Development of a gamma-camera with a functional collimator

We propose the novel gamma-camera with a functional collimator, that has detection ability on the collimator wall surface. The gamma-ray detection sensitivity of the proposed gamma-camera is improved by a factor of 70 compared with a conventional one. Through Monte Carlo simulations, the required gamma-ray emissions for image reconstruction is confirmed to dramatically to be reduced by using the information collected on the collimator wall surface. The spatial resolution is estimated to be 10 mm. In addition, we experimentally demonstrate image reconstruction procedure including reading out the collimator wall surface information. We successfully acquire the reconstructed images of a point-like Am-241 gamma-ray source from the projection image of the prototype gamma-camera with the functional collimator. We conclude that a much larger contribution from the gamma-ray emitters than background results in reduction on the lattice-shaped artifact.