Baseline drift effect on the performance of neutron and γ ray discrimination using frequency gradient analysis

Frequency gradient analysis (FGA) effectively discriminates neutrons and γ rays by examining the frequency-domain features of the photomultiplier tube anode signal. This approach is insensitive to noise but is inevitably affected by the baseline drift similar to other pulse shape discrimination methods. The baseline drift effect is attributed to factors such as power line fluctuation, dark current, noise disturbances, hum, and pulse tail in front-end electronics. This effect needs to be elucidated and quantified before the baseline shift can be estimated and removed from the captured signal. Therefore, the effect of baseline shift on the discrimination performance of neutrons and γ rays with organic scintillation detectors using FGA is investigated in this paper. The relationship between the baseline shift and discrimination parameters of FGA is derived and verified by an experimental system consisting of an americium-beryllium source, a BC501A liquid scintillator detector, and a 5 GSample/s 8-bit oscilloscope. The theoretical and experimental results both show that the estimation of the baseline shift is necessary, and the removal of baseline drift from the pulse shapes can improve the discrimination performance of FGA.     

Digital discrimination of neutron and γ ray using an organic scintillation detector based on wavelet transform modulus maximum

A novel algorithm for the discrimination of neutron and γ -ray events with wavelet transform modulus maximum (WTMM) in an organic scintillation has been investigated. Voltage pulses arising from a BC501A organic liquid scintillation detector in a mixed radiation field have been recorded with a fast digital sampling oscilloscope. The WTMM method using frequency-domain features exhibits a strong insensitivity to noise and can be used to discriminate neutron and γ -ray events based on their different asymptotic decay trend between the positive modulus maximum curve and the negative modulus maximum curve in the scale-space plane. This technique has been verified by the corresponding mixed-field data assessed by the time-of-flight (TOF) method and the charge comparison (CC) method. It is shown that the characterization of neutron and γ ray achieved by the discrimination method based on WTMM is consistent with that afforded by the TOF method and better than the CC method. Moreover, the WTMM method itself has presented its ability to eliminate the noise without any pretreatment to the pulses.     

Digital pulse shape discrimination methods for n-γ separation in an EJ-301 liquid scintillation detector

A digital pulse shape discrimination system based on a programmable module NI-5772 has been established and tested with an EJ-301 liquid scintillation detector. The module was operated by running programs developed in Lab VIEW, with a sampling frequency up to 1.6 GS/s. Standard gamma sources22 Na,137Cs and60 Co were used to calibrate the EJ-301 liquid scintillation detector, and the gamma response function was obtained. Digital algorithms for the charge comparison method and zero-crossing method have been developed. The experimental results show that both digital signal processing(DSP) algorithms can discriminate neutrons from γ-rays. Moreover,the zero-crossing method shows better n-γ discrimination at 80 ke Vee and lower, whereas the charge comparison method gives better results at higher thresholds. In addition, the figure-of-merit(FOM) for detectors of two different dimensions were extracted at 9 energy thresholds, and it was found that the smaller detector presented better n-γseparation for fission neutrons.     

Toward a fractal spectrum approach for neutron and gamma pulse shape discrimination

Accurately selecting neutron signals and discriminating 7 signals from a mixed radiation field is a key research issue in neutron detection.This paper proposes a fractal spectrum discrimination approach by means of different spectral characteristics of neutrons and 7 rays.Figure of merit and average discriminant error ratio are used together to evaluate the discrimination effccts.Different neutron and γ signals with various noise and pulse pile-up are simulated according to real data in the literature.The proposed approach is compared with the digital charge integration and pulse gradient methods.It is found that the fractal approach exhibits the best discrimination performance,followed by the digital charge integration method and the pulse gradient method,respectively.The fractal spectrum approach is not sensitive to high frequency noise;and pulse pile-up.This means that the proposed approach has superior performance for effective and efficient anti-noise and high discrimination in neutron detection.     

Heterodyne direct-detection OOFDM system with low sampling rate

A method of multi-channel receiving for high bit rate heterodyne direct-detection optical orthogonal frequency-division-multiplexing （OOFDM） system is proposed to reduce the sampling rate demand of analog-to-digital converter （ADC）. The sampling rate of ADCs can be reduced to 1/N that of the original signal bandwidth in an N-channel receiving system. Aided by a succeeding digital signal processing （DSP） at the receiver, aliasing free signal can be recovered. A back-to-back experimental result is given for a 4-channel system, based on which, a down conversion process for heterodyne can be reduced. The signal rebuilding algorithm is given and analyzed in its complexity and noise tolerance.     

Discrimination of neutrons and γ-rays in liquid scintillator based on Elman neural network

In this work,a new neutron and γ(n/γ) discrimination method based on an Elman Neural Network(ENN) is proposed to improve the discrimination performance of liquid scintillator(LS) detectors.Neutron andγ data were acquired from an EJ-335 LS detector,which was exposed in a ~(241)Am-~9Be radiation field.Neutron and γ events were discriminated using two methods of artificial neural network including the ENN and a typical Back Propagation Neural Network(BPNN) as a control.The results show that the two methods have different n/γdiscrimination performances.Compared to the BPNN,the ENN provides an improved of Figure of Merit(FOM)in n/γ discrimination.The FOM increases from 0.907 ± 0.034 to 0.953 ± 0.037 by using the new method of the ENN.The proposed n/γ discrimination method based on ENN provides a new choice of pulse shape discrimination in neutron detection.     

The port/starboard discrimination based on line-spectrum character in towed line array with hydrophone triplets

The energy ratio of broadband signal is utilized for port/starboard discrimination in towed line array with hydrophone triplets in tradition.It works well in most conditions except for two cases:One is low signal to noise ratio(SNR),and the other is that there is a stronger interference lied on the other side of the line array with approximate bearing angles. A method called line-spectrum character extracting is proposed to discriminate port/starboard for these two cases in this paper,and the SNR needed for port/starboard discrimination is reduced significantly.Simulation and the sea-trial data are analyzed to show that the method is stable and valid,and is expected to be applied in real towed line array sonar.A line-spectrum enhancing technology with lower calculation complexity and stable validity is proposed to ensure the application of this method in lower SNR condition.     

Robust speech features representation based on computational auditory model

A speech signal processing and features extracting method based on computational auditory model is proposed. The computational model is based on psychological, physiological knowledge and digital signal processing methods. In each stage of a hearing perception system, there is a corresponding computational model to simulate its function. Based on this model, speech features are extracted. In each stage, the features in different kinds of level are extracted. A further processing for primary auditory spectrum based on lateral inhibition is proposed to extract much more robust speech features. All these features can be regarded as the internal representations of speech stimulation in hearing system. The robust speech recognition experiments are conducted to test the robustness of the features. Results show that the representations based on the proposed computational auditory model are robust representations for speech signals.     

An all-directional interference cancelling system for large sonar array

The existence of strong interfercnce is the main constraint factor,which influences the detection performance of a signal extraction system.For asonar with large array the problem of anti-interferences in all-direction has not beensolved yet because of the requirements of over-long time delay line and the over highinput-output rate.A method proposed in this paper can be used in the design ofadaptive signal processing system with large array for suppressing the strong inter-ference in all-direction.This is a combined architecture of adaptive noise canceller(ANC)and a programmable DICANNE system.When the incident angle betweensignal θ_s and interfercnce θ_I is small,the ANC system is used.when θ_s—θ_I islarge,a programmable DICANNE system,with rising sampling rate,is used,so thatan all—directional anti—interfercnces system can be obtained.The structure des-cribed in this paper is easy to implement in hardware by using DSP chips.The designdiagram and implementable method in hardware is presented.     

Determination of the Coreactant Level in Crosslinked Polyurethane System by FTIR

Infrared spectrum is a general quantitation method which can be used to determine the concentration of a certain component in mixture.We proposed that it could also be used to determine the coreactant level of a reactive system.A two-part polyurethane film was used as a model system.The results showed that the height ratio of ring mode signal in urea and C—O signal in polyester polyol can be used to calculate the ratio of the two reactants.The assignments of the peaks were studied by in-situ reaction monitoring with moisture level changes and deuteration methods.The applicable conditions of this calibration curves were also discussed.     

Quantitative monitoring of relative clock wander between signal and sampling sources in asynchronous optical under-sampling system

Optical performance monitoring using asynchronous optical or electrical sampling has gained considerable attention. Relative clock wander between data signal and sampling source is a typical occurrence in such systems. A method for the quantitative monitoring of the relative clock wander in asynchronous optical undersampling system is presented. With a series of simulations, the clock wanders recovered using this method are in good agreement with the preset clock wanders of different amounts and frequencies for both RZ and NRZ signals. Hence, the reliability and robustness of the method are proven.     

Research on 2D imaging technique for concrete cross section

Two signal processing approaches are presented to improve imaging resolution in ultrasonic NDT of concrete structures. When low-frequency B-scan data are processed by Synthetic Aperture Focusing Technique （SAFT）, wavepacket will be further elongated because low-frequency detection signal covers a relative long period. Wavepacket Decomposition Tech- nique （WDT） is introduced here to solve this problem. This method uses a few parameters to describe the original signal so that it can avoid the processing of the whole time history of signals. In practical measurement, ringing of commercial ultrasonic transducers also affects the discrimination of the detected signal. A method based on digital filtering is proposed to build the compensation model of transducer system. By eliminating the ringings with the filter, the spatiotemporal resolution of ultrasonic imaging is improved. The efficiency of the methods has been proved by numerical simulation and experimental results. Imaging resolution is improved obviously and the embedded~object in a test specimen is located accurately.     

Predistortion of high speed optical OFDM signal for aliasing-free receiving in multiple low-bandwidth receiver system

<正>A cost-effective method of multi-receiver optical orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing(OOFDM) system is proposed to reduce the requirement for the speed of the receiver and the size of fast Fourier transform(FFT).The sampling rate of analog-to-digital converters(ADCs) can be reduced to 1/N of the original signal bandwidth in an N-receiver system.Aided by signal predistortion at the transmitter, aliasing-free signal can be retrieved independently and directly at the low speed receivers.A back-to-back experimental result is given for a two-receiver system.The effect of the electrical filters added before the ADC is studied and the analysis for filters optimization is given.     

A new approach to detecting weak signal in strong noise based on chaos system control

In this paper, a chaos system and proportional differential control are both used to detect the frequency of an unknown signal. In traditional methods the useful signal is obtained through the Duffing equation or other chaotic oscillators. But these methods are too complex because of using a lot of chaos oscillators. In this paper a new method is presented that uses the R?ssler equation and proportional differential control to detect a weak signal frequency. Substituting the detected signal frequency into the R?ssler equation leads the R?ssler phase state to be considerably changed. The chaos state can be controlled through the proportional differential method. Through its phase diagram and spectrum analysis, the unknown frequency is obtained. The simulation results verify that the presented method is feasible and that the detection accuracy is higher than those of other methods.     

Swept source optical coherence tomography based on non-uniform discrete fourier transform

A high-speed high-sensitivity swept source optical coherence tomography （SSOCT） system using a high speed swept laser source is developed. Non-uniform discrete fourier transform （NDFT） method is introduced in the SSOCT system for data processing. Frequency calibration method based on a Mach-Zender interferometer （MZI） and conventional data interpolation method is also adopted in the system for comparison. Optical coherence tomography （OCT） images from SSOCT based on the NDFT method, the MZI method, and the interpolation method are illustrated. The axial resolution of the SSOCT based on the NDFT method is comparable to that of the SSOCT system using MZI calibration method and conventional data interpolation method. The SSOCT system based on the NDFT method can achieve higher signal intensity than that of the system based on the MZI calibration method and conventional data interpolation method because of the better utilization of the power of source.     

Study of n-γ discrimination for 0.4-1 MeV neutrons using the zero-crossing method with a BC501A liquid scintillation detector

An experimental system aimed at n-γ discrimination using the zero-crossing method with a φ3’’×2’’ BC501A liquid scintillation detector was established and tested with an Am-Be neutron source. Two-dimensional plots of energy versus zero-crossing time were obtained. The quality of n-γ discrimination was checked by the figure-of-merit (FOM), the neutron peak-to-valley ratio, and the proportion of leaked neutrons over all neutron events. The performance of n-γ discrimination in terms of FOM was compared with previous work done by other groups. The n-γ discrimination in four different energy regions with an interval of 0.1 MeV between 0.3 MeV and 0.7 MeV was studied, and the results indicate that the n-γ discrimination threshold can go down to 0.4 MeV.     

Efficient error estimation in quantum key distribution

In a quantum key distribution(QKD)system,the error rate needs to be estimated for determining the joint probability distribution between legitimate parties,and for improving the performance of key reconciliation.We propose an efficient error estimation scheme for QKD,which is called parity comparison method(PCM).In the proposed method,the parity of a group of sifted keys is practically analysed to estimate the quantum bit error rate instead of using the traditional key sampling.From the simulation results,the proposed method evidently improves the accuracy and decreases revealed information in most realistic application situations.     

Research in absolute calibration of single photon detectors by means of correlated photons

There are two general methods in radiometric calibration of detectors, one is based on radiation sources and the other based on detectors. Because the two methods need to establish a primary standard of high precision and a transfer chain, precision of the standard will be reduced by extension of the chain. A new calibration method of detectors can be realized by using correlated photons generated in spontaneous parametric down-conversion (SPDC) effect of nonlinear crystal, without needing transfer chain. Using 351.1-nm output of a tunable laser to pump β-barium borate (BBO) crystal, an absolute calibration experimental system of single photon detectors based on correlated photons is performed. The quantum efficiency of photomultiplier (PMT) at 702.2 nm is measured by the setup. Advantages of this method over traditional methods are also pointed out by comparison.     

The bifurcation threshold value of the chaos detection system for a weak signal

Recently, it has become an important problem to confirm the bifurcation threshold value of a chaos detection system for a weak signal in the fields of chaos detection. It is directly related to whether the results of chaos detection are correct or not. In this paper, the discrimination system for the dynamic behaviour of a chaos detection system for a weak signal is established by using the theory of linear differential equation with periodic coefficients and computing the Lyapunov exponents of the chaos detection system; and then, the movement state of the chaos detection system is defined. The simulation experiments show that this method can exactly confirm the bifurcation threshold value of the chaos detection system.     

The bifurcation threshold value of the chaos detection system for a weak signal＊

Recently, it has become an important problem to confirm the bifurcation threshold value of a chaos detectionsystem for a weak signal in the fields of chaos detection. It is directly related to whether the results of chaos detectionare correct or not. In this paper, the discrimination system for the dynamic behaviour of a chaos detection system fora weak signal is established by using the theory of linear differential equation with periodic coefficients and computingthe Lyapunov exponents of the chaos detection system; and then, the movement state of the chaos detection system isdefined. The simulation experiments show that this method can exactly confirm the bifurcation threshold value of thechaos detection svstem.