Abstract:Compton scattering tomography is widely used in numerous applications such as biomedical imaging, nondestructive industrial testing and environmental survey, etc. This paper proposes the use of the genetic algorithm (GA), which utilizes bio-inspired mathematical models, to construct an image of the insides of a test object via the scattered photons, from a voxel within the object. A NaI(Tl) scintillation detector and a 185 MBq 137 Cs gamma ray source were used in the experimental measurements. The obtained results show that the proposed GA based method performs well in constructing images of objects.
PACS
Purpose: In some gamma spectroscopy experiments, neutrons may also be present, so depending on experimental conditions, Gamma spectroscopy can be influenced by the presence of neutrons.
Materials and Methods: In this study, a NaI(Tl)(63 mm×63 mm) detector is used to investigate the effects of fast neutrons on the spectrum of gamma photons. The radiation source used in these experiments is made up of two point sources: an AmBe (50 mCi) neutron source and a 137Cs(10 mCi) gamma source.
Results: Results were determined through both measurements and Monte Carlo simulation (MCNPX) under two different experimental conditions and were compared. When the detector is placed under an angle to the source, gamma photon energy peaks resulting from inelastic interactions of the fast neutrons with the detector materials and surrounding materials in the energy range of 0.1-0.9(MeV) are pretty visible in the gamma main spectrum. These results can be used to optimize industrial tomography experiments carried out with NaI(Tl) scintillators.
Conclusion: Also, the results show that the detection of fast neutrons with a NaI(Tl) scintillator is possible with low efficiency.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.