Technical attenuation length measurement of plastic scintillator strips for the total-body J-PET scanner

The aim of the performed technical attenuation length measurement is to compare light attenuation of a few commercially available plastic scintillator strips and to select the best scintillator type for the total-body Jagiellonian Positron Emission Tomograph (J-PET) construction. Few models of plastic scintillators obtained from different manufacturers were tested. All strips had the same rectangular cross section and dimensions 6 mm × 24 mm × 1000 mm with all surfaces polished. The light attenuation length was measured by exciting the scintillator strip at different positions with an ultraviolet lamp emitting at 365 nm and reading light signal collected at one side of the strip by a silicon photodiode. Among measured plastic scintillators, EJ-200 possesses the highest technical light attenuation length and is suitable for construction of total-body J-PET scanner.