Luminescence imaging of water during alpha particle irradiation

The luminescence imaging of water using the alpha particle irradiation of several MeV energy range is thought to be impossible because this alpha particle energy is far below the Cerenkov-light threshold and the secondary electrons produced in this energy range do not emit Cerenkov-light. Contrary t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment, 2016-05, Vol.819, p.6-13
Main Authors: Yamamoto, Seiichi, Komori, Masataka, Koyama, Shuji, Toshito, Toshiyuki
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alpha particles
Alpha rays
Alpha-particle
Am-241 alpha source
Charge coupled devices
Cooled charge-coupled device camera
Energy use
Imaging
Irradiation
Luminescence
Water
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Summary:The luminescence imaging of water using the alpha particle irradiation of several MeV energy range is thought to be impossible because this alpha particle energy is far below the Cerenkov-light threshold and the secondary electrons produced in this energy range do not emit Cerenkov-light. Contrary to this consensus, we found that the luminescence imaging of water was possible with 5.5MeV alpha particle irradiation. We placed a 2MBq of 241Am alpha source in water, and luminescence images of the source were conducted with a high-sensitivity, cooled charge-coupled device (CCD) camera. We also carried out such imaging of the alpha source in three different conditions to compare the photon productions with that of water, in air, with a plastic scintillator, and an acrylic plate. The luminescence imaging of water was observed from 10 to 20s acquisition, and the intensity was linearly increased with time. The intensity of the luminescence with the alpha irradiation of water was 0.05% of that with the plastic scintillator, 4% with air, and 15% with the acrylic plate. The resolution of the luminescence image of water was better than 0.25mm FWHM. Alpha particles of 5.5MeV energy emit luminescence in water. Although the intensity of the luminescence was smaller than that in air, it was clearly observable. The luminescence of water with alpha particles would be a new method for alpha particle detection and distribution measurements in water.
ISSN:0168-9002
1872-9576
DOI:10.1016/j.nima.2016.02.088