An Investigation into the Usefulness of "Figure of Merit" as a Criterion of a Collimating System

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
A figure of merit of a collimating system was proposed by Dewey and Sinclair to describe the ability of a detecting system to distinguish a region containing a different concentration of a gamma emitting isotope from that of its surroundings. The value of the figure of merit can be calculated for simple collimating systems and plane targets consisting of circles of uniform radioactivity, in terms of non-dimensional parameters and the intrinsic detection efficiency of the scintillation crystal. Results are given of experimental investigations of the fiugres of merit for various collimating systems and targets of different radii, which agree with the theory developed. It is shown that the figure of merit is insufficient to enable a choice to be made of the collimating system that will give the best spatial resolution of the structure of the target, and merely indicates the system that will best show the presence of the target.

This publication has 2 references indexed in Scilit: