SCOUT: A fast Monte-Carlo modeling tool of scintillation camera output

Author

Hunter, William C J ; Barrett, Harrison H. ; Lewellen, Thomas K. ; Miyaoka, Robert S. ; Muzi, John P. ; Li, Xiaoli ; McDougald, Wendy ; MacDonald, Lawrence R.

Author_Institution

Dept. of Radiol., Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

fYear

2010

fDate

Oct. 30 2010-Nov. 6 2010

Firstpage

1203

Lastpage

1208

Abstract

We have developed a Monte-Carlo photon-tracking and readout simulator called SCOUT to study the stochastic behavior of signals output from a simplified rectangular scintillation-camera design. SCOUT models the salient processes affecting signal generation, transport, and readout. Presently, we compare output signal statistics from SCOUT to experimental results for both a discrete and a monolithic camera. We also benchmark the speed of this simulation tool and compare it to existing simulation tools. We find this modeling tool to be relatively fast and predictive of experimental results. Depending on the modeled camera geometry, we found SCOUT to be 4 to 140 times faster than other modeling tools.

Keywords

Monte Carlo methods; nuclear electronics; nuclear engineering computing; photon counting; readout electronics; scintillation counters; Monte Carlo modeling tool; SCOUT tool; benchmark; photon tracking; readout simulator; scintillation camera output; signal generation; Cameras; Crystals; Detectors; Optical attenuators; Optical scattering; Photodetectors; Photonics; Monte Carlo; photon tracking; random processes; scintillation camera; signal generation; simulation;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Nuclear Science Symposium Conference Record (NSS/MIC), 2010 IEEE

Conference_Location

Knoxville, TN

ISSN

1095-7863

Print_ISBN

978-1-4244-9106-3

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/NSSMIC.2010.5873959

Filename

5873959