Semiempirical simulation of x-ray detectors for imaging applications

Purpose: The Monte Carlo (MC) simulation is widely used to design and test complex physical phenomena. This paper presents a simulator of x-ray detector for imaging applications by providing a simple component that can be embedded into a MC code and allowing developers to focus their attention on the primary goals without hanging in the quality of the final output image. Methods: A simplified semiempirical model of x-ray detector was developed and implemented starting from the definition of absorber material and developing scintillator and photoconductor screens and detectors. The validation was done by comparing a Hamamatsu C10900D digital flat panel with a simulation of the same detector using the presented model: MTF, nNPS, and NEQ. Results: The results of validation tests shown excellent agreement of the simulation with respect to the experimental data. The simulation was fast and efficient even in older computers (2004) and it was excellent in newer multicore computers (2010). Conclusions: Comparisons between experimental data and simulations shown that the simulator is able to mimic the output of a real imaging system, and it can have many applications in fields such as industry, medical physics, and teaching. (C) 2012 American Association of Physicists in Medicine. [http://dx.doi.org/10.1118/1.4767768]