Dependence of fading patterns of photo-stimulated luminescence from imaging plates on radiation, energy, and image reader

We have been investigating the fading characteristics of imaging plates (IPs) as integral type detectors. The dependence on alpha. beta, and gamma ray radiation and their energies of the fading effect was measured using three types of IPs (BAS-UR, BAS-TR. and BAS-MS). The functions to correct the fading were determined by using the method reported in a previous paper. In all types of IPs. we confirmed that the fading effect is independent of the energy of the incident particles of beta and gamma rays and also independent of radiation except for the first component, which fades out in a very short time after irradiation with alpha rays. These results are very useful in the utilization of IPs as integral detectors in practical radiation fields. Empirically, the fading pattern is known to change when the IP is scanned by different types of image readers. The differences in the fading patterns obtained with two types of image readers, the BAS-1000 and the BAS-5000 (Fuji Film Co.), is discussed. Development of an equation for correcting the effects of the differences in the image readers was attempted. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.