coordinate values for restoring the image of the radioactive object on a display screen. In another form of optical coupling module, usable with other types of coded-apertures, four square photomultipliers form a substantially square block and receive light rays from scintillations from a scintillation crystal exposed to the radioactive object via the coded-aperture. The light rays are guided to the photomultipliers by a square mask or a centrally transparent square lens configuration mounted in a light-conveying assembly formed by internally reflecting quartz blocks, the optical rays being directed to the respective photomultipliers so as to generate resultant output signals which can be utilized to compute image coordinate values for two-dimensional representation of the radioactive object being examined

An ideal scintillator – ZnO:Sc for sub-nanosecond pulsed radiation detection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Kan, E-mail: zhangkan8414@163.com [Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology, Xi’an 710024 (China); Ouyang, Xiaoping [Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology, Xi’an 710024 (China); Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049 (China); Song, Zhaohui; Han, Hetong [Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology, Xi’an 710024 (China); Zuo, Yanbin [China Nonferrous Metal Guilin Research Institute of Geology for Mineral Resource, Guilin 541004 (China); Guan, Xingyin [Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology, Xi’an 710024 (China); Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an 710049 (China); Tan, Xinjian; Zhang, Zichuan; Liu, Junhong [Northwest Institute of Nuclear Technology, Xi’an 710024 (China)

2014-08-21

ZnO-based scintillators are particularly well suited for use as ultrafast pulsed radiation detectors which have shown broad application prospects in various fields such as the inertial confinement fusion (ICF) diagnosis, the nuclear reaction mechanism, etc. Using the hydro-thermal method, a ZnO single-crystal doped with Scandium (ZnO:Sc) sample was prepared. As a new ZnO-based scintillator, the scintillation characteristics of ZnO:Sc have not been reported previously. In this paper, optical and scintillation characteristics of ZnO:Sc single-crystal were studied. Also a scintillation detector based on ZnO:Sc was designed. Excited by the alpha-particle, the rise time of ZnO:Sc detectors was from 162.5 to 170.7 ps, and the fall time was from 300.4 to 328.8 ps.

An ideal scintillator – ZnO:Sc for sub-nanosecond pulsed radiation detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Kan; Ouyang, Xiaoping; Song, Zhaohui; Han, Hetong; Zuo, Yanbin; Guan, Xingyin; Tan, Xinjian; Zhang, Zichuan; Liu, Junhong

2014-01-01

ZnO-based scintillators are particularly well suited for use as ultrafast pulsed radiation detectors which have shown broad application prospects in various fields such as the inertial confinement fusion (ICF) diagnosis, the nuclear reaction mechanism, etc. Using the hydro-thermal method, a ZnO single-crystal doped with Scandium (ZnO:Sc) sample was prepared. As a new ZnO-based scintillator, the scintillation characteristics of ZnO:Sc have not been reported previously. In this paper, optical and scintillation characteristics of ZnO:Sc single-crystal were studied. Also a scintillation detector based on ZnO:Sc was designed. Excited by the alpha-particle, the rise time of ZnO:Sc detectors was from 162.5 to 170.7 ps, and the fall time was from 300.4 to 328.8 ps

Kilometer-Spaced GNSS Array for Ionospheric Irregularity Monitoring

Science.gov (United States)

Su, Yang

This dissertation presents automated, systematic data collection, processing, and analysis methods for studying the spatial-temporal properties of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) scintillations produced by ionospheric irregularities at high latitudes using a closely spaced multi-receiver array deployed in the northern auroral zone. The main contributions include 1) automated scintillation monitoring, 2) estimation of drift and anisotropy of the irregularities, 3) error analysis of the drift estimates, and 4) multi-instrument study of the ionosphere. A radio wave propagating through the ionosphere, consisting of ionized plasma, may suffer from rapid signal amplitude and/or phase fluctuations known as scintillation. Caused by non-uniform structures in the ionosphere, intense scintillation can lead to GNSS navigation and high-frequency (HF) communication failures. With specialized GNSS receivers, scintillation can be studied to better understand the structure and dynamics of the ionospheric irregularities, which can be parameterized by altitude, drift motion, anisotropy of the shape, horizontal spatial extent and their time evolution. To study the structuring and motion of ionospheric irregularities at the sub-kilometer scale sizes that produce L-band scintillations, a closely-spaced GNSS array has been established in the auroral zone at Poker Flat Research Range, Alaska to investigate high latitude scintillation and irregularities. Routinely collecting low-rate scintillation statistics, the array database also provides 100 Hz power and phase data for each channel at L1/L2C frequency. In this work, a survey of seasonal and hourly dependence of L1 scintillation events over the course of a year is discussed. To efficiently and systematically study scintillation events, an automated low-rate scintillation detection routine is established and performed for each day by screening the phase scintillation index. The spaced-receiver technique is applied to cross

Scintillation-Hardened GPS Receiver

Science.gov (United States)

Stephens, Donald R.

2015-01-01

CommLargo, Inc., has developed a scintillation-hardened Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver that improves reliability for low-orbit missions and complies with NASA's Space Telecommunications Radio System (STRS) architecture standards. A software-defined radio (SDR) implementation allows a single hardware element to function as either a conventional radio or as a GPS receiver, providing backup and redundancy for platforms such as the International Space Station (ISS) and high-value remote sensing platforms. The innovation's flexible SDR implementation reduces cost, weight, and power requirements. Scintillation hardening improves mission reliability and variability. In Phase I, CommLargo refactored an open-source GPS software package with Kalman filter-based tracking loops to improve performance during scintillation and also demonstrated improved navigation during a geomagnetic storm. In Phase II, the company generated a new field-programmable gate array (FPGA)-based GPS waveform to demonstrate on NASA's Space Communication and Navigation (SCaN) test bed.

Studies of scintillation light nonproportionality of ZnSe(Te), CsI(Tl) and YAP(Ce) crystals using heavy ions

CERN Document Server

Klamra, W; Kapusta, M; Kérek, A; Moszynski, M; Norlin, L O; Novák, D; Possnert, G

2002-01-01

The scintillation light yield for ZnSe(Te), CsI(Tl) and YAP(Ce) crystals have been studied with alpha particles, sup 1 sup 2 C and sup 8 sup 1 Br in the energy region 2.8-42.2 MeV. A nonproportional behavior was observed, mostly pronounced for alpha particles on YAP(Ce). The results are understood in terms of delta-rays effect.

New Tl{sub 2}LaBr{sub 5}: Ce{sup 3+} crystal scintillator for γ-rays detection

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kim, H.J., E-mail: hongjoo@knu.ac.kr [Department of Physics, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566 (Korea, Republic of); Rooh, Gul [Department of Physics, Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan 23200 (Pakistan); Khan, Arshad [Department of Physics, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Sunghwan [Department of Radiological Science, Cheongju University, Cheongju 41566 (Korea, Republic of)

2017-03-21

In this study we present our preliminary report on the scintillation properties of new Ce-doped Tl{sub 2}LaBr{sub 5} single crystal. Two zones vertical Bridgman technique is used for the growth of this compound. Pure and Ce-doped samples showed maximum emission peaks at 435 nm and 415 nm, respectively. Best light yield of 43,000±4300 ph/MeV with 6.3% (FWHM) energy resolution is obtained for 5% Ce-doped sample under γ-ray excitation. Single exponential decay time constant of 25 ns is observed for 5% Ce doped sample. Effective Z-number is found to be 67, therefore efficient detection of X- and γ-ray will be possible. Preliminary results revealed that this compound will be an ideal candidate for the medical imaging techniques. Further investigations are under way for the determination of optimized conditions of this compound. - Highlights: • Scintillation characterization of Tl{sub 2}LaBr{sub 5}: Ce{sup 3+} crystals are presented. • This material is grown by two zone vertical Bridgman technique. • It has high Z{sub eff} therefore, detection efficiency of γ-rays will be higher. • Energy resolution of 6.3% and light yield of 43,000±4300 ph/MeV are obtained. • Single exponential decay of 25 ns is observed under γ-ray excitation.

Laser micromachining of cadmium tungstate scintillator for high energy X-ray imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Richards, Sion Andreas

Pulsed laser ablation has been investigated as a method for the creation of thick segmented scintillator arrays for high-energy X-ray radiography. Thick scintillators are needed to improve the X-ray absorption at high energies, while segmentation is required for spatial resolution. Monte-Carlo simulations predicted that reflections at the inter-segment walls were the greatest source of loss of scintillation photons. As a result of this, fine pitched arrays would be inefficient as the number of reflections would be significantly higher than in large pitch arrays. Nanosecond and femtosecond pulsed laser ablation was investigated as a method to segment cadmium tungstate (CdWO_4). The effect of laser parameters on the ablation mechanisms, laser induced material changes and debris produced were investigated using optical and electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy for both types of lasers. It was determined that nanosecond ablation was unsuitable due to the large amount of cracking and a heat affected zone created during the ablation process. Femtosecond pulsed laser ablation was found to induce less damage. The optimised laser parameters for a 1028 nm laser was found to be a pulse energy of 54 μJ corresponding to a fluence of 5.3 J cm. -2 a pulse duration of 190 fs, a repetition rate of 78.3 kHz and a laser scan speed of 707 mm s. -1 achieving a normalised pulse overlap of 0.8. A serpentine scan pattern was found to minimise damage caused by anisotropic thermal expansion. Femtosecond pulsed ablation was also found to create a layer of tungsten and cadmium sub-oxides on the surface of the crystals. The CdWO_4 could be cleaned by immersing the CdWO_4 in ammonium hydroxide at 45°C for 15 minutes. However, XPS indicated that the ammonium hydroxide formed a thin layer of CdCO_3 and Cd(OH)_2 on the surface. Prototype arrays were shown to be able to resolve features as small as 0.5 mm using keV energy X-rays. The most

Development and evaluation of an ultra-fast ASIC for future PET scanners using TOF-capable MPPC array detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ambe, T.; Ikeda, H.; Kataoka, J.; Matsuda, H.; Kato, T.

2015-01-01

We developed a front-end ASIC for future PET scanners with Time-Of-Flight (TOF) capability to be coupled with 4×4 Multi-Pixel Photon Counter (MPPC) arrays. The ASIC is designed based on the open-IP project proposed by JAXA and realized in TSMC 0.35 μm CMOS technology. The circuit comprises 16-channel, low impedance current conveyors for effectively acquiring fast MPPC signals. For precise measurement of the coincidence timing of 511-keV gamma rays, the leading-edge method was used to discriminate the signals. We first tested the time response of the ASIC by illuminating each channel of a MPPC array device 3×3 mm 2 in size with a Pico-second Light Pulsar with a light emission peak of 655 nm and pulse duration of 54 ps (FWHM). We obtained 105 ps (FWHM) on average for each channel in time jitter measurements. Moreover, we compensated for the time lag of each channel with inner delay circuits and succeeded in suppressing about a 700-ps lag to only 15 ps. This paper reports TOF measurements using back-to-back 511-keV signals, and suggests that the ASIC can be a promising device for future TOF-PET scanners based on the MPPC array. - Highlights: • We developed a newly designed large-area monolithic MPPC array. • We obtained fine gain uniformity, and good energy and time resolutions when coupled to the LYSO scintillator. • We fabricated gamma-ray camera consisting of the MPPC array and the submillimeter pixelized LYSO and GGAG scintillators. • In the flood images, each crystal of scintillator matrices was clearly resolved. • Good energy resolutions for 662 keV gamma-rays for each LYSO and GGAG scintillator matrices were obtained

Low temperature scintillation in ZnSe crystals

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Dafinei, I.; Fasoli, M.; Ferroni, F.; Mihóková, Eva; Orio, F.; Pirro, S.; Vedda, A.

2010-01-01

Roč. 57, č. 3 (2010), 1470-1474 ISSN 0018-9499 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10100521 Keywords : bolometers * double beta decay * scintillation detectors * ZnSe Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 1.519, year: 2010

Sub-threshold wavelength splitting in coupled photonic crystal cavity arrays

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Schubert, Martin; Frandsen, Lars Hagedorn; Skovgård, Troels Suhr

Coupled photonic crystal (PhC) cavity arrays have recently been found to increase the output power of nanocavity lasers by coherent coupling of a large number of cavities [1]. We have measured the sub-threshold behaviour of such structures in order to gain better understanding of the mode structure....... PhC structures defined by circular holes placed in a quadratic lattice with pitch a=280 nm were fabricated in a GaAs membrane and cavity arrays were realized by introducing single missing holes with intracavity hole distances of two, three, five and seven holes. Arrays with different number...... of coupled cavities were fabricated and characterized using photoluminescence measurements of quantum dots embedded in the GaAs PhC membrane. Since the collection spot size was ~2.5 μm and therefore small compared to the arrays, spectra were taken at several positions of each array....

2D director calculation for liquid crystal optical phased array

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, L; Zhang, J; Wu, L Y

2005-01-01

A practical numerical model for a liquid crystal cell is set up based on the geometrical structure of liquid crystal optical phased arrays. Model parameters include width and space of electrodes, thickness of liquid crystal layer, alignment layers and glass substrates, pre-tilted angles, dielectric constants, elastic constants and so on. According to electrostatic field theory and Frank-Oseen elastic continuum theory, 2D electric potential distribution and 2D director distribution are calculated by means of the finite difference method on non-uniform grids. The influence of cell sizes on director distribution is analyzed. The fringe field effect between electrodes is also discussed

The γ rays sensitivity measurement of CeF3 scintillator detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hu Mengchun; Zhou Dianzhong; Li Rurong; Wang Zhentong; Yang Hongqiong; Zhang Jianhua; Hu Qingyuan; Peng Taiping

2003-01-01

The CeF 3 is an abio-scintillator developed in recent years, which are insensitive to neutron and sensitive to gamma rays and respond quickness. The relationship of CeF 3 scintillation detector gamma rays sensitivity with the change of crystal thickness was measured. The CeF 3 scintillation detector is composed by high liner current photomultiplier tube of CHφT3, CHφT5 and CeF 3 scintillator. The detector gamma rays sensitivity of purple photocell and common photocell with CeF 3 scintillator were measured too

Fabrication and Characterization of Vertically Aligned ZnO Nanorod Arrays via Inverted Monolayer Colloidal Crystals Mask

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Cheng; Ding, Taotao; Qi, Zhiqiang; Zhang, Wei; Zhang, Jun; Xu, Juan; Chen, Jingwen; Dai, Jiangnan; Chen, Changqing

2018-04-01

The periodically ordered ZnO nanorod (NR) arrays have been successfully synthesized via a hydrothermal approach on the silicon substrates by templating of the TiO2 ring deriving from the polystyrene (PS) nanosphere monolayer colloidal crystals (MCC). With the inverted MCC mask, sol-gel-derived ZnO seeds could serve as the periodic nucleation positions for the site-specific growth of ZnO NRs. The large-scale patterned arrays of single ZnO NR with good side-orientation can be readily produced. According to the experimental results, the as-integrated ZnO NR arrays showed an excellent crystal quality and optical property, very suitable for optoelectronic applications such as stimulated emitters and ZnO photonic crystal devices.

Improved Growth Methods for LaBr3 Scintillation Radiation Detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McGregor, Douglas S.

2011-01-01

The objective is to develop advanced materials for deployment as high-resolution gamma ray detectors. Both LaBr3 and CeBr3 are advanced scintillation materials, and will be studied in this research. Prototype devices, in collaboration Sandia National Laboratories, will be demonstrated along with recommendations for mass production and deployment. It is anticipated that improved methods of crystal growth will yield larger single crystals of LaBr3 for deployable room-temperature operated gamma radiation spectrometers. The growth methods will be characterized. The LaBr3 and CeBr3 scintillation crystals will be characterized for light yield, spectral resolution, and for hardness.

Scintillating fibre detectors using position-sensitive photomultipliers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Agoritsas, V.; Bergdolt, A.M.; Bing, O.; Bravar, A.; Ditta, J.; Drevenak, R.

1995-01-01

Scintillating fibre technology has made substantial progress, and has demonstrated great potential for fast tracking and triggering in high luminosity experiments in Particle Physics. Some recent issues of the RD-17 project at CERN are presented for fast and precise readout of scintillating fibre arrays, as well as for upgrade of position-sensitive photomultipliers. Excellent matching of the scintillating fibre and the position-sensitive photomultiplier, in particular in time characteristics, allowed to achieve excellent detector performances, typically a spatial resolution of ∼ 125 μm with time resolution better than 1 ns and detection efficiency greater than 95%. (author)10 refs.; 25 figs.; 1 tab

Scintillator studies for the HPD-PET concept

CERN Document Server

Braem, D; Ciocia, F; De Leo, R; Joram, C; Lagamba, L; Nappi, E; Séguinot, Jacques; Vilardi, I; Weilhammer, P

2007-01-01

The spatial, energy, and time resolutions of 10 cm long polished YAP:Ce and LYSO:Ce crystals have been measured. The work is part of the novel HPD-PET concept, based on a full three-dimensional, free of parallax errors, reconstruction of the γ-ray interaction point in 10–15 cm long scintillators. The effective light attenuation length, a key parameter of the HPD-PET concept, and the resolutions have been measured for various wrappings and coatings of the crystal lateral surfaces. Even if the final HPD-PET prototype could use scintillators and/or wrappings different from those tested, the results here presented prove the feasibility of the concept and provide hints on its potential capabilities.

Developments of scintillator-based soft x-ray diagnostic in LHD with CsI:Tl and P47 scintillators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bando, T., E-mail: bando.takahiro@nifs.ac.jp [SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), 322-6 Oroshi-cho, Toki 509-5292 (Japan); Ohdachi, S.; Suzuki, Y. [SOKENDAI (The Graduate University for Advanced Studies), 322-6 Oroshi-cho, Toki 509-5292 (Japan); National Institute for Fusion Science, 322-6 Oroshi-cho, Toki 509-5292 (Japan)

2016-11-15

Multi-channel soft x-ray (SX) diagnostic has been used in the large helical device (LHD) to research magnetohydrodynamic equilibria and activities. However, in the coming deuterium plasma experiments of LHD, it will be difficult to use semiconductor systems near LHD. Therefore, a new type of SX diagnostic, a scintillator-based type diagnostic, has been investigated in order to avoid damage from the radiation. A fiber optic plate coated by P47 scintillator will be used to detect SX emission. Scintillation light will be transferred by pure silica core optical fibers and detected by photomultiplier tubes. A vertically elongated section of LHD will be covered by a 13 ch. array. Effects from the Deuterium Deuterium neutrons can be negligible when the scintillator is covered by a Pb plate 4 cm in thickness to avoid gamma-rays.

Luminescent properties of Cr-doped (Gd.sub.x./sub., Y.sub.1-x./sub.).sub.3./sub.Al.sub.5./sub.O.sub.12./sub. infra-red scintillator crystals

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Suzuki, A.; Kurosawa, S.; Yamaji, A.; Shoji, Y.; Pejchal, Jan; Kamada, K.; Yokota, Y.; Yoshikawa, A.

2014-01-01

Roč. 36, č. 12 (2014), s. 1938-1941 ISSN 0925-3467. [International Symposium on Laser, Scintillator and Non Linear Optical Materials (ISLNOM) /6./. Shanghai, 20.10.2013-23.10.2013] Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : infra-red scintillator * patient dosimetry * Cr-doped oxide garnet * bulk crystal Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 1.981, year: 2014

Automated preparation method for colloidal crystal arrays of monodisperse and binary colloid mixtures by contact printing with a pintool plotter.

Science.gov (United States)

Burkert, Klaus; Neumann, Thomas; Wang, Jianjun; Jonas, Ulrich; Knoll, Wolfgang; Ottleben, Holger

2007-03-13

Photonic crystals and photonic band gap materials with periodic variation of the dielectric constant in the submicrometer range exhibit unique optical properties such as opalescence, optical stop bands, and photonic band gaps. As such, they represent attractive materials for the active elements in sensor arrays. Colloidal crystals, which are 3D gratings leading to Bragg diffraction, are one potential precursor of such optical materials. They have gained particular interest in many technological areas as a result of their specific properties and ease of fabrication. Although basic techniques for the preparation of regular patterns of colloidal crystals on structured substrates by self-assembly of mesoscopic particles are known, the efficient fabrication of colloidal crystal arrays by simple contact printing has not yet been reported. In this article, we present a spotting technique used to produce a microarray comprising up to 9600 single addressable sensor fields of colloidal crystal structures with dimensions down to 100 mum on a microfabricated substrate in different formats. Both monodisperse colloidal crystals and binary colloidal crystal systems were prepared by contact printing of polystyrene particles in aqueous suspension. The array morphology was characterized by optical light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, which revealed regularly ordered crystalline structures for both systems. In the case of binary crystals, the influence of the concentration ratio of the large and small particles in the printing suspension on the obtained crystal structure was investigated. The optical properties of the colloidal crystal arrays were characterized by reflection spectroscopy. To examine the stop bands of the colloidal crystal arrays in a high-throughput fashion, an optical setup based on a CCD camera was realized that allowed the simultaneous readout of all of the reflection spectra of several thousand sensor fields per array in parallel. In agreement with

CMS lead tungstate crystals

CERN Multimedia

Laurent Guiraud

2000-01-01

These crystals are made from lead tungstate, a crystal that is as clear as glass yet with nearly four times the density. They have been produced in Russia to be used as scintillators in the electromagnetic calorimeter on the CMS experiment, part of the LHC project at CERN. When an electron, positron or photon passes through the calorimeter it will cause a cascade of particles that will then be absorbed by these scintillating crystals, allowing the particle's energy to be measured.

Quality Assurance on Undoped CsI Crystals for the Mu2e Experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Atanov, N.; Baranov, V.; Budagov, J.; Davydov, Yu. I.; Glagolev, V.; Tereshchenko, V.; Usubov, Z.; Cervelli, F.; Di Falco, S.; Donati, S.; Morescalchi, L.; Pedreschi, E.; Pezzullo, G.; Raffaelli, F.; Spinella, F.; Colao, F.; Cordelli, M.; Corradi, G.; Diociaiuti, E.; Donghia, R.; Giovannella, S.; Happacher, F.; Martini, M.; Miscetti, S.; Ricci, M.; Saputi, A.; Sarra, I.; Echenard, B.; Hitlin, D. G.; Hu, C.; Miyashita, T.; Porter, F.; Zhang, L.; Zhu, R.-Y.; Grancagnolo, F.; Tassielli, G.; Murat, P.

2018-02-01

The Mu2e experiment is constructing a calorimeter consisting of 1,348 undoped CsI crystals in two disks. Each crystal has a dimension of 34 x 34 x 200 mm, and is readout by a large area silicon PMT array. A series of technical specifications was defined according to physics requirements. Preproduction CsI crystals were procured from three firms: Amcrys, Saint-Gobain and Shanghai Institute of Ceramics. We report the quality assurance on crystal's scintillation properties and their radiation hardness against ionization dose and neutrons. With a fast decay time of 30 ns and a light output of more than 100 p.e./MeV measured with a bi-alkali PMT, undoped CsI crystals provide a cost-effective solution for the Mu2e experiment.

Scintillation camera with improved output means

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lange, K.; Wiesen, E.J.; Woronowicz, E.M.

1978-01-01

In a scintillation camera system, the output pulse signals from an array of photomultiplier tubes are coupled to the inputs of individual preamplifiers. The preamplifier output signals are coupled to circuitry for computing the x and y coordinates of the scintillations. A cathode ray oscilloscope is used to form an image corresponding with the pattern in which radiation is emitted by a body. Means for improving the uniformity and resolution of the scintillations are provided. The means comprise biasing means coupled to the outputs of selected preamplifiers so that output signals below a predetermined amplitude are not suppressed and signals falling within increasing ranges of amplitudes are increasingly suppressed. In effect, the biasing means make the preamplifiers non-linear for selected signal levels

Comparison of the methods for determination of scintillation light yield

CERN Document Server

Sysoeva, E; Zelenskaya, O

2002-01-01

One of the most important characteristics of scintillators is the light yield. It depends not only on the properties of scintillators, but also on the conditions of measurements. Even for widely used crystals, such as alkali halide scintillators NaI(Tl) and CsI(Tl), light yield data, obtained by various authors, are different. Therefore, it is very important to choose the convenient method of the light yield measurements. In the present work, methods for the determination of the physical light yield, based on measurements of pulse amplitude, single-electron pulses and intrinsic photomultiplier resolution are discussed. These methods have been used for the measurements of light yield of alkali halide crystals and oxide scintillators. Repeatability and reproducibility of results were determined. All these methods are rather complicated in use, not for measurements, but for further data processing. Besides that, they demand a precise determination of photoreceiver's parameters, as well as determination of light ...

Growth and radioluminescence of metal elements doped LiCaAlF.sub.6./sub. single crystals for neutron scintillator

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Tanaka, Ch.; Yokota, Y.; Kurosawa, S.; Yamaji, A.; Jarý, Vítězslav; Babin, Vladimir; Pejchal, Jan; Ohashi, Y.; Kamada, K.; Nikl, Martin; Yoshikawa, A.

2016-01-01

Roč. 90, Jul (2016), s. 170-173 ISSN 1350-4487. [International Conference on Luminescent Detectors and Transformers of Ionizing Radiation (LUMDETR). Tartu (Estonsko), 20.09.2015-25.09.2015] R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LH14266 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : neutron scintillator * LiCaAlF 6 * Pb2+ * single crystal Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 1.442, year: 2016

Method for measuring multiple scattering corrections between liquid scintillators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Verbeke, J.M., E-mail: verbeke2@llnl.gov; Glenn, A.M., E-mail: glenn22@llnl.gov; Keefer, G.J., E-mail: keefer1@llnl.gov; Wurtz, R.E., E-mail: wurtz1@llnl.gov

2016-07-21

A time-of-flight method is proposed to experimentally quantify the fractions of neutrons scattering between scintillators. An array of scintillators is characterized in terms of crosstalk with this method by measuring a californium source, for different neutron energy thresholds. The spectral information recorded by the scintillators can be used to estimate the fractions of neutrons multiple scattering. With the help of a correction to Feynman's point model theory to account for multiple scattering, these fractions can in turn improve the mass reconstruction of fissile materials under investigation.

Scintillation properties of Er-doped Y3Al5O12 single crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamaji, Akihiro; Ogino, Hiraku; Fujimoto, Yutaka; Suzuki, Akira; Yanagida, Takayuki; Yokota, Yuui; Kurosawa, Shunsuke; Yoshikawa, Akira

2013-01-01

Er-doped Y 3 Al 5 O 12 single crystals with different Er concentrations of 0.1, 1.0, 10, 30, and 50% were grown by the micro-pulling down method. There were several absorption lines due to the Er 3+ 4f-4f transitions in the transmittance spectra and these lines correspond to the transitions from the ground state of 4 I 15/2 to the excited states. The photo- and radio-luminescence spectra showed Er 3+ 4f-4f emissions. Relative light yield under 5.5 MeV alpha-ray irradiation of Er 0.1%:Y 3 Al 5 O 12 was estimated to be 63% of that of Bi 4 Ge 3 O 12 . -- Highlights: •Er doped Y 3 Al 5 O 12 single crystal scintillators were grown with different Er concentrations. •Optical properties associated with 4f-4f transition were evaluated. •Radio luminescence spectra measurements were performed under 5.5 MeV alpha-ray irradiation. •The highest light yield was estimated to be 63% of that of Bi 4 Ge 3 O 12 under 5.5 MeV alpha-ray irradiation

Pulse shaper for scintillation detectors with NaI(Tl) or CsI(Tl) crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Novisov, B.S.; Maksimenko, A.S.; Baryshev, A.V.; Zhukov, A.V.

1978-01-01

The basic circuit of a signal shaper for scintillation detectors with NaI(Tl) and CsI(Tl) crystals is described. To increase amplitude resolution, it is suggested to integrate not the whole charge at the photomultiplier output, but a part of the charge during the initial 100 ns of the current pulse; the remaining part of the current signal is compensated directly at the photomultiplier anode by means of an electric circuit. The principal elements of the spectrometric signal shaper include an input transistor amplifier, a compensation circuit, a key element, a shaper amplifier of time pulses, a shaper of signal duration for controlling the key element, and an output spectrometric amplifier. This device, being used, one can shape pulses at durations of 100 ns and more. The shaper restoration time does not exceed 50 ns. When the shaper operates with NaI(Tl) crystals and at counting rate of 10 6 pulse/s, the amplitude resolution with and without the compensation circuit is 17% and 21% respectively

Cherenkov and scintillation light separation on the CheSS experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Caravaca, Javier; Land, Benjamin; Descamps, Freija; Orebi Gann, Gabriel D.

2016-09-01

Separation of the scintillation and Cherenkov light produced in liquid scintillators enables outstanding capabilities for future particle detectors, the most relevant being: particle directionality information in a low energy threshold detector and improved particle identification. The CheSS experiment uses an array of small, fast photomultipliers (PMTs) and state-of-the-art electronics to demonstrate the reconstruction of a Cherenkov ring in liquid scintillator using two techniques: based on the photon density and using the photon hit time information. A charged particle ionizing a scintillation medium produces a prompt Cherenkov cone and late isotropic scintillation light, typically delayed by several ns. The fast response of our PMTs and DAQ provides a precision well below the ns level, making possible the time separation. Furthermore, the usage of the new developed water-based liquid scintillators (WbLS) enhances the separation since it allows tuning of the Cherenkov/Scintillation ratio. Latest results on the separation for pure liquid scintillators and WbLS will be presented.

Crystal growth and scintillation properties of Er-doped Lu{sub 3}Al{sub 5}O{sub 12} single crystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sugiyama, Makoto, E-mail: makoto.sugiyama@imr.tohoku.ac.jp [Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577 (Japan); Fujimoto, Yutaka [Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577 (Japan); Yanagida, Takayuki [New Industry Creation Hatchery Center (NICHe), Tohoku University, 6-6-10 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579 (Japan); Totsuka, Daisuke [Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577 (Japan); Nihon Kessho Kogaku Co. Ltd., 810-5 Nobe-cho Tatebayashi Gunma (Japan); Kurosawa, Shunsuke; Futami, Yoshisuke; Yokota, Yuui; Chani, Valery [Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577 (Japan); Yoshikawa, Akira [Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8577 (Japan); New Industry Creation Hatchery Center (NICHe), Tohoku University, 6-6-10 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi 980-8579 (Japan)

2012-02-01

Er-doped Lu{sub 3}Al{sub 5}O{sub 12} (Er:LuAG) single crystalline scintillators with different Er concentrations of 0.1, 0.5, 1, and 3% were grown by the micro-pulling-down ({mu}-PD) method. The grown crystals were composed of single-phase material, as demonstrated by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD). The radioluminescence spectra measured under {sup 241}Am {alpha}-ray excitation indicated host emission at approximately 350 nm and Er{sup 3+} 4f-4f emissions. According to the pulse height spectra recorded under {gamma}-ray irradiation, the 0.5% Er:LuAG exhibited the highest peak channel among the samples. The {gamma}-ray excited decay time profiles were well fitted by the two-component exponential approximation (0.8 {mu}s and 6-10 {mu}s).

Radon gamma-ray spectrometry with YAP:Ce scintillator

CERN Document Server

Plastino, W; De Notaristefani, F

2002-01-01

The detection properties of a YAP:Ce scintillator (YAlO sub 3 :Ce crystal) optically coupled to a Hamamatsu H5784 photomultiplier with standard bialkali photocathode have been analyzed. In particular, the application to radon and radon-daughters gamma-ray spectrometry was investigated. The crystal response has been studied under severe extreme conditions to simulate environments of geophysical interest, particularly those found in geothermal and volcanic areas. Tests in water up to a temperature of 100 deg.C and in acids solutions such as HCl (37%), H sub 2 SO sub 4 (48%) and HNO sub 3 (65%) have been performed. The measurements with standard radon sources provided by the National Institute for Metrology of Ionizing Radiations (ENEA) have emphasized the non-hygroscopic properties of the scintillator and a small dependence of the light yield on temperature and HNO sub 3. The data collected in this first step of our research have pointed out that the YAP:Ce scintillator can allow high response stability for rad...

Chloride, bromide and iodide scintillators with europium doping

Science.gov (United States)

Zhuravleva, Mariya; Yang, Kan

2014-08-26

A halide scintillator material is disclosed where the halide may comprise chloride, bromide or iodide. The material is single-crystalline and has a composition of the general formula ABX.sub.3 where A is an alkali, B is an alkali earth and X is a halide which general composition was investigated. In particular, crystals of the formula ACa.sub.1-yEu.sub.yI.sub.3 where A=K, Rb and Cs were formed as well as crystals of the formula CsA.sub.1-yEu.sub.yX.sub.3 (where A=Ca, Sr, Ba, or a combination thereof and X=Cl, Br or I or a combination thereof) with divalent Europium doping where 0.ltoreq.y.ltoreq.1, and more particularly Eu doping has been studied at one to ten mol %. The disclosed scintillator materials are suitable for making scintillation detectors used in applications such as medical imaging and homeland security.

Time of gamma radiation transport in NaI(Tl) scintillators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matarrita, A.S.

1976-01-01

The distribution of time intervals in function of the energy, ocurred between the incidence of a gamma radiation in the face of a scintillation crystal and the arrival of the correspondent scintillation at photocathode, is calculated. The mean square fluctuation these time interval, relating to resolution of the detector system is determined. The calculations are done for NaI (Tl) cylindrical crystals with the radiation source placed in the symmetry axis, in two situations: para axial incidence and oblique incidence, indicating a good agreement with experimental data. (M.C.K.) [pt

A new DOI detector design using discrete crystal array with depth-dependent reflector patterns and single-ended readout

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Seung-Jae; Lee, Chaeyeong [Department of Radiological Science, Yonsei University, Wonju 26493 (Korea, Republic of); Kang, Jihoon, E-mail: ray.jihoon.kang@gmail.com [Department of Biomedical Engineering, Chonnam National University, 50 Daehak-ro, Yeosu, Jeonnam 59626 (Korea, Republic of); Chung, Yong Hyun, E-mail: ychung@yonsei.ac.kr [Department of Radiological Science, Yonsei University, Wonju 26493 (Korea, Republic of)

2017-01-21

We developed a depth of interaction (DOI) positron emission tomography (PET) detector using depth-dependent reflector patterns in a discrete crystal array. Due to the different reflector patterns at depth, light distribution was changed relative to depth. As a preliminary experiment, we measured DOI detector module crystal identification performance. The crystal consisted of a 9×9 array of 2 mmx2 mmx20 mm lutetium-yttrium oxyorthosilicate (LYSO) crystals. The crystal array was optically coupled to a 64-channel position-sensitive photomultiplier tube with a 2 mmx2 mm anode size and an 18.1 mmx18.1 mm effective area. We obtained the flood image with an Anger-type calculation. DOI layers and 9×9 pixels were well distinguished in the obtained images. Preclinical PET scanners based on this detector design offer the prospect of high and uniform spatial resolution.

A new DOI detector design using discrete crystal array with depth-dependent reflector patterns and single-ended readout

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Seung-Jae; Lee, Chaeyeong; Kang, Jihoon; Chung, Yong Hyun

2017-01-01

We developed a depth of interaction (DOI) positron emission tomography (PET) detector using depth-dependent reflector patterns in a discrete crystal array. Due to the different reflector patterns at depth, light distribution was changed relative to depth. As a preliminary experiment, we measured DOI detector module crystal identification performance. The crystal consisted of a 9×9 array of 2 mmx2 mmx20 mm lutetium-yttrium oxyorthosilicate (LYSO) crystals. The crystal array was optically coupled to a 64-channel position-sensitive photomultiplier tube with a 2 mmx2 mm anode size and an 18.1 mmx18.1 mm effective area. We obtained the flood image with an Anger-type calculation. DOI layers and 9×9 pixels were well distinguished in the obtained images. Preclinical PET scanners based on this detector design offer the prospect of high and uniform spatial resolution.

Characterization of a ZnSe scintillating bolometer prototype for neutrinoless double beta decay search

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tenconi M.

2014-01-01

Full Text Available As proposed in the LUCIFER project, ZnSe crystals are attractive materials to realize scintillating bolometers aiming at the search for neutrinoless double beta decay of the promising isotope 82Se. However, the optimization of the ZnSe-based detectors is rather complex and requires a wide-range investigation of the crystal features: optical properties, crystalline quality, scintillation yields and bolometric behaviour. Samples tested up to now show problems in the reproducibility of crucial aspects of the detector performance. In this work, we present the results obtained with a scintillating bolometer operated aboveground at about 25 mK. The detector energy absorber was a single 1 cm3 ZnSe crystal. The good energy resolution of the heat channel (about 14 keV at 1460 keV and the excellent alpha/beta discrimination capability are very encouraging for a successful realization of the LUCIFER program. The bolometric measurements were completed by optical tests on the crystal (optical transmission and luminescence measurements down to 10 K and investigation of the crystalline structure. The work here described provides a set of parameters and procedures useful for a complete pre-characterization of ZnSe crystals in view of the realization of highly performing scintillating bolometers.

Scintillation Response of CaF2 to H and He over a Continuous Energy Range

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Yanwen; Xiang, Xia; Weber, William J.

2008-01-01

Recent demands for new radiation detector materials with improved γ-ray detection performance at room temperature have prompted research efforts on both accelerated material discovery and efficient techniques that can be used to identify material properties relevant to detector performance. New material discovery has been limited due to the difficulties of large crystal growth to completely absorb γ-energies; whereas high-quality thin films or small crystals of candidate materials can be readily produced by various modern growth techniques. In this work, an ion-scintillator technique is demonstrated that can be applied to study scintillation properties of thin films and small crystals. The scintillation response of a benchmark scintillator, europium-doped calcium fluoride (CaF2:Eu), to energetic proton and helium ions is studied using the ion-scintillator approach based on a time of flight (TOF) telescope. Excellent energy resolution and fast response of the TOF telescope allow quantitative measurement of light yield, nonlinearity and energy resolution over an energy range from a few tens to a few thousands of keV

LET dependence of scintillation yields in liquid argon

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Doke, Tadayoshi; Hitachi, Akira; Kikuchi, Jun; Crawford, H J; Lindstrom, P J; Masuda, Kimiaki; Shibamura, Eido; Takahashi, Tan

1988-06-01

Scintillation yields (scintillation intensity per unit absorbed energy) in liquid argon for ionizing particles are reviewed as a function of LET for the particles. The maximum scintillation yield, which is obtained for relativistic heavy ions from Ne to La, is about 1.2 times larger than that for gamma rays in NaI(Tl) crystal. In the low LET region, the scintillation yields for relativistic electrons, protons and He ions are 10-20% lower than the maximum yield. This tendency can be explained by taking into account the existence of the electrons which have escaped from their parent ions. In the high LET region, a quenching effect due to high ionization density is observed for alpha particles, fission fragments and relativistic Au ions.

Combinatorial Approach for the Discovery of New Scintillating Materials SBIR Phase I Final Report DOE/ER/84310

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cronin, J.P.; Agrawal, A.; Tonazzi, J.C.

2006-01-01

The combinatorial approach for the discovery of new scintillating materials has been investigated using the wet-chemical (sol-gel) synthesis methods. Known scintillating compounds Lu 2 SiO 5 (LSO) and (LuAl)O 3 (LAO) and solid solutions in the systems of Lu 2 O 3 -Y 2 O 3 --SiO 2 (CeO 2 -doped) (LYSO) and Lu 2 O 3 -Y 2 O 3 --Al 2 O 3 (CeO 2 -doped) (LYAO) were synthesized from sol-gel precursors. Sol-gel precursors were formulated from alkoxides and nitrates and acetates of the cations. Sol-gel solution precursors were formulated for the printing of microdot arrays of different compositions in the above oxide systems. Microdot arrays were successfully printed on C-cut and R-cut sapphire substrates using Biodot printer at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). The microdot arrays were adherent and stable after heat-treating at 1665 C and had an average thickness of around 2 (micro)m. X-ray fluorescence elemental mapping showed the arrays to be of the correct chemical composition. Sintered microdots were found to be highly crystalline by microscopic observation and X-ray diffraction. Scintillation was not clearly detectable by visual observation under UV illumination and by video observation under the scanning electron beam of an SEM. The microdots were either poorly scintillating or not scintillating under the present synthesis and testing conditions. Further improvements in the synthesis and processing of the microdot arrays as well as extensive scintillation testing are needed

Lithium indium diselenide: A new scintillator for neutron imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lukosi, Eric, E-mail: elukosi@utk.edu [University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Herrera, Elan; Hamm, Daniel; Lee, Kyung-Min [University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Wiggins, Brenden [Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Trtik, Pavel [Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen CH-5232 (Switzerland); Penumadu, Dayakar; Young, Stephen [University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Santodonato, Louis; Bilheux, Hassina [Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Burger, Arnold; Matei, Liviu [Fisk University, Nashville, TN (United States); Stowe, Ashley C. [University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

2016-09-11

Lithium indium diselenide, {sup 6}LiInSe{sub 2} or LISe, is a newly developed neutron detection material that shows both semiconducting and scintillating properties. This paper reports on the performance of scintillating LISe crystals for its potential use as a converter screen for cold neutron imaging. The spatial resolution of LISe, determined using a 10% threshold of the Modulation Transfer Function (MTF), was found to not scale linearly with thickness. Crystals having a thickness of 450 µm or larger resulted in an average spatial resolution of 67 µm, and the thinner crystals exhibited an increase in spatial resolution down to the Nyquist frequency of the CCD. The highest measured spatial resolution of 198 µm thick LISe (27 µm) outperforms a commercial 50 µm thick ZnS(Cu):{sup 6}LiF scintillation screen by more than a factor of three. For the LISe dimensions considered in this study, it was found that the light yield of LISe did not scale with its thickness. However, absorption measurements indicate that the {sup 6}Li concentration is uniform and the neutron absorption efficiency of LISe as a function of thickness follows general nuclear theory. This suggests that the differences in apparent brightness observed for the LISe samples investigated may be due to a combination of secondary charged particle escape, scintillation light transport in the bulk and across the LISe-air interface, and variations in the activation of the scintillation mechanism. Finally, it was found that the presence of {sup 115}In and its long-lived {sup 116}In activation product did not result in ghosting (memory of past neutron exposure), demonstrating potential of LISe for imaging transient systems.

Thallium bromide photodetectors for scintillation detection

CERN Document Server

Hitomi, K; Shoji, T; Hiratate, Y; Ishibashi, H; Ishii, M

2000-01-01

A wide bandgap compound semiconductor, TlBr, has been investigated as a blue sensitive photodetector material for scintillation detection. The TlBr photodetectors have been fabricated from the TlBr crystals grown by the TMZ method using materials purified by many pass zone refining. The performance of the photodetectors has been evaluated by measuring their leakage current, quantum efficiency, spatial uniformity, direct X-ray detection and scintillation detection characteristics. The photodetectors have shown high quantum efficiency for the blue wavelength region and high spatial uniformity for their optical response. In addition, good direct X-ray detection characteristics with an energy resolution of 4.5 keV FWHM for 22 keV X-rays from a sup 1 sup 0 sup 9 Cd radioactive source have been obtained. Detection of blue scintillation from GSO and LSO scintillators irradiated with a sup 2 sup 2 Na radioactive source has been done successfully by using the photodetectors at room temperature. A clear full-energy pea...

Scintillation camera for establishing the coordinates of a radiation stimuli produced by a radiation field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zioni, J.; Klein, Y.; Inbar, D.

1977-01-01

A scintillation camera has a planar scintillating crystal that produces light events whose spatial distribution corresponds to the spatial distribution of the radiation stimuli causing such events, and a plurality of photomultipliers having photocathodes for receiving light from the crystal through a planar face thereof. Computing circuitry coupled to the photomultipliers computes the projection of a light event in the crystal on a reference axis by forming an analytical function of the outputs of the photomultipliers according to the spatial location of the light event in the crystal

Survey meter using novel inorganic scintillators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshikawa, Akira; Fukuda, Kentaro; Kawaguchi, Noriaki; Kamada, Kei; Fujimoto, Yutaka; Yokota, Yuui; Kurosawa, Shunsuke; Yanagida, Takayuki

2012-01-01

Single crystal scintillator materials are widely used for detection of high-energy photons and particles. There is continuous demand for new scintillator materials with higher performance because of increasing number of medical, industrial, security and other applications. This article presents the recent development of three novel inorganic scintillators; Pr-doped Lu 3 Al 5 O 12 (Pr:LuAG), Ce doped Gd 3 (Al, Ga) 5 O 12 (Ce:GAGG) and Ce or Eu-doped 6 LiCaAlF 6 (Ce:LiCAF, Eu:LiCAF). Pr:LuAG shows very interesting scintillation properties including very fast decay time, high light yield and excellent energy resolution. Taking the advantage of these properties, positron emission mammography (PEM) equipped with Pr:LuAG were developed. Ce:GAGG shows very high light yield, which is much higher than that of Ce:LYSO. Survey meter using Ce:GAGG is developed using this scintillator. Ce:LiCAF and Eu:LiCAF were developed for neutron detection. The advantage and disadvantage are discussed comparing with halide scintillators. Eu-doped LiCAF indicated five times higher light yield than that of existing Li-glass. It is expected to be used as the alternative of 3 He. (author)

Plastic scintillation dosimetry: Optimal selection of scintillating fibers and scintillators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Archambault, Louis; Arsenault, Jean; Gingras, Luc; Sam Beddar, A.; Roy, Rene; Beaulieu, Luc

2005-01-01

Scintillation dosimetry is a promising avenue for evaluating dose patterns delivered by intensity-modulated radiation therapy plans or for the small fields involved in stereotactic radiosurgery. However, the increase in signal has been the goal for many authors. In this paper, a comparison is made between plastic scintillating fibers and plastic scintillator. The collection of scintillation light was measured experimentally for four commercial models of scintillating fibers (BCF-12, BCF-60, SCSF-78, SCSF-3HF) and two models of plastic scintillators (BC-400, BC-408). The emission spectra of all six scintillators were obtained by using an optical spectrum analyzer and they were compared with theoretical behavior. For scintillation in the blue region, the signal intensity of a singly clad scintillating fiber (BCF-12) was 120% of that of the plastic scintillator (BC-400). For the multiclad fiber (SCSF-78), the signal reached 144% of that of the plastic scintillator. The intensity of the green scintillating fibers was lower than that of the plastic scintillator: 47% for the singly clad fiber (BCF-60) and 77% for the multiclad fiber (SCSF-3HF). The collected light was studied as a function of the scintillator length and radius for a cylindrical probe. We found that symmetric detectors with nearly the same spatial resolution in each direction (2 mm in diameter by 3 mm in length) could be made with a signal equivalent to those of the more commonly used asymmetric scintillators. With augmentation of the signal-to-noise ratio in consideration, this paper presents a series of comparisons that should provide insight into selection of a scintillator type and volume for development of a medical dosimeter

A comparison of BCF-12 organic scintillators and Al2O3:C crystals for real-time medical dosimetry

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Beierholm, Anders Ravnsborg; Andersen, Claus Erik; Lindvold, Lars

2008-01-01

Radioluminescence (RL) from aluminium oxide (Al2O3:C) crystals and organic scintillators such as the blue-emitting BCF-12 can be used for precise real-time dose rate measurements during radiation therapy of cancer patients. Attaching the dosimeters to thin light-guiding fiber cables enables in vivo...... use. The light signal is detected by a photomultiplier tube (PNIT). Unfortunately Cerenkov light and fluorescence are also generated in the fiber cable itself during irradiation, and this so-called stem effect can be significant compared with the dosimeter signal. In the case of Al2O3:C, this problem...... can be circumvented for pulsed beams due to the long life-time of the main luminescence center. In contrast, chromatic removal seems to be the most effective method for organic scintillators, but is found to yield some experimental complexities. In this paper, we report on dose rate measurements using...

Refractive index dispersion sensing using an array of photonic crystal resonant reflectors

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hermannsson, Pétur Gordon; Vannahme, Christoph; Smith, Cameron

2015-01-01

Refractive index sensing plays a key role in various environmental and biological sensing applications. Here, a method is presented for measuring the absolute refractive index dispersion of liquids using an array of photonic crystal resonant reflectors of varying periods. It is shown that by cove......Refractive index sensing plays a key role in various environmental and biological sensing applications. Here, a method is presented for measuring the absolute refractive index dispersion of liquids using an array of photonic crystal resonant reflectors of varying periods. It is shown...... that by covering the array with a sample liquid and measuring the resonance wavelength associated with transverse electric polarized quasi guided modes as a function of period, the refractive index dispersion of the liquid can be accurately obtained using an analytical expression. This method is compact, can...... perform measurements at arbitrary number of wavelengths, and requires only a minute sample volume. The ability to sense a material's dispersion profile offers an added dimension of information that may be of benefit to optofluidic lab-on-a-chip applications. © 2015 AIP Publishing LLC....

Investigating the effect of K-characteristic radiation on the performance of nuclear medicine scintillators by Monte Carlo methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liaparinos, Panagiotis; Kandarakis, Ioannis; Cavouras, Dionisis; Delis, Harry; Panayiotakis, George

2006-01-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of K-characteristic radiation on the performance of scintillator crystals incorporated in nuclear medicine detectors (LSO, BGO, GSO). K-characteristic radiation is produced within materials of at least one high atomic number element (e.g. Lu, Gd, Bi). This radiation may either be reabsorbed or it may escape the scintillator. In both cases the light emission efficiency of the scintillator may be affected resulting in either spatial or energy resolution degradation. A computational program, based on Monte Carlo methods, was developed in order to simulate the transport of K-characteristic radiation within the most commonly used scintillator materials. Crystal thickness was allowed to vary from 0.5 up to 15 mm. A monoenergetic pencil beam, with energy varying from 0.60 to 0.511 MeV was considered to fall on the center of the crystal surface. The dominant γ-ray interactions (elastic and inelastic scattering and photoelectric absorption) were taken into account in the simulation. Results showed that, depending on crystal thickness, incident photon energy and scintillator's intrinsic properties (L or K-fluorescence yield, effective atomic number and density), the scintillator's emission efficiency may be significantly reduced and affect spatial or energy resolution

Photoluminescence and radiation response properties of Ce3+-doped CsCaCl3 crystalline scintillator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujimoto, Yutaka; Saeki, Keiichiro; Tanaka, Hironori; Yahaba, Takuma; Koshimizu, Masanori; Asai, Keisuke; Yanagida, Takayuki

2016-01-01

In this paper, we report on the photoluminescence and scintillation properties of a newly developed CsCaCl 3 :Ce (0.5 mol%) crystalline scintillator grown by the vertical Bridgman method. The fluorescence quantum efficiency for the Ce 3+ characteristic emission bands centered at around 350–400 nm was 76% under excitation at 330 nm light. The photoluminescence decay time of the Ce 3+ was approximately 32 ns. When x-ray excited the crystal, intense emission bands were observed at 350–400 nm, and could be attributed to the Ce 3+ emission. The scintillation light yield of the developed crystal was ∼7600 ph MeV −1 compared to a NaI:Tl commercial scintillator, and the principal scintillation decay time was approximately 340 ns plus two fast components of around 1.6 ns and 45 ns. (paper)

Luminescence and scintillation timing characteristics of (Lu{sub x}Gd{sub 2−x})SiO{sub 5}:Ce single crystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yawai, Nattasuda; Chewpraditkul, Warut; Sakthong, Ongsa [Faculty of Science, King Mongkut' s University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok10140 (Thailand); Chewpraditkul, Weerapong, E-mail: weerapong.che@kmutt.ac.th [Faculty of Science, King Mongkut' s University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok10140 (Thailand); Wantong, Kriangkrai [Faculty of Science, King Mongkut' s University of Technology Thonburi, Bangkok10140 (Thailand); Szczesniak, Tomasz; Swiderski, Lukasz; Moszynski, Marek [National Centre for Nuclear Research, A. Soltana 7, PL 05-400 Otwock-Swierk (Poland); Sidletskiy, Oleg [Institute for Scintillation Materials NAS of Ukraine, 60 Nauky Avenue, 61001 Kharkiv (Ukraine)

2017-02-01

The luminescence and scintillation characteristics of cerium-doped lutetium-gadolinium orthosilicate (Lu{sub x}Gd{sub 2−x}SiO{sub 5}:Ce; x=0, 0.8, 1.8) single crystals were investigated. At 662 keV γ-rays, the light yield of 29,800±3000 ph MeV{sup −1} obtained for Lu{sub 1.8}Gd{sub 0.2}SiO{sub 5}:Ce is higher than that of 20,200±2000 and 11,800±1200 ph MeV{sup −1} obtained for Lu{sub 0.8}Gd{sub 1.2}SiO{sub 5}:Ce and Gd{sub 2}SiO{sub 5}:Ce, respectively. The fast component decay time of 32, 18 and 17 ns was measured in the scintillation decay of Gd{sub 2}SiO{sub 5}:Ce, Lu{sub 0.8}Gd{sub 1.2}SiO{sub 5}:Ce and Lu{sub 1.8}Gd{sub 0.2}SiO{sub 5}:Ce, respectively. The coincidence time spectra for 511 keV annihilation quanta were measured in reference to a fast BaF{sub 2} detector and time resolution was discussed in terms of a number of photoelectrons and decay time of the fast component. The mass attenuation coefficient for studied crystals at 60 and 662 keV γ-rays was also evaluated and discussed. - Highlights: • Scintillation timing characteristics of Lu{sub x}Gd{sub 2−x}SiO{sub 5}:Ce crystals are studied. • Lu{sub 1.8}Gd{sub 0.2}SiO{sub 5}:Ce exhibits excellent light yield and timing response. • Energy resolution of 6% @662 keV is obtained for Lu{sub 0.8}Gd{sub 1.2}SiO{sub 5}:Ce. • Coincidence time resolution of 368 ps is obtained for Lu{sub 1.8}Gd{sub 0.2}SiO{sub 5}:Ce.

Optimization of a large-area detector-block based on SiPM and pixelated LYSO crystal arrays.

Science.gov (United States)

Calva-Coraza, E; Alva-Sánchez, H; Murrieta-Rodríguez, T; Martínez-Dávalos, A; Rodríguez-Villafuerte, M

2017-10-01

We present the performance evaluation of a large-area detector module based on the ArrayC-60035-64P, an 8×8 array of tileable, 7.2mm pitch, silicon photomultipliers (SiPM) by SensL, covering a total area of 57.4mm×57.4mm. We characterized the ArrayC-60035-64P, operating at room temperature, using LYSO pixelated crystal arrays of different pitch sizes (1.075, 1.430, 1.683, 2.080 and 2.280mm) to determine the resolvable crystal size. After an optimization process, a 7mm thick coupling light guide was used for all crystal pitches. To identify the interaction position a 16-channel (8 columns, 8 rows) symmetric charge division (SCD) readout board together with a center-of-gravity algorithm was used. Based on this, we assembled the detector modules using a 40×40 LYSO, 1.43mm pitch array, covering the total detector area. Calibration was performed using a 137 Cs source resulting in excellent crystal maps with minor geometric distortion, a mean 4.1 peak-to-valley ratio and 9.6% mean energy resolution for 662keV photons in the central region. The resolvability index was calculated in the x and y directions with values under 0.42 in all cases. We show that these large area SiPM arrays, combined with a 16-channel SCD readout board, can offer high spatial resolution, without processing a big number of signals, attaining excellent energy resolution and detector uniformity. Copyright © 2017 Associazione Italiana di Fisica Medica. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Further understanding of PbWO4 Scintillator characteristics and their optimisation. LUMEN activity in 1998

CERN Document Server

Baccaro, Stefania; Borgia, Bruno; Cecilia, Angelica; Dafinei, Ioan; Diemoz, Marcella; Fabeni, P; Festinesi, Armando; Longo, Egidio; Martini, M; Meinardi, F; Mihoková, E; Montecchi, Marco; Nikl, M; Pazzi, G P; Rosa, J; Sulc, Miroslav

2000-01-01

The aim of LUMEN collaboration was the investigation on single crystals of PbWO4 ( PWO): the results performed up to now provide the evidence of the possibility to optimise the optical properties of an intrinsic scintillator such as PWO. The control of essential requirements in the crystal preparation ( raw material purity, growing methods and post-growth annealing) as well as the introduction of selected dopants at suitable concentrations ( particularly trivalent and pentavalent ions) were found to be very successful in lowering the concentration of point defects in the lattice which strongly affect scintillation properties and radiation hardness. The systematic investigation effort to better understand the scintillation characteristics and to improve the quality of PWO crystals is due to their use for the CMS electromagnetic calorimeter.

Quality control on pre-serial Bridgman production of PbWO{sub 4} scintillating crystals by means of photoelasticity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rinaldi, D., E-mail: d.rinaldi@univpm.i [Dipartimento di Fisica e Ingegneria dei Materiali e del Territorio, Universita Politecnica delle Marche, via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona (Italy); INFN section of Perugia (Italy); Ciriaco, A. [Dipartimento di Fisica e Ingegneria dei Materiali e del Territorio, Universita' Politecnica delle Marche, via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona (Italy); Lebeau, M. [CERN PH department, 1211 Geneva 23 (Switzerland); Paone, N. [Dipartimento di Meccanica, Universita' Politecnica delle Marche, via Brecce Bianche, 60131 Ancona (Italy)

2010-04-11

Residual internal stresses in PbWO{sub 4} (PWO) scintillating crystals grown by Bridgman method have been systematically studied. Residual stresses induced during growth play an important role in production yield. Cracking probability during mechanical processing as well as stable mechanical properties in finished crystal are closely related to internal stress levels. A regular production of good-quality crystals requires a fast and easy feed-back on growth parameters. Samples from a pre-serial production were analyzed in order to give the producer a quality feed-back for process optimization. By means of photoelasticity, we measured residual stress distribution in several sections along the growth axis and for typical positions in every section. The stress analysis revealed defects occurring during the crystallization process, attributed to dislocations, lattice disorientation and poly-crystallinity. This work had been prompted by the need for quality monitoring of a pre-serial production of PWO for the CMS experiment at CERN's LHC. Mapping stress levels inside the ingot volume and proposing a synthetic parameter to be used as a quality indicator, the resulting analysis should contribute to parameter optimization and improve the growth performance. The proposed method may be useful in conventional crystal production.

Automatic detection of recoil-proton tracks and background rejection criteria in liquid scintillator-micro-capillary-array fast neutron spectrometer

Science.gov (United States)

Mor, Ilan; Vartsky, David; Dangendorf, Volker; Tittelmeier, Kai.; Weierganz, Mathias; Goldberg, Mark Benjamin; Bar, Doron; Brandis, Michal

2018-06-01

We describe an analysis procedure for automatic unambiguous detection of fast-neutron-induced recoil proton tracks in a micro-capillary array filled with organic liquid scintillator. The detector is viewed by an intensified CCD camera. This imaging neutron detector possesses the capability to perform high position-resolution (few tens of μm), energy-dispersive transmission-imaging using ns-pulsed beams. However, when operated with CW or DC beams, it also features medium-quality spectroscopic capabilities for incident neutrons in the energy range 2-20 MeV. In addition to the recoil proton events which display a continuous extended track structure, the raw images exhibit complex ion-tracks from nuclear interactions of fast-neutrons in the scintillator, capillaries quartz-matrix and CCD. Moreover, as expected, one also observes a multitude of isolated scintillation spots of varying intensity (henceforth denoted "blobs") that originate from several different sources, such as: fragmented proton tracks, gamma-rays, heavy-ion reactions as well as events and noise that occur in the image-intensifier and CCD. In order to identify the continuous-track recoil proton events and distinguish them from all these background events, a rapid, computerized and automatic track-recognition-procedure was developed. Based on an appropriately weighted analysis of track parameters such as: length, width, area and overall light intensity, the method is capable of distinguishing a single continuous-track recoil proton from typically surrounding several thousands of background events that are found in each CCD frame.

Instruments and detectors on the base of scintillator crystals ZnSe(Te), CWO, CsI(Tl) for systems of security and customs inspection systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ryzhikov, V.D.; Opolonin, A.D.; Pashko, P.V.; Svishch, V.M.; Volkov, V.G.; Lysetskaya, E.K.; Kozin, D.N.; Smith, C.

2005-01-01

Results of experimental studies of detector arrays scintillator-photodiode (S-PD) and scintillator-photoreceiving device (S-PRD) used for X-ray digital radiography have shown that there exist further possibilities to increase spatial resolution of this system up to 2-3 line pairs per mm. Theoretical analysis and experimental studies show that the two-energy detection method not only allows one to detect organics on the background of metal, but also substantially increases (by 3-5 times) the detection ability of the system as a whole, especially if parameters of the S-PD pair are optimized, in particular, when ZnSe(Te) is used in the low-energy circuit. A possibility to distinguish, in principle, between substances with insignificant differences in atomic number has been theoretically proven--by transition to multi-energy radiography. 3D-imaging has been realized using S-PD detector arrays. On base of theoretical and experimental search was installation of several types of inspection systems for control objects with square size 0.4x0.6-2.5x3.5 m

Spatially resolved single crystal x-ray spectropolarimetry of wire array z-pinch plasmas.

Science.gov (United States)

Wallace, M S; Haque, S; Neill, P; Pereira, N R; Presura, R

2018-01-01

A recently developed single-crystal x-ray spectropolarimeter has been used to record paired sets of polarization-dependent and axially resolved x-ray spectra emitted by wire array z-pinches. In this measurement, two internal planes inside a suitable crystal diffract the x-rays into two perpendicular directions that are normal to each other, thereby separating incident x-rays into their linearly polarized components. This paper gives considerations for fielding the instrument on extended sources. Results from extended sources are difficult to interpret because generally the incident x-rays are not separated properly by the crystal. This difficulty is mitigated by using a series of collimating slits to select incident x-rays that propagate in a plane of symmetry between the polarization-splitting planes. The resulting instrument and some of the spatially resolved polarized x-ray spectra recorded for a 1-MA aluminum wire array z-pinch at the Nevada Terawatt Facility at the University of Nevada, Reno will be presented.

Monte Carlo simulation of the imaging properties of scintillator-coated X-ray pixel detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hjelm, M.; Norlin, B.; Nilsson, H.-E.; Froejdh, C.; Badel, X.

2003-01-01

The spatial resolution of scintillator-coated X-ray pixel detectors is usually limited by the isotropic light spread in the scintillator. One way to overcome this limitation is to use a pixellated scintillating layer on top of the semiconductor pixel detector. Using advanced etching and filling techniques, arrays of CsI columns have been successfully fabricated and characterized. Each CsI waveguide matches one pixel of the semiconductor detector, limiting the spatial spread of light. Another concept considered in this study is to detect the light emitted from the scintillator by diodes formed in the silicon pore walls. There is so far no knowledge regarding the theoretical limits for these two approaches, which makes the evaluation of the fabrication process difficult. In this work we present numerical calculations of the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for detector designs based on scintillator-filled pores in silicon. The calculations are based on separate Monte Carlo (MC) simulations of X-ray absorption and light transport in scintillator waveguides. The resulting data are used in global MC simulations of flood exposures of the detector array, from which the SNR values are obtained. Results are presented for two scintillator materials, namely CsI(Tl) and GADOX

Encapsulated scintillation detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Toepke, I.L.

1982-01-01

A scintillation detector crystal is encapsulated in a hermetically sealed housing having a glass window. The window may be mounted in a ring by a compression seal formed during cooling of the ring and window after heating. The window may be chemically bonded to the ring with or without a compression seal. The ring is welded to the housing along thin weld flanges to reduce the amount of weld heat which must be applied. A thin section is provided to resist the flow of welding heat to the seal between the ring and the window thereby forming a thermal barrier. The thin section may be provided by a groove cut partially through the wall of the ring. A layer of PTFE between the tubular body and the crystal minimizes friction created by thermal expansion. Spring washers urge the crystal towards the window. (author)

Predicting the timing properties of phosphor-coated scintillators using Monte Carlo light transport simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roncali, Emilie; Schmall, Jeffrey P; Viswanath, Varsha; Berg, Eric; Cherry, Simon R

2014-01-01

Current developments in positron emission tomography focus on improving timing performance for scanners with time-of-flight (TOF) capability, and incorporating depth-of-interaction (DOI) information. Recent studies have shown that incorporating DOI correction in TOF detectors can improve timing resolution, and that DOI also becomes more important in long axial field-of-view scanners. We have previously reported the development of DOI-encoding detectors using phosphor-coated scintillation crystals; here we study the timing properties of those crystals to assess the feasibility of providing some level of DOI information without significantly degrading the timing performance. We used Monte Carlo simulations to provide a detailed understanding of light transport in phosphor-coated crystals which cannot be fully characterized experimentally. Our simulations used a custom reflectance model based on 3D crystal surface measurements. Lutetium oxyorthosilicate crystals were simulated with a phosphor coating in contact with the scintillator surfaces and an external diffuse reflector (teflon). Light output, energy resolution, and pulse shape showed excellent agreement with experimental data obtained on 3 × 3 × 10 mm 3  crystals coupled to a photomultiplier tube. Scintillator intrinsic timing resolution was simulated with head-on and side-on configurations, confirming the trends observed experimentally. These results indicate that the model may be used to predict timing properties in phosphor-coated crystals and guide the coating for optimal DOI resolution/timing performance trade-off for a given crystal geometry. Simulation data suggested that a time stamp generated from early photoelectrons minimizes degradation of the timing resolution, thus making this method potentially more useful for TOF-DOI detectors than our initial experiments suggested. Finally, this approach could easily be extended to the study of timing properties in other scintillation crystals, with a

Luminescence properties of undoped CsCaCl3 and CsSrCl3 crystalline scintillators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fujimoto, Yutaka; Saeki, Keiichiro; Koshimizu, Masanori; Asai, Keisuke; Yanagida, Takayuki

2015-01-01

Intrinsic luminescence properties of undoped CsCaCl 3 and CsSrCl 3 crystalline scintillators were studied. The crystal samples were grown by a vertical Bridgman method. Photoluminescence spectra of the crystals showed Auger-free luminescence (AFL) at 310 nm and self-trapped emission (STE) at 400 nm for CsCaCl 3 and 465 nm for CsSrCl 3 , when vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) light at 84 nm and 160 nm excited the crystals. X-ray excited radioluminescence spectra of the crystals showed some emission bands in the 280-600 nm wavelength range, which are owing to AFL, STE, and other origins such as lattice defects and impurities. Scintillation light yield was 400-300 ph/MeV, and the principal scintillation decay time about 2.5 ns and 12 ns for CsCaCl 3 and 1.8 ns and 13 ns for CsSrCl 3 . (author)

Study and understanding of n/γ discrimination processes in organic plastic scintillators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hamel, Matthieu; Blanc, Pauline; Rocha, Licinio; Normand, Stephane; Pansu, Robert

2013-01-01

For 50 years, it was assumed that unlike liquid scintillators or organic crystals, plastic scintillators were not able to discriminate fast neutrons from gamma. In this work, we will demonstrate that triplet-triplet annihilations (which are responsible of n/γ discrimination) can occur even in plastic scintillators, following certain conditions. Thus, the presentation will deal with the chemical preparation, the characterization and the comparison of n/γ pulse shape discrimination of various plastic scintillators. To this aim, scale-up of the process allowed us to prepare a O 100 mm x*110 mm thick. (authors)

Measuring Light Reflectance of BGO Crystal Surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Janecek, Martin; Moses, William W.

2008-10-01

A scintillating crystal's surface reflectance has to be well understood in order to accurately predict and optimize the crystal's light collection through Monte Carlo simulations. In this paper, we measure the inner surface reflectance properties for BGO. The measurements include BGO crystals with a mechanically polished surface, rough-cut surface, and chemically etched surface, and with various reflectors attached, both air-coupled and with coupling compound. The measurements are performed with a laser aimed at the center of a hemispherical shaped BGO crystal. The hemispherical shape eliminates any non-perpendicular angles for light entering and exiting the crystal. The reflected light is collected with an array of photodiodes. The laser can be set at an arbitrary angle, and the photodiode array is rotated to fully cover 2pi of solid angle. The current produced in the photodiodes is readout with a digital multimeter connected through a multiplexer. The two rows of photodiodes achieve 5-degree by 4-degree resolution, and the current measurement has a dynamic range of 105:1. The acquired data was not described by the commonly assumed linear combination of specular and diffuse (Lambertian) distributions, except for a very few surfaces. Surface roughness proved to be the most important parameter when choosing crystal setup. The reflector choice was of less importance and of almost no consequence for rough-cut surfaces. Pure specular reflection distribution for all incidence angles was measured for polished surfaces with VM2000 film, while the most Lambertian distribution for any surface finish was measured for titanium dioxide paint. The distributions acquired in this paper will be used to create more accurate Monte Carlo models for light reflection distribution within BGO crystals.

Advantages of GSO Scintillator in Imaging and Law Level Gamma-ray Spectroscopy

CERN Document Server

Sharaf, J

2002-01-01

The single GSO crystal is an excellent scintillation material featuring a high light yield and short decay time for gamma-ray detection. Its performance characteristics were investigated and directly compared to those of BGO. For this purpose, the two scintillators are cut into small crystals of approximately 4*4*10 mm sup 3 and mounted on a PMT. Energy resolution, detection efficiency and counting precision have been measured for various photon energies. In addition to this spectroscopic characterization, the imaging performance of GSO was studied using a scanning rig. The modulation transfer function was calculated and the spatial resolution evaluated by measurements of the detector's point spread function. It is shown that there exists some source intensity for which the two scintillators yield identical precision for identical count time. Below this intensity, the GSO is superior to the BGO detector. The presented properties of GSO suggest potential applications of this scintillator in gamma-ray spectrosc...

Two-dimensional photonic crystal arrays for polymer:fullerene solar cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Nam, Sungho; Han, Jiyoung; Do, Young Rag; Kim, Hwajeong; Yim, Sanggyu; Kim, Youngkyoo

2011-11-18

We report the application of two-dimensional (2D) photonic crystal (PC) array substrates for polymer:fullerene solar cells of which the active layer is made with blended films of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and [6,6]-phenyl-C61-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM). The 2D PC array substrates were fabricated by employing a nanosphere lithography technique. Two different hole depths (200 and 300 nm) were introduced for the 2D PC arrays to examine the hole depth effect on the light harvesting (trapping). The optical effect by the 2D PC arrays was investigated by the measurement of optical transmittance either in the direction normal to the substrate (direct transmittance) or in all directions (integrated transmittance). The results showed that the integrated transmittance was higher for the 2D PC array substrates than the conventional planar substrate at the wavelengths of ca. 400 nm, even though the direct transmittance of 2D PC array substrates was much lower over the entire visible light range. The short circuit current density (J(SC)) was higher for the device with the 2D PC array (200 nm hole depth) than the reference device. However, the device with the 2D PC array (300 nm hole depth) showed a slightly lower J(SC) value at a high light intensity in spite of its light harvesting effect proven at a lower light intensity.

Temperature dependence of scintillation properties of SrMoO{sub 4}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mikhailik, V.B., E-mail: vmikhai@hotmail.com [Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science Campus, Didcot OX11 0DE (United Kingdom); Elyashevskyi, Yu. [Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Keble Rd., Oxford OX1 3RH (United Kingdom); Scientific-technical and Educational Centre of Low Temperature Studies, I. Franko National University of Lviv, 50 Dragomanova Str., 79005 Lviv (Ukraine); Kraus, H. [Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Keble Rd., Oxford OX1 3RH (United Kingdom); Kim, H.J. [Department of Physics of Kyungpook National University, 1370 Sangyeok-dong, Buk-gu, Daegu 702-701 (Korea, Republic of); Kapustianyk, V.; Panasyuk, M. [Scientific-technical and Educational Centre of Low Temperature Studies, I. Franko National University of Lviv, 50 Dragomanova Str., 79005 Lviv (Ukraine)

2015-08-21

Studies of the X-ray luminescence and scintillation properties of a SrMoO{sub 4} crystal as function of temperature down to T=10 K have been carried out. The luminescence in SrMoO{sub 4} is quenched at room temperature, but below T<200 K the crystal exhibits a broad emission band with a maximum at a wavelength of 520 nm. The emission is attributed to the radiative decay of self-trapped excitons and defects acting as traps for the exactions at low temperatures. Such complex character of radiative decay is reflected in the kinetics which contains several components plus a contribution from delayed recombination at low temperatures. The temperature dependence of scintillation light output of SrMoO{sub 4} was studied. Comparing with a reference ZnWO{sub 4} crystal measured under the same experimental conditions it was found that the light output of SrMoO{sub 4} is 15±5%. It is suggested, therefore, that there is scope for optimisation of strontium molybdate for application as scintillator in cryogenic rare event searches.

Pulse-shape discrimination in NE213 liquid scintillator detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cavallaro, M.; Tropea, S.; Agodi, C.; Assié, M.; Azaiez, F.; Boiano, C.; Bondì, M.; Cappuzzello, F.; Carbone, D.; De Napoli, M.; Séréville, N. de; Foti, A.; Linares, R.; Nicolosi, D.; Scarpaci, J.A.

2013-01-01

The 16-channel fast stretcher BaFPro module, originally developed for processing signals of Barium Fluoride scintillators, has been modified to make a high performing analog pulse-shape analysis of signals from the NE213 liquid scintillators of the EDEN neutron detector array. The module produces two Gaussian signals, whose amplitudes are proportional to the height of the fast component of the output light and to the total energy deposited into the scintillator, respectively. An in-beam test has been performed at INFN-LNS (Italy) demonstrating a low detection threshold, a good pulse-shape discrimination even at low energies and a wide dynamic range for the measurement of the neutrons energy.

Crystal growth and luminescence properties of Yb-doped Gd.sub.3./sub.Al.sub.2./sub.Ga.sub.3./sub.O.sub.12./sub. infra-red scintillator

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Suzuki, A.; Kurosawa, S.; Nagata, S.; Yamamura, T.; Pejchal, Jan; Yamaji, A.; Yokota, Y.; Shirasaki, K.; Homma, Y.; Aoki, D.; Shikama, T.; Yoshikawa, A.

2014-01-01

Roč. 36, č. 9 (2014), s. 1484-1487 ISSN 0925-3467 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : infra-red scintillator * radiation therapy * Yb:GAGG * bulk crystal Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 1.981, year: 2014

Studies of the performance of different front-end systems for flat-panel multi-anode PMTs with CsI(Tl) scintillator arrays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sekiya, H.; Hattori, K.; Kubo, H.; Miuchi, K.; Nagayoshi, T.; Nishimura, H.; Okada, Y.; Orito, R.; Takada, A.; Takeda, A.; Tanimori, T.; Ueno, K.

2006-01-01

We have studied the performance of two different types of front-end systems for our gamma camera based on Hamamatsu H8500 (flat-panel 64 channels multi-anode PSPMT) with a CsI(Tl) scintillator array. The array consists of 64 pixels of 6x6x20mm 3 which corresponds to the anode pixels of H8500. One of the system is based on commercial ASIC chips in order to read out every anode. The others are based on resistive charge divider network between anodes to reduce readout channels. In both systems, each pixel (6mm) was clearly resolved by flood field irradiation of 137 Cs. We also investigated the energy resolution of these systems and showed the performance of the cascade connection of resistive network between some PMTs for large area detectors

A novel fast-neutron tomography system based on a plastic scintillator array and a compact D-D neutron generator.

Science.gov (United States)

Adams, Robert; Zboray, Robert; Prasser, Horst-Michael

2016-01-01

Very few experimental imaging studies using a compact neutron generator have been published, and to the knowledge of the authors none have included tomography results using multiple projection angles. Radiography results with a neutron generator, scintillator screen, and camera can be seen in Bogolubov et al. (2005), Cremer et al. (2012), and Li et al. (2014). Comparable results with a position-sensitive photomultiplier tube can be seen in Popov et al. (2011). One study using an array of individual fast neutron detectors in the context of cargo scanning for security purposes is detailed in Eberhardt et al. (2005). In that case, however, the emphasis was on very large objects with a resolution on the order of 1cm, whereas this study focuses on less massive objects and a finer spatial resolution. In Andersson et al. (2014) three fast neutron counters and a D-T generator were used to perform attenuation measurements of test phantoms. Based on the axisymmetry of the test phantoms, the single-projection information was used to calculate radial attenuation distributions of the object, which was compared with the known geometry. In this paper a fast-neutron tomography system based on an array of individual detectors and a purpose-designed compact D-D neutron generator is presented. Each of the 88 detectors consists of a plastic scintillator read out by two Silicon photomultipliers and a dedicated pulse-processing board. Data acquisition for all channels was handled by four single-board microcontrollers. Details of the individual detector design and testing are elaborated upon. Using the complete array, several fast-neutron images of test phantoms were reconstructed, one of which was compared with results using a Co-60 gamma source. The system was shown to be capable of 2mm resolution, with exposure times on the order of several hours per reconstructed tomogram. Details about these measurements and the analysis of the reconstructed images are given, along with a discussion

Radiation-resistant composite scintillators based on GSO and GPS grains

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boyarintsev, A.Yu. [Institute for Scintillation Materials, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 60 Nauki Avenue, 61001 Kharkiv (Ukraine); Galunov, N.Z. [Institute for Scintillation Materials, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 60 Nauki Avenue, 61001 Kharkiv (Ukraine); V.N. Karasin Kharkov National University, 4 Svobody Sq., 61022 Kharkiv (Ukraine); Gerasymov, Ia.V.; Karavaeva, N.L. [Institute for Scintillation Materials, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 60 Nauki Avenue, 61001 Kharkiv (Ukraine); Krech, A.V., E-mail: AntonKrech@gmail.com [Institute for Scintillation Materials, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 60 Nauki Avenue, 61001 Kharkiv (Ukraine); Levchuk, L.G.; Popov, V.F. [National Science Center, Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology, 1 Akademicheskaya Str., 61108 Kharkiv (Ukraine); Sidletskiy, O.Ts. [Institute for Scintillation Materials, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 60 Nauki Avenue, 61001 Kharkiv (Ukraine); Sorokin, P.V. [National Science Center, Kharkov Institute of Physics and Technology, 1 Akademicheskaya Str., 61108 Kharkiv (Ukraine); Tarasenko, O.A. [Institute for Scintillation Materials, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 60 Nauki Avenue, 61001 Kharkiv (Ukraine)

2017-01-01

The effect of irradiation on the scintillation light output, optical transmittance, and luminescent spectra of composite scintillators based on grains of single crystals Gd{sub 2}SiO{sub 5}:Ce (GSO) and Gd{sub 2}Si{sub 2}O{sub 7}:Ce (GPS) is studied. The dielectric gel Sylgard-184 is the base and the binder for the grains inside the composite scintillator. The paper presents and analyzes the results obtained for the scintillators exposed by 10 MeV electrons from the linear electron accelerator at room temperature. The exposure doses D≤250 Mrad. The dose rate is 0.2 or 1500 Mrad/h. The study has shown that the composite scintillators based on the grains of GSO and GPS are radiation-resistant over the range of the irradiation.

Role of excitons in the energy resolution of scintillators used for medical imaging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Singh, Jai [School of Engineering and IT, B-purple-12, Faculty of EHS, Charles Darwin University, Darwin NT 0909 (Australia)

2010-11-01

Theoretical investigations suggest that the nonproportionality in a scintillator is caused by the high excitation density created within the track of an X-ray or {gamma} ray photon entering in a scintillating crystal. In this paper an analytical expression for the scintillator yield is derived. For the case of BaF{sub 2} scintillator the role of excitons created within the {gamma}-ray track in the scintillator yield is studied. By comparing the results of two theories an analytical expression is also derived for an energy parameter which could otherwise only be determined by fitting the theoretical yield to the experimental data.

Role of excitons in the energy resolution of scintillators used for medical imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, Jai

2010-01-01

Theoretical investigations suggest that the nonproportionality in a scintillator is caused by the high excitation density created within the track of an X-ray or γ ray photon entering in a scintillating crystal. In this paper an analytical expression for the scintillator yield is derived. For the case of BaF 2 scintillator the role of excitons created within the γ-ray track in the scintillator yield is studied. By comparing the results of two theories an analytical expression is also derived for an energy parameter which could otherwise only be determined by fitting the theoretical yield to the experimental data.

Measurement of scintillation decay curves by a single photon counting technique

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Noguchi, Tsutomu

1978-01-01

An improved apparatus suitable for the measurement of spectroscopic scintillation decay curves has been developed by combination of a single photon counting technique and a delayed coincidence method. The time resolution of the apparatus is improved up to 1.16 nsec (FWHM), which is obtained from the resolution function of the system for very weak Cherenkov light flashes. Systematic measurement of scintillation decay curves is made for liquid and crystal scintillators including PPO-toluene, PBD-xylene, PPO-POPOP-toluene, anthracene and stilbene. (auth.)

Evaluation of Ce3+ and alkali metal ions Co-doped LiSrAlF6 crystalline scintillators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wakahara, Shingo; Yanagida, Takayuki; Fujimoto, Yutaka; Yokota, Yuui; Pejchal, Jan; Kurosawa, Shunsuke; Suzuki, Shotaro; Kawaguchi, Noriaki; Fukuda, Kentaro; Yoshikawa, Akira

2013-01-01

High scintillation efficiency of Eu-doped LiSrAlF 6 (LiSAF) and LiCaAlF 6 (LiCAF) codoped with alkali metal ions has been reported in our recent studies. Thus in this paper, we demonstrated the scintillation properties of 1% Ce-doped LiSAF crystals with 1% alkali metal ions co-doping to increase the light yield and understand the scintillation mechanism. The crystals showed intense emission band corresponding to the 5d-4f transition of Ce 3+ , and their light yields under thermal neutron excitation were higher than that of the Ce only doped crystal. Especially, the light yield of Ce–Na co-doped crystal exceeded about two times that of Ce only doped one. -- Highlights: ► Ce-doped and alkali metal co-doped LiSAF crystals were grown by μ-PD method. ► Alkali metal co-doped crystals showed higher light yield than Ce only doped crystal. ► Decay time of alkali metal co-doped LiSAF were longer than that of Ce only doped one

Temperature dependence of CsI(Tl) gamma-ray excited scintillation characteristics

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

Gamma-ray excited emission spectrum, absolute scintillation yield, rise and decay time constants, and thermoluminescence emissions of CsI(Tl) were measured at -100 to +50 C, for crystals from 4 different vendors. The thermoluminescence glow curves were the only property that varied significantly from crystal to crystal; room temperature operation in current mode could be susceptible to temperature fluctuations. The CsI(Tl) emission spectrum has emission bands peaking around 400 and 560 nm; the former band disappears between -50 and -75 C. The RT absolute scintillation yield was calculated to be 65,500±4,100 photons/MeV. The two primary decay time constants increases about exponentially with inverse temperature. An ultra-fast decay component was confirmed. Applications are discussed

GAGG:ce single crystalline films: New perspective scintillators for electron detection in SEM.

Science.gov (United States)

Bok, Jan; Lalinský, Ondřej; Hanuš, Martin; Onderišinová, Zuzana; Kelar, Jakub; Kučera, Miroslav

2016-04-01

Single crystal scintillators are frequently used for electron detection in scanning electron microscopy (SEM). We report gadolinium aluminum gallium garnet (GAGG:Ce) single crystalline films as a new perspective scintillators for the SEM. For the first time, the epitaxial garnet films were used in a practical application: the GAGG:Ce scintillator was incorporated into a SEM scintillation electron detector and it showed improved image quality. In order to prove the GAGG:Ce quality accurately, the scintillation properties were examined using electron beam excitation and compared with frequently used scintillators in the SEM. The results demonstrate excellent emission efficiency of the GAGG:Ce single crystalline films together with their very fast scintillation decay useful for demanding SEM applications. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Lanthanum halide scintillators: Properties and applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iltis, Alain; Mayhugh, M.R.; Menge, P.; Rozsa, C.M.; Selles, O.; Solovyev, V.

2006-01-01

BrilLanCe[reg]-350 and BrilLanCe[reg]-380, Saint-Gobain Crystals' trade-names for LaCl 3 :Ce and LaBr 3 :Ce are being brought to market under exclusive license to Delft and Bern Universities. We are reporting the properties of crystals produced with commercially viable processes and find they match others' observations. These scintillators are bright (60,000 photons/MeV for LaBr 3 :Ce) and have very linear response, a combination that leads to very good energy resolution ( 3 :Ce). The materials also have fast scintillation decay times ( 3 :Ce). These excellent properties are retained at high temperature with only moderate light loss ( 138 and Ac 227 , the latter having been substantially reduced in recent processing. BrilLanCe[reg]-350 is now available in detectors up to 51 mm diameter while 38 mm diameter is available for BrilLanCe[reg]-380. Larger sizes are expected

Deuterated scintillators and their application to neutron spectroscopy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Febbraro, M.; Lawrence, C.C.; Zhu, H.; Pierson, B.; Torres-Isea, R.O; Becchetti, F.D.; Kolata, J.J.; Riggins, J.

2015-01-01

Deuterated scintillators have been used as a tool for neutron spectroscopy without Neutron Time-of-Flight (n-ToF) for more than 30 years. This article will provide a brief historical overview of the technique and current uses of deuterated scintillators in the UM-DSA and DESCANT arrays. Pulse-shape discrimination and spectrum unfolding with the maximum-likelihood expectation maximization algorithm will be discussed. Experimental unfolding and cross section results from measurements of (d,n), ( 3 He,n) and (α,n) reactions are shown

Performance of the gamma-ray camera based on GSO(Ce) scintillator array and PSPMT with the ASIC readout system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ueno, Kazuki; Hattori, Kaori; Ida, Chihiro; Iwaki, Satoru; Kabuki, Shigeto; Kubo, Hidetoshi; Kurosawa, Shunsuke; Miuchi, Kentaro; Nagayoshi, Tsutomu; Nishimura, Hironobu; Orito, Reiko; Takada, Atsushi; Tanimori, Toru

2008-01-01

We have studied the performance of a readout system with ASIC chips for a gamma-ray camera based on a 64-channel multi-anode PSPMT (Hamamatsu flat-panel H8500) coupled to a GSO(Ce) scintillator array. The GSO array consists of 8x8 pixels of 6x6x13 mm 3 with the same pixel pitch as the anode of the H8500. This camera is intended to serve as an absorber of an electron tracking Compton gamma-ray camera that measures gamma rays up to ∼1 MeV. Because we need a readout system with low power consumption for a balloon-borne experiment, we adopted a 32-channel ASIC chip, IDEAS VA32 H DR11, which has one of the widest dynamic range among commercial chips. However, in the case of using a GSO(Ce) crystal and the H8500, the dynamic range of VA32 H DR11 is narrow, and therefore the H8500 has to be operated with a low gain of about 10 5 . If the H8500 is operated with a low gain, the camera has a narrow incident-energy dynamic range from 100 to 700 keV, and a bad energy resolution of 13.0% (FWHM) at 662 keV. We have therefore developed an attenuator board in order to operate the H8500 with the typical gain of 10 6 , which can measure up to ∼1 MeV gamma ray. The board makes the variation of the anode gain uniform and widens the dynamic range of the H8500. The system using the new attenuator board has a good uniformity of min:max∼1:1.6, an incident-energy dynamic range from 30 to 900 keV, a position resolution of less than 6 mm, and a typical energy resolution of 10.6% (FWHM) at 662 keV with a low power consumption of about 1.7 W/64ch

Large area avalanche photodiodes in scintillation and X-rays detection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moszynski, M.; Szawlowski, M.; Kapusta, M.; Balcerzyk, M.

2002-01-01

The presented paper summarizes our earlier studies on application of beveled-edge Large Area Avalanche Photodiodes (LAAPDs) in γ-rays scintillation detection. LAAPDs, due to their high quantum efficiency and low excess noise factor allow for better statistical accuracy of the signal as compared to photomultipliers. The device dark noise contribution significantly affects energy resolution only for γ-rays with energy below 50 keV. Notably better or comparable energy resolutions to those observed with a XP2020Q photomultiplier were obtained with the LAAPDs for a number of different scintillators. Particularly, the recorded energy resolutions of 4.3±0.2% and 4.8±0.14% measured with YAP and CsI(Tl) crystals, respectively, for the 662 keV γ-peak from a 137 Cs source belong to the best observed ever with these scintillation detectors. Results of the study of timing with fast scintillators coupled to the LAAPD showed subnanosecond time resolution of 570±30 ps for 60 Co γ-rays detected in LSO crystal. The response of LAAPD to X-rays and factors limiting energy resolution have been discussed too

Development of radiation detection and measurement system - Development of scintillation radiation sensor

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kang, Hee Dong; Kim, Wan [Kyungpook National University, Taegu (Korea); Kim, Do Sung [Taegu University, Taegu (Korea)

2000-03-01

We have been fabricated CsI(Tl) scintillation crystals and plastic scintillators for radiation-based measuring equipment. CsI (Tl) single crystals doped with thallium as an activator were grown using the Czochralski method. The crystal structure of grown CsI(Tl) was bcc, and it was confirmed that its lattice constant was 4,568 A. The spectral range of luminescence of CsI(Tl) was 350 {approx} 700 nm independent of thallium concentration, and the fast component of the luminescence was decreased with increasing thallium concentration. The energy resolution of CsI(Tl) scintillator doped with 0.1 mole% thallium was about 9% for 137 Cs {gamma}-rays. The relation formula of {gamma}-ray energy versus energy resolution was ln(FWHM%)=-0.705ln({epsilon})+6.75. The radiation damage of CsI(Tl) increased in proportion to thallium concentration and radiation damage of CsI(Tl) increased in proportion to thallium concentration and radiation dosage, and the irradiated crystals were colored reddish. The radiation induced absorption bands appeared around 355, 425, 520 and 555 nm, and their energy level were about 3.50, 2.88, 2.39 and 2.21 eV. Plastic scintillators were fabricated thermal polymerization method. Those were polymerizing at 120 deg. C, during 72 hours, and annealing at 75 deg. C, during 24 hours. When the concentration of 1st solute was 1.5 wt% and concentration of 2nd solute was 0.01 wt%, the characteristics of scintillation were very excellent. Also 3.0 wt% tetraphenyl lead were loaded to improve the detection efficiency of {gamma}-ray. The range of emission spectrum was 400 {approx} 450nm, and the central peak was 415 nm. The radiation damage was not appear under 1*10{sup 3}Gy, but the color of plastic scintillator was changed to brown, over 1*10{sup 4}Gy exposured. 84 refs., 39 figs. (Author)

Investigation of high resolution compact gamma camera module based on a continuous scintillation crystal using a novel charge division readout method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dai Qiusheng; Zhao Cuilan; Qi Yujin; Zhang Hualin

2010-01-01

The objective of this study is to investigate a high performance and lower cost compact gamma camera module for a multi-head small animal SPECT system. A compact camera module was developed using a thin Lutetium Oxyorthosilicate (LSO) scintillation crystal slice coupled to a Hamamatsu H8500 position sensitive photomultiplier tube (PSPMT). A two-stage charge division readout board based on a novel subtractive resistive readout with a truncated center-of-gravity (TCOG) positioning method was developed for the camera. The performance of the camera was evaluated using a flood 99m Tc source with a four-quadrant bar-mask phantom. The preliminary experimental results show that the image shrinkage problem associated with the conventional resistive readout can be effectively overcome by the novel subtractive resistive readout with an appropriate fraction subtraction factor. The response output area (ROA) of the camera shown in the flood image was improved up to 34%, and an intrinsic spatial resolution better than 2 mm of detector was achieved. In conclusion, the utilization of a continuous scintillation crystal and a flat-panel PSPMT equipped with a novel subtractive resistive readout is a feasible approach for developing a high performance and lower cost compact gamma camera. (authors)

Luminescence and light yield of (Gd2Y)(Ga3Al2)O12:Pr3+ single crystal scintillators

Science.gov (United States)

Lertloypanyachai, Prapon; Pathumrangsan, Nichakorn; Sreebunpeng, Krittiya; Pattanaboonmee, Nakarin; Chewpraditkul, Weerapong; Yoshikawa, Akira; Kamada, Kei; Nikl, Martin

2017-06-01

Praseodymium-doped (Gd2Y)(Ga3Al2)O12 (GYGAG: Pr) single crystals are grown by the micro-pulling down method with different Pr concentrations. The energy transfer process between Pr3+ and Gd3+ is investigated by photoluminescence excitation (PLE) and emission (PL) spectra measurements. Photoelectron yield measurements are carried out using photomultiplier. At 662 keV γ-rays, photoelectron yield of 2520 phe/MeV obtained for the GYGAG: Pr (0.01%) sample is larger than that of 1810 phe/MeV obtained for BGO crystal. Light yield degradation for the GYGAG: Pr scintillators is presumably due to the energy transfer from 5d state of Pr3+ to 4f state of Gd3+ together with the concentration quenching in the Gd3+-sublattice.

Properties of lead tungstate crystals for high-energy physics

CERN Document Server

Ippolitov, M S; Burachas, S; Ikonnikov, V; Kuriakin, A; Lebedev, V; Makov, I; Man'ko, V; Nikulin, S P; Nyanin, A; Saveliev, Yu; Tamulaitis, G; Tsvetkov, A A; Vasilev, A; Vinogradov, Yu I

2004-01-01

Technology for the mass production of high-quality PbWO//4 (PWO) scintillating crystals is described. Scintillators produced from PWO crystals are intented for the ALICE CERN heavy ion experiment. Light yield, emission and decay time spectra as well as optical transmission of about 3600 crystals (dimensions 22 multiplied by 22 multiplied by 180 mm**3) were measured. Beam-test results of the ALICE PHOS prototype obtained with such PWO crystals are presented.

A gas proportional scintillation counter for use in large area detector systems without photomultipliers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baruch, J.E.F.; Brooke, G.; Kellermann, E.W.; Bateman, J.E.; Connolly, J.F.

1978-03-01

The properties of a prototype gas proportional scintillation detector, for use in large numbers, are examined. The detector is designed to focus a light signal, which is proportional to ionisation loss, into a fibre optic lightguide. It is shown that a single charged particle traversing the detector produces enough light out of the lightguide to be seen by a TV camera. Problems of lifetime and large scale detector production are discussed. Properties of saturation, linearity, position sensitivity, and operating limits are examined. It is shown that an array of gas proportional scintillation detectors when used with fibre optic lightguides and TV camera readout could offer significant improvements in cost per area and reliability over a scintillator plus photomultiplier or a wire proportional chamber array. (author)

Recent developments in plastic scintillators with pulse shape discrimination

Science.gov (United States)

Zaitseva, N. P.; Glenn, A. M.; Mabe, A. N.; Carman, M. L.; Hurlbut, C. R.; Inman, J. W.; Payne, S. A.

2018-05-01

The paper reports results of studies conducted to improve scintillation performance of plastic scintillators capable of neutron/gamma pulse-shape discrimination (PSD). Compositional modifications made with the polymer matrix improved physical stability, allowing for increased loads of the primary dye that, in combination with selected secondary dyes, provided enhanced PSD especially important for the lower energy ranges. Additional measurements were made with a newly-introduced PSD plastic EJ-276, that replaces the first commercially produced EJ-299. Comparative studies conducted with the new materials and EJ-309 liquids at large scale (up to 10 cm) show that current plastics may provide scintillation and PSD performance sufficient for the replacement of liquid scintillators. Comparison to stilbene single crystals compliments the information about the status of the solid-state materials recently developed for fast neutron detection applications.

Luminescence rise time in self-activated PbWO{sub 4} and Ce-doped Gd{sub 3}Al{sub 2}Ga{sub 3}O{sub 12} scintillation crystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Auffray, E. [CERN, Geneva (Switzerland); Augulis, R. [Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, Savanorių av. 231, Vilnius (Lithuania); Borisevich, A. [Research Institute for Nuclear Problems, Bobruiskaya str. 11, Minsk (Belarus); Gulbinas, V. [Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, Savanorių av. 231, Vilnius (Lithuania); Fedorov, A.; Korjik, M. [Research Institute for Nuclear Problems, Bobruiskaya str. 11, Minsk (Belarus); Lucchini, M.T. [CERN, Geneva (Switzerland); Mechinsky, V. [Research Institute for Nuclear Problems, Bobruiskaya str. 11, Minsk (Belarus); Nargelas, S. [Vilnius University, Universiteto str. 3, Vilnius (Lithuania); Songaila, E. [Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, Savanorių av. 231, Vilnius (Lithuania); Tamulaitis, G. [Vilnius University, Universiteto str. 3, Vilnius (Lithuania); Vaitkevičius, A., E-mail: augustas.vaitkevicius@ff.vu.lt [Vilnius University, Universiteto str. 3, Vilnius (Lithuania); Zazubovich, S. [Institute of Physics, University of Tartu, W. Ostwaldi Str. 1, Tartu (Estonia)

2016-10-15

The time resolution of scintillation detectors of ionizing radiation is one of the key parameters sought for in the current and future high-energy physics experiments. This study is encouraged by the necessity to find novel detection methods enabling a sub-10-ps time resolution in scintillation detectors and is focused on the exploitation of fast luminescence rise front. Time-resolved photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy and thermally stimulated luminescence techniques have been used to study two promising scintillators: self-activated lead tungstate (PWO, PbWO{sub 4}) and Ce-doped gadolinium aluminum gallium garnet (GAGG, Gd{sub 3}Al{sub 2}Ga{sub 3}O{sub 12}). A sub-picosecond PL rise time is observed in PWO, while longer processes in the PL response in GAGG:Ce are detected and studied. The mechanisms responsible for the PL rise time in self-activated and doped scintillators are under discussion. - Highlights: • Photoluminescence rise time is studied in two scintillators: PWO and GAGG:Ce. • Sub-picosecond photoluminescence rise time in PWO is observed for the first time. • A multicomponent luminescence rise edge is observed in GAGG:Ce. • The mechanisms behind luminescence kinetics in the crystals are under discussion.

Effects of reflector and crystal surface on the performance of a depth-encoding PET detector with dual-ended readout

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ren, Silin; Yang, Yongfeng; Cherry, Simon R.

2014-01-01

Purpose: Depth encoding detectors are required to improve the spatial resolution and spatial resolution uniformity of small animal positron emission tomography (PET) scanners, as well as dedicated breast and brain scanners. Depth of interaction (DOI) can be measured by using dual-ended readout of lutetium oxyorthosilicate (LSO) scintillator arrays with position-sensitive avalanche photodiodes. Inter-crystal reflectors and crystal surface treatments play important roles in determining the performance of dual-ended detectors. In this paper, the authors evaluated five LSO arrays made with three different intercrystal reflectors and with either polished or unpolished crystal surfaces. Methods: The crystal size in all arrays was 1.5 mm, which is typical of the detector size used in small animal and dedicated breast scanners. The LSO arrays were measured with dual-ended readout and were compared in terms of flood histogram, energy resolution, and DOI resolution performance. Results: The four arrays using enhanced specular reflector (ESR) and Toray reflector provided similar quality flood histograms and the array using Crystal Wrap reflector gave the worst flood histogram. The two arrays using ESR reflector provided the best energy resolution and the array using Crystal Wrap reflector yielded the worst energy resolution. All arrays except the polished ESR array provided good DOI resolution ranging from 1.9 mm to 2.9 mm. DOI resolution improved as the gradient in light collection efficiency with depth (GLCED) increased. The geometric mean energies were also calculated for these dual-ended readout detectors as an alternative to the conventional summed total energy. It was shown that the geometric mean energy is advantageous in that it provides more uniform photopeak amplitude at different depths for arrays with high GLCED, and is beneficial in event selection by allowing a fixed energy window independent of depth. A new method of DOI calculation that improved the linearity

LUCIFER: a scintillating bolometer array for the search of neutrinoless double beta decay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cardani, Laura

2011-01-01

In spite of the high precision achieved in the field of neutrino oscillations, there are some fundamental questions that can not be addressed by a study of ths phenomenon. We do not know in fact the absolute mass of neutrino and weather it is a Dirac or a Majorana particle. The LUCIFER experiment, financed by the ERC-AdG, will play an important role in this field. This project aims to push beyond the actual technological limits the possibility of observation of the Neutrinoless Double Beta Decay (0νDBD). The detection of this extremely rare decay would indeed demonstrate that neutrino is a Majorana particle and, at the same time, would allow to set its absolute mass scale. LUCIFER will study the 0νDBD do 82 Se through ZnSe scintillating bolometers. Thanks to the simultaneous red-out of the heat and light produced by an interaction in the crystal, the background rate in the region of interest will be lower than 10 -3 counts/kg/keV/years. In the following, the expected performance of LUCIFER are discussed.

Evaluation of New Inorganic Scintillators for Application in a Prototype Small Animal PET Scanner

CERN Document Server

Kuntner, C

2003-01-01

In the study of new pharmaceuticals as well as brain and genetic research, Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a useful method. It has also recently entered the clinical domain in cardiology and particularly in oncology. Small animals such as mice, are often used to validate sophisticated models of human disease. High spatial resolution PET instrumentation is therefore necessary due to the reduced dimensions of the organs. Inorganic scintillators are employed in most of the diagnostic imaging devices. The ultimate performance of the PET scanner is tightly bound to the scintillation properties of the crystals. In the last years there has been an effort to develop new scintillating materials characterized by high light output, high detection efficiency and fast decay time. The most studied systems are mainly Ce3+-doped crystals such as LSO:Ce, YAP:Ce, LuAP:Ce, and recently also mixed Lux(RE3+)1-xAlO3:Ce crystals. These crystals are very attractive for medical application because of their high density (with th...

Effects of Na and K co-doping on growth and scintillation properties of Eu:SrI_2 crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ito, Tomoki; Yokota, Yuui; Kurosawa, Shunsuke; Kral, Robert; Pejchal, Jan; Ohashi, Yuji; Kamada, Kei; Nikl, Martin; Yoshikawa, Akira

2016-01-01

We grew Na and K co-doped Eu:SrI_2 [Na,Eu:SrI_2 and K,Eu:SrI_2] crystals by a modified micro-pulling-down method to reveal the co-doping effects on the crystal growth and scintillation properties. The non-codoped, Na0.5%, Na1.0%, K0.5% and K1.0%,Eu:SrI_2 crystals indicated high transparency while the milky parts were generated in the Na5.0% and K5.0%,Eu:SrI_2 crystals. The light yields of Na,Eu:SrI_2 and K,Eu:SrI_2 crystals under γ-ray irradiation were decreased by the Na and K co-doping. On the other hand, there was a small change within 940–1020 ns in the decay times by the Na and K co-doping. In the light yield proportionality under γ-ray irradiation, the non-proportionality in the low energy region was improved by Na and K co-doping. - Highlights: • Na or K co-doped Eu:SrI_2crystals were grown by the modified μ-PD method. • The milky parts were generated in the Na5.0% and K5.0%,Eu:SrI_2crystals. • The light yield of Eu:SrI_2was decreased by the Na or K co-doping. • The decay times of Eu:SrI_2were almost constant by the Na or K co-doping. • The non-proportionalitywas improved in the low energy region by the K co-doping.

Development of High-Resolution Scintillator Systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larry A. Franks; Warnick J. Kernan

2007-01-01

Mercuric iodide (HgI2) is a well known material for the direct detection of gamma-rays; however, the largest volume achievable is limited by the thickness of the detector which needs to be a small fraction of the average trapping length for electrons. We report results of using HgI2 crystals to fabricate photocells used in the readout of scintillators. The optical spectral response and efficiency of these photocells were measured and will be reported. Nuclear response from an HgI2 photocell that was optically matched to a cerium-activated scintillator is presented and discussed. Further improvements can be expected by optimizing the transparent contact technology

Study of the optical monitoring system of the scintillating crystal involved in the electromagnetic calorimeter of CMS experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Geleoc, M.

1998-01-01

The prospect of the experimental discovery of the Higgs boson is one of the motivations to build the large hadron collider (LHC). Proton beams will collide and the emitted particles will be detected by ATLAS and CMS equipment. In each detector the electromagnetic calorimeter will allow the characterisation of the 2 photons coming from one of the disintegration channels of the Higgs boson. CMS collaboration has chosen an homogeneous calorimeter fitted with PbWO 4 crystals. Each crystal with its photodetector and its electronic device forms one detection channel. The resolution of the detection channels should not deteriorate all along the operating time. The optical monitoring system of the crystals logs then controls the response of each detection channel in order to allow an accurate calibration of the calorimeter. The optical properties, the resistance to irradiation of PbWO 4 crystals and the modelling of light collection are investigated in this work. The description of the different components of the optical monitoring system highlights the technical difficulties we had to challenge. An experimental testing bench has been set up to study the coupling between the scintillation signal and the signal that feeds the monitoring system, this coupling has been studied under irradiation in the conditions of CMS operating. (A.C.)

Radiation damage in BaF2 crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Woody, C.L.; Kierstead, J.A.; Levy, P.W.; Stoll, S.

1991-01-01

The effects of radiation damage and recovery have been studied in BaF 2 crystals exposed to 60 Co radiation. The change in optical transmission and scintillation light output have been measured as a function of dose up to 4.7 x 10 6 rad. Although some crystals exhibit a small change in transmission, a greater change in scintillation light output is observed. Several 25 cm long crystals whichhave been irradiated show large changes in both transmission and light output. Recovery from radiation damage has been studied as a function of time and exposure to UV light. A long lived radiation induced phosphorescence has been observed in all irradiated samples which is distinct from the standard fast and slow scintillation emissions. The emission spectrum of the phosphorescence has been measured and shown a peakat ∼330 nm, near the region of the slow scintillation component. Results are given on the dependence of the decay time of the phosphorescence with dose

A BaF2 crystal array for high energy-ray measurements

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

Abstract. We shall discuss about the scientific motivation and construction of a 7 × 7 BaF2 crystal array at Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre, Calcutta. This detector would be used to measure high energy -ray photons from GDR decay and proton–neutron bremsstrahlung reactions at the present 88'' cyclotron and upcoming ...

Role of activators and vacancies in the gamma-scintillation decay in CsI-Na

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Panova, A.N.; Grinev, B.V.; Sojfer, L.M.; Shakhova, K.V.; Kosinov, N.N.; Mitichkin, A.I.; Korsunova, S.P.; Lavrent'ev, F.F.

2004-01-01

We studied the influence of activator concentration (CNaI) and plastic deformation on the change in the contribution of the slow component to the decay of gamma-scintillation in CsI-Na crystals. The influence of CNaI on the change in the form of the luminescence excitation spectrum in the region of the absorption of activator centers (AC) and centers of vacancy nature (VNC) is investigated. The effect of CNaI on the change in the intercenter decay time of the mentioned centers is studied too. It is shown that AC and VNC participate in the photoluminescence and gamma-scintillations of CsI-Na crystals. In gamma-scintillations AC are responsible for the component τ i 370 ns, whereas the components τ 1 ' = 460 ns and τ 2 ∼ 2 μs are bound up with VNC. The decrease of τ γ from 770 to 560 ns with the growth of C from 2·10 -3 to 3·10 -2 mol. % NaI, and after plastic deformation of the crystals (ε = 5 %) along the axis from 570 to 470 ns is caused by the decrease in the number of VNC. Mechanisms of gamma-scintillations of CsI-Na crystals AC and VNC, as well as the decrease in the number of VNC are discussed. (authors)

Performance of a PET detector module utilizing an array of silicon photodiodes to identify the crystal of interaction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moses, W.W.; Derenzo, S.E.; Nutt, R.; Digby, W.M.; Williams, C.W.; Andreaco, M.

1993-01-01

The authors initial performance results for a new multi-layer PET detector module consisting of an array of 3 mm square by 30 mm deep BGO crystals coupled on one end to a single photomultiplier tube and on the opposite end to an array of 3 mm square silicon photodiodes. The photomultiplier tube provides an accurate timing pulse and energy discrimination for all the crystals in the module, while the silicon photodiodes identify the crystal of interaction. When a single BGO crystal at +25 C is excited with 511 keV photons, the authors measure a photodiode signal centered at 700 electrons (e - ) with noise of 375 e - fwhm. When a four crystal/photodiode module is excited with a collimated line source of 511 keV photons, the crystal of interaction is correctly identified 82% of the time. The misidentification rate can be greatly reduced and an 8 x 8 crystal/photodiode module constructed by using thicker depletion layer photodiodes or cooling to 0 C

BGO as a hybrid scintillator / Cherenkov radiator for cost-effective time-of-flight PET

Science.gov (United States)

Brunner, S. E.; Schaart, D. R.

2017-06-01

Due to detector developments in the last decade, the time-of-flight (TOF) method is now commonly used to improve the quality of positron emission tomography (PET) images. Clinical TOF-PET systems based on L(Y)SO:Ce crystals and silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) with coincidence resolving times (CRT) between 325 ps and 400 ps FWHM have recently been developed. Before the introduction of L(Y)SO:Ce, BGO was used in many PET systems. In addition to a lower price, BGO offers a superior attenuation coefficient and a higher photoelectric fraction than L(Y)SO:Ce. However, BGO is generally considered an inferior TOF-PET scintillator. In recent years, TOF-PET detectors based on the Cherenkov effect have been proposed. However, the low Cherenkov photon yield in the order of  ˜10 photons per event complicates energy discrimination-a severe disadvantage in clinical PET. The optical characteristics of BGO, in particular its high transparency down to 310 nm and its high refractive index of  ˜2.15, are expected to make it a good Cherenkov radiator. Here, we study the feasibility of combining event timing based on Cherenkov emission with energy discrimination based on scintillation in BGO, as a potential approach towards a cost-effective TOF-PET detector. Rise time measurements were performed using a time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) setup implemented on a digital photon counter (DPC) array, revealing a prompt luminescent component likely to be due to Cherenkov emission. Coincidence timing measurements were performed using BGO crystals with a cross-section of 3 mm  ×  3 mm and five different lengths between 3 mm and 20 mm, coupled to DPC arrays. Non-Gaussian coincidence spectra with a FWHM of 200 ps were obtained with the 27 mm3 BGO cubes, while FWHM values as good as 330 ps were achieved with the 20 mm long crystals. The FWHM value was found to improve with decreasing temperature, while the FWTM value showed the opposite trend.

BGO as a hybrid scintillator / Cherenkov radiator for cost-effective time-of-flight PET.

Science.gov (United States)

Brunner, S E; Schaart, D R

2017-06-07

Due to detector developments in the last decade, the time-of-flight (TOF) method is now commonly used to improve the quality of positron emission tomography (PET) images. Clinical TOF-PET systems based on L(Y)SO:Ce crystals and silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) with coincidence resolving times (CRT) between 325 ps and 400 ps FWHM have recently been developed. Before the introduction of L(Y)SO:Ce, BGO was used in many PET systems. In addition to a lower price, BGO offers a superior attenuation coefficient and a higher photoelectric fraction than L(Y)SO:Ce. However, BGO is generally considered an inferior TOF-PET scintillator. In recent years, TOF-PET detectors based on the Cherenkov effect have been proposed. However, the low Cherenkov photon yield in the order of  ∼10 photons per event complicates energy discrimination-a severe disadvantage in clinical PET. The optical characteristics of BGO, in particular its high transparency down to 310 nm and its high refractive index of  ∼2.15, are expected to make it a good Cherenkov radiator. Here, we study the feasibility of combining event timing based on Cherenkov emission with energy discrimination based on scintillation in BGO, as a potential approach towards a cost-effective TOF-PET detector. Rise time measurements were performed using a time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) setup implemented on a digital photon counter (DPC) array, revealing a prompt luminescent component likely to be due to Cherenkov emission. Coincidence timing measurements were performed using BGO crystals with a cross-section of 3 mm  ×  3 mm and five different lengths between 3 mm and 20 mm, coupled to DPC arrays. Non-Gaussian coincidence spectra with a FWHM of 200 ps were obtained with the 27 mm 3 BGO cubes, while FWHM values as good as 330 ps were achieved with the 20 mm long crystals. The FWHM value was found to improve with decreasing temperature, while the FWTM value showed the opposite

Improved event positioning in a gamma ray detector using an iterative position-weighted centre-of-gravity algorithm.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Chen-Yi; Goertzen, Andrew L

2013-07-21

An iterative position-weighted centre-of-gravity algorithm was developed and tested for positioning events in a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM)-based scintillation detector for positron emission tomography. The algorithm used a Gaussian-based weighting function centred at the current estimate of the event location. The algorithm was applied to the signals from a 4 × 4 array of SiPM detectors that used individual channel readout and a LYSO:Ce scintillator array. Three scintillator array configurations were tested: single layer with 3.17 mm crystal pitch, matched to the SiPM size; single layer with 1.5 mm crystal pitch; and dual layer with 1.67 mm crystal pitch and a ½ crystal offset in the X and Y directions between the two layers. The flood histograms generated by this algorithm were shown to be superior to those generated by the standard centre of gravity. The width of the Gaussian weighting function of the algorithm was optimized for different scintillator array setups. The optimal width of the Gaussian curve was found to depend on the amount of light spread. The algorithm required less than 20 iterations to calculate the position of an event. The rapid convergence of this algorithm will readily allow for implementation on a front-end detector processing field programmable gate array for use in improved real-time event positioning and identification.

Scintillating glasses for total absorption dual readout calorimetry

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bonvicini, V. [INFN, Trieste; Driutti, A. [Udine U.; Cauz, D. [Udine U.; Pauletta, G. [Udine U.; Rubinov, P. [Fermilab; Santi, L. [Udine U.; Wenzel, H. [Fermilab

2012-01-01

Scintillating glasses are a potentially cheaper alternative to crystal - based calorimetry with common problems related to light collection, detection and processing. As such, their use and development are part of more extensive R&D aimed at investigating the potential of total absorption, combined with the readout (DR) technique, for hadron calorimetry. A recent series of measurements, using cosmic and particle beams from the Fermilab test beam facility and scintillating glass with the characteristics required for application of the DR technique, serve to illustrate the problems addressed and the progress achieved by this R&D. Alternative solutions for light collection (conventional and silicon photomultipliers) and signal processing are compared, the separate contributions of scintillation and Cherenkov processes to the signal are evaluated and results are compared to simulation.

Quenching of scintillation in BaF2 for light charged particles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matulewicz, T.

1992-01-01

Detectors made of a barium fluoride (BaF 2 ) crystal have recently become popular in the spectroscopy of photons and light charged particles at intermediate energies. The quenching of the scintillation light of BaF 2 crystals is described in the framework of Birks law for light charged particles in the energy range of 20-100 A MeV. Based on the recently published data, the analysis yields a value of Birks constant equal to 1.8±0.3 mg MeV -1 cm -2 and a scintillation efficiency equal to 0.79±0.05 MeV ee MeV -1 . (R.P.) 10 refs.; 2 figs

Growth of large detector crystals. CRADA final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boatner, L.A.; Samuelson, S.

1997-01-01

In the course of a collaborative research effort between L.A. Boatner of Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Prof. Alex Lempicki of the Department of Chemistry of Boston University, a new highly efficient and very fast scintillator for the detection of gamma-rays was discovered. This new scintillator consists of a single crystal of lutetium orthophosphate (LuPO 4 ) to which a small percentage of trivalent cerium is added as an activator ion. The new lutetium orthophosphate-cerium scintillator was found to be superior in performance to bismuth germanium oxide--a material that is currently widely used as a gamma-ray detector in a variety of medical, scientific, and technical applications. Single crystals of LuPO 4 and related rare-earth orthophosphates had been grown for a number of years in the ORNL Solid State Division prior to the discovery of the efficient gamma-ray-scintillation response of LuPO 4 :Ce. The high-temperature-solvent (flux-growth) method used for the growth of these crystals was capable of producing crystals in sizes that were adequate for research purposes but that were inadequate for commercial-scale production and widespread application. The CRADA between ORNL and Deltronic Crystal Industries of Dover, NJ was undertaken for the purpose of investigating alternate approaches, such as top-seeded-solution growth, to the growth of LuPO 4 :Ce scintillator crystals in sizes significantly larger than those obtainable through the application of standard flux-growth methods and, therefore, suitable for commercial sales and applications

Comparative study of optical and scintillation properties of YVO{sub 4}, (Lu{sub 0.5}Y{sub 0.5})VO{sub 4}, and LuVO{sub 4} single crystals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fujimoto, Yutaka, E-mail: fuji-you@tagen.tohoku.ac.j [IMRAM, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8577 (Japan); Yanagida, Takayuki; Yokota, Yuui; Chani, Valery [IMRAM, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8577 (Japan); Kochurikhin, Vladimir V. [General Physics Institute, 38 Vavilov Street, 119991, Federation, Moscow (Russian Federation); Yoshikawa, Akira [IMRAM, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8577 (Japan); NICHe, Tohoku University, 6-6-10 Aoba, Aramaki, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8579 (Japan)

2011-04-11

Optical and scintillation properties of YVO{sub 4}, (Lu{sub 0.5}Y{sub 0.5})VO{sub 4}, and LuVO{sub 4} single crystals grown by the Czochralski (CZ) method with RF heating system are compared. All vanadate crystals show high transmittance ({approx}80%) in the 400-900 nm wavelength range. In both photo- and radio-luminescence spectra, intense peak around 400-500 nm, which was ascribed to the transition from triplet state of VO{sub 4}{sup 3-}, was clearly observed. The main decay time component was about 38 {mu}s (YVO{sub 4}), 18 {mu}s ((Lu{sub 0.5}Y{sub 0.5})VO{sub 4}), and 17 {mu}s (LuVO{sub 4}) under 340 nm excitation. The scintillation light yields of YVO{sub 4}, (Lu{sub 0.5}Y{sub 0.5})VO{sub 4}, and LuVO{sub 4} crystals (obtained from the {sup 137}Cs excited pulse height spectra) were evaluated to be about 11,200, 10,700, and 10,300 ph/MeV, respectively.

Diamond turning of small Fresnel lens array in single crystal InSb

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jasinevicius, R G; Duduch, J G; Cirino, G A; Pizani, P S

2013-01-01

A small Fresnel lens array was diamond turned in a single crystal (0 0 1) InSb wafer using a half-radius negative rake angle (−25°) single-point diamond tool. The machined array consisted of three concave Fresnel lenses cut under different machining sequences. The Fresnel lens profiles were designed to operate in the paraxial domain having a quadratic phase distribution. The sample was examined by scanning electron microscopy and an optical profilometer. Optical profilometry was also used to measure the surface roughness of the machined surface. Ductile ribbon-like chips were observed on the cutting tool rake face. No signs of cutting edge wear was observed on the diamond tool. The machined surface presented an amorphous phase probed by micro Raman spectroscopy. A successful heat treatment of annealing was carried out to recover the crystalline phase on the machined surface. The results indicated that it is possible to perform a ‘mechanical lithography’ process in single crystal semiconductors. (paper)

Alpha-gamma pulse shape discrimination in CsI:Tl, CsI:Na and BaF sub 2 scintillators

CERN Document Server

Dinca, L E; Haas, J; Bom, V R; Eijk, C W E

2002-01-01

Some scintillating materials offer the possibility of measuring well separated alpha and gamma scintillation response using a single crystal. Eventually aiming at thermal neutron detection using sup 6 Li or sup 1 sup 0 B admixture, pulse shape discrimination measurements were made on three scintillators: CsI:Tl, CsI:Na and pure BaF sub 2 crystals. A very good alpha/gamma discrimination was obtained using sup 2 sup 2 Na, sup 2 sup 4 sup 1 Am (gamma) and sup 2 sup 4 sup 4 Cm (alpha) radioactive sources.

Distributed hydrophone array based on liquid crystal cell

Science.gov (United States)

Brodzeli, Zourab; Ladouceur, Francois; Silvestri, Leonardo; Michie, Andrew; Chigrinov, Vladimir; Guo, Grace Qi; Pozhidaev, Eugene P.; Kiselev, Alexei D.

2012-02-01

We describe a fibre optic hydrophone array system that could be used for underwater acoustic surveillance applications e.g. military, counter terrorist and customs authorities in protecting ports and harbors, offshore production facilities or coastal approaches as well as various marine applications. In this paper we propose a new approach to underwater sonar systems using voltage-controlled Liquid Crystals (LC) and simple multiplexing method. The proposed method permits measurements of sound under water at multiple points along an optical fibre using low cost components (LC cells), standard single mode fibre, without complex interferometric measurement techniques, electronics or demodulation software.

Scintillation efficiency and X-ray imaging with the RE-Doped LuAG thin films grown by liquid phase epitaxy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tous, Jan; Blazek, Karel; Kucera, Miroslav; Nikl, Martin; Mares, Jiri A.

2012-01-01

Very thin scintillator imaging plates have recently become of great interest. In high resolution X-ray radiography, very thin scintillator layers of about 5–20 μm are used to achieve 2D-spatial resolutions below 1 μm. Thin screens can be prepared by mechanical polishing from single crystals or by epitaxial growth on single-crystal substrates using the Liquid Phase Epitaxy technique (LPE). Other types of screens (e.g. deposited powder) do no reach required spatial resolutions. This work compares LPE-grown YAG and LuAG scintillator films doped with different rare earth ions (Cerium, Terbium and Europium). Two different fluxes were used in the LPE growth procedure. These LPE films are compared to YAG:Ce and LuAG:Ce screens made from bulk single crystals. Relative light yield was detected by a highly sensitive CCD camera. Scintillator screens were excited by a micro-focus X-ray source and the generated light was gathered by the CCD camera’s optical system. Scintillator 2D-homogeneity is examined in an X-ray imaging setup also using the CCD camera.

Equivalent thermal history reconstruction from a partially crystallized glass-ceramic sensor array

Science.gov (United States)

Heeg, Bauke

2015-11-01

The basic concept of a thermal history sensor is that it records the accumulated exposure to some unknown, typically varying temperature profile for a certain amount of time. Such a sensor is considered to be capable of measuring the duration of several (N) temperature intervals. For this purpose, the sensor deploys multiple (M) sensing elements, each with different temperature sensitivity. At the end of some thermal exposure for a known period of time, the sensor array is read-out and an estimate is made of the set of N durations of the different temperature ranges. A potential implementation of such a sensor was pioneered by Fair et al. [Sens. Actuators, A 141, 245 (2008)], based on glass-ceramic materials with different temperature-dependent crystallization dynamics. In their work, it was demonstrated that an array of sensor elements can be made sensitive to slight differences in temperature history. Further, a forward crystallization model was used to simulate the variations in sensor array response to differences in the temperature history. The current paper focusses on the inverse aspect of temperature history reconstruction from a hypothetical sensor array output. The goal of such a reconstruction is to find an equivalent thermal history that is the closest representation of the true thermal history, i.e., the durations of a set of temperature intervals that result in a set of fractional crystallization values which is closest to the one resulting from the true thermal history. One particular useful simplification in both the sensor model as well as in its practical implementation is the omission of nucleation effects. In that case, least squares models can be used to approximate the sensor response and make reconstruction estimates. Even with this simplification, sensor noise can have a destabilizing effect on possible reconstruction solutions, which is evaluated using simulations. Both regularization and non-negativity constrained least squares

Development and Studies of Novel Microfabricated Radiation Hard Scintillation Detectors With High Spatial Resolution

CERN Document Server

Mapelli, A; Haguenauer, M; Jiguet, S; Renaud, P; Vico Triviño, N

2011-01-01

A new type of scintillation detector is being developed with standard microfabrication techniques. It consists of a dense array of scintillating waveguides obtained by coupling microfluidic channels filled with a liquid scintillator to photodetectors. Easy manipulation of liquid scintillators inside microfluidic devices allow their flushing, renewal, and exchange making the active medium intrinsically radiation hard. Prototype detectors have been fabricated by photostructuration of a radiation hard epoxy resin (SU-8) deposited on silicon wafers and coupled to a multi-anode photomultiplier tube (MAPMT) to read-out the scintillation light. They have been characterized by exciting the liquid scintillator in the 200 micrometers thick microchannels with electrons from a 90Sr yielding approximately 1 photoelectron per impinging Minimum Ionizing Particle (MIP). These promising results demonstrate the concept of microfluidic scintillating detection and are very encouraging for future developments.

Response function study of a scintillator detector of NaI(Tl)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Villa, Marcelo Barros; Costa, Alessandro Martins da

2014-01-01

In measurements of gamma rays with Nai (Tl) scintillator, the detectors output data are pulse height spectra, that corresponding to distorted information about the radiation source due to various errors associated with the crystal scintillation process and electronics associated, instead of power spectra photons. Pulse height spectra are related to the real power spectra by means of scintillator detector response function NaI (Tl). In this work, the response function for a cylindrical crystal of Nal (Tl) of 7,62 x 7,62 cm (diameter x length) was studied, by Monte Carlo method, using the EGSnrc tool to model the transport of radiation, combined with experimental measurements. An inverse response matrix, even with the energy of the square root, which transforms the pulse height spectrum of photon energy spectrum was obtained. The results of this transformation of pulse height spectrum for photon energy spectrum is presented, showing that the methodology employed in this study is suitable

Barium halide nanocrystals in fluorozirconate based glass ceramics for scintillation application

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Selling, J.

2007-07-01

Europium (Eu)-activated barium halide nanocrystals in fluorozirconate based glass ceramics represent a promising class of Xray scintillators. The scintillation in these glass ceramics is mainly caused by the emission of divalent Eu incorporated in hexagonal BaCl{sub 2} nanocrystals which are formed in the glass matrix upon appropriate annealing. Experiments with cerium (Ce)-activated fluorozironate glass ceramics showed that Ce is an interesting alternative. In order to get a better understanding of the scintillation mechanism in Eu- or Ce-activated barium halide nanocrystals, an investigation of the processes in the corresponding bulk material is essential. The objective of this thesis is the investigation of undoped, Eu-, and Ce-doped barium halides by X-ray excited luminescence (XL), pulse height, and scintillation decay spectra. That will help to figure out which of these crystals has the most promising scintillation properties and would be the best nanoparticles for the glass ceramics. Furthermore, alternative dopants like samarium (Sm) and manganese (Mn) were also investigated. Besides the above-mentioned optical investigation electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and Moessbauer measurements were carried out in order to complete the picture of Eu-doped barium halides. The EPR data of Eu-doped BaI{sub 2} is anticipated to yield more information about the crystal field and crystal structure that will help to understand the charge carrier process during the scintillation process. The main focus of the Moessbauer investigations was set on the Eu-doped fluorochlorozirconate glass ceramics. The results of this investigation should help to improve the glass ceramics. The Eu{sup 2+}/Eu{sup 3+} ratio in the glass ceramics should be determined and optimize favor of the Eu{sup 2+}. We also want to distinguish between Eu{sup 2+} in the glass matrix and Eu{sup 2+} in the nanocrystals. For a better understanding of Moessbauer spectroscopy on Eu also measurements on Eu in a

Barium halide nanocrystals in fluorozirconate based glass ceramics for scintillation application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Selling, J.

2007-01-01

Europium (Eu)-activated barium halide nanocrystals in fluorozirconate based glass ceramics represent a promising class of Xray scintillators. The scintillation in these glass ceramics is mainly caused by the emission of divalent Eu incorporated in hexagonal BaCl 2 nanocrystals which are formed in the glass matrix upon appropriate annealing. Experiments with cerium (Ce)-activated fluorozironate glass ceramics showed that Ce is an interesting alternative. In order to get a better understanding of the scintillation mechanism in Eu- or Ce-activated barium halide nanocrystals, an investigation of the processes in the corresponding bulk material is essential. The objective of this thesis is the investigation of undoped, Eu-, and Ce-doped barium halides by X-ray excited luminescence (XL), pulse height, and scintillation decay spectra. That will help to figure out which of these crystals has the most promising scintillation properties and would be the best nanoparticles for the glass ceramics. Furthermore, alternative dopants like samarium (Sm) and manganese (Mn) were also investigated. Besides the above-mentioned optical investigation electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and Moessbauer measurements were carried out in order to complete the picture of Eu-doped barium halides. The EPR data of Eu-doped BaI 2 is anticipated to yield more information about the crystal field and crystal structure that will help to understand the charge carrier process during the scintillation process. The main focus of the Moessbauer investigations was set on the Eu-doped fluorochlorozirconate glass ceramics. The results of this investigation should help to improve the glass ceramics. The Eu 2+ /Eu 3+ ratio in the glass ceramics should be determined and optimize favor of the Eu 2+ . We also want to distinguish between Eu 2+ in the glass matrix and Eu 2+ in the nanocrystals. For a better understanding of Moessbauer spectroscopy on Eu also measurements on Eu in a CaF 2 host lattice were carried

Cerium doped GSO scintillators and its application to position sensitive detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishibashi, H.; Shimizu, K.; Susa, K.; Kubota, S.

1989-01-01

The dependence of the light output and the decay times of Ce doped Gd/sub 2/SiO/sub 5/ on Ce concentration is measured. By using the difference in decay times on Ce concentration for GSO(Ce), the combination of different concentration of GSO(Ce) scintillators is shown to be useful as position sensitive detectors. A Ce doped Gd/sub 2/SiO/sub 5/ (GSO(Ce)) single crystal is an excellent scintillator featuring, a large light output, a short decay time and a high absorption coefficient. Further investigation aimed at its implementation to scintillators has been carried out previously. An application of the GSO(Ce) scintillators to the gamma-ray detectors of positron emission computed tomography has also been shown. The authors have investigated the dependence of its scintillation properties on the Ce concentration and its application to position sensitive detectors

Fibre Coupled Photonic Crystal Cavity Arrays on Transparent Substrates for Spatially Resolved Sensing

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mark G. Scullion

2014-11-01

Full Text Available We introduce a photonic crystal cavity array realised in a silicon thin film and placed on polydimethlysiloxane (PDMS as a new platform for the in-situ sensing of biomedical processes. Using tapered optical fibres, we show that multiple independent cavities within the same waveguide can be excited and their resonance wavelength determined from camera images without the need for a spectrometer. The cavity array platform combines sensing as a function of location with sensing as a function of time.

Scintillation and optical stimulated luminescence of Ce-doped CaF2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yanagida, Takayuki; Fujimoto, Yutaka; Watanabe, Kenichi; Fukuda, Kentaro; Kawaguchi, Noriaki; Miyamoto, Yuka; Nanto, Hidehito

2014-01-01

Scintillation and optical stimulated luminescence of Ce 0.1–20% doped CaF 2 crystals prepared by Tokuyama Corp. were investigated. In X-ray induced scintillation spectra, luminescence due to Ce 3+ 5d–4f transition appeared around 320 nm with typically 40 ns decay time. By 241 Am 5.5 MeV α-ray irradiation, 0.1% doped one showed the highest scintillation light yield and the light yield monotonically decreased with Ce concentrations. Optically stimulated luminescence after X-ray irradiation was observed around 320 nm under 550 or 830 nm stimulation in all samples. As a result, intensities of optically stimulated luminescence were proportional to Ce concentrations. Consequently, scintillation and optically stimulated luminescence resulted to have a complementary relation in Ce-doped CaF 2 system. - Highlights: • Optical, scintillation, and OSL properties of Ce 0.1–20% doped CaF 2 were studied. • Scintillation light yield exhibited inverse proportionality to Ce concentrations. • OSL intensities showed proportionality to Ce concentrations. • Complementary relation of scintillation and OSL was experimentally confirmed

The ROSPHERE γ-ray spectroscopy array

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bucurescu, D.; Căta-Danil, I.; Ciocan, G.; Costache, C.; Deleanu, D.; Dima, R. [Horia Hulubei National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering - IFIN-HH, R-077125 Bucharest (Romania); Filipescu, D. [Horia Hulubei National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering - IFIN-HH, R-077125 Bucharest (Romania); Extreme Light Infrastructure Nuclear Physics - ELI-NP, Horia Hulubei National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering - IFIN-HH, R-077125 Bucharest (Romania); Florea, N.; Ghiţă, D.G.; Glodariu, T.; Ivaşcu, M.; Lică, R.; Mărginean, N.; Mărginean, R. [Horia Hulubei National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering - IFIN-HH, R-077125 Bucharest (Romania); Mihai, C., E-mail: cmihai@tandem.nipne.ro [Horia Hulubei National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering - IFIN-HH, R-077125 Bucharest (Romania); Negret, A.; Niţă, C.R.; Olăcel, A.; Pascu, S.; Sava, T. [Horia Hulubei National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering - IFIN-HH, R-077125 Bucharest (Romania); and others

2016-11-21

The ROmanian array for SPectroscopy in HEavy ion REactions (ROSPHERE) has been designed as a multi-detector setup dedicated to γ-ray spectroscopy studies at the Bucharest 9 MV Tandem accelerator. Consisting of up to 25 detectors (either Compton suppressed HPGe detectors or fast LaBr{sub 3}(Ce) scintillator detectors) together with a state of the art plunger device, ROSPHERE is a powerful tool for lifetime measurements using the Recoil Distance Doppler Shift (RDDS) and the in-beam Fast Electronic Scintillation Timing (FEST) methods. The array's geometry, detectors, electronics and data acquisition system are described. Selected results from the first experimental campaigns are also presented.

Large-scale production of PWO scintillation elements for CMS ECAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Annenkov, A.; Auffray, E.; Drobychev, G.; Korzhik, M.; Kostylev, V.; Kovalev, O.; Lecoq, P.; Ligoun, V.; Missevitch, O.; Zouevski, R.

2005-01-01

JSC Bogoroditsk Technical Chemical Plant, BTCP, has produced up to date more than 20,000 lead tungstate scintillation elements for the electromagnetic calorimeter of CMS Collaboration. Here we report on the status of the crystal production and results of the quality insurance program, which is performed by the Collaboration in cooperation with BTCP to keep crystal properties within specifications

Growth and scintillation properties of praseodymium doped (Lu,Gd).sub.3./sub.(Ga,Al).sub.5./sub.O.sub.12./sub. single crystals

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Kamada, K.; Nikl, Martin; Kurosawa, S.; Shoji, Y.; Pejchal, Jan; Ohashi, Y.; Yokota, Y.; Yoshikawa, A.

2016-01-01

Roč. 169, Jan (2016), s. 811-815 ISSN 0022-2313. [International Conference on Luminescence and Optical Spectroscopy of Condensed Matter /17./. Wroclaw, 13.07.2014-18.07.2014] R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) LH14266 EU Projects: European Commission(XE) 316906 - LUMINET Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : single crystal growth * oxides * scintillators * praseodymium * garnet Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 2.686, year: 2016

Crystal growth and scintillation properties of selected fluoride crystals for VUV scintillators

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Pejchal, Jan; Fukuda, K.; Yamaji, A.; Yokota, Y.; Kurosawa, S.; Král, Robert; Nikl, Martin; Yoshikawa, A.

2014-01-01

Roč. 401, Sep (2014), s. 833-838 ISSN 0022-0248. [International Conference on Crystal Growth and Epitaxy /17./. Warsaw, 11.08.2013-16..08.2013] R&D Projects: GA MŠk LH12150 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : vacuum-ultra-violet emission * micro-pulling-down method * barium -lutetium fluoride * erbium fluoride Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 1.698, year: 2014

Modifications of micro-pulling-down method for the growth of selected Li-containing crystals for neutron scintillator and VUV scintillation crystals

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Pejchal, Jan; Fujimoto, Y.; Chani, V.; Yanagida, T.; Yokota, Y.; Yoshikawa, A.; Nikl, Martin; Beitlerová, Alena

2012-01-01

Roč. 360, SI (2012), 127–130 ISSN 0022-0248 R&D Projects: GA MŠk(CZ) 1M06002 Grant - others:AVČR(CZ) M100100910 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10100521 Keywords : Ti-doping * micro-pulling-down * barium lutetium fluoride * lithium aluminate * neutron scintillator Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 1.552, year: 2012

Resonant absorption in semiconductor nanowires and nanowire arrays: Relating leaky waveguide modes to Bloch photonic crystal modes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fountaine, Katherine T., E-mail: kfountai@caltech.edu [Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, California 91125 (United States); Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, California 91125 (United States); Whitney, William S. [Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, California 91125 (United States); Department of Physics, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, California 91125 (United States); Atwater, Harry A. [Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, California 91125 (United States); Department of Applied Physics and Materials Science, California Institute of Technology, 1200 E. California Blvd., Pasadena, California 91125 (United States)

2014-10-21

We present a unified framework for resonant absorption in periodic arrays of high index semiconductor nanowires that combines a leaky waveguide theory perspective and that of photonic crystals supporting Bloch modes, as array density transitions from sparse to dense. Full dispersion relations are calculated for each mode at varying illumination angles using the eigenvalue equation for leaky waveguide modes of an infinite dielectric cylinder. The dispersion relations along with symmetry arguments explain the selectivity of mode excitation and spectral red-shifting of absorption for illumination parallel to the nanowire axis in comparison to perpendicular illumination. Analysis of photonic crystal band dispersion for varying array density illustrates that the modes responsible for resonant nanowire absorption emerge from the leaky waveguide modes.

X-ray imaging and detection using plastic scintillating fibers

CERN Document Server

Ikhlef, A; Beddar, A S

2000-01-01

This paper discusses the application of plastic scintillating fiber array in X-ray imaging with low-energy radiation. This array is coupled to a multichannel intensified photocathode and then to a CCD detector via a fiber optics taper. The length of the fiber array is experimentally optimized for the radiation used. We found here that the length of the fibers (interaction medium) does not contribute too much in the degradation of the spatial resolution under 10 keV irradiation along the axis of the fiber array. Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) measurements of the PSF array are compared to the optics MTF of the imaging system (without the sample) and that cross-talk in the fiber array is found to be negligible for a fiber array thickness of 20 mm.

Heat- and radiation-resistant scintillator for electron microscopes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kosov, A.V.; Petrov, S.A.; Puzyr', A.P.; Chetvergov, N.A.

1987-01-01

The use of a scintillator consisting of a single crystal of bismuth orthogermanate, which has high heat and radiation resistance, in REM-100, REM-200, and REM-100U electron microscopes is described. A study of the heat and radiation stabilities of single crystals of bismuth orthogermanate (Bi 4 Ge 3 O 12 ) has shown that they withstood multiple electron-beam heating redness (T ∼ 800 0 C) without changes in their properties

Distributed sensing of ionospheric irregularities with a GNSS receiver array

Science.gov (United States)

Su, Yang; Datta-Barua, Seebany; Bust, Gary S.; Deshpande, Kshitija B.

2017-08-01

We present analysis methods for studying the structuring and motion of ionospheric irregularities at the subkilometer scale sizes that produce L band scintillations. Spaced-receiver methods are used for Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers' phase measurements over approximately subkilometer to kilometer length baselines for the first time. The quantities estimated by these techniques are plasma drift velocity, diffraction anisotropy magnitude and orientation, and characteristic velocity. Uncertainties are quantified by ensemble simulation of noise on the phase signals carried through to the observations of the spaced-receiver linear system. These covariances are then propagated through to uncertainties on drifts through linearization about the estimated values of the state. Five receivers of SAGA, the Scintillation Auroral Global Positioning System (GPS) Array, provide 100 Hz power and phase data for each channel at L1 frequency. The array is sited in the auroral zone at Poker Flat Research Range, Alaska. A case study of a single scintillating satellite observed by the array is used to demonstrate the spaced-receiver and uncertainty estimation process. A second case study estimates drifts as measured by multiple scintillating channels. These scintillations are correlated with auroral activity, based on all-sky camera images. Measurements and uncertainty estimates made over a 30 min period are compared to a collocated incoherent scatter radar and show good agreement in horizontal drift speed and direction during periods of scintillation for which the characteristic velocity is less than the drift velocity.

Mass counting of radioactivity samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oesterlin, D.L.; Obrycki, R.F.

1977-01-01

A method and apparatus for concurrently counting a plurality of radioactive samples is claimed. The position sensitive circuitry of a scintillation camera is employed to sort electrical pulses resulting from scintillations according to the geometrical locations of scintillations causing those pulses. A scintillation means, in the form of a scintillating crystal material or a liquid scintillator, is positioned proximate to an array of radioactive samples. Improvement in the accuracy of pulse classification may be obtained by employing collimating means. If a plurality of scintillation crystals are employed to measure the iodine-125 content of samples, a method and means are provided for correcting for variations in crystal light transmission properties, sample volume, and sample container radiation absorption. 2 claims, 7 drawing figures

Impact of precursor purity on optical properties and radiation detection of CsI:Tl scintillators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Saengkaew, Phannee; Cheewajaroen, Kulthawat; Yenchai, Chadet; Thong-aram, Decho [Chulalongkorn University, Department of Nuclear Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Bangkok (Thailand); Sanorpim, Sakuntam [Chulalongkorn University, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Bangkok (Thailand); Jitpukdee, Manit [Kasetsart University, Department of Applied Radiation and Isotope, Faculty of Science, Bangkok (Thailand); Yordsri, Visittapong; Thanachayanont, Chanchana [Ministry of Science and Technology, National Metal and Materials Technology Center, National Science and Technology Development Agency, Pathumthani (Thailand); Nuntawong, Noppadon [Ministry of Science and Technology, National Electronic and Computer Technology Center, National Science and Technology Development Agency, Pathumthani (Thailand)

2016-08-15

Cesium iodide doped with thallium (CsI:Tl) crystals was grown to develop the gamma-ray detectors by using low-cost raw materials. Effect of impurities on optical properties and radiation detection performance was investigated. By a modified homemade Bridgman-Stockbarger technique, CsI:Tl samples were grown in two levels of CsI and TlI reactant materials, i.e., having as a very high purity of 99.999 % and a high purity of 99.9 %. XRD measurements indicate CsI:Tl crystals having a good quality with a dominant (110) plane. Having a cubic structure, a lattice constant of CsI crystals of 0.4574 nm and a crystallite size of 43.539 nm were obtained. From the lower-purity raw materials, calcite was found in an orange crystal with a lattice constant of 0.4560 nm and a crystallite size of 43.089 nm. By PL measurements, the optical properties of the CsI:Tl crystals were analyzed. ∝540-nm-wavelength PL peak was observed from the colorless high-purity crystal, and ∝600-nm-wavelength PL peak was observed from the orange crystal. The brighter PL emission was obtained from the orange crystals suggesting impurities. CsI:Tl surface morphology by SEM exhibited a smooth surface with some parallel crystal facets. For electrical properties of high-quality CsI:Tl crystals, the electrical resistances were 230 ± 16 MΩ in cross-sectional direction and 714 ± 136 MΩ in vertical direction with respect to more homogeneous crystal quality in cross-sectional direction than that in vertical direction. TEM measurement was applied to evaluate the microstructure of colorless CsI:Tl crystal with different patterns of a cubic structure. Both CsI:Tl crystals show good efficiencies and good resolutions. Maintaining the same electronic conditions and amplifications, the colorless CsI:Tl scintillators represented a higher detection efficiency at 122 keV of Co-57 of 78.4 % and the energy resolution of 23.3 % compared to the detection efficiency of 75.9 % and the energy resolution of 34.6 % of the

Waveshifting fiber readout of lanthanum halide scintillators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Case, G.L.; Cherry, M.L.; Stacy, J.G.

2006-01-01

Newly developed high-light-yield inorganic scintillators coupled to waveshifting optical fibers provide the capability of efficient X-ray detection and millimeter scale position resolution suitable for high-energy cosmic ray instruments, hard X-ray/gamma ray astronomy telescopes and applications to national security. The CASTER design for NASA's proposed Black Hole Finder Probe mission, in particular, calls for a 6-8 m 2 hard X-ray coded aperture imaging telescope operating in the 20-600 keV energy band, putting significant constraints on cost and readout complexity. The development of new inorganic scintillator materials (e.g., cerium-doped LaBr 3 and LaCl 3 ) provides improved energy resolution and timing performance that is well suited to the requirements for national security and astrophysics applications. LaBr 3 or LaCl 3 detector arrays coupled with waveshifting fiber optic readout represent a significant advance in the performance capabilities of scintillator-based gamma cameras and provide the potential for a feasible approach to affordable, large area, extremely sensitive detectors. We describe some of the applications and present laboratory test results demonstrating the expected scintillator performance

Influence of variable tungsten valency on optical transmittance and radiation hardness of lead tungstate (PWO) scintillation crystals

CERN Document Server

Burachas, S; Makov, I; Saveliev, Yu; Ippolitov, M S; Man'ko, V; Nikulin, S P; Nyanin, A; Vasilev, A; Apanasenko, A; Tamulaitis, G

2003-01-01

A new approach to interpret the radiation hardness of PbWO//4 (PWO) scintillators is developed by revealing importance of the inclusions of tungsten oxides WO//3//-//x with variable valency. It is demonstrated that the influence of the ionizing radiation on PWO is, in many aspects, similar to the effect of the high-temperature annealing in oxygenless ambient. In both cases, a valency change of the tungsten oxides is initiated and results in induced absorption and, consequently, in crystal coloration. In the PWO crystals doped with L//2O//3 (L = Y, La, Gd), the radiation hardness and the optical properties are mainly affected by inclusions of W//1//-//yL//yO//3//- //x (0 less than x less than 0.3) instead of inclusions of WO//3//- //x prevailing in the undoped samples. It is demonstrated that the radiation-induced bleaching and the photochromic effect of PWO are caused by phase transitions in the inclusions of tungsten oxide. Thermodynamic conditions for the phase transitions are discussed and the optimal oxid...

Study of a generalized birks formula for the scintillation response of a CaMoO4 crystal

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, J. Y.; Kim, H. J.; Kang, Sang Jun; Lee, M. H.

2017-12-01

We have investigated the scintillation characteristics of CaMoO4 (CMO) crystals by using a gamma source and various internal alpha sources. A 137Cs source with 662-keV gamma-rays was used for the gamma-quanta light yield calibration. Internal radioactive contaminations provided alpha particles with different energies from 5.41 to 7.88 MeV. We developed a C++ program based on the ROOT package for the fitting of parameters in a generalized Birks semi-empirical formula by combining the experimental and the simulation data. Results for the fitted Birks parameters are k b1 = 3.3 × 10 -3 (g/MeVcm2) for the 1st parameter and k b2 = 7.9 × 10 -5 (g/MeVcm2)2 for the 2nd parameter. The χ2/n.d.f. (Number of Degree of Freedom) is calculated as 0.1/4. We were able to estimate the 238U and 234U contaminations in a CMO crystal by using the generalized Birks semi-empirical formula.

New limits on 2β processes in 40Ca and 46Ca by using low radioactive CaF2(Eu) crystal scintillators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Belli, P.; Bernabei, R.; Dai, C.J.

2001-01-01

The development of highly radiopure CaF 2 (Eu) crystal scintillators has been performed aiming at a substantial sensitivity enhancement of the 2β decay investigation and of the search for dark matter particles with spin-dependent (SD) interaction. The results of CaF 2 (Eu) background measurements and simulation are presented. New and highly improved T 1/2 limits on the 2β decay of 46 Ca and the double electron capture of 40 Ca are obtained

Pilot tests of a PET detector using the TOF-PET ASIC based on monolithic crystals and SiPMs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aguilar, A.; González-Montoro, A.; González, A.J.; Hernández, L.; Monzó, J.M.; Benlloch, J.M.; Bugalho, R.; Ferramacho, L.

2016-01-01

In this work we show pilot tests of PET detector blocks using the TOF-PET ASIC, coupled to SiPM detector arrays and different crystal configurations. We have characterized the main ASIC features running calibration processes to compensate the time dispersion among the different ASIC/SiPM paths as well as for the time walk on the arrival of optical photons. The aim of this work is to use of LYSO monolithic crystals and explore their photon Depth of Interaction (DOI) capabilities, keeping good energy and spatial resolutions. First tests have been carried out with crystal arrays. Here we made it possible to reach a coincidence resolving times (CRT) of 370 ps FWHM, with energy resolutions better than 20% and resolving well 2 mm sized crystal elements. When using monolithic crystals, a single-pixel LYSO reference crystal helped to explore the CRT performance. We studied different strategies to provide the best timestamp determination in the monolithic scintillator. Times around 1 ns FWHM have been achieved in these pilot studies. In terms of spatial and energy resolution, values of about 3 mm and better than 30% were found, respectively. We have also demonstrated the capability of this system (monolithic and ASIC) to return accurate DOI information.

Sapphire scintillation tests for cryogenic detectors in the Edelweiss dark matter search

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Luca, M

2007-07-15

Identifying the matter in the universe is one of the main challenges of modern cosmology and astrophysics. An important part of this matter seems to be made of non-baryonic particles. Edelweiss is a direct dark matter search using cryogenic germanium bolometers in order to look for particles that interact very weakly with the ordinary matter, generically known as WIMPs (weakly interacting massive particles). An important challenge for Edelweiss is the radioactive background and one of the ways to identify it is to use a larger variety of target crystals. Sapphire is a light target which can be complementary to the germanium crystals already in use. Spectroscopic characterization studies have been performed using different sapphire samples in order to find the optimum doping concentration for good low temperature scintillation. Ti doped crystals with weak Ti concentrations have been used for systematic X ray excitation tests both at room temperature and down to 30 K. The tests have shown that the best Ti concentration for optimum room temperature scintillation is 100 ppm and 50 ppm at T = 45 K. All concentrations have been checked by optical absorption and fluorescence. After having shown that sapphire had interesting characteristics for building heat-scintillation detectors, we have tested if using a sapphire detector was feasible within a dark matter search. During the first commissioning tests of Edelweiss-II, we have proved the compatibility between a sapphire heat scintillation detector and the experimental setup. (author)

Performance of a monolithic LaBr{sub 3}:Ce crystal coupled to an array of silicon photomultipliers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ulyanov, Alexei, E-mail: alexey.uliyanov@ucd.ie [School of Physics, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4 (Ireland); Morris, Oran [School of Physics, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4 (Ireland); Department of Computer Science & Applied Physics, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Galway (Ireland); Hanlon, Lorraine; McBreen, Sheila; Foley, Suzanne; Roberts, Oliver J.; Tobin, Isaac; Murphy, David; Wade, Colin [School of Physics, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4 (Ireland); Nelms, Nick; Shortt, Brian [European Space Agency, ESTEC, 2200 AG Noordwijk (Netherlands); Slavicek, Tomas; Granja, Carlos; Solar, Michael [Institute of Experimental and Applied Physics, Czech Technical University in Prague, 12800 Prague 2 (Czech Republic)

2016-02-21

A gamma-ray detector composed of a single 28×28×20 mm{sup 3} LaBr{sub 3}:Ce crystal coupled to a custom built 4×4 array of silicon photomultipliers was tested over an energy range of 30 keV to 9.3 MeV. The silicon photomultipliers were initially calibrated using 20 ns light pulses generated by a light emitting diode. The photodetector responses measured as a function of the number of incident photons were found to be non-linear and consistent with model predictions. Using corrections for the non-linearity of the silicon photomultipliers, the detector showed a linear response to gamma-rays with energies from 100 keV to the maximum available energy of 9.3 MeV. The energy resolution was found to be 4% FWHM at 662 keV. Despite the large thickness of the scintillator (20 mm) and a 5 mm thick optical window, the detector was capable of measuring the positions of the gamma-ray interaction points. The position resolution was measured at 356 keV and was found to be 8 mm FWHM in the detector plane and 11 mm FWHM for the depth of interaction. The detector can be used as a building block of a larger calorimeter system that is capable of measuring gamma-ray energies up to tens of MeV.

Scintillation counter with MRS APD light readout

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akindinov, A.; Bondarenko, G.; Golovin, V.; Grigoriev, E.; Grishuk, Yu.; Mal'kevich, D.; Martemiyanov, A.; Ryabinin, M.; Smirnitskiy, A.; Voloshin, K.

2005-01-01

START, a high-efficiency and low-noise scintillation detector for ionizing particles, was developed for the purpose of creating a high-granular system for triggering cosmic muons. Scintillation light in START is detected by MRS APDs (Avalanche Photo-Diodes with Metal-Resistance-Semiconductor Structure), operated in the Geiger mode, which have 1mm 2 sensitive areas. START is assembled from a 15x15x1cm 3 scintillating plastic plate, two MRS APDs and two pieces of wavelength-shifting optical fiber stacked in circular coils inside the plastic. The front-end electronic card is mounted directly on the detector. Tests with START have confirmed its operational consistency, over 99% efficiency of MIP registration and good homogeneity. START demonstrates a low intrinsic noise of about 10 -2 Hz. If these detectors are to be mass-produced, the cost of a mosaic array of STARTs is estimated at a moderate level of 2-3kUSD/m 2

Silicon photomultipliers for scintillating trackers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rabaioli, S., E-mail: simone.rabaioli@gmail.com [Universita degli Studi dell' Insubria, Via Valleggio, 11 - 22100 Como (Italy); Berra, A.; Bolognini, D. [Universita degli Studi dell' Insubria, Via Valleggio, 11 - 22100 Como (Italy); INFN sezione di Milano Bicocca (Italy); Bonvicini, V. [INFN sezione di Trieste (Italy); Bosisio, L. [Universita degli Studi di Trieste and INFN sezione di Trieste (Italy); Ciano, S.; Iugovaz, D. [INFN sezione di Trieste (Italy); Lietti, D. [Universita degli Studi dell' Insubria, Via Valleggio, 11 - 22100 Como (Italy); INFN sezione di Milano Bicocca (Italy); Penzo, A. [INFN sezione di Trieste (Italy); Prest, M. [Universita degli Studi dell' Insubria, Via Valleggio, 11 - 22100 Como (Italy); INFN sezione di Milano Bicocca (Italy); Rashevskaya, I.; Reia, S. [INFN sezione di Trieste (Italy); Stoppani, L. [Universita degli Studi dell' Insubria, Via Valleggio, 11 - 22100 Como (Italy); Vallazza, E. [INFN sezione di Trieste (Italy)

2012-12-11

In recent years, silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) have been proposed as a new kind of readout device for scintillating detectors in many experiments. A SiPM consists of a matrix of parallel-connected pixels, which are independent photon counters working in Geiger mode with very high gain ({approx}10{sup 6}). This contribution presents the use of an array of eight SiPMs (manufactured by FBK-irst) for the readout of a scintillating bar tracker (a small size prototype of the Electron Muon Ranger detector for the MICE experiment). The performances of the SiPMs in terms of signal to noise ratio, efficiency and time resolution will be compared to the ones of a multi-anode photomultiplier tube (MAPMT) connected to the same bars. Both the SiPMs and the MAPMT are interfaced to a VME system through a 64 channel MAROC ASIC.

Silicon photomultipliers for scintillating trackers

Science.gov (United States)

Rabaioli, S.; Berra, A.; Bolognini, D.; Bonvicini, V.; Bosisio, L.; Ciano, S.; Iugovaz, D.; Lietti, D.; Penzo, A.; Prest, M.; Rashevskaya, I.; Reia, S.; Stoppani, L.; Vallazza, E.

2012-12-01

In recent years, silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) have been proposed as a new kind of readout device for scintillating detectors in many experiments. A SiPM consists of a matrix of parallel-connected pixels, which are independent photon counters working in Geiger mode with very high gain (∼106). This contribution presents the use of an array of eight SiPMs (manufactured by FBK-irst) for the readout of a scintillating bar tracker (a small size prototype of the Electron Muon Ranger detector for the MICE experiment). The performances of the SiPMs in terms of signal to noise ratio, efficiency and time resolution will be compared to the ones of a multi-anode photomultiplier tube (MAPMT) connected to the same bars. Both the SiPMs and the MAPMT are interfaced to a VME system through a 64 channel MAROC ASIC.

Solid state detector module

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoffman, D. M.

1985-01-01

A solid state detector in which each scintillator is optimally configured and coupled with its associated sensing diode in a way which exploits light piping effects to enhance efficiency, and at the same time provide a detector which is modular in nature. To achieve light piping, the scintillator crystal is oriented such that its sides conform with the crystal cleavage plane, and the sides are highly polished. An array of tungsten collimator plates define the individual channels. Multi-channel scintillator/diode modules are mounted behind and in registry with the plurality of collimator plates. A plurality of scintillators are bonded together after coating the surfaces thereof to minimize optical crosstalk. After lapping the face of the scintillator module, it is then bonded to a diode module with individual scintillators in registration with individual diodes. The module is then positioned in the detector array with collimator plates at the junctions between the scintillators

Comparison of Spectral and Scintillation Properties of LuAP:Ce and LuAP:Ce,Sc Single Crystals

Science.gov (United States)

Petrosyan, Ashot G.; Derdzyan, Marina; Ovanesyan, Karine; Shirinyan, Grigori; Lecoq, Paul; Auffray, Etiennette; Kronberger, Matthias; Frisch, Benjamin; Pedrini, Christian; Dujardin, Christophe

2009-10-01

Scintillation properties of LuAP:Ce and LuAP:Ce,Sc crystal series were studied under excitation by gamma-rays from a 137Cs source. Both series demonstrated comparable optical quality in terms of underlying absorption at 260 nm, slope of the optical edge and transmission in the range of emission. The light yield of LuAP:Ce crystals measured in 0.2 cm times 0.2 cm times 0.8 cm pixels increases linearly with the Ce concentration reaching at 0.58 at. % 6448 plusmn 322 ph/MeV and 9911 plusmn 496 ph/MeV in the long and in the short directions respectively (the light yield ratio is 65%) and shows no sign of light saturation. The energy resolution is found to depend, among other factors, on the uniformity of Ce concentration within the pixels and is improved to 7.1 plusmn 0.4% (I = 0.2 cm), 9.5 plusmn 0.5% (I = 0.8 cm). Intentional co-doping with Sc + ions was tested and resulted in increase of the Ce distribution coefficient to about 0.3. This enabled to increase the concentration of Ce in LuAP:Ce,Sc crystals up to 0.7 at. %, while conserving high optical quality. In contrast to LuAP:Ce, the light yield in LuAP:Ce,Sc crystals does not increase with Ce concentration, the photo peak being gradually suppressed. The involved mechanisms are discussed basing on measurements of the unit cell volumes, Ce concentration uniformity, x-ray rocking spectra, absorption spectra of pure and variously doped LuAP crystals, and emission spectra under different excitations.

Sliding three-phase contact line of printed droplets for single-crystal arrays

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuang, Minxuan; Wu, Lei; Li, Yifan; Gao, Meng; Zhang, Xingye; Jiang, Lei; Song, Yanlin

2016-01-01

Controlling the behaviours of printed droplets is an essential requirement for inkjet printing of delicate three-dimensional (3D) structures or high-resolution patterns. In this work, molecular deposition and crystallization are regulated by manipulating the three-phase contact line (TCL) behaviour of the printed droplets. The results show that oriented single-crystal arrays are fabricated based on the continuously sliding TCL. Owing to the sliding of the TCL on the substrate, the outward capillary flow within the evaporating droplet is suppressed and the molecules are brought to the centre of the droplet, resulting in the formation of a single crystal. This work provides a facile strategy for controlling the structures of printed units by manipulating the TCL of printed droplets, which is significant for realizing high-resolution patterns and delicate 3D structures. (paper)

Near threshold pulse shape discrimination techniques in scintillating CsI(Tl) crystals

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wu, S.C.; Yue, Q.; Lai, W.P.; Li, H.B.; Li, J.; Lin, S.T.; Liu, Y.; Singh, V.; Wang, M.Z.; Wong, H.T.; Xin, B.; Zhou, Z.Y.

2004-01-01

There are recent interests with CsI(Tl) scintillating crystals for Dark Matter experiments. The key merit is the capability to differentiate nuclear recoil (nr) signatures from the background β/γ-events due to ambient radioactivity on the basis of their different pulse shapes. One of the major experimental challenges is to perform such pulse shape analysis in the statistics-limited domain where the light output is close to the detection threshold. Using data derived from measurements with low-energy γ's and nuclear recoils due to neutron elastic scatterings, it was verified that the pulse shapes between β/γ-events are different. Several methods of pulse shape discrimination (PSD) are studied, and their relative merits are compared. Full digitization of the pulse shapes is crucial to achieve good discrimination. Advanced software techniques with mean time, neural network and likelihood ratios give rise to satisfactory performance, and are superior to the conventional Double Charge method commonly applied at higher energies. PSD becomes effective starting at a light yield of about 20 photo-electrons. This corresponds to a detection threshold of about 5 keV electron-equivalence energy, or 40-50 keV recoil kinetic energy, in realistic experiments

GPS phase scintillation and auroral electrojet currents during geomagnetic storms of March 17, 2013 and 2015

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Prikryl, P.; Ghoddousi-Fard, R.; Viljanen, A.

2017-01-01

in the context of solar wind coupling to the magnetosphere-ionosphere system. Phase scintillation is observed at high latitudes by arrays of high-rate GNSS Ionospheric Scintillation and TEC Monitors (GISTMs) and geodetic-quality GPS receivers sampling at 1 Hz. The high-rate GPS receivers are distributed...... in the northern and in the southern high latitudes with sparser coverage. In addition to GPS receivers, the high-latitude ionosphere dynamics is studied using arrays of ground-based instruments including HF radars, ionosondes, riometers, magnetometers, optical imagers as well as particle detectors and ultraviolet...

The design and performance of a large-volume spherical CsI(Tl) scintillation counter for gamma-ray spectroscopy

CERN Document Server

Meng, L J; Chirkin, V M; Potapov, V N; Ivanov, O P; Ignatov, S M

2002-01-01

This paper presents details of the design and performance of a prototype large-volume scintillation detector used for gamma-ray spectroscopy. In this detector, a spherical CsI(Tl) scintillation crystal having a diameter of 5.7 cm was polished and packed in dry MgO powder. The scintillation light from the crystal was viewed using a single 1x1 cm sup 2 silicon PIN diode. A low-noise preamplifier was also integrated within the detector housing. The measured noise level was equivalent to approx 800 electrons (FWHM). Such a configuration provided a very good light collection efficiency, which resulted in an average of 20 electrons being generated per keV of energy deposited in the crystal. One of the key features of the detector design is that it minimises spatial variations in the light collection efficiency throughout the detector. Compared with a standard 3 in. NaI scintillation counter, this feature leads to a much-improved energy resolution, particularly for photon energies above 1 MeV. The results presented ...

Radioactive flow detectors: liquid or solid scintillators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reich, A.R.

1983-01-01

During the past five years, two schools of thought have emerged producing two different types of radio-HPLC detectors. Based on the naphthalene-in-the-vial principle, manufacturers have developed heterogeneous scintillation detectors. In these detectors the anthracene or naphthalene crystals are replaced by other scintillators. In order to avoid dead space and turbulence, a narrow diameter tube is used, either straight, or more popularly formed into a coil or a 'U' as the cell. To optimize light transmission to the photomultiplier tubes, mirrors are used. Due to limiting factors in this technique the counting efficiency for tritium is below the 10 percent level. The other school of radio-HPLC detectors based their design on classical liquid scintillation counting technology. In a homogeneous detector, the effluent from the HPLC system is mixed with a suitable liquid scintillator before entering the counting cell. The cell design is typically a flat glass or Teflon coil tightly sandwiched between two photomultiplier tubes, making good optical contact without the use of mirrors. Depending on the chromatographic effluent, 3 H efficiencies between 25 to 50 percent, and 14 C counting efficiencies up to 85 percent can be achieved

A phoswich detector design for improved spatial sampling in PET

Science.gov (United States)

Thiessen, Jonathan D.; Koschan, Merry A.; Melcher, Charles L.; Meng, Fang; Schellenberg, Graham; Goertzen, Andrew L.

2018-02-01

Block detector designs, utilizing a pixelated scintillator array coupled to a photosensor array in a light-sharing design, are commonly used for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging applications. In practice, the spatial sampling of these designs is limited by the crystal pitch, which must be large enough for individual crystals to be resolved in the detector flood image. Replacing the conventional 2D scintillator array with an array of phoswich elements, each consisting of an optically coupled side-by-side scintillator pair, may improve spatial sampling in one direction of the array without requiring resolving smaller crystal elements. To test the feasibility of this design, a 4 × 4 phoswich array was constructed, with each phoswich element consisting of two optically coupled, 3 . 17 × 1 . 58 × 10mm3 LSO crystals co-doped with cerium and calcium. The amount of calcium doping was varied to create a 'fast' LSO crystal with decay time of 32.9 ns and a 'slow' LSO crystal with decay time of 41.2 ns. Using a Hamamatsu R8900U-00-C12 position-sensitive photomultiplier tube (PS-PMT) and a CAEN V1720 250 MS/s waveform digitizer, we were able to show effective discrimination of the fast and slow LSO crystals in the phoswich array. Although a side-by-side phoswich array is feasible, reflections at the crystal boundary due to a mismatch between the refractive index of the optical adhesive (n = 1 . 5) and LSO (n = 1 . 82) caused it to behave optically as an 8 × 4 array rather than a 4 × 4 array. Direct coupling of each phoswich element to individual photodetector elements may be necessary with the current phoswich array design. Alternatively, in order to implement this phoswich design with a conventional light sharing PET block detector, a high refractive index optical adhesive is necessary to closely match the refractive index of LSO.

Comparison of two types of scintillation probe for moisture density gauge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Machaj, B.

1974-01-01

Investigations of pulse shape discrimination scintillation probe, and amplitude discrimination probe as a detector for moisutre density gauge have been carried out. It was found that sandwich scintillator consisting of NE-421 + NE-102A was the best for pulse shape discrimination probe for thermal neutrons and gamma radiation detection. Similarly LiJ(Eu) crystal was the best for amplitude discrimination probe. The amplitude discrimination probe with LiJ(Eu) comparing to pulse shape discrimination probe with sandwich scintillator, provides approximately two times higher thermal neutron detection efficiency and higher count rate stability. It is considered therefore more suitable as the detector for moisture density gauge. (author)

ALICE photon spectrometer crystals

CERN Multimedia

Maximilien Brice

2006-01-01

Members of the mechanical assembly team insert the last few crystals into the first module of ALICE's photon spectrometer. These crystals are made from lead-tungstate, a crystal as clear as glass but with nearly four times the density. When a high-energy particle passes through one of these crystals it will scintillate, emitting a flash of light allowing the energy of photons, electrons and positrons to be measured.

Air-Coupled Low Frequency Ultrasonic Transducers and Arrays with PMN-32%PT Piezoelectric Crystals

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rymantas J. Kazys

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Air-coupled ultrasonic techniques are being increasingly used for material characterization, non-destructive evaluation of composite materials using guided waves as well as for distance measurements. Application of those techniques is mainly limited by the big losses of ultrasonic signals due to attenuation and mismatch of the acoustic impedances of ultrasonic transducers and air. One of the ways to solve this problem is by application of novel more efficient piezoelectric materials like lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate (PMN-PT type crystals. The objective of this research was the development and investigation of low frequency (<50 kHz wide band air-coupled ultrasonic transducers and arrays with an improved performance using PMN-32%PT crystals. Results of finite element modelling and experimental investigations of the developed transducers and arrays are presented. For improvement of the performance strip-like matching elements made of low acoustic impedance, materials such as polystyrene foams were applied. It allowed to achieve transduction losses for one single element transducer −11.4 dB, what is better than of commercially available air-coupled ultrasonic transducers. Theoretical and experimental investigations of the acoustic fields radiated by the eight element ultrasonic array demonstrated not only a good performance of the array in a pulse mode, but also very good possibilities to electronically focus and steer the ultrasonic beam in space.

Measurement of the time resolution of small SiPM-based scintillation counters

Science.gov (United States)

Kravchenko, E. A.; Porosev, V. V.; Savinov, G. A.

2017-12-01

In this research, we evaluated the timing resolution of SiPM-based scintillation detector on a 1-GeV electron beam "extracted" from VEPP-4M. We tested small scintillation crystals of pure CsI, YAP, LYSO, and LFS-3 with HAMAMATSU S10362-33-025C and S13360-3050CS. The CsI scintillator together with HAMAMATSU S13360-3050CS demonstrated the best results. Nevertheless, the achieved time resolution of ~80 ps (RMS) relates mainly to the photodetector itself. It makes the silicon photomultiplier an attractive candidate to replace other devices in applications where sub-nanosecond accuracy is required.

Polycrystalline scintillators for large area detectors in HEP experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Dosovitskiy, G.; Fedorov, A.; Karpyuk, P.; Kuznetsova, D.; Mikhlin, A.; Kozlov, D.; Dosovitskiy, A.; Korjik, M.

2017-06-01

After significant increase of the accelerator luminosity throughout the High Luminosity phase of LHC, charged hadrons and neutrons with fluences higher than 1014 p/cm2 per year in the largest pseudo-rapidity regions of the detectors will cause increased radiation damage of materials. Increasing activation of the experimental equipment will make periodical maintenance and replacement of detector components difficult. Therefore, the selected materials for new detectors should be tolerant to radiation damage. Y3Al5O12:Ce (YAG:Ce) crystal was found to be one of the most radiation hard scintillation materials. However, production of YAG:Ce in a single crystalline form is costly, because crystal growth is performed at temperature near 1900°C with a very low rate of transformation of a raw material into a crystal. We propose translucent YAG:Ce ceramics as an alternative cheaper solution. Ceramic samples were sintered up to density ~98% of the theoretical value and were translucent. The samples have demonstrated light yield of 2200 phot./MeV under 662 keV γ-quanta, which gives the expected response to minimum ionizing particle around 3000 phot. for 2 mm thick plate. Scintillation light yield, registered under surface layer excitation with α-particles, was 50-70% higher than for the reference single crystal YAG:Ce.