Positron emission tomography (PET) is a non-invasive imaging technique which utilizes positron-emitting radiopharmaceuticals (PERs) to characterize biological processes in tissues of interest. A PET scanner is usually composed of multiple scintillation crystal detectors placed in a ring so as to capture coincident photons from a position annihilation. These detectors require a crystal lookup table (CLUT) to map the detector response to the crystal of interaction. These CLUTs must be accurate, lest events get mapped to the wrong crystal of interaction degrading the final image quality. This work describes an automated algorithm, for CLUT generation, focused around Gaussian Mixture Models (GMM) with Thin Plate Splines (TPS). The algorithm was tested with flood image data collected from 16 detectors. The method maintained at least 99.8% accuracy across all tests. This method is considerably faster than manual techniques and can be adapted to different detector configurations. / February 2016

Scintillation based gamma-ray detectors are widely used in medical imaging, high-energy physics, astronomy and national security. Scintillation gamma-ray detectors are field-tested, relatively inexpensive, and have good detection efficiency. Semi-conductor detectors are gaining popularity because of their superior capability to resolve gamma-ray energies. However, they are relatively hard to manufacture and therefore, at this time, not available in as large formats and much more expensive than scintillation gamma-ray detectors. Scintillation gamma-ray detectors consist of: a scintillator, a material that emits optical (scintillation) photons when it interacts with ionization radiation, and an optical detector that detects the emitted scintillation photons and converts them into an electrical signal. Compared to semiconductor gamma-ray detectors, scintillation gamma-ray detectors have relatively poor capability to resolve gamma-ray energies. This is in large part attributed to the "statistical limit" on the number of scintillation photons. The origin of this statistical limit is the assumption that scintillation photons are either Poisson distributed or super-Poisson distributed. This statistical limit is often defined by the Fano factor. The Fano factor of an integer-valued random process is defined as the ratio of its variance to its mean. Therefore, a Poisson process has a Fano factor of one. The classical theory of light limits the Fano factor of the number of photons to a value greater than or equal to one (Poisson case). However, the quantum theory of light allows for Fano factors to be less than one. We used two methods to look at the correlations between two detectors looking at same scintillation pulse to estimate the Fano factor of the scintillation photons. The relationship between the Fano factor and the correlation between the integral of the two signals detected was analytically derived, and the Fano factor was estimated using the measurements for SrI₂:Eu, YAP:Ce and CsI:Na. We also found an empirical relationship between the Fano factor and the covariance as a function of time between two detectors looking at the same scintillation pulse. This empirical model was used to estimate the Fano factor of LaBr₃:Ce and YAP:Ce using the experimentally measured timing-covariance. The estimates of the Fano factor from the time-covariance results were consistent with the estimates of the correlation between the integral signals. We found scintillation light from some scintillators to be sub-Poisson. For the same mean number of total scintillation photons, sub-Poisson light has lower noise. We then conducted a simulation study to investigate whether this low-noise sub-Poisson light can be used to improve spatial resolution. We calculated the Cramér-Rao bound for different detector geometries, position of interactions and Fano factors. The Cramér-Rao calculations were verified by generating simulated data and estimating the variance of the maximum likelihood estimator. We found that the Fano factor has no impact on the spatial resolution in gamma-ray imaging systems.

<p>The scintillation crystal is a critical component in positron emission tomography (PET) systems. It impacts a number of PET system performance parameters, including spatial, energy, and time resolution. Our goal is to develop a new simulation tool to achieve improved accuracy by addressing several limitations in the existing packages, including more advanced surface treatments, temporal dependency of photon arrival, and rigorous experimental validations. The comparison of preliminary Monte Carlo simulation results and analytical calculations for specular reflection suggest that the simulation model is working well. The time-resolved light output was studied for various crystal surface treatment configurations. The measured energy resolutions are in the range of approximately 10% to 15%, which are in good agreement with published literatures. Based on the simulation and experimental results, the polished surface treatment, used together with an external specular reflector, is able to provide the best energy resolution and timing resolution for a LYSO (3x3x20 mm³) and SiPM assembly we tested. The AsCut surface with external diffusion reflector is not desired due to its inferior energy and timing resolutions. The direction and recommendation of improvements of simulation regarding surface models and wavelength dependency, as well as potential optimization of experiment such as timing pickoff methods, are discussed.</p> / Master of Science (MSc)

In preparation for the large backgrounds expected to be present in the Belle II detector from the SuperKEKB e+e- collider, the radiation hardness of several large (5 x 5 x 30 cm3) thallium doped cesium iodide (CsI(Tl)) scintillation crystals are studied. The crystal samples studied consist of 2 spare crystals from the Belle experiment using PIN diode readout and 7 spare crystals from the BaBar experiment using photomultiplier tube readout. The radiation hardness of the scintillation properties of the CsI(Tl) crystals was studied at accumulated 1 MeV photon doses of 2, 10 and 35 Gy. At each dose, the longitudinal uniformity of the crystals light yield, scintillation decay times, time resolution and energy resolution was measured. As the Belle II collaboration is considering an upgrade to pure CsI crystals if CsI(Tl) does not satisfy radiation hardness requirements, the scintillation properties of a pure CsI scintillation crystal were also measured and compared to the CsI(Tl) crystal measurements. In addition to experimental work, Monte Carlo simulations using GEANT4 were written to compare ideal pure CsI and CsI(Tl) crystals and to study the effects of radiation damage on the performance of the Belle II electromagnetic calorimeter. / Graduate

Des lots de scintillateurs orthosilicates et grenats dope terres rares ont été cristallisés par les méthodes micro-pulling down (μ-PD) et Czochralski. Pour la première fois des fibres Lu2xGd2 2xSiO5 dopées Ce (LGSO:Ce) (x = 0.5) ont été tirées par la méthode micro-pulling down (μ-PD). Dans le but de déterminer la concentration optimale de l'ion activateur avec les meilleurs paramètres de scintillation, la concentration du cérium dans le liquide a été variée dans l'intervalle 0.01-1.5 at%. La distribution spatiale des cations le long des cristaux LGSO :Ce tirés par la méthode de la micro-pulling down a été étudiée par microscopie à champ proche et microscopie Confocale à travers l'excitation du Ce3+ sur les sites cristallographiques du CeO6. Des fibres de composition Lu3A15O12 (LuAG) non dopées et dopées Ce3+ et Pr3+, des matrices mixtes (Lu, Y)3A15O12 (LuYAG) et Y3A15O12 (YAG) dopés Ce3+ ont été fabriqués pour évaluer les possibilités de développer un calorimètre dual-readout pour fonctionner dans le Grand collisionneur de hadrons du CERN. Les cristaux LuAG ont été choisis dans le but de détecter la scintillation (ion activateur) et les radiations Chernkov. Pour confirmer l'amélioration de la qualité des fibres cristallines à travers les conditions de croissance cristalline, nous avons réalisé des mesures d'atténuation le long des fibres. La bonne reproductivité des fibres a été vérifiée par des tests faisceau en conditions de calorimètre. Nous avons étudié la structure et la scintillation dans les cristaux appartenant à la solution solide Y3(Al1-xGax)5O12 :Ce. Les cristaux ont été tirés à partir de l'état liquide par la méthode Czochralski. La distribution des cations de la matrice a été étudiée. L'effet de la substitution du Al/Ga dans Y3(Al1-xGax)5O12 :Ce sur le rendement de scintillation a été déterminé. Le rendement de scintillation a atteint 130 % par rapport au grenat aluminium-yttrium dopé Ce. L'évolution des propriétés de luminescence en fonction de la substitution al/Ga a été étudiée / A set of rare earth orthosilicate and garnet scintillators were grown by the micropulling down (μ-PD) and Czochralski methods. Ce-doped Lu2xGd2 2xSiO5 (LGSO:Ce) fibers were grown by the micro-pulling down (μ-PD) method for the first time. In order to determine the optimal activator concentration with regard to the best scintillating parameters, cerium concentration in the melt was varied within 0.01-1.5 at.%. A set of results on optical and scintillation characteristics of the grown fibers with the different activator content was determined and discussed. Distribution of Gd3+ and Ce3+ in LGSO:Ce structure was compared to the Czochralski grown crystals. Spatial distribution of cations across LGSO:Ce scintillation shaped crystals grown by the micro-pulling-down method is studied using wide-field microscopy under simultaneous excitation of both cerium-related centers and confocal microscopy under selective excitation of Ce3+ in CeO6 crystallographic sites. Undoped fibers of Lu3Al5O12 (LuAG) and doped by Ce3+, Pr3+, mixed (Lu,Y)3Al5O12 (LuYAG) and Y3Al5O12 (YAG) both doped by Ce3+ were produced to evaluate a possibility of their potential use in the new dual-calorimeter planned to operate in the upgraded Large Hadron Collider in CERN. The choice of grown crystals was made to detect scintillation (activated materials) and Cherenkov radiation (LuAG). Growth conditions for the improvement of fibers quality were selected basing on measurements of attenuation length of the fibers. The activator segregation coefficient in LuAG:Ce and LuYAG:Ce fibers was evaluated by the cathodoluminescence measurements. The effect of annealing and radiation damage was studied. The good productivity of the grown fibers was verified on the test beam calorimeter. Structure and scintillation yield of Y3(Al1 xGax)5O12:Ce solid solution crystals are studied. Crystals are grown from melt by the Czochralski method. Distribution of host cations in crystal lattice is determined. The trend of light output at Al/Ga substitution in Y3(Al1-xGax)5O12:Ce is determined. Light output in mixed crystals reaches 130% comparative to Ce-doped yttrium–aluminum garnet. The evolution of luminescence properties at Al/Ga substitution is studied