Characterization of a water-equivalent fiber-optic coupled dosimeter for use in diagnostic radiology.

This work reports on the characterization of a new fiber-optic coupled (FOC) dosimeter for use in the diagnostic radiology energy range. The FOC dosimeter was constructed by coupling a small cylindrical plastic scintillator, 500 microm in diameter and 2 mm in length, to a 2 m long optical fiber, which acts as a light guide to transmit scintillation photons from the sensitive element to a photo-multiplier tube (PMT). A serial port interface on the PMT permits real-time monitoring of light output from the dosimeter via a custom computer program.