| Popis: |
Dual particle imaging, in which both neutrons and gamma-rays in the environment can be individually characterized, is particularly attractive for monitoring mixed radiation emitters such as special nuclear materials (SNM). Typical dual particle imagers (DPIs) are not readily deployable and easily portable for hand-held applications because they are implemented using bulky single-crystal scintillators and photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) implemented with a 1:1 channel readout. Effective SNM localization and detection also benefits from high instrument sensitivity so that real-time imaging or imaging with a limited number of acquired events is enabled. We have developed a hand-held type DPI equipped with a pixelated stilbene-silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) array module and low sampling-rate analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) processed via a multiplexed readout. The stilbene-SiPM array (12 × 12 pixels) is capable of effectively performing pulse shape discrimination (PSD) between gamma-ray and neutron events and neutron/gamma-ray source localization on the imaging plane, as demonstrated with 252Cf neutron/gamma and 137Cs gamma-ray sources. The low sampling rate ADCs connected to the stilbene-SiPM array module result in a compact instrument with high sensitivity that provides a gamma-ray image of a 137Cs source, producing 6.4 μR/h at 1 m, in less than 69 seconds. A neutron image for a 3.5 × 105 n/s 252Cf source can also be obtained in less than 6 minutes at 1 m from the center of the system. The instrument images successfully with field of view of 50° and provides angular resolution of 6.8°. |
