OPERATION OF A BAF(2)-TMAE PROTOTYPE DETECTOR

A fully optimised BaF2-TMAE detector has been developed for use in Pos itron Emission Tomography (PET). As part of this work we have attempte d to optimise the performance of this technology with respect to effic iency, timing (resolution and deadtime), and spatial resolution for 51 1 keV photons. We report for the first time on the detailed operation of our detector. Under stable operating conditions over an 8 hour peri od, we consistently obtain an absolute detection efficiency of 23.5% f or an 8 mm thick crystal, simultaneously with 4 ns FWHM and 9.5 FWTM t iming resolution and a spatial resolution of 6 mm FWHM. We also discus s how these parameters affect the performance of a full-size camera ba sed on BaF2-TMAE detectors.