Characterisation of a Pixelated Plastic Scintillator for a Coded Aperture Neutron/Gamma Imaging System

Cieslak, M. J. and Gamage, K. A.A. (2019) Characterisation of a Pixelated Plastic Scintillator for a Coded Aperture Neutron/Gamma Imaging System. In: IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium, Sydney, Australia, 10-17 Nov 2018, ISBN 9781538684948 (doi: 10.1109/NSSMIC.2018.8824465)

Abstract

This paper experimentally investigates, the suitability of an organic pixelated plastic scintillator for a coded aperture neutron/gamma imaging system. The scintillator used in this study has been designed as a small scaled detector with an individual pixel size of 2.8 mm × 2.8 mm × 15 mm. Individual blocks of the scintillator have been separated from one another with ESR TM reflector foil to provide over 70% of optical isolation between pixels. Individual scintillator cells are arranged into 13×13 array with overall dimension of 39.52 mm × 39.52 mm. In this study the scintillator was attached to a single channel photomultiplier tube to assess its pulse shape discrimination capabilities. Initially the scintillator was irradiated with 137Cs gamma-ray source, and gamma-ray pulses were benchmarked with respect to a mathematical model. The detector was then irradiated with a spontaneous fission source, 252 Cf, and preliminary results suggested good pulse shape discrimination potential of the scintillator. It is believed, that it is the first time a small scale pixelated organic plastic scintillator has been tested in context of PSD capabilities for a coded aperture neutron/gamma imaging system.

• Item Type: Conference Proceedings
• Additional Information: The authors would like to acknowledge the funding support from EPSRC via Faculty of Science and Technology, Lancaster University, U.K. and Sella field Ltd.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Gamage, Professor Kelum
• Authors: Cieslak, M. J., and Gamage, K. A.A.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Engineering > Systems Power and Energy
• ISSN: 2577-0829
• ISBN: 9781538684948
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2018 The Authors
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the copyright policy of the publisher