Spectrally resolved pulse height analysis for neutron-gamma discrimination

摘要

Typical practice of the present invention performs measurement and processing of two forms of light emissions—viz., unfiltered and filtered—of a core-valence luminescent (CVL) scintillator impinged by ionizing radiation emanating from a radioactive source. When unfiltered, the CVL scintillator light emission is inclusive of gamma emissions and neutron emissions. When filtered by a filtering apparatus that transmits CVL light only, the CVL scintillator light emission is inclusive of gamma emissions but is exclusive of neutron emissions. Algorithmic comparison between the two sets of empirical data provides discriminative information regarding gamma emissions versus neutron emissions. Essentially, the difference is taken between the unfiltered pulse height spectra data and the filtered pulse height data. The set of pulse height spectral data thus computed via subtraction is indicative of the portion of the CVL scintillator light emissions that is inclusive of neutron emissions but is exclusive of gamma emissions.

主权项

1. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having a computer readable program stored thereon for execution by a computer to perform a method for examining detected light emissions of a scintillator interacting with ionizing radiation from a radioactive source, the method including generating plural pulse height spectral data sets, wherein:
said scintillator is a core-valence luminescence scintillator that is capable, when interacting with said ionizing radiation from said radioactive source, of emitting light that includes gamma emissions and neutron emissions; each said pulse height spectral data set is based on electrical pulses generated by a light sensor that are indicative of said light that is received by said light sensor and that is emitted by a core-valence luminescence scintillator when interacting with said ionizing radiation from said radioactive source; said generating of said plural pulse height spectral data sets includes generating a first said pulse height spectral data set and generating a second said pulse height spectral data set; the first said pulse height spectral data set is based on electrical pulses generated by said light sensor that are indicative of unfiltered said light that is emitted by said core-valence luminescence scintillator when interacting with said ionizing radiation from said radioactive source; the second said pulse height spectral data set is based on electrical pulses generated by said light sensor that are indicative of filtered said light that is emitted by said core-valence luminescence scintillator when interacting with said ionizing radiation from said radioactive source; the unfiltered said light that is emitted by said core-valence luminescence scintillator when interacting with said ionizing radiation from said radioactive source includes said gamma emissions by said core-valence luminescence scintillator, and includes said neutron emissions by said core-valence luminescence scintillator; the filtered said light that is emitted by said core-valence luminescence scintillator when interacting with said ionizing radiation from said radioactive source includes said gamma emissions by said core-valence luminescence scintillator, and does not include said neutron emissions by said core-valence luminescence scintillator.