Multilayer electroluminescence camera: concept and Monte Carlo study

A concept for a multilayer electroluminescent camera (MELC) for X- and low energy γ-ray imaging is presented. The MELC contains a stacked electrode structure immersed in a pressurized noble gas. The electrodes are made of a thin foil covered by photodetector arrays. A particular design of the MELC based on wave-shifting fiber arrays optically coupled to external photodetectors is considered. The MELC allows about a 1-mm three-dimensional position resolution with an energy resolution roughly 1-2% at 140 keV. The number of readout channels can be no more than 300 per layer per square meter of field of view. Total detection efficiency depends on the number of layers and the gas pressure and can be comparable to that of solid state detectors. The count rate can be up to 10 MHz per layer. Computer simulations, undertaken to study the feasibility of the MELC, and potential applications are described