Scintillator Pixel Detectors for Measurement of Compton Scattering

The Compton scattering of gamma rays is commonly detected using two detector layers, the first for detection of the recoil electron and the second for the scattered gamma. We have assembled detector modules consisting of scintillation pixels, which are able to detect and reconstruct the Compton scattering of gammas with only one readout layer. This substantially reduces the number of electronic channels and opens the possibility to construct cost-efficient Compton scattering detectors for various applications such as medical imaging, environment monitoring, or fundamental research. A module consists of a 4 × 4 matrix of lutetium fine silicate scintillators and is read out by a matching silicon photomultiplier array. Two modules have been tested with a 22 Na source in coincidence mode, and the performance in the detection of 511 keV gamma Compton scattering has been evaluated. The results show that Compton events can be clearly distinguished with a mean energy resolution of 12.2% ± 0.7% in a module and a coincidence time resolution of 0 . 56 ± 0 . 02 ns between the two modules.

LOW-SPIN STATES OF 76Se EXCITED IN 76Br(β++EC)76Se DECAY

The decay of bromine-76 was studied using high resolution HpGe detectors in singles and coincidence mode. Bromine-76 was produced via two reactions: 75 As (α,3 n )76 Br and 76 Se ( p , n )76 Br . The results of these experiments verified the previously reported levels of 76 Se . In addition to the previously described transitions and levels, 37 new γ-rays and 15 new energy levels were found for the first time.

Census of the Kuiper-Belt Objects - The Taiwan-America Occultation Survey (TAOS)

More than two hundred transneptunian Kuiper-Belt Objects (KBOs) have so far been identified. Because of their large distances from the Sun, and their intrinsically small sizes, only the largest members (diameters more than 100 km) can be observed by direct imaging with large telescopes. Even smaller KBOs, though expected to be more numerous on theoretical grounds, cannot be seen directly unless they happen to block out the light from background stars. The Taiwan-America Occultation Survey (TAOS) project is a collaboration among the Lawrence Livermore Laboratory (USA), Academia Sinica, National Central University (both of Taiwan), and other institutes, that aims to measure the frequency of such chance stellar occultations, and thereby conduct the census of the Kuiper-Belt population down to a few kilometer sizes. An array of robotic telescopes are being set up in central Taiwan to monitor the brightness variation of several thousand stars at a rate of a few Hz. Observations will be operated in a synchronized and coincidence mode, so the sequence and timing of any candidate occultation event can be recorded and distinguished against a false detection. The full survey is expected to start in the fall of 2000.