Physics of radiation detectors - 5PMBPRD7

Goal(s)

The purpose of this lecture is to provide the students with a description of the main detection principles for charged (electron, proton, alpha) and neutral (photon and neutrons) particles. The course presents the most common devices used in nuclear medicine (both imagery and therapy) with an emphasis on gazeous detectors, semi-conductor devices and scintillators detectors.
For the lab works, the students work in a team of two during 8 hours sessions. Four topics are addressed: alpha/gamma spectroscopies, gamma-gamma coincidences and PET scan.

Content(s)

I. Introduction

Reminder : interaction particle-matter
General operating of a detector
Statistics and error propagation

II. General characteristics of a detector

Sensitivity & linearity
Efficiency and resolution power
dead time

III. Gazeous detectors

Ionisation, excitation and recombination
electron and ion transport
Operating modes of gazeous detectors
Signal shaping and Acquisition

IV. Semi-conductor devices

Reminder: basics of semi-conductors
Characterisitics of Germanium and Silicium devices
Use for photon detection

V. Scintillator devices

General properties and classification
organic scintillators
inorganic scintillators
gazaeous scintillators
Readout and Photomultipliers

Lab Works:

• alpha spectroscopy using a Silicon detector
• gamma spectroscopy using a germanium detector
• gamma/gamma coincidences with a scintillator
• PET scan

Basics of nuclear physics and interactions of radiations with matter