EVALUATION OF CEF3 AS A SCINTILLATOR FOR HIGH-SPEED DYNAMIC PET IMAGING

A group of experimental tests and a set of computer simulations were r un to evaluate the feasibility of building PET detector modules (block s) with CeF3 crystals. The experimental tests were conducted 1) to com pare the light collection efficiencies of photomultiplier tubes with d ifferent types of entrance windows (i.e. quartz, UV glass and borosili cate glass); 2) to evaluate the light collection efficiency using diff erent types of reflective materials; and 3) to evaluate how many cryst als could realistically be decoded using CeF3 and a block design. Mont e Carlo computer simulations were run to determine the coincidence ape rture functions for different CeF3 crystal configurations (with and wi thout intercrystal septa). Overall, a detector block built with CeF3 w ill have a speed advantage over an equivalently designed BGO detector block. However because of the relatively low light output of CeF3, the recommended crystal block geometries would be either a 4 x 4 or a 5 x 5 crystal block coupled to two R1548 dual photocathode PMTs. Furtherm ore even with these relatively conservative decoding configurations, U V glass window PMTs would be required in order to collect enough light for energy thresholding and position decoding.