Development and Validation of a Digitizer-Based TCSPC System for Scintillation Decay Time Analysis via an Extended...

Area of Science:

• Nuclear instrumentation and detector physics
• Digital twin technology
• Advanced data analysis techniques

Background:

• High-fidelity digital twins for scintillation detectors require precise timing characterization.
• Existing methods may not fully capture scintillator-specific timing effects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a comprehensive system for precise experimental characterization of scintillation detector timing parameters.
• To introduce an extended convolution model for accurate decay time analysis, decoupling scintillator timing effects from instrumental response.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of a digitizer-based time-correlated single-photon counting (TCSPC) system.
• Development of an extended convolution model incorporating parameters for scintillator timing broadening and delay.
• Physics-driven calibration using an independent physical benchmark for system validation.

Main Results:

• The extended convolution model statistically described fast scintillator timing behavior.
• The model accurately extracted typical decay times from slow scintillators, confirming physical accuracy.
• A reliable workflow was established for measurement and parameterization of timing data.

Conclusions:

• The presented methodology provides essential decoupled inputs for high-fidelity digital twins of scintillation detectors.
• This approach ensures precise experimental characterization of timing parameters, enhancing detector modeling.
• The validated system and model offer a robust solution for scintillator timing analysis.