Work

Characterization of a CMOS camera based film digitization platform for gated x-ray imaging diagnostics at the National Ignition Facility

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: Hardened gated x-ray detectors use photographic film as the data recording medium due to its low sensitivity to the high-yield neutron environments at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). The photographic film is digitized with a Photometric Data Systems (PDS) microdensitometer, which measures the film's optical density. The PDS scanner is able to measure a dynamic range of 0-5 OD; however, raster scanning the film is time consuming and maintenance of the instrument is challenging due to legacy technology. Since film usage at NIF is expected to continue in the foreseeable future, a digitization platform that is faster and more maintainable would benefit the NIF's current and future operations. This work presents the characterization of the digital transitions (DT) atom, a CMOS camera-based digitization platform that records film data in a single image capture very quickly and has widely available user support. The preliminary results suggest that the DT atom is able to reconstruct exposures accurately enough to be a competitive alternative to the PDS Scanner.

Source: Review of Scientific Instruments

DOI: 10.1063/5.0219370

Authors: N. W. Ruof, C. Trosseille, J. P. Holder, S. R. Nagel

Institution: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Language: English

Topic: Particle Detector Development and Performance

Subfield: Nuclear and High Energy Physics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: green

Funders: U.S. Department of Energy, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

Awards: G14554683, G2145270357, G991281326