Setup and operation of gamma-ray measurement systems to maximize detector lifetime and stability

David G. Penn; Carlos M. Grodsinsky

doi:10.1117/12.366580

19 October 1999 Setup and operation of gamma-ray measurement systems to maximize detector lifetime and stability

David G. Penn, Carlos M. Grodsinsky

Proceedings Volume 3768, Hard X-Ray, Gamma-Ray, and Neutron Detector Physics; (1999) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.366580
Event: SPIE's International Symposium on Optical Science, Engineering, and Instrumentation, 1999, Denver, CO, United States

Abstract

The details for optimizing gamma-ray measurement system for specific applications are not always well understood. The setup and operation of a system plays an important role in performance aspects such as maximizing detector lifetime, stability and minimizing the signal to noise ratio. In addition to system setup and operation, the effects of scintillation detector design and accompanying electronics (PMT) are discussed with respect to both gross counting and spectroscopy measurements in order to obtain reliable results. Data has been taken with various sodium iodide scintillation detectors to study system stability during transient such as power cycling and count rate fluctuations. These fluctuations may introduce substantial measurement uncertainty, and if not accounted for will propagate into an analyses. The above transients can also affect the detector lifetime, and if the system conditions are monitored properly, they can be used as a predictive tool for determining the useful life of a detector. Data is also presented to examine counting statistics in an overlapping spectrum as a function of spectral resolution and count rate. The objective is to determine the optimum counting time for the spectrum to reach a statistically stable shape. The data is reduced by examining the standard deviation of fitted Gaussian curves at ten second intervals. The result is a contour plat showing the time needed to reach stability, which increase with spectral resolution and decrease with a rising count rate.

Citation Download Citation

David G. Penn and Carlos M. Grodsinsky "Setup and operation of gamma-ray measurement systems to maximize detector lifetime and stability", Proc. SPIE 3768, Hard X-Ray, Gamma-Ray, and Neutron Detector Physics, (19 October 1999); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.366580

ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE

INSTITUTIONAL
Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.

SELECT YOUR INSTITUTION

PERSONAL
Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.

PERSONAL SIGN IN

No SPIE Account? Create one

PURCHASE THIS CONTENT

SUBSCRIBE TO DIGITAL LIBRARY

50 downloads per 1-year subscription

Members: $195

Non-members: $335 ADD TO CART

25 downloads per 1 - year subscription

Members: $145

Non-members: $250 ADD TO CART

PURCHASE SINGLE ARTICLE

Includes PDF, HTML & Video, when available

Members: $17.00

Non-members: $21.00 ADD TO CART

PROCEEDINGS
7 PAGES

DOWNLOAD PAPER SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

GET CITATION

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

Get copyright permission Get copyright permission on Copyright Marketplace

KEYWORDS

Sensors

Spectral resolution

Gamma radiation

Data acquisition

Monte Carlo methods

Scintillation

Crystals

Show All Keywords

Keywords/Phrases

Search In:

Publication Years