The Compton scattering of gamma rays is commonly detected using two detector layers, the first for detection of the recoil electron and the second for the scattered gamma. We have assembled detector modules consisting of scintillation pixels, which are able to detect and reconstruct the Compton scattering of gammas with only one readout layer. This substantially reduces the number of electronic channels and opens the possibility to construct cost-efficient Compton scattering detectors for various applications such as medical imaging, environment monitoring, or fundamental research. A module consists of a 4 × 4 matrix of lutetium fine silicate scintillators and is read out by a matching silicon photomultiplier array. Two modules have been tested with a 22 Na source in coincidence mode, and the performance in the detection of 511 keV gamma Compton scattering has been evaluated. The results show that Compton events can be clearly distinguished with a mean energy resolution of 12.2% ± 0.7% in a module and a coincidence time resolution of 0 . 56 ± 0 . 02 ns between the two modules.

Measurement of gamma-ray polarization can provide valuable insight in different areas of physics research. One possible application is in Positron Emission Tomography, where the annihilation quanta with orthogonal polarizations are emitted. Since polarization can be measured via Compton scattering, the initial orthogonality of polarizations can be translated to correlation of azimuthal scattering angles, and this correlation may be exploited as an additional handle to identify the true coincidence events. In order to examine the concept of utilizing the polarization correlations in PET, we have used a system of two compact, position and energy-sensitive Compton scattering detectors in coincidence mode. Each consists of a single matrix of scintillation pixels, read-out by a matching array of Silicon photomultipliers on the back side. The Compton events in each module are clearly identified and the scattering angles are reconstructed from the energy deposition and event topology. We have extracted the polarimetric modulation factors from the distributions of the difference of the azimuthal angles of the two Compton-scattered gammas and studied their dependence on Compton scattering angles θ and on azimuthal resolution ∆φ. For scattering angles around θ1,2 = 82 • , where the maximum modulation is expected, the modulation factors from µ = 0.15 ± 0.01 to µ = 0.27 ± 0.02 have been measured, depending on the azimuthal resolution, which is governed by event topology in the detectors. Analogously, for scattering around θ1,2 = 70 • , modulation factors from µ = 0.12 ± 0.01 to µ = 0.21 ± 0.02 have been obtained. The results show that the measurement of the polarization correlations of annihilation quanta are feasible with compact single-layer, single-side read-out detectors, which may be used to build cost-efficient systems for various applications where gamma-ray polarization information is of interest.

No abstract

An enormous increase in the application of wireless communication in recent decades has intensified research into consequent increase in human exposure to electromagnetic (EM) radiofrequency (RF) radiation fields and potential health effects, especially in school children and teenagers, and this paper gives a snap overview of current findings and recommendations of international expert bodies, with the emphasis on exposure from Wi-Fi technology indoor devices. Our analysis includes over 100 in vitro, animal, epidemiological, and exposure assessment studies (of which 37 in vivo and 30 covering Wi-Fi technologies). Only a small portion of published research papers refers to the “real” health impact of Wi-Fi technologies on children, because they are simply not available. Results from animal studies are rarely fully transferable to humans. As highly controlled laboratory exposure experiments do not reflect real physical interaction between RF radiation fields with biological tissue, dosimetry methods, protocols, and instrumentation need constant improvement. Several studies repeatedly confirmed thermal effect of RF field interaction with human tissue, but non-thermal effects remain dubious and unconfirmed.