During theFleX-RAY project, the consortium focused on a variety of concrete objectives and goals that led to achieving specific innovations necessary for the fulfillment of the project. The partners, having well-delineated responsibilities, engaged in extensive technical and scientific research, dove into simulations while tackling risks and challenges that could impact the project’s future. More specifically, initial focus was put on building a simulation framework for all involved parties to collect valuable information that could prove useful for subsequent tasks. By project end, several prototypes of several geometries for the scintillating fibres were developed and were experimentally tested using a variety of sources such as X-rays, beta-particles and gamma rays. The results gathered exhibit great potential for the FleX-RAY solution in a variety of applications ranging from X-Ray non-destructive testing to gamma radiography and muography.
On the coupling methodology front, a coupling system that could achieve minimal optical power loss was developed and used in multiple experiments. Concerning the FleX-RAY algorithms, image reconstruction saw substantial progress through the development of two different methods that can simultaneously achieve noise rejection as well as image enhancement through sensor gain equalization.
Regarding the 3D shape sensing development, a high accuracy sensor was developed and tested within a radiation environment for stability. Multiple small-scale prototypes were developed to showcase the capabilities of the overall concept.
Last but not least, on the hardware side, photon-counting sensor electronics were developed and readout ASICs were evaluated, whilst a TDC architecture capable of <5ps resolution was implemented and tested in FPGA hardware.
