Measurements of the differential production cross sections $d\ensuremath{\sigma}/d{p}_{T}^{B}$ and $d\ensuremath{\sigma}/d{y}^{B}$ for ${B}^{0}$ mesons produced in $pp$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=7\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{TeV}$ are presented. The data set used was collected by the CMS experiment at the LHC and corresponds to an integrated luminosity of $40\text{ }\text{ }{\mathrm{pb}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$. The production cross section is measured from ${B}^{0}$ meson decays reconstructed in the exclusive final state $J/\ensuremath{\psi}{K}_{S}^{0}$, with the subsequent decays $J/\ensuremath{\psi}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\mu}}^{+}{\ensuremath{\mu}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ and ${K}_{S}^{0}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{+}{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$. The total cross section for ${p}_{T}^{B}g5\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{GeV}$ and $|{y}^{B}|l2.2$ is measured to be $33.2\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}2.5\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}3.5\text{ }\text{ }\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{b}$, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic.

Monolithic scintillator blocks provide an efficient way to significantly increase the sensitivity of high-resolution positron emission tomography (PET) systems. Using statistical or neural network-based positioning schemes, the measured intrinsic detector resolution for perpendicular incident photons is 1.7mm full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) for 10mm thick LSO blocks and 2.0mm FWHM for 20mm thick LSO blocks. Because the positioning algorithms determine the incidence position as opposed to the combination of interaction position and interaction depth, a very good parallax correction can be achieved. Energy and detector time resolution were 11.5% FWHM and 1.6ns FWHM, respectively.

Several positioning algorithms are tested to extract position information from the measured scintillation light distribution generated in monolithic LSO blocks of various shapes and read out by a Hamamatsu S8550 APD array. The intrinsic detector resolutions of photons impinging at different angles e.g. 0deg, plusmn 10deg, plusmn 20deg, plusmn 30deg are studied. To this end, we evaluate the following positioning algorithms : Neural Networks trained with error back propagation (Levenberg-Marquardt), Neural Networks trained with an algebraic method and Support Vector Machines (SVM).

The absence of very small crystal pixels in monolithic scintillation detectors has a number of potential advantages such as higher sensitivity, better energy resolution and continuous coordinates. In such detectors, the photon incidence position on the detector surface is derived from the measured scintillation light distribution using artificial neural networks (NNs). To this end, each detector module has to be position-calibrated by training the NNs. An automated procedure to simultaneously obtain the calibration data to train NNs for all detector modules in a fully assembled PET system has been developed and evaluated on a simulator set-up.

LSO/LuYAP phoswich detectors for small animal PET were developed to measure the depth of interaction (DOI), and to improve the spatial resolution at the edge of the field of view (FOV). The aim of this study was to optimize the optical coupling conditions between the crystal and photomultiplier tube (PMT) to maximize the light-collection efficiency, and to develop a method for rejecting scatter events by applying an equal energy window in each crystal layer. The light yields of the phoswich detector were estimated by changing the refractive index of the optical coupling material using a DETECT simulation. The accuracy of the DOI measurement on the phoswich detector, using an optical coupling material with the optimal light yield, were evaluated experimentally and compared with the air condition. The energy window for the photopeak events cannot be applied properly because the light outputs of LSO and LuYAP are different. The LSO/LuYAP photopeaks need to be superposed in order to effectively discriminate the scattered events by applying an equal energy window. The photopeaks of the LSO and LuYAP can be superposed by inserting a reflecting material between the crystals. The optimal coverage ratio of the inserting material was derived from a DETECT simulation, and its performance was investigated. In the simulation result, optimal refractive index of the optical coupling material was 1.7. The average DOI measurement errors of the LSO/LuYAP were 0.6%/3.4% and 4.9%/41.4% in the phoswich detector with and without an optical coupling material, respectively. The photopeaks of the LSO and LuYAP were superposed by covering 75% of the contact surface between the crystals with white Teflon. The DOI measurement errors of the LSO/LuYAP were 0.2%/2.4%. In this study, the optimal condition of the optical coupling material inserted between the crystal and PMT was derived to improve the accuracy of DOI measurement, and a photopeak superposition method of the LSO and LuYAP was developed in order to reject scatter events.

For the LYSO/LuYAP phoswich solution adapted in the ClearPET (TM) scanner with depth of interaction capability, results of ongoing research are presented. Various digital methods of crystal layer identification have been developed and tested on presently used as well as prospective scintillator materials. The application of neural networks has been identified as relatively simple but powerful tool for development of efficient and versatile algorithms of crystal identification. New phoswich solutions for PET scanners with depth of interaction capability have been proposed.

In this work results of ongoing research are presented for the LYSO/LuYAP phoswich solution adapted in the ClearPETtrade scanner with depth-of-interaction capability. The use of artificial neural network has been found as a very efficient phoswich crystal layer identification method that works for scintillators used at present, as well as on prospective materials. The LYSO/LuAP and LYSO/GSO phoswiches have been identified as a promising candidates for future PET scanners