Speaker
Summary
Radiation accidents and related incidents are increasing worldwide, raising concerns about unintended radioactive contamination and the resulting risks to human health and the environment [1]. In such emergencies, rapid and accurate assessment of the spatial distribution and dose rate of radiation is essential. However, conventional environmental monitoring systems, typically based on a cylindrical NaI(Tl) scintillator, have notable limitations: (1) direction-dependent sensitivity, which causes dose measurement variations and necessitates additional calibration, and (2) bulky system design due to the use of photomultiplier tube (PMT) [2]. To overcome these issues, we propose a novel spherical radiation monitoring system that combines a spherical scintillator for isotropic sensitivity with a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) readout for compactness and simplicity. This configuration enables effective detection of radiation from all directions and facilitates the deployment of a flexible, scalable monitoring network. System performance was evaluated through both simulation and preliminary prototyping. Using the Geant4 Application for Tomographic Emission (GATE) toolkit, we conducted optical and radiation transport simulations. The proposed detector consists of a 50 mm-diameter plastic scintillator coupled to a 3 × 3 array of 6 mm² SiPMs. Optical simulations investigated the effects of surface treatments and reflector materials on SiPM light collection efficiency, while radiation transport simulations analyzed the directional uniformity of sensitivity. Based on these results, a prototype detector has been fabricated and experimentally validated using gamma ray sources. The proposed system is versatile and can be deployed in diverse environments, including underwater monitoring, vehicle mounted soil contamination assessment, and drone based aerial radiation surveys. By integrating isotropic detection with a compact SiPM based design, this system can enhance environmental radiation monitoring capabilities and contributes to improved preparedness for radiological emergencies and routine radiation safety operations.
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