Scintillating fiber optics and their application in radiographic systems
- Ohio State Univ., Columbus, OH (United States). Dept. of Nuclear Engineering
This presents research to evaluate scintillating fiber optics (SFO's) as x-ray radiation imaging detectors. Currently, phosphor screens are used in radiographic x-ray systems. To enhance their detection efficiency requires thicker screens, which inevitably results in degradation of spatial resolution from lateral light dispersion. Scintillating fiber optics combine scintillating material with a dielectric waveguide. This configuration permits an increase in thickness of the scintillating material without significant dispersion of light, therefore, preserving spatial resolution with increased detection efficiency. This characteristic is advantageous for imaging of high-energy x-rays. A model, based on the basic physics of SFO's and the Monte Carlo modeling of radiation, was developed. The model provides a basis for analysis of the performance characteristics of SFO's which are important to their applications as radiation image detectors. An experimental evaluation of the performance of SFO's as radiation imaging detectors is reported. In this study, two types of Tb{sub 2}O{sub 3{minus}} based SFO's were studied using monoenergetic gamma rays, and both low- and high-energy x-ray sources. The study evaluated the overall detector efficiency by combining experimental measurements and analytical Monte Carlo methods. It was found that the detector efficiency was low when compared to phosphor screen. This, however, was due to low light production and not radiation efficiency. Therefore, through the use of light amplification, low detector efficiency was compensated for without affecting spatial resolution.
- OSTI ID:
- 5012871
- Journal Information:
- IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); (United States), Vol. 38:2; ISSN 0018-9499
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
RADIATION DETECTORS
EFFICIENCY
FIBER OPTICS
PERFORMANCE
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
GAMMA RADIATION
IMAGE SCANNERS
MONTE CARLO METHOD
NUCLEAR MEDICINE
PHOSPHORS
SCINTILLATIONS
TERBIUM OXIDES
WAVEGUIDES
X-RAY DETECTION
CHALCOGENIDES
DATA
DETECTION
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
INFORMATION
IONIZING RADIATIONS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MEDICINE
NUMERICAL DATA
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RADIATION DETECTION
RADIATIONS
RARE EARTH COMPOUNDS
TERBIUM COMPOUNDS
550602* - Medicine- External Radiation in Diagnostics- (1980-)