Optimizing the performance of a composite scintillation detector

The feasibility of creating a single, bulk detector from many smaller pieces of inorganic crystal scintillator was demonstrated in this research. The results show that light collection from multiple inorganic scintillators can be optimized via the properties of the non-scintillating medium, the packing factor of the crystals, and the cell geometry to yield a pulse-height spectrum of acceptable resolution. We were able to characterize changes in the 137 Cs gamma ray pulse height spectrum for increasing numbers of individual scintillators to the composite detector.