All-directional gamma-ray imaging using a NaI(Tl) scintillator with double-sided SiPM readout

Abstract

Gamma-ray imaging systems capable of determining the direction of incident radiation are essential for homeland security, nuclear non-proliferation, environmental monitoring, and radiological emergency response. This work presents a compact, high-efficiency omnidirectional gamma-ray imaging concept based on a monolithic cylindrical 2 x 2 inch NaI(Tl) scintillation crystal coupled to dual-ended 16 x 16 Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPM) matrices. The system exploits scintillation light distributions collected from both crystal faces to reconstruct three-dimensional interaction positions. GEANT4 Monte Carlo simulations incorporating full optical photon transport were performed for 662 keV gamma rays from a ^137Cs source. The simulated energy resolution is 6.69% +- 0.31% FWHM at the photopeak. A hybrid directional reconstruction framework is implemented, combining volumetric self-attenuation (active masking) for robust low-energy localization with intra-crystal Compton imaging for higher energies. With approximately 40,000 accumulated photopeak counts, the active-masking algorithm achieves angular resolutions of FWHM_rm elev 5.7^degrees and FWHM_rm az 3.7^degrees. The system fully complies with the EN IEC 62327 standard for handheld radionuclide identification devices. Under the required 120-second acquisition window, it suppresses terrestrial background (NORM) from the lower hemisphere by a factor of ~320, improving to ~980 with 300-second integration. These results demonstrate that a monolithic dual-ended NaI(Tl) detector can transform a conventional scalar spectrometer into a sensitive, real-time directional imaging instrument suitable for portable field use and automated cargo inspection.