학술논문

Improved Gamma-Ray Point Source Quantification in Three Dimensions by Modeling Attenuation in the Scene
Document Type
article
Source
IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science. 68(11)
Subject
Maximum likelihood estimation
Maximum likelihood detection
Solid modeling
Parameter estimation
Laser radar
Gamma-rays
Attenuation
Attenuation correction
gamma-ray imaging
maximum likelihood estimation
radiological source localization
radiological source search
Atomic
Molecular
Nuclear
Particle and Plasma Physics
Other Physical Sciences
Biomedical Engineering
Nuclear & Particles Physics
Language
Abstract
Using a series of detector measurements taken at different locations to localize a source of radiation is a well-studied problem. The source of radiation is sometimes constrained to a single point-like source, in which case the location of the point source can be found using techniques such as maximum likelihood. Recent advancements have shown the ability to locate point sources in 2-D and even 3-D but few have studied the effect of intervening material on the problem. In this work, we examine gamma-ray data taken from a freely moving system and develop voxelized 3-D models of the scene using data from its onboard light detection and ranging (LiDAR) unit. Ray casting is used to compute the distance each gamma ray travels through the scene material, which is then used to calculate attenuation assuming a single attenuation coefficient for solids within the geometry. Parameter estimation using maximum likelihood is performed to simultaneously find the attenuation coefficient, source activity, and source position that best match the data. Using a simulation, we validate the ability of this method to reconstruct the true location and activity of a source, along with the true attenuation coefficient of the structure it is inside, and then we apply the method to measured data with sources and find good agreement.