We demonstrate coincidence measurements of spatially entangled photons by means of a novel type of multi-pixel based detection array. The adopted sensor is a fully digital 8$\times$16 silicon photomultiplier array allowing not only photon counting but also per-pixel time stamping of the arrived photons with a resolution of 65 ps. Together with a frame rate of 500 kfps, this property exceeds the capabilities of conventional charge-coupled device cameras which have become of growing interest for the detection of transversely correlated photon pairs. The sensor is used to measure a second-order correlation function for various non-collinear configurations of entangled photons generated by spontaneous parametric down-conversion. The experimental results are compared to theory.
The measurement of the time of flight of the two 511 keV gammas recorded in coincidence in a PET scanner provides an effective way of reducing the random background and therefore increases the scanner sensitivity, provided that the coincidence resolving time (CRT) of the gammas is sufficiently good. The best commercial PET-TOF system today (based in LYSO crystals and digital SiPMs), is the VEREOS of Philips, boasting a CRT of 316 ps (FWHM). In this paper we present a Monte Carlo investigation of the CRT performance of a PET scanner exploiting the scintillating properties of liquid xenon. We fi…
In this paper we use detailed Monte Carlo simulations to demonstrate that liquid xenon (LXe) can be used to build a Cherenkov-based TOF-PET, with an intrinsic coincidence resolving time (CRT) in the vicinity of 10 ps. This extraordinary performance is due to three facts: a) the abundant emission of Cherenkov photons by liquid xenon; b) the fact that LXe is transparent to Cherenkov light; and c) the fact that the fastest photons in LXe have wavelengths higher than 300 nm, therefore making it possible to separate the detection of scintillation and Cherenkov light. The CRT in a Cherenkov LXe TOF-…
Coincidence detection of single photons is crucial in numerous quantum technologies and usually requires multiple time-resolved single-photon detectors. However, the electronic readout becomes a major challenge when the measurement basis scales to large numbers of spatial modes. Here, we address this problem by introducing a two-terminal coincidence detector that enables scalable readout of an array of detector segments based on superconducting nanowire microstrip transmission line. Exploiting timing logic, we demonstrate a 16-element detector that resolves all 136 possible single-photon and t…
Time- and number-resolved photon detection is crucial for photonic quantum information processing. Existing photon-number-resolving (PNR) detectors usually have limited timing and dark-count performance or require complex fabrication and operation. Here we demonstrate a PNR detector at telecommunication wavelengths based on a single superconducting nanowire with an integrated impedance-matching taper. The prototyping device was able to resolve up to five absorbed photons and had 16.1 ps timing jitter, <2 c.p.s. device dark count rate, $\sim$86 ns reset time, and 5.6% system detection efficienc…
The aim of this work is to show the potential capabilities of monolithic crystals coupled to large SiPM arrays, to be considered as detector blocks for PET scanners enabling Time Of Flight (TOF) capabilities. Monolithic blocks allow one to decode the 3D photon impact position. This approach, along with TOF information, can be of high interest in clinical Positron emission tomography (PET) applications where a typical ring configuration is used. In this manuscript, we evaluate an ASIC- based readout for digitizing all signals coming from analog photosensors. Validation results with one-to-one c…
Current clinical PET systems utilize detectors where the scintillator typically contains single elements of 3 - 6 mm width and about 20 mm height. While providing good TOF performance, this design limits the spatial resolution and causes radial astigmatism as the DOI remains unknown. We propose an alternative, aiming to combine the advantages of current detectors with the DOI capabilities shown for monolithic concepts, based on semi-monolithic scintillators (slabs). An array of 8 monolithic LYSO slabs of dimensions 3.9 x 32 x 19 mm3 was read out by a 64-channel photosensor containing digital S…
SOI (Silicon-On-Insulator) pixel sensor is promising technology for developing the high position resolution detector by integrating the small pixels and circuits in the monolithic way. The event driven (trigger mode) SOI based pixel sensor has also been developed for the application of X-ray astronomy with the purpose of reducing the noise using anti-coincidence event. This trigger mode SOI pixel sensor working with in the rate of kilo Hz is also a promising scatter detector for advanced Compton imaging to track the Compton recoiled electrons.
MOSARIX is a collaborative project between three research group in Sorbonne University to build a x-ray spectrometer (2-5 keV) portable to large scale facilities with high efficiency and good resolution. X-ray spectroscopy and coincidences experiment are planned. A prototype with a single HADP crystal with von Hamos geometry has been tested (resolution and efficiency). A fast time and position detector has been realized (patent and publication).We plan to build the spectrometer with 8 HADP (or 4) crystals under Helium atmosphere using a TimePix3 or a CCD camera. MOSARIX is a project of an x-ra…
In order to fully exploit the ballistic potential of particle therapy, we propose an online range monitoring concept based on high-resolution Time-Of-Flight (TOF)-resolved Prompt Gamma (PG) detection in a single proton counting regime. In a proof of principle experiment, different types of monolithic scintillating gamma detectors are read in time coincidence with a diamond-based beam hodoscope, in order to build TOF spectra of PG generated in a heterogeneous target presenting an air cavity of variable thickness. Since the measurement was carried out at low beam currents ($<$ 1 proton/bunch) it…
We report on the measurements performed using a 22Na source on a detector element for an MRI-compatible TOF-PET endorectal prostate probe, with Depth-Of-Interaction sensitivity. It is made from a LYSO scintillator crystal, wrapped with Lumirror, readout at both ends by means of Silicon Photomultipliers. With a detailed description of the data analysis procedure we show that our results point to a 400 ps coincidence resolving time and, at the same time, to a Depth-Of-Interaction resolution of 1 mm. These appealing features, along with the tiny 1.5 mm x 1.5 mm x 10 mm crystal size, are quite pro…
In this work, we report on the timing performances of the Time-Of-Flight (TOF) apparatus of the FRACAS large acceptance mass spectrometer designed to measure the fragmentation cross sections of a $^{12}$C beam in hadrontherapy. The TOF system is composed of a Parallel Plate Avalanche Counter and scintillating detectors to create so-called $Δ$E---TOF maps used in the fragment charge identification process. From tests with an alpha source and a $^{12}$C beam experiment, we measured a coincidence resolving time for the apparatus below 300 ps. Those results should lead in the final design to the i…
State-of-the-art attosecond metrology deals with the detection and characterization of photon pulses with typical energies up to the hundreds of eV and time resolution of several tens of attoseconds. Such short pulses are used for example to control the motion of electrons on the atomic scale or to measure inner-shell atomic dynamics. The next challenge of time-resolving the inner-nuclear dynamics, transient meson states and resonances requires photon pulses below attosecond duration and with energies exceeding the MeV scale. Here we discuss a detection scheme for time-resolving high-energy ga…
We study the possibility to use the Cherenkov light for the efficient detection of 511 keV photons with the goal to use it in TOF-PET. We designed and tested two detection modules consisting of PbF$_2$ crystals attached to Planacon MCP-PMT XP85012. Amplified PMT signals are digitized by the SAMPIC module with high readout rate, up to $10^5$ events/s, and a negligible contribution to the time resolution, below 20 ps (FWHM). We developed a fast 2D scanning system to calibrate the PMT time response and studied in details the timing characteristics of the Planacon PMT. Using a radioactive $^{22}$N…
Performance Evaluation of a High-Granularity LYSO-SiPM-Based Position-Sensitive Detector for a One-Shot Gamma-Scanning System with Sub-Millimeter Spatial Resolution
Indian Institute of Technology Ropar（印度技术研究所罗帕尔分校）；Gauhati University（高哈提大学）；GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung（GSI亥姆霍兹重离子研究中心）；Istanbul University（伊斯坦布尔大学）
We have been developing monolithic active pixel sensors, X-ray Astronomy SOI pixel sensors, XRPIXs, based on a Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) CMOS technology as soft X-ray sensors for a future Japanese mission, FORCE (Focusing On Relativistic universe and Cosmic Evolution). The mission is characterized by broadband (1-80 keV) X-ray imaging spectroscopy with high angular resolution ($<15$~arcsec), with which we can achieve about ten times higher sensitivity in comparison to the previous missions above 10~keV. Immediate readout of only those pixels hit by an X-ray is available by an event trigger ou…
