• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제55권11호
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• pp.4057-4065
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• 2023

Organic scintillators are widely used for neutron/gamma detection. Pulse shape discrimination algorithms have been commonly used to discriminate the detected radiations. These algorithms have several limits, in particular with plastic scintillator which has lower discrimination ability, compared to liquid scintillator. Recently, machine learning (ML) models have been explored to enhance discrimination performance. Nevertheless, obtaining an accurate ML model or evaluating any discrimination approach requires a reference neutron dataset. The preparation of this is challenging because neutron sources are also gamma-ray emitters. Therefore, this paper proposes a pipeline to prepare clean labeled neutron/gamma datasets acquired by an organic scintillator. The method is mainly based on a Time of Flight setup and Tail-to-Total integral ratio (TTT_ratio) discrimination algorithm. In the presented case, EJ276 plastic scintillator and ²⁵²Cf source were used to implement the acquisition chain. The results showed that this process can identify and remove mislabeled samples in the entire ToF spectrum, including those that contribute to peak values. Furthermore, the process cleans ToF dataset from pile-up events, which can significantly impact experimental results and the conclusions extracted from them.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• 제44권2호
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• pp.53-63
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• 2019

Background: As neutron fields are always accompanied by gamma rays, it is essential to distinguish neutrons from gamma rays in the detection of neutrons. Neutrons and gamma rays can be separated by pulse shape discrimination (PSD) methods. Recently, we performed characterization of a stilbene scintillator detector and an EJ-301 liquid scintillator detector with a high-speed digitizer DT5730 and investigated optimized PSD variables for both detectors. This study is for providing a basis for developing fast neutron/gamma-ray dual-particle imager. Materials and Methods: We conducted PSD experiments using stilbene scintillator and EJ-301 liquid scintillator and evaluated neutron and gamma ray discriminability of each PSD method with a $^{137}Cs$ gamma source and a $^{252}Cf$ neutron source. We implemented digital signal processing techniques to apply two PSD methods - the charge comparison (CC) method and the constant time discrimination (CTD) method - to distinguish neutrons from gamma rays. We tried to find optimized PSD variables giving the best discriminability in a given experimental condition. Results and Discussion: For the stilbene scintillator detector, the charge comparison method and the constant time discrimination method both delivered the PSD FOM values of 1.7. For the EJ-301 liquid scintillator detector, both PSD methods delivered the PSD FOM values of 1.79. With the same PSD variables, PSD performance was excellent in $300{\pm}100keVee$, $500{\pm}100keVee$, and $700{\pm}100keVee$ energy regions. This result shows that we can achieve an effective discrimination of neutrons from gamma rays using these scintillator detector systems. Conclusion: We applied both PSD methods to a stilbene and a liquid scintillator and optimized the PSD performance represented by FOM values. We observed a good separation performance of both scintillators combined with a high-speed digitizer and digital PSD. These results will provide reference values for the dual-particle imager we are developing, which can image both fast neutrons and gamma rays simultaneously.

• 한국의학물리학회지:의학물리
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• 제28권4호
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• pp.226-231
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• 2017

The aim is to investigate the spectra responsibilities of QD (Quantum Dot) for the innovation of new dosimetry application for therapeutic Megavoltage X-ray range. The unique electrical and optical properties of QD are expected to make it a good sensing material for dosimeter. This study shows the spectra responsibility of toluene based ZnCd QD and PPO (2.5-diphenyloxazol) mixed liquid scintillator. The QDs of 4 sizes corresponding to an emission wavelength (ZnCdSe/ZnS:$440{\pm}5nm$, ZnCdSeS:470, 500, $570{\pm}5nm$) were utilized. A liquid scintillator for control sample was made of toluene, PPO. The Composition of QD loaded scintillators are about 99 wt% Toluene as solvent, 1 wt% of PPO as primary scintillator and 0.05, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 wt% of QDs as solute. For the spectra responsibility of QD scintillation, they were irradiated for 30 second with 6 MV beam from a LINAC ($Infinity^{TM}$, Elekta). With the guidance of 1.0 mm core diameter optical fiber, scintillation spectrums were measured by a compact CCD spectrometer which could measure 200~1,000 nm wavelength range (CCS200, Thorlabs). We measured the spectra responsibilities of QD loaded organic liquid scintillators in two scintillation mechanisms. First was the direct transfer and second was using wave shifter. The emission peaks from the direct transfer were measured to be much smaller luminescent intensity than based on the wavelength shift from the PPO to QDs. The emission peak was shifted from PPO emission wavelength 380 nm to each emission wavelength of loaded QD. In both mechanisms, 500 nm QD loaded samples were observed to radiate in the highest luminescence intensity. We observed the spectra responsibility of QD doped toluene based liquid scintillator in order to innovate QD dosimetry applicator. The liquid scintillator loading 0.2 wt% of 500 nm emission wavelength QD has most superior responsibility at 6 MV photon beam. In this study we observed the spectra responsibilities for therapeutic X-ray range. It would be the first step of innovating new radiation dosimetric methods for radiation treatment.

• 대한방사선기술학회지:방사선기술과학
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• 제40권4호
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• pp.621-626
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• 2017

본 논문에서는 방사선치료 시 용적 선량 평가에 응용할 수 있는 광 도시메트리 시스템을 구축하고 100 MeV 고선속 양성자 빔에 대한 특성 평가를 수행하였다. 광 도시메트리 시스템은 액체 유기 섬광체와 카메라 렌즈, 고감도 저잡음 화상(complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor; CMOS) 카메라로 구성되며, 2 m 거리에 영상의 화각(field of view; FOV)이 15 cm가 되도록 설계 및 제작하였다. 구축된 광 도시메트리 시스템은 100 MeV 양성자 빔에 대하여 1~40 Gy 선량 범위에서 선량-출력의 직선성을 확인하였으며, 심부선량백분율 데이터와 등선량 곡선을 획득하였다. 본 연구에서는 용매의 인체조직등가성에 제한점이 있지만 광 도시메트리 절차를 확립하였으며, 새로운 용적 선량 평가법의 제안으로 그 의미가 있다.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제45권1호
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• pp.81-88
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• 2013

Neutron spectrum analyses of spallation neutrons are conducted in the accelerator-driven system (ADS) facility at the Kyoto University Critical Assembly (KUCA). High-energy protons (100 MeV) obtained from the fixed field alternating gradient accelerator are injected onto a tungsten target, whereby the spallation neutrons are generated. For neutronic characteristics of spallation neutrons, the reaction rates and the continuous energy distribution of spallation neutrons are measured by the foil activation method and by an organic liquid scintillator, respectively. Numerical calculations are executed by MCNPX with JENDL/HE-2007 and ENDF/B-VI libraries to evaluate the reaction rates of activation foils (bismuth and indium) set at the target and the continuous energy distribution of spallation neutrons set in front of the target. For the reaction rates by the foil activation method, the C/E values between the experiments and the calculations are found around a relative difference of 10%, except for some reactions. For continuous energy distribution by the organic liquid scintillator, the spallation neutrons are observed up to 45 MeV. From these results, the neutron spectrum information on the spallation neutrons generated at the target are attained successfully in injecting 100 MeV protons onto the tungsten target.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• 제42권1호
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• pp.16-20
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• 2017

Background: The design of deuteron accelerator neutron source facilities requires reliable yield estimation of gamma-rays as well as neutrons from deuteron-induced reactions. We have so foar measured systematically double-differential thick target neutron yields (DDTTNYs) for carbon, aluminum, titanium, copper, niobium, and SUS304 targets. In the neutron data analysis, the events of gamma-rays taken simultaneously were treated as backgrounds. In the present work, we have re-analyzed the experimental data for a thick carbon target with particular attention to gamma-ray events. Materials and Methods: Double-differential thick target gamma-ray yields from carbon irradiated by 5 and 9 MeV deuterons were measured using an NE213 liquid organic scintillator at the Kyushu University Tandem accelerator Laboratory. The gamma-ray energy spectra were obtained by an unfolding method using FORIST code. The response functions of the NE213 detector were calculated by EGS5 incorporated in PHITS code. Results and Discussion: The measured gamma-ray spectra show some pronounced peaks corresponding to gamma-ray transitions between discrete levels in residual nuclei, and the measured angular distributions are almost isotropic for both the incident energies. Conclusion: PHITS calculations using INCL, GEM, and EBITEM models reproduce the spectral shapes and the angular distributions generally well, although they underestimate the absolute gamma-ray yields by about 20%.