Award Data

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Nuclear medicine imaging modalities such as single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET) are powerful, non-invasive medical imaging techniques that provide an image of the three dimensional distribution of a radionuclide in any slice through an organ under study in the body [Phelps]. These images allow investigation ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The goal of this Phase I project is to develop a fast high spatial resolution scintillator for time-resolved neutron crystallography. Neutron crystallography compliments x-ray crystallography in its ability to precisely locate hydrogen atoms in protein molecules. The information on hydrogen location is important for monitoring protein dynamics (e.g. hydrogen-de ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The ideal biological imaging system would provide non-invasive, high-resolution, high-sensitivity, three-dimensional (3D) images of living systems. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) offers high sensitivity to a range of biological processes through the use of targeted radiolabeled probes. Unfortunately, precise signal localization can be extremely difficult du ...

With the ever-increasing number of human disease models, particularly in smaller animals, high-resolution, emission/transmission tomography techniques have become extremely important. The main barriers to using existing modalities in studies of laboratory animals have traditionally been poor spatial resolution, low sensitivity, and high cost. Although detector technologies have improved signific ...

Nuclear medicine techniques such as Positron Emission Tomography and Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography have become powerful new tools in imaging biological processes in small laboratory animals. However, the performance of these systems is often limited by the properties of the detectors available at present. This project will investigate a new solid state detector, which appears to be ...

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): There is a considerable interest in using laser-manufacturing methods for medical applications due to their potential to reduce cost. In fact, the precision and low-force signature of lasers makes them very attractive alternatives to traditional machining methods for brittle materials such as lutetium oxyorthosilicate (LSO) and gadolinium oxyorthosilciate (GSO) ...

X-ray detectors with high resolution, high sensitivity, and high count-rate are required for the electron beam systems used for materials science research at DOE facilities. In many studies conducted with electron beam systems, the characteristics of available X-ray detectors limit the system performance. This project will develop low-capacitance, high-purity silicon detectors that offer high en ...

Advanced Photon Sources have proven to be outstanding facilities for x-ray diffraction and scattering of non-crystalline biological materials. The biggest problem is finding a detector that can provide multiple frames of detailed structural information, with the required millisecond time scales and extremely high count rates, from third-generation synchrotron sources such as the Advanced Photon S ...

Neutron crystallography compliments x-ray crystallography in its ability to precisely locate hydrogen and light atoms in various materials. This information is important for biological applications (for example, monitoring protein dynamics), and material research and security applications (for example, explosives detection, etc.). However, the detectors available for scattered neutron radiation ...

Optical detectors are a very important component of both existing and future particle physics experiments, including those being developed for dark matter studies. However, for dark matter studies, the expected performance of experimental systems is limited by the properties of presently available optical detectors. This project will investigate new, robust, large-area avalanche photodiodes (APD ...