RADIATION POSITION-SENSITIVE DETECTOR BASED ON PLASTIC SCINTILLATING FIBERS

The applicability of plastic scintillation fibers as a radiation posit ion detector is evaluated for low-energy x-ray irradiation. A continuo us x-ray generator with a copper anode is used as a source radiating v ery intense lines: K(alpha2)=8.02 keV, K(alpha1)=8.04 keV, K(beta1)=8. 9 keV. A microchannel intensified tube followed by a vidicon camera is used as the photodetector for scintillation light guided to both extr emities of a fiber detector. A one-dimensional position-sensitive radi ation detector is constructed as an application. The irradiation posit ion is derived independently of the system operating conditions (gain, sensitivity, efficiency) with a relative error smaller than 4%. Using this device, the optical attenuation length is measured with a relati ve error less than 10%. The differences in the photon distribution at fiber terminating faces are discussed for light and for x-ray excitati ons with respect to their incidence angles.