Scintillators are transparent materials that interact with high-energy particles and emit visible light as a result. They are used in state of the art methods of measuring high-energy particles and radiation sources. Most existing methods use fast single-pixel detectors to detect and time scintillation events. Cameras provide spatial resolution but can only capture an average over many events, making it difficult to image the events associated with an individual particle. Emerging single-photon avalanche diode cameras combine speed and spatial resolution to enable capturing images of individual events. This allows us to use machine vision techniques to analyze events, enabling new types of detectors. The main challenge is the very low brightness of the events. Techniques have to work with a very limited number of photons.
We propose a kaleidoscopic scintillator to increase light collection in a single-photon camera while preserving the event's spatial information. The kaleidoscopic geometry creates mirror reflections of the event in known locations for a given event location that are captured by the camera. We introduce theory for imaging an event in a kaleidoscopic scintillator and an algorithm to estimate the event's 3D position. We find that the kaleidoscopic scintillator design provides sufficient light collection to perform high-resolution event measurements for advanced radiation imaging techniques using a commercial CMOS single-photon camera.
We discuss a novel paradigm in the optical readout of scintillation radiation detectors. In one common configuration, such detectors are homogeneous and the scintillation light is collected and recorded by external photodetectors. It is usually assumed that imaging in such a photon-starved and large-emittance regime is not possible. Here we show that the appropriate optics, matched with highly segmented photodetector coverage and dedicated reconstruction software, can be used to produce images of the radiation-induced events. In particular, such a 'distributed imaging' system can discriminate …
A neutron time projection chamber can locate the approximate direction of a neutron hot spot with high efficiency and a 4π field of view. The angular resolution can be significantly improved by adding several plastic scintillation detectors and using coincidence events. The specific performances of such a coincidence imaging system are studied based on theoretical calculations and experimental results. The calculated value of the angular resolution is approximately 2° for the current system, which agrees well with the experimental results and sets an upper limit for the angular resolution of t…
We will discuss an imaging measurement with a single photon sensitive and low noise camera aiming to a new paradigm in the optical readout of scintillation detectors. The features of the single photon sensitive camera will be characterized and demonstrated with a measurement on double-slit Young's interference in single photon mode. An imaging test on CsI(Tl) crystal and alpha source will be performed further for preliminary measurements on the noise level and sensitivity of the system with a 1/2", f/1.4 lens, which reaches an sensitivity on light intensity around 1/10 of the 3-inch PMT and sh…
Bombardment of materials by high-energy particles (e.g., electrons, nuclei, X- and $γ$-ray photons) often leads to light emission, known generally as scintillation. Scintillation is ubiquitous and enjoys widespread applications in many areas such as medical imaging, X-ray non-destructive inspection, night vision, electron microscopy, and high-energy particle detectors. A large body of research focuses on finding new materials optimized for brighter, faster, and more controlled scintillation. Here, we develop a fundamentally different approach based on integrating nanophotonic structures into s…
Scintillation pulse characterization with spectrum-inspired temporal neural networks: case studies on particle detector signals
PLAC, Key Laboratory of Quark and Lepton Physics (MOE)（PLAC，夸克与轻子物理国家重点实验室）；Central China Normal University（中部师范大学）；Hubei Provincial Engineering Research Center of Silicon Pixel Chip & Detection Technology（湖北省硅像素芯片与探测技术工程研究中心）；Key Laboratory of Particle and Radiation Imaging (MOE), Department of Engineering Physics（粒子与辐射成像国家重点实验室，工程物理系）；Tsinghua University（清华大学）
As a novel approach on visual photon imaging by a single photon sensitive camera and PMTs, this work is trying to measure and identify muon tracks from the 2-D images of CsI(Tl) crystal (scintillator detectors). It is possible that muon tracks can be seen directly with a good signal-to-noise ratio neither with further amplification nor external light, which provides an evolution method for particle measurement in the photon-starved regime of scintillation detectors. The setup of the crystal and camera testing system and the identification algorithm of muon track will be discussed in detail inc…
Colossal two-phase Liquid Argon Time Projection Chambers (LAr TPCs) are a proposed option for future long-baseline neutrino experiments. This study illustrates the feasibility of using an EMCCD camera to capture light induced by single cosmic events in a two-phase LAr TPC employing a THGEM. An Andor iXon Ultra 897 EMCCD camera was externally mounted via a borosilicate glass viewport on the Liverpool two-phase LAr TPC. The camera successfully captured the secondary scintillation light produced at the THGEM holes that had been induced by cosmic events. The light collection capability of the came…
Liquid Xenon Detectors for Particle Physics and Astrophysics
本文综述了近20年来液体氙探测器的发展及其在粒子物理、天体物理和医学成像实验中的应用。我们首先总结了液体氙作为辐射探测介质的基本性质，根据最新的理论和实验信息。在简要介绍了不同类型的液体氙探测器后，我们继续回顾了过去，现在和未来的实验，使用液体氙寻找罕见的过程和图像辐射在空间和医学。我们将介绍每个应用程序的基本科学动机和实验要求的简要调查，然后审查每个实验的基本特征和预期性能。在这十年内，以不同模式运行的大容量液体氙探测器似乎将有助于回答粒子物理学，天体物理学和宇宙学中一些最基本的问题，满足最苛刻的探测挑战。从MEG这样的实验，目前运行中最大的液体氙闪烁探测器，致力于罕见的mu -> e +伽马衰变，到未来的XMASS，它也只利用液体氙闪烁来解决罕见事件搜索的雄心勃勃的计划，到时间投影室的类别，如XENON和EXO，它们利用液体氙的闪烁和电离来获得暗物质和无中微子双β衰变，分别，我们预计在未来几年无可匹敌的性能和重要贡献的物理学。
Conventional energy-integration black-white X-ray imaging lacks spectral information of X-ray photons. Although X-ray spectra (energy) can be distinguished by photon-counting technique typically with CdZnTe detectors, it is very challenging to be applied to large-area flat-panel X-ray imaging (FPXI). Herein, we design multi-layer stacked scintillators of different X-ray absorption capabilities and scintillation spectrums, in this scenario, the X-ray energy can be discriminated by detecting the emission spectra of each scintillator, therefore the multispectral X-ray imaging can be easily obtain…
Associated Particle Imaging (API) is a nuclear technique that allows for the nondestructive determination of 3D isotopic distributions. The technique is based on the detection of the alpha particles associated with the neutron emitted in the deuterium-tritium (DT) fusion reaction, which provides information regarding the direction and time of the emitted 14 MeV neutron. Inelastic neutron scattering leads to characteristic gamma-ray emission from certain isotopes, for example C-12, that can be correlated with the neutron interaction location. An API system consisting of a sealed-type neutron ge…
Development and characterization of the efficient portable X-ray imaging device based on Raspberry Pi camera
Kyungpook National University（庆北国立大学）；Cheongju University（清州大学）；Chiang Mai University（清迈大学）；Nakhon Pathom Rajabhat University（佛统皇家大学）；Institute for Nuclear Science and Technology, Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute（越南原子能研究所核科学与技术研究院）；Institute of Physics, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology（越南科学技术院物理研究所）
In recent years, demand for scintillation detectors with high time resolution (better than 100 ps) has emerged in high-energy physics and medical imaging applications. In particular, time of flight positron emission tomography (TOF-PET) can greatly benefit from increasing time resolution of scintillators, which leads to the increase of signal-to-noise ratio, decrease of patient dose, and achievement of the superior spatial resolution of PET images. Currently, extensive research of various types of materials is carried out to achieve the best time resolution. In this review, the recent progress…
In this study we present our preliminary report on the scintillation properties of new Ce-doped Tl2LaBr5 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 b…
Fast and bright scintillators for ultrafast materials dynamics using 4th generation synchrotron
Los Alamos National Laboratory（洛斯阿拉莫斯国家实验室）；University at Buffalo（布法罗大学）；Argonne National Laboratory（阿贡国家实验室）；Washington State University（华盛顿州立大学）；Brown University（布朗大学）；California Institute of Technology（加州理工学院）；Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory（费米国家加速器实验室）
The capture of scintillation light emitted by liquid Argon and Xenon under molecular excitations by charged particles is still a challenging task. Here we present a first attempt to design a device able to grab sufficiently high luminosity in order to reconstruct the path of ionizing particles. This preliminary study is based on the use of masks to encode the light signal combined with single-photon detectors. In this respect, the proposed system is able to detect tracks over focal distances of about tens of centimeters. From numerical simulations it emerges that it is possible to successfully…
An accurate and efficient event reconstruction is required to realize the full scientific capability of liquid argon time projection chambers (LArTPCs). The current and future neutrino experiments that rely on massive LArTPCs create a need for new ideas and reconstruction approaches. Wire-Cell, proposed in recent years, is a novel tomographic event reconstruction method for LArTPCs. The Wire-Cell 3D imaging approach capitalizes on charge, sparsity, time, and geometry information to reconstruct a topology-agnostic 3D image of the ionization electrons prior to pattern recognition. A second novel…
Silicon Photo-Multipliers (SiPMs) are detectors sensitive to single photons that are used to detect scintillation and Cherenkov light in a variety of physics and medical-imaging applications. SiPMs measure single photons by amplifying the photo-generated carriers (electrons or holes) via a Geiger-mode avalanche. The Photon Detection Efficiency (PDE) is the combined probability that a photon is absorbed in the active volume of the device with a subsequently triggered avalanche. Absorption and avalanche triggering probabilities are correlated since the latter probability depends on where the pho…
An electron-tracking Compton camera (ETCC) is a detector that can determine the arrival direction and energy of incident sub-MeV/MeV gamma-ray events on an event-by-event basis. It is a hybrid detector consisting of a gaseous time projection chamber (TPC), that is the Compton-scattering target and the tracker of recoil electrons, and a position-sensitive scintillation camera that absorbs of the scattered gamma rays, to measure gamma rays in the environment from contaminated soil. To measure of environmental gamma rays from soil contaminated with radioactive cesium (Cs), we developed a portable…
The CYGNO experiment: a gaseous TPC with optical readout for rare events searches
University of Coimbra（科英布拉大学）；Gran Sasso Science Institute（格兰萨索科学研究所）；Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso（格兰萨索国家实验室）；Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati（弗拉斯卡蒂国家实验室）；University of Sheffield（谢菲尔德大学）
