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Continuous scintillator-based detectors have been considered as a competitive and cheaper approach than highly pixelated discrete crystal positron emission tomography (PET) detectors, despite the need for algorithms to estimate 3D gamma interaction position. In this work, we report on the implementation of a positioning algorithm to estimate the 3D interaction position in a continuous crystal PET detector using a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA). The evaluated method is the Statistics-Based Processing (SBP) technique that requires light response function and event position characterization. An algorithm has been implemented using the Verilog language and evaluated using a data acquisition board that contains an Altera Stratix III FPGA. The 3D SBP algorithm was previously successfully implemented on a Stratix II FPGA using simulated data and a different module design. In this work, improvements were made to the FPGA coding of the 3D positioning algorithm, reducing the total memory usage to around 34%. Further the algorithm was evaluated using experimental data from a continuous miniature crystal element (cMiCE) detector module. Using our new implementation, average FWHM (Full Width at Half Maximum) for the whole block is 1.71±0.01 mm, 1.70±0.01 mm and 1.632±0.005 mm for x, y and z directions, respectively. Using a pipelined architecture, the FPGA is able to process 245,000 events per second for interactions inside of the central area of the detector that represents 64% of the total block area. The weighted average of the event rate by regional area (corner, border and central regions) is about 198,000 events per second. This event rate is greater than the maximum expected coincidence rate for any given detector module in future PET systems using the cMiCE detector design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulse shape discrimination applied to certain fast scintillators is usually performed offline. In sufficiently high-event rate environments data transfer and storage become problematic, which suggests a different analysis approach. In response, we have implemented a general purpose pulse shape analysis algorithm in the XIA Pixie-500 and Pixie-500 Express digital spectrometers. In this implementation waveforms are processed in real time, reducing the pulse characteristics to a few pulse shape analysis parameters and eliminating time-consuming waveform transfer and storage. We discuss implementation of these features, their advantages, necessary trade-offs and performance. Measurements from bench top and experimental setups using fast scintillators and XIA processors are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The SeaQuest experiment (Fermilab E906) detects pairs of energetic μ + and μ − produced in 120 GeV/c proton–nucleon interactions in a high rate environment. The trigger system consists of several arrays of scintillator hodoscopes and a set of field-programmable gate array (FPGA) based VMEbus modules. Signals from up to 96 channels of hodoscope are digitized by each FPGA with a 1-ns resolution using the time-to-digital convertor (TDC) firmware. The delay of the TDC output can be adjusted channel-by-channel in 1-ns step and then re-aligned with the beam RF clock. The hit pattern on the hodoscope planes is then examined against pre-determined trigger matrices to identify candidate muon tracks. Information on the candidate tracks is sent to the 2nd-level FPGA-based track correlator to find candidate di-muon events. The design and implementation of the FPGA-based trigger system for SeaQuest experiment are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A compact, low-cost, wireless gamma-ray spectrometer is a tool sought by a number of different organizations in the field of radiation detection. Such a device has applications in emergency response, battlefield assessment, and personal dosimetry. A prototype device fitting this description has been constructed in the Advanced Radiation Instrumentation Laboratory at Oregon State University. The prototype uses a CsI(Tl) scintillator coupled to a solid-state photomultiplier and a 40MHz, 12-bit, FPGA-based digital pulse processor to measure gamma radiation, and is able to be accessed wirelessly by mobile phone. The prototype device consumes roughly 420mW, weighs about 28g (not including battery), and measures 2.54x3.81cm². The prototype device is able to achieve 5.9% FWHM energy resolution at 662keV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new pulse-processing electronics architecture for photomultipliers coupled to fast scintillators used in nuclear physics experiments is described. The system comprises a field programmable gate array (FPGA) based time-to-digital converter (TDC), as well as custom analog electronics for amplification and efficient analog signal processing. These electronics include separate fast and slow discrete amplifiers to extract the timing and energy information of the incident radiation on cerium doped lanthanum bromide scintillators. With the slow amplifier, a novel circuit that is able to convert energy information directly into pulse width with a linear dependence is introduced. Advanced and highly demanded features such as low-processing time, high data rate handling capabilities and long collection windows have been tested with radioactive ion-beams. These characteristics of pulse-processing modules will further push the boundaries of experimental freedom. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Astro-H is the sixth Japanese X-ray space observatory which will be launched in 2014. Two of onboard instruments of Astro-H, Hard X-ray Imager and Soft Gamma-ray Detector are surrounded by many number of large Bismuth Germanate (Bi4Ge3O12; BGO) scintillators. Optimum readout system of scintillation lights from these BGOs are essential to reduce the background signals and achieve high performance for main detectors because most of gamma-rays from out of field-of-view of main detectors or radio-isotopes produced inside them due to activation can be eliminated by anti-coincidence technique using BGO signals. We apply Avalanche Photo Diode (APD) for light sensor of these BGO detectors since their compactness and high quantum efficiency make it easy to design such large number of BGO detector system. For signal processing from APDs, digital filter and other trigger logics on the Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is used instead of discrete analog circuits due to limitation of circuit implementation area on spacecraft. For efficient observations, we have to achieve as low threshold of anti-coincidence signal as possible by utilizing the digital filtering. In addition, such anti-coincident signals should be sent to the main detector within to make it in time to veto the A–D conversion. Considering this requirement and constraint from logic size of FPGA, we adopt two types of filter, 8 delay taps filter with only 2 bit precision coefficient and 16 delay taps filter with 8 bit precision coefficient. The data after former simple filter provides anti-coincidence signal quickly in orbit, and the latter filter is used for detail analysis after the data is down-linked. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In a recent development of a fully digital spectrometer for time differential perturbed angular correlations a true constant fraction trigger (CFT) algorithm was implemented that, however, allowed for integer delays, i.e. integer multiples of the sampling interval, only. With a sampling rate of 1GS/s and BaF2 scintillators this turned out to be insufficient. Here, we present an extension of the algorithm to fractional delays implemented in field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs). Furthermore, we derive a criterion for the delay for optimum timing based on the steepest slope of the CFT signal. Experimental data are given for LaBr3(Ce) scintillators and 511keV–511keV prompt coincidences that corroborate the theoretical result. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: We present a single pixel prototype of a pixelated Bragg edge detector for neutron transmission measurements. The optical signal coming from a scintillator is collected by an optical fiber and is detected by an avalanche photodiode. A fast, Field Programmable Gate Array based, readout allows to obtain transmission spectra within reasonable acquisition times. The performances of the instrument have been tested by measuring the transmission spectra of iron powder samples with two different scintillators. The instrument accuracy in detecting the Bragg edges positions is comparable with the state of the art for similar devices. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The ATLAS Tile Calorimeter is a sampling detector composed by cells made of iron-scintillator tiles. The calorimeter cell signals are digitized in the front-end electronics and transmitted to the Read-Out Drivers (RODs) at the first level trigger rate. The ROD receives triggered data from up to 9856 channels and provides the energy, phase and quality factor of the signals to the second level trigger. The back-end electronics is divided into four partitions containing eight RODs each. Therefore, a total of 32 RODs are used to process and transmit the data of the TileCal detector. In order to emulate the detector signals in the production and commissioning of ROD modules a board called ROD Injector and Multiplexer Board (RIMBO) was designed. In this paper, the RIMBO main functional blocks, PCB design and the different operation modes are described. It is described the crucial role of the board within the TileCal ROD test-bench in order to emulate the front-end electronics during the validation of ROD boards as well as during the evaluation of the ROD signal reconstruction algorithms. Finally, qualification and performance results for the injection operation mode obtained during the Tile Calorimeter ROD production tests are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Muon telescopes have multiple applications in the area of cosmic ray research. We are currently building such a detector with the objective of comparing the ground penetration of muon vs. electron-gamma signals originated in cosmic ray showers. The detector is composed by a set of three parallel dual-layer scintillator planes, buried at fixed depths ranging from 120 to . Each layer is and is composed by 49 rectangular strips of , oriented at a angle with respect to its companion layer, which gives an pixel of . The scintillators are MINOS extruded polystyrene strips, with an embedded Bicron BC92 wavelength shifting (WLS) fibers, of 1.5mm in diameter. Light is collected by Hamamatsu H7546B multi-anode PMTs of 64 pixels. The front-end (FE) electronics works in counting mode and signals are transmitted to the surface DAQ stage using low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS). Any strip signal above threshold opens a GPS-tagged data collection window. Data, including signal and background, are acquired by a system of FPGA (Spartan 2E) boards and a single-board computer (TS7800). [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) are considered among the most promising sensors for positron emission tomography (PET) applications. To fully utilize the fast response of SiPMs, a 1-to-1 coupling configuration for scintillators and sensors is applied in SiPM-based detectors, leading to a vast number of channels to process. Previously, we have proposed a multi-voltage threshold (MVT) sampling method that can digitize scintillation pulses by means of simplified circuits. The feasibility of implementing MVT digitizers with only field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) was proven, and hence, a digital PET detector module based on SiPMs was developed. In this work, we report the performance of our upgraded detector modules based on an evaluation of a fully functional demonstrator system. The system has the form of a 12-sided ring with a 108 mm diameter and a 25 mm axial length composed of 6 detector modules. Our measurements show an energy resolution of 18.9% at 511 keV and a coincidence timing resolution of 354 ps. With an energy window of 450–650 keV, the absolute sensitivity at the center of the scanner is 1.11%. The spatial resolutions are 2.08, 2.19 and 2.24 mm in the radial, tangential and axial directions, respectively. Since inter-crystal scatter (ICS) can cause count loss in the system, a recovery scheme is employed for the same data. As a result, the sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratio in the uniform region for an image quality phantom increase by 83% and 19%, respectively. However, we observe a compromised time resolution of 419 ps and a deterioration of 7–12% in spatial resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]