Abstract

Poster - Splinter MeVSky   (MW-0337)

ScintLaCHARM: A Scintillator Compton Camera Detector concept, optical simulation, and scalable SiPM readout

K. Kooshk, A. Deisting, Th. Hahn, and U. Oberlack
Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz

Compton imaging, widely used in MeV gamma-ray astronomy, reconstructs the incident photon direction from the energies and positions of successive interactions without mechanical collimation. ScintLaCharm transfers this technique to the localisation of radioactive material during nuclear-facility decommissioning through a portable, modular camera combining PVT scatterers and CeBr₃ absorbers with dual-ended SiPM readout. Geant4 optical simulations are used to optimise the crystal geometry and optical interfaces and to evaluate interaction-position reconstruction using light asymmetry and convolutional neural networks. For a representative CeBr₃ configuration, asymmetry-based depth reconstruction achieved an RMSE of 2.22 mm, while position-dependent light-yield correction improved the relative FWHM from 19.90% to 8.53%. A gamma-only model of the RSL7 predecessor detector additionally studies interaction mechanisms and multiple-scattering distances to guide camera segmentation. Current experimental work focuses on validating individual CeBr₃ and PVT modules and developing their scalable CAEN FERS A5204 readout and event-building pipeline.