Investigation on gamma-ray position sensitivity at 662 keV in a spectroscopic 3″ x 3″ LaBr3:Ce scintillator

The position sensitivity of a thick, cylindrical and continuous 3″ x 3″ (7.62 cm x 7.62 cm) LaBr3:Ce crystal was studied using a 1 mm collimated beam of 662 keV gamma rays from a 400 MBq intense 137Cs source and a spectroscopic photomultiplier (PMT) (HAMAMATSU R6233-100SEL). The PMT entrance window was covered by black absorber except for a small window 1 cm x 1 cm wide. A complete scan of the detector over a 0.5 cm step grid was performed for three positions of the 1 cm x 1 cm window. For each configuration the energy spectrum was measured and the peak centroid, the FWHM, the area and peak asymmetry of the 662 keV gamma transition were analyzed. The data show that, even in a 3″ thick LaBr3:Ce crystal with diffusive surfaces the position of the full energy peak centroid depends on the source position. We verified that, on average, the position of the full energy peak centroids measured in the three 1 cm x 1 cm window configurations is sufficient for the correct identification of the collimated gamma source position.