Gamma-ray Imaging Research Articles

Neutron Radiography: an Overview

Although similar to X-ray and gamma-ray radiography, neutron radiography (NR) is a separate NDT method that evaluates structures somewhat differently and reveals unique internal characteristics that are often difficult to interpret using other NDT methods. Solid metals, for example, can appear nearly transparent with NR, as when analyzing hydrogenous materials in composite structures or assemblies. Although NR got its start in the mid-1900s, the technology took several decades to mature and migrate out of academic research and government experimentation and into the profession of NDT. Even today, NR has limited applications but is gradually gaining traction, especially where conventional X-ray and gamma-ray imaging are not possible. This article provides an overview of the method, along with recent content from ASNT’s media channels.

High-contrast Compton camera: Challenges to high-quality and broadband imaging

In the field of nuclear medicine, various radiopharmaceuticals require wideband x-ray/gamma-ray imaging devices for clinical and treatment monitoring. Compton cameras, which perform imaging using high-energy gamma rays, have the potential to significantly increase the variety of radioactive nuclides that can be imaged. However, artifacts caused by the so-called “Compton cone” have hindered their clinical use. Therefore, we propose the use of a collimator to improve the contrast of images obtained using Compton cameras. In this study, we developed a high-contrast Compton camera by attaching a tungsten collimator to its front surface. The contrast is improved by applying weighting to the signals based on the distance that the high-energy gamma rays penetrated the collimator walls. As a demonstration, we visualized 198Au plates that emit 412-keV gamma rays with and without the collimator. In addition, low-energy (<200 keV) x-ray/gamma-ray imaging, which is difficult for conventional Compton cameras, was achieved by performing single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) using the collimator and scatterer of the Compton camera. We demonstrated broadband gamma-ray imaging by visualizing a 133Ba standard source using 81-keV and 356-keV gamma rays based on the principles of SPECT and Compton cameras, respectively.

Study on Photon Beam Imaging Properties of CsPbBr3-PP Scintillator: Monte Carlo Simulation Approach

Perovskite scintillators have garnered significant interest in the realm of gamma-ray imaging in the past few years. Here, a comprehensive investigation into the gamma-ray imaging properties of CsPbBr3-PP composite scintillators is presented, wherein the Monte Carlo simulation approach offered by Geant4 is utilized. The primary focus is on the point spread function and modulation transfer function of the material, elucidating the nuanced interactions between gamma-ray energy, scintillator thickness, and their resultant imaging capabilities. A key aspect of this study is the exploration of the nonlinear and inverse effect of scintillator thickness and the energy of the photon beam on the imaging quality, highlighting the trade-offs between energy deposition and image resolution. This research underscores the importance of optimizing the scintillator design to balance these factors, catering to specific applications in high-energy detection and imaging. This work not only contributes significantly to the field of material sciences and radiographic imaging, but also provides practical insights for the development of more effective scintillator-based detectors. The findings of this study have broad implications for the design and application of perovskite scintillators in various high-tech industries and scientific research.

Standardised formats and open-source analysis tools for the MAGIC telescopes data

Instruments for gamma-ray astronomy at Very High Energies (E>100GeV) have traditionally derived their scientific results through proprietary data and software. Data standardisation has become a prominent issue in this field both as a requirement for the dissemination of data from the next generation of gamma-ray observatories and as an effective solution to realise public data legacies of current-generation instruments. Specifications for a standardised gamma-ray data format have been proposed as a community effort and have already been successfully adopted by several instruments. We present the first production of standardised data from the Major Atmospheric Gamma-ray Imaging Cherenkov (MAGIC) telescopes. We converted 166h of observations from different sources and validated their analysis with the open-source software Gammapy. We consider six data sets representing different scientific and technical analysis cases and compare the results obtained analysing the standardised data with open-source software against those produced with the MAGIC proprietary data and software. Aiming at a systematic production of MAGIC data in this standardised format, we also present the implementation of a database-driven pipeline automatically performing the MAGIC data reduction from the calibrated down to the standardised data level. In all the cases selected for the validation, we obtain results compatible with the MAGIC proprietary software, both for the manual and for the automatic data productions. Part of the validation data set is also made publicly available, thus representing the first large public release of MAGIC data. This effort and this first data release represent a technical milestone toward the realisation of a public MAGIC data legacy.

Radiation Monitoring for Volatilized Zinc Contamination Using Gamma-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy

Abstract Gamma-ray imaging is a tool that has grown in importance in the applications of non-destructive assay (NDA) for radioactive survey and analysis of nuclear facilities. Imaging techniques have shown great promise in providing valuable information involving radioactive waste management and contamination prevention. For the application studied in this work, 65Zn has been identified as a radioactive contaminant during tritium extraction. Due to the volatile nature of 65Zn under the pressure and temperature changes during extraction operations, 65Zn can easily travel through components of the extraction system as vapor, making it difficult to trap. Previous research involving the development of a filtration system showed that the 65Zn can be trapped, mitigating product contamination. However, during the extraction process, direct analysis of the equipment to confirm that zinc contamination is trapped in the filter and has not spread to other components is impractical. In this situation, the need to assay the location of the contamination with little-to-no interference with operations is vital. In this work, we demonstrate the use of a commercialized 3D position-sensitive CdZnTe (CZT) gamma-ray imaging spectrometer to provide analysis of the 65Zn contamination. Onsite measurements during an extraction process are studied to assess the location and migration of the 65Zn. The results obtained from real-time glovebox monitoring demonstrate the feasibility of gamma-ray imaging for localizing the contamination and providing a preliminary qualitative assessment that is intended to be used in future work quantifying the contamination build-up and activity over time.

Constraints on VHE gamma-ray emission of flat spectrum radio quasars with the MAGIC telescopes

ABSTRACT Flat spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs) constitute a class of jetted active galaxies characterized by a very luminous accretion disc, prominent and rapidly moving line-emitting cloud structures (broad-line region, BLR), and a surrounding dense dust structure known as dusty torus. The intense radiation field of the accretion disc strongly determines the observational properties of FSRQs. While hundreds of such sources have been detected at GeV energies, only a handful of them exhibit emission in the very-high-energy (VHE, E$\gtrsim 100$ GeV) range. This study presents the results and interpretation derived from a cumulative observation period of 174 h dedicated to nine FSRQs conducted with the Major Atmospheric Gamma-ray Imaging Cherenkov telescopes from 2008 to 2020. Our findings indicate no statistically significant ($\ge$5$\sigma$) signal for any of the studied sources, resulting in upper limits on the emission within the VHE energy range. In two of the sources, we derived quite stringent constraints on the gamma-ray emission in the form of upper limits. Our analysis focuses on modelling the VHE emission of these two sources in search for hints of absorption signatures within the BLR radiation field. For these particular sources, constraints on the distance between the emission region and the central black hole are derived using a phenomenological model. Subsequently, these constraints are tested using a framework based on a leptonic model.

Wide-band X-ray and gamma-ray imaging for clinical application; visualization of pharmacokinetics in targeted alpha therapy

Targeted alpha therapy (TAT) is a nuclear medicine therapy which administers alpha-emitting drugs and causes localized and effective damage to tumors. To investigate whether the drugs accumulate in the tumor correctly, in-situ visualization of the distribution of the drugs is essential. Visualization of alpha-emitting drugs using X-rays and gamma rays emitted simultaneously with the alpha-rays is suggested in theranostics, a combination of therapy and diagnostics. Since various X-rays and gamma rays ranging from a few tens of keV to several MeV are emitted from the alpha-emitting radionuclides, wide-band X-ray and gamma-ray imagers are required for a more versatile visualization of alpha-emitting drugs. Therefore, we developed a hybrid Compton camera (HCC) to visualize broadband X-rays and gamma rays. In this study, we visualized representative alpha-emitting drugs, Ra-223 dichloride and At-211 NaAt, using HCC. Ra-223 dichloride in the human body was imaged using gamma rays around 300 keV, and in-vivo imaging of At-211 NaAt in a mouse was performed using 79-keV X-rays. This study demonstrates the potential of HCC as a versatile imaging device for alpha-emitting drugs.

Detailed analysis of local climate at the CTAO-North site on La Palma from 20 yr of MAGIC weather station data

ABSTRACT The Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos will host the northern site of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO), in an area about 200 m below the mountain rim, where the optical telescopes are located. The site currently hosts the MAGIC (Major Atmospheric Gamma-ray Imaging Cherenkov) telescopes, which have gathered a unique series of 20 yr of weather data. We use advanced profile-likelihood methods to determine seasonal cycles, the occurrence of weather extremes, weather downtime, and long-term trends correctly taking into account data gaps. The fractality of the weather data is investigated by means of multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis. The data are published according to the Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) principles. We find that the behaviour of wind and relative humidity show significant differences compared to the mountain rim. We observe an increase in temperature of $0.55\pm 0.07\mathrm{(stat.)}\pm 0.07\mathrm{(syst.)}$$^{\circ }$C decade−1, the diurnal temperature range of $0.13\pm 0.04\mathrm{(stat.)}\pm 0.02\mathrm{(syst.)}$$^{\circ }$C decade−1 (accompanied by an increase of seasonal oscillation amplitude of $\Delta C_m=0.29\pm 0.10\mathrm{(stat.)}\pm 0.04\mathrm{(syst.)}$$^{\circ }$C decade−1), and relative humidity of $4.0\pm 0.4\mathrm{(stat.)}\pm 1.1\mathrm{(syst.)}$ per cent decade−1, and a decrease in trade wind speeds of $0.85\pm 0.12\mathrm{(stat.)}\pm 0.07\mathrm{(syst.)}$ (km h−1) decade−1. The occurrence of extreme weather, such as tropical storms and long rains, remains constant over time. We find a significant correlation of temperature with the North Atlantic Oscillation Index and multifractal behaviour of the data. The site shows a weather-related downtime of 18.5 per cent–20.5 per cent, depending on the wind gust limits employed. No hints are found of a degradation of weather downtime under the assumption of a linear evolution of environmental parameters over time.

First look at neutron emission shape characteristics of ignition hotspots at the National Ignition Facility (invited)

The nuclear imaging system has been capturing neutron images of inertial confinement fusion (ICF) driven implosions for over a decade at the National Ignition Facility. This imaging system has evolved from one to three nearly orthogonal lines-of-sight, allowing for the study of three-dimensional shape characteristics of ignition shots. Limited-view tomography algorithms help visualize the burning hotspot in 3D and assess neutron source geometry using Legendre mode parameters. With its neutron, gamma-ray, and x-ray image reconstruction capabilities, NIS has provided critical insight into mechanisms that have limited implosion performance, such as fill tube diameter for ignition-type targets. This comprehensive diagnostic suite opens a window into the shape characteristics of ignition shots and how symmetry affects ICF implosion performance. In more recent ignition shots, neutron yields have visibly increased. Analyzing the shape and size of the reconstructed neutron source has shown an expansion of the burn volume, which is indicative of more efficient alpha heating during the implosion process.

Search for MeV gamma-ray emission from TeV bright red dwarfs with COMPTEL

The SHALON atmospheric Cherenkov telescope has detected very high energy gamma-ray emission at TeV energies from eight red dwarfs, namely, V388 Cas, V547 Cas, V780 Tau, V962 Tau, V1589 Cyg, GJ 1078, GJ 3684 and GL 851.1. Consequently, these red dwarfs have been suggested as sources of ultra-high energy cosmic rays. In this work, we search for soft gamma-ray emission from these TeV bright red dwarfs between 0.75–30 MeV using archival data from the COMPTEL gamma-ray imaging telescope, as a follow-up to a similar search for GeV gamma-ray emission using the Fermi-LAT telescope. Although, prima-facie, we detect non-zero photon flux from three red dwarfs with high significance, these signals can attributed to contamination from nearby sources such as Crab and Cygnus, which are within the angular resolution of COMPTEL, and have been previously detected as very bright point sources at MeV energies. Therefore, we could not detect any statistically significant signal (> 3σ) from any of these eight red dwarfs from 0.75–30 MeV. We then report the 95% confidence level upper limits on the differential photon flux (at 30 MeV), integral photon flux and integral energy flux for all of the eight red dwarfs. The integral energy flux limits range between 10-11 - 10-10-ergs/cm2/s.

Conceptual design of a gamma-to-electron energy-selective imaging system for high-flux MeV gamma rays

A novel design for energy-selective imaging of high-flux gamma rays in the multi-MeV range is presented. The proposed system is based on gamma-to-electron conversion and energy-selective imaging of the electrons. The main components of the system include a low-Z foil that converts MeV gamma-ray photons into electrons through Compton scattering, and a double-bend beam transport system that performs energy selection and point-to-point imaging for the electrons. The image of the energy-selected electrons can be used to obtain spatial information for incident gamma rays of interest energy, enabling energy-selective imaging of broad-spectrum gamma-ray beams. Design considerations and optimizations are detailed. Monte Carlo simulations are conducted to evaluate the performance in energy-selective imaging of broad-spectrum gamma-ray beams. The energy resolution for 4.44 MeV gamma-ray achieves 0.41 MeV (FWHM) with a quantum efficiency of 2.5 × 10−6 e/γ, and the spatial resolution is approximately 1 mm and 2.5 mm within a 60 × 60 mm field of view in the horizontal (x) and vertical (y) directions, respectively.

Determining the Position of Gamma-Ray Interaction Using Large Scintillation Detectors and the Least Number of Photomultiplier Tubes

Determining the position of interaction is of great interest for gamma-ray imaging in various nuclear applications. Among all gamma-ray detectors, scintillation detectors are commonly exploited for imaging purposes because they can be prepared in large dimensions and are economically affordable. In this work, the general shape of the measured gamma-ray spectra of two long and large-area plastic scintillation detectors are analyzed by artificial neural networks to determine the position of interaction in one and two dimensions (1D and 2D), respectively. The position of interaction was treated as the position of a 137Cs gamma-ray point source on the long and large-area scintillation detectors. Utilizing this method, only one photomultiplier tube (PMT) was used for 1D positioning of interaction in a 4 × 4 × 35-cm3 long plastic detector, while just two PMTs were applied for 2D positioning of interaction in a 50 × 50 × 5-cm3 large-area plastic detector. The position of interaction in the long detector was determined with a resolution of 1 cm and a mean absolute error of less than 1%, while a resolution of 5 cm with a mean absolute error of 13% was achieved for the large-area detector.

The Large Imaging Spectrometer for Solar Accelerated Nuclei (LISSAN): A next-generation solar gamma-ray spectroscopic imaging instrument concept

We present the Large Imaging Spectrometer for Solar Accelerated Nuclei (LISSAN), a new solar dedicated satellite instrument concept. LISSAN relies on an indirect Fourier imaging technique valid over an energy range from 40 keV up to 100 MeV. Spatial information is encoded into 15 moiré patterns by 15 pairs of slightly offset grids (bigrids) separated by a fixed distance enabling a predicted spatial resolution of 10”. The time, location, and energy of each incoming photon is recorded via a pixelated gadolinium aluminium gallium garnet (GAGG) crystal scintillator detector placed in alignment with each bigrid, therefore providing simultaneous imaging and spectroscopy from the same imaging system. X-ray and gamma-ray emission are key diagnostics of electron and ion acceleration, respectively. However, despite being a fundamental process that occurs throughout the Universe, particularly in the solar atmosphere, only one resolved gamma-ray image of ion acceleration in a solar flare has ever been achieved. LISSAN will shed new light on this process by providing spectral resolution better than 1.5% FWHM at 6.1 MeV, an imaging effective area at 2.2 MeV of 100 cm2 (more than 25 times greater than past missions such as RHESSI) and a 10 s cadence. Thanks to these significant advances over the previous satellite-based solar detectors, LISSAN will provide reliable imaging and the spectral characterization of both electron and ion acceleration in solar eruptive events simultaneously for the first time, enabling to it to answer several important open questions regarding solar particle acceleration and the initiation of space weather events.

Methodological principles of searching for disposal sites of radioactively contaminated materials by geophysical methods

This article is devoted to radiometric studies at one of the sites of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant (the “Sandy Plateau” site), which is located on the south-eastern outskirts of the city of Pripyat. Radioactive substances, both artificial and natural, resulting from incidents and disasters at nuclear facilities pose the greatest danger. The disposal sites for radioactively contaminated materials considered in this work are sources of groundwater pollution. Currently, there is a problem of searching for their location for reburial in specialized stationary burial grounds, to solve which detailed complex geophysical studies are used. Various geophysical methods are considered, including micro-sensing and radiometric studies, to determine the location of burials. Particular attention is paid to the analysis and interpretation of geophysical data, as well as the economic and practical aspects of the application of these methods. As a result of the study, it was established: that when searching and studying burial sites of radioactively contaminated materials, the use of surface gamma photography makes it possible to assess the level of radioactive contamination of the upper layers of the soil (to a depth of 0.8-1 m). However, if the thickness of buried radioactively contaminated materials exceeds a certain level, which leads to weak contamination of rocks at a depth of more than 1-1.5 m, then burial objects may go undetected when using only gamma-ray imaging. In such cases, microgamma probing becomes an effective method. Increased values of exposure dose rate and the nature of microgamma sounding curves serve as indicators of the presence (increase in exposure dose rate with depth) or absence (sharp decrease in exposure dose rate with depth) of radioactively contaminated materials in the studied area.

An experimental feasibility study of a 4π gamma-ray imager using detector response patterns

We constructed a gamma-ray imager that estimates the distribution of gamma-ray sources based on the response patterns of multiple gamma-ray detectors randomly positioned in three-dimensional space. The Coded Cube Camera for Gamma-ray (C3G), comprising eight Gd3Al2Ga3O12 (Ce) scintillator and eighteen lead cubes is housed in a cubical casing with an 86 mm edge length and weighs approximately 600 g. The results of the 4π imaging experiment confirmed the feasibility of imaging a 10 MBq 137Cs source 3 m away for a 10 min measurement. C3G operates with only eight channels, instead of the hundreds needed by a typical imager. This setup allows for a simplified circuit and reconstruction algorithm, resulting in a cost-effective and reliable system. With its compact and lightweight design and 4π field of view, this technology is expected to find extensive applications in astronomy, medicine, nuclear security, and decommissioning projects.

Reconstruction method for gamma-ray coded-aperture imaging based on mask and anti-mask functions

Gamma-ray coded-aperture imaging technology plays an important role in nuclear security, decommissioning of nuclear facilities, and nuclear medicine diagnosis. However, under near-field imaging condition, artifacts in the reconstructed image can interfere with identifying the shape and position of the radioactive source. In this paper, a gamma-ray coded-aperture imaging method based on mask and anti-mask functions was proposed to suppress imaging artifacts and speed up the acquisition of low-noise reconstructed images. Through simulation, the effects of the number of iterations and the thickness of the coded-aperture collimator on the imaging quality were studied, and the range of the optimal correction factor in the method was determined. Imaging experiments were conducted using a compact coded-aperture gamma camera based on CdZnTe detector to verify the applicability of the optimal correction factor range. The limitations of the proposed method were analyzed through complex-shaped source imaging simulations and multi-source imaging experiments. This method has an insufficient suppression effect on random artifacts and requires further improvement in imaging irregular radioactive sources. However, it has good imaging performance for single-point source and multi-point sources, effectively reducing regular cross-shaped and stripe-like artifacts. In the non-uniform radioactive background, it can eliminate a part of artifacts, significantly improving imaging quality. Therefore, this method has potential applications in complex radioactive environments.

Experimental Demonstration of a Tunable Energy-Selective Gamma-Ray Imaging System Based on Recoil Electrons

The domain of gamma-ray imaging necessitates technological advancements to surmount the challenge of energy-selective imaging. Conventional systems are constrained in their dynamic focus on specific energy ranges, a capability imperative for differentiating gamma-ray emissions from diverse sources. This investigation introduces an innovative imaging system predicated on the detection of recoil electrons, addressing the demand for adjustable energy selectivity. Our methodology encompasses the design of a gamma-ray imaging system that leverages recoil electron detection to execute energy-selective imaging. The system’s efficacy was investigated experimentally, with emphasis on the adaptability of the energy selection window. The experimental outcomes underscore the system’s adeptness at modulating the energy selection window, adeptly discriminating gamma rays across a stipulated energy spectrum. The results corroborate the system’s adaptability, with an adjustable energy resolution that coincides with theoretical projections and satisfies the established criteria. This study affirms the viability and merits of utilizing recoil electrons for tunable energy-selective gamma-ray imaging. The system’s conceptualization and empirical validation represent a notable progress in gamma-ray imaging technology, with prospective applications extending from medical imaging to astrophysics. This research sets a solid foundation for subsequent inquiries and advancements in this domain.

A Simple but Powerful Method to Reduce Background Noise in Celestial Gamma-Ray Images

Reducing background noise is essential for clear data analysis and signal detection. In this study, we introduce a novel denoising algorithm tailored for gamma-ray astronomical data, utilizing local density sampling techniques. The proposed algorithm preferentially amplifies regions of high local density, which are indicative of potential sources, while diminishing the influence of low-density areas. This selective enhancement significantly bolsters the performance of clustering algorithms in pinpointing point sources, effectively minimizing the interference of high-density noise that could be mistaken for genuine sources. We have implemented this algorithm on Fermi Large Area Telescope data, and our results showcase a marked advancement in the clustering algorithm's capacity to discard false sources.

CdZnTe semiconductor-based dual imager combining collimatorless and Compton imaging: Monte Carlo simulation

Compton imaging excels at visualizing gamma rays in the range of several hundred kiloelectronvolts to several megaelectronvolts. However, this technique has limitations in the imaging of low-energy gamma rays. In contrast, collimatorless imaging technique determines the location of a source by analyzing the distribution of interactions. Because the collimatorless imaging technique excels at imaging low-energy gamma rays that are easily shielded by detector components, it can compensate for the shortcomings of the Compton imaging technique. In this study, we propose a dual-mode imaging technique that selects the imaging method depending on the target gamma-ray energy and fuses them during reconstruction. The collimatorless imaging method demonstrated high angular resolution at low energy levels, whereas the Compton image surpasses it starting from 200 keV within its reconstructible range. The angular resolution of the dual-mode image was between those of the two methods. The trend of the positional error of gamma ray energy was similar to that of the angular resolution, and the dual-mode method exhibited the lowest average error of 0.7°. The dual imaging method exhibited higher efficiency, figure of merit, and signal-to-noise ratio by utilizing events from both imaging modalities. In addition, we investigated the geometrical effects of various structures.

Direct comparison of SiPM and PMT sensor performances in a large-size imaging air Cherenkov telescope

The peak photon detection efficiency (PDE) of silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) can be as good or better than the PDE of photomultiplier tubes (PMTs). There are experiments where the signal is measured in the presence of a strong, steady background light emission. In these, one needs to accurately evaluate the signal-to-noise ratio. Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes (IACT) observe in the presence of strong noise induced by the light of the night sky. It is certainly interesting to investigate the SiPM performance under operational conditions of IACTs and to compare it with that of the PMTs.For that purpose, we built a SiPM-based detector module, which was installed in one of the imaging cameras of the two Major Atmospheric Gamma-ray Imaging Cherenkov (MAGIC) telescopes in 2015. The experience gained from that module was used to design the second generation of modules of improved performance. Two such modules were installed in 2017.MAGIC is a system of two IACTs located on the Canary Island of La Palma. The mechanical structure of the MAGIC imaging cameras offers the possibility to install up to 6 additional detector modules of 7 pixels each into the open vertices of the hexagonal-shaped camera. This allows us to directly, without making any assumption, compare the performance of the PMT-based modules with that of the SiPM-based prototype modules, where SiPMs from three different manufacturers are used.