Performance Evaluation of a High-Granularity LYSO-SiPM-Based Position-Sensitive Detector for a One-Shot Gamma-Scanning System with Sub-Millimeter Spatial Resolution

Abstract

A compact position-sensitive γ-detector based on a thin monolithic LYSO crystal and a 96-channel SiPM array is developed for the spatial characterization and calibration of segmented γ-ray detector systems used in nuclear-physics experiments. The detector is designed to provide localized irradiation and rapid two-dimensional response mapping. A 7 cm diameter and 3 mm thick LYSO crystal is optically coupled to the SiPM array, and the position of the incident γ-ray interaction is reconstructed from the relative scintillation-light signals collected by neighboring SiPM channels. An asymmetry-based charge-sharing method is employed to determine the interaction position from the spatial distribution of the detected scintillation light. Detailed GEANT4 simulations, including optical photon transport, were performed to investigate the detector response and estimate its intrinsic spatial resolution. The simulations predict a spatial resolution of approximately 0.5 mm for 60 keV and 511 keV γ-rays under idealized conditions. A prototype detector was developed and experimentally characterized using coincidence measurements with the γ-scanning facility at GSI, Germany. The experimental measurements demonstrate a spatial resolution better than 1 mm in the central detector region, while the position-dependent response and degradation near the detector boundaries are investigated. The experimental results are compared with GEANT4 predictions to identify the contributions of optical photon transport, charge sharing, and detector geometry to the measured spatial resolution. The developed detector provides a compact solution for the three-dimensional characterization of highly segmented γ-ray detector arrays in nuclear physics experiments.