21 research outputs found
Signal and Noise Analysis in TRION -Time-Resolved Integrative Optical Fast Neutron Detector
TRION is a sub-mm spatial resolution fast neutron imaging detector, which
employs an integrative optical time-of-flight technique. The detector was
developed for fast neutron resonance radiography, a method capable of detecting
a broad range of conventional and improvised explosives. In this study we have
analyzed in detail, using Monte-Carlo calculations and experimentally
determined parameters, all the processes that influence the signal and noise in
the TRION detector. In contrast to event-counting detectors where the
signal-to-noise ratio is dependent only on the number of detected events
(quantum noise), in an energy-integrating detector additional factors, such as
the fluctuations in imparted energy, number of photoelectrons, system gain and
other factors will contribute to the noise. The excess noise factor (over the
quantum noise) due to these processes was 4.3, 2.7, 2.1, 1.9 and 1.9 for
incident neutron energies of 2, 4, 7.5, 10 and 14 MeV, respectively. It is
shown that, even under ideal light collection conditions, a fast neutron
detection system operating in an integrative mode cannot be
quantum-noise-limited due to the relatively large variance in the imparted
proton energy and the resulting scintillation light distributions.Comment: 18 page
High Spatial Resolution Fast-Neutron Imaging Detectors for Pulsed Fast-Neutron Transmission Spectroscopy
Two generations of a novel detector for high-resolution transmission imaging
and spectrometry of fast-neutrons are presented. These devices are based on a
hydrogenous fiber scintillator screen and single- or multiple-gated intensified
camera systems (ICCD). This detector is designed for energy-selective neutron
radiography with nanosecond-pulsed broad-energy (1 - 10 MeV) neutron beams.
Utilizing the Time-of-Flight (TOF) method, such a detector is capable of
simultaneously capturing several images, each at a different neutron energy
(TOF). In addition, a gamma-ray image can also be simultaneously registered,
allowing combined neutron/gamma inspection of objects. This permits combining
the sensitivity of the fast-neutron resonance method to low-Z elements with
that of gamma radiography to high-Z materials.Comment: Also published in JINST:
http://www.iop.org/EJ/abstract/1748-0221/4/05/P0501
Time resolution of the plastic scintillator strips with matrix photomultiplier readout for J-PET tomograph
Recent tests of a single module of the Jagiellonian Positron Emission
Tomography system (J-PET) consisting of 30 cm long plastic scintillator strips
have proven its applicability for the detection of annihilation quanta (0.511
MeV) with a coincidence resolving time (CRT) of 0.266 ns. The achieved
resolution is almost by a factor of two better with respect to the current
TOF-PET detectors and it can still be improved since, as it is shown in this
article, the intrinsic limit of time resolution for the determination of time
of the interaction of 0.511 MeV gamma quanta in plastic scintillators is much
lower. As the major point of the article, a method allowing to record
timestamps of several photons, at two ends of the scintillator strip, by means
of matrix of silicon photomultipliers (SiPM) is introduced. As a result of
simulations, conducted with the number of SiPM varying from 4 to 42, it is
shown that the improvement of timing resolution saturates with the growing
number of photomultipliers, and that the 2 x 5 configuration at two ends
allowing to read twenty timestamps, constitutes an optimal solution. The
conducted simulations accounted for the emission time distribution, photon
transport and absorption inside the scintillator, as well as quantum efficiency
and transit time spread of photosensors, and were checked based on the
experimental results. Application of the 2 x 5 matrix of SiPM allows for
achieving the coincidence resolving time in positron emission tomography of
0.170 ns for 15 cm axial field-of-view (AFOV) and 0.365 ns
for 100 cm AFOV. The results open perspectives for construction of a
cost-effective TOF-PET scanner with significantly better TOF resolution and
larger AFOV with respect to the current TOF-PET modalities.Comment: To be published in Phys. Med. Biol. (26 pages, 17 figures
Minimum detectable activity of plastic scintillator for in-situ beta measurement system in ground water
The minimum detectable activity (MDA) value was derived according to the flow rate of the sample and degree of amplification of the device by sending the sample directly from the collection site to the detection part through a pump. This method can lead to reduction in time and cost compared to the existing measurement method that uses a pre-treatment process. In this study, experiments were conducted on 3H and 90Sr, which are the major pure beta-emitting radionuclides, by setting the sample flow rate and the amplification gain as factors. The MDA values were derived according to the flow rates, considering that the flow rate can affect the MDA values. There were no change in the MDA under different flow rates of 0, 600, 800, and 1000 mL/min. Therefore, it was confirmed that the flow rate may not be considered when collecting samples for monitoring in actual field. As the degree of amplification of the amplifier increased, the time required to reach the target MDA decreased. When the amplification was quadrupled, the detection efficiency increased by approximately 23.4 times, and the time to reach the MDA decreased to approximately 1/550 times. This method offers the advantage of real-time on-site monitoring