Title :
Least squares arrival time estimators for single and piled up scintillation pulses
Author :
Petrick, Nicholas ; Hero, Alfred O. ; Clinthorne, Neal H. ; Rogers, W. Leslie ; Slosar, Jeffrey M.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. Eng., Michigan Univ., Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Abstract :
A novel arrival time estimator for the detection of gamma rays using scintillation detectors is developed. The estimator structure reduces to a weighted least squares (WLS) estimate of the arrival time. This WLS estimator was applied to scintillation-type pulses with fast rise times and exponential decays. The timing resolution was calculated and compared to the resolution of leading edge and constant fraction triggers for a Burle 8850 photomultiplier tube. The WLS estimator has outperformed these conventional arrival time estimators and has the added capability of simultaneously estimating the arrival times of multiple overlapping pulses. This allows piled-up pulses to be effectively separated, permitting their individual energies to be estimated
Keywords :
gamma-ray detection and measurement; least squares approximations; photomultipliers; scintillation counters; time measurement; Burle 8850 photomultiplier; arrival time estimators; gamma rays; piled-up pulses; scintillation pulses; timing resolution; weighted least squares; Gamma ray detection; Gamma ray detectors; Gamma rays; Least squares approximation; Optical pulses; Photomultipliers; Photonic crystals; Solid scintillation detectors; Stimulated emission; Timing;
Conference_Titel :
Nuclear Science Symposium and Medical Imaging Conference, 1992., Conference Record of the 1992 IEEE
Conference_Location :
Orlando, FL
Print_ISBN :
0-7803-0884-0
DOI :
10.1109/NSSMIC.1992.301170
