Enhanced Spatial Resolution Of Eljen-204 Plastic Scintillators For Use In Rep-Rated Proton Diagnostics

A pixelated scintillator has been designed, fabricated, and tested using a laser-accelerated proton source for use in proton diagnostics at rep-rated laser facilities. The work presented here demonstrates the enhanced spatial resolution of thin, organic scintillators through a novel pixelation technique. Experimental measurements using laser-generated protons incident onto 130 mu m-thick scintillators indicate a >20% reduction in the scintillator point spread function (PSF) for the detectors tested. The best performing pixelated detector reduced the similar to 200 mu m PSF of the stock material to similar to 150 mu m. The fabrication technique may be tailored to reduce the pixel size and achieve higher spatial resolutions.