Novel hybrid imaging modalities

The purpose of this paper is to present the engineering principles of a cost-effective and efficient positron emission tomography (PET) detector operating on novel hybrid principles. The novelty of the proposed technology, which can be considered a low-cost alternative to the photomultiplier tube, consists of a BaF₂ crystal coupled to coupled to an ultra low-pressure noble-gas filled tube, which operates under photoionization of excited states, in the prebreakdown regime. The design detector principles, the first Townsend coefficient, and the gas multiplication factor of the hybrid microstrip detector have been studied. The results of this study indicate that an adequate gas multiplication process can be achieved with a Xe filled gas detector operating at low gas pressures. Also, low-pressure gas-filled detectors have the advantages of being themselves insensitive to radiation, ensuring that only the light from the scintillator is detected in a high-energy radiation environment.