Positron source position sensing detector and electronics

Patent · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:865526

Burnham, Charles A ^[1]; Kaufman, David E ^[2]; Chesler, David A ^[3]; Brownell, Gordon L ^[4]

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1. South Essex, MA
2. Brockton, MA
3. Newton Highlands, MA
4. Cambridge, MA

A positron source, position sensing device, particularly with medical applications, in which positron induced gamma radiation is detected using a ring of stacked, individual scintillation crystals, a plurality of photodetectors, separated from the scintillation crystals by a light guide, and high resolution position interpolation electronics. Preferably the scintillation crystals are several times more numerous than the photodetectors with each crystal being responsible for a single scintillation event from a received gamma ray. The light guide will disperse the light emitted from gamma ray absorption over several photodetectors. Processing electronics for the output of the photodetectors resolves the location of the scintillation event to a fraction of the dimension of each photodetector. Because each positron absorption results in two 180.degree. oppositely traveling gamma rays, the detection of scintillation in pairs permits location of the positron source in a manner useful for diagnostic purposes. The processing electronics simultaneously responds to the outputs of the photodetectors to locate the scintillations to the source crystal. While it is preferable that the scintillation crystal include a plurality of stacked crystal elements, the resolving power of the processing electronics is also applicable to continuous crystal scintillators.

• Research Organization: Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Albuquerque, NM, and Livermore, CA
• Assignee: Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston, MA)
• Patent Number(s): US 4531058
• OSTI ID: 865526
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

/250/
180
absorption
applicable
applications
continuous
crystal
crystal elements
crystals
degree
detected
detection
detector
device
diagnostic
diagnostic purposes
dimension
disperse
electronics
elements
emitted
event
fraction
gamma
gamma radiation
gamma ray
gamma rays
guide
individual
induced
interpolation
light
light emitted
light guide
locate
location
manner
medical
medical applications
numerous
oppositely
output
outputs
pairs
particularly
permits
photodetector
photodetectors
plurality
position
position sensing
positron
positron source
power
preferable
preferably
processing
processing electronics
purposes
radiation
ray
rays
received
resolution
resolution position
resolves
resolving
resolving power
responds
responsible
results
scintillation
scintillation crystal
scintillation crystals
scintillations
scintillators
sensing
sensing detector
sensing device
separated
simultaneously
single
source
source position
stacked
times
traveling
useful