Open-source hardware and cost-effective gamma-ray spectrometer using Raspberry Pi Pico

IF 2.8 3区物理与天体物理 Q3 CHEMISTRY, PHYSICAL

Radiation Physics and Chemistry Pub Date : 2025-03-28 DOI:10.1016/j.radphyschem.2025.112728

D.A.B. Bonifacio , U.B. Rodríguez , J. Alcántara-Núñez , A.D. dos Santos , D.V.S. Carvalho , H.M. Murata , M.B. Perotoni , M. Moralles , M. Rosezky

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

This work presents the development and evaluation of the OpenGamma spectrometer, an open-source, compact and cost-effective gamma-ray detection system built on a Raspberry Pi Pico board. Data acquisition was performed using a GAGG scintillation crystal coupled with a Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPM). The background count rate was 5.24 counts per second. The system was evaluated with standard radioactive sources, achieving an energy resolution of 7.6% at 662 keV, which is comparable to other low-cost gamma spectrometers. The energy calibration curve exhibited a slightly quadratic behavior, typical for scintillation detectors. The dead time was estimated at 39.9

\pm

3.9

μ

s, reflecting the system’s capacity to process signals with minimal loss. The Gamma MCA web application further enhances the usability of the spectrometer by providing a user-friendly interface for data acquisition and analysis. The OpenGamma spectrometer offers a promising solution for applications in education, research, and field deployment. Future work will focus on improving its energy resolution and dead time to expand its use cases.

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来源期刊

Radiation Physics and Chemistry 化学-核科学技术

CiteScore

5.60

自引率

17.20%

发文量

574

审稿时长

12 weeks

期刊介绍： Radiation Physics and Chemistry is a multidisciplinary journal that provides a medium for publication of substantial and original papers, reviews, and short communications which focus on research and developments involving ionizing radiation in radiation physics, radiation chemistry and radiation processing. The journal aims to publish papers with significance to an international audience, containing substantial novelty and scientific impact. The Editors reserve the rights to reject, with or without external review, papers that do not meet these criteria. This could include papers that are very similar to previous publications, only with changed target substrates, employed materials, analyzed sites and experimental methods, report results without presenting new insights and/or hypothesis testing, or do not focus on the radiation effects.