Asymmetrically placed cross-coupled scintillation crystals

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of photomultiplier tubes; and

a scintillation crystal array coupled to the plurality of photomultiplier tubes, the scintillation crystal array defining a plurality of corners;

wherein a first corner of the plurality of corners is aligned with a first center of a first photomultiplier tube of the plurality of photomultiplier tubes and a second corner of the plurality of corners is not aligned with a second center of a second photomultiplier tube of the plurality of photomultiplier tubes;

wherein the scintillation crystal array comprises a pentagonal block of crystals; and

wherein the pentagonal block is tapered in accordance with the following equation:

T=W /cos 2 (180° /N )−2 D tan(180° /N )

where T is a taper amount, W is a width of the scintillation crystal array, D is a depth of the scintillation crystal array, and N is a number.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a third corner of the plurality of corners is not aligned with a third center of a third of the plurality of photomultiplier tubes.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the scintillation crystal array includes n×m crystals selected from the group consisting of bismuth germanium oxide, germanium silicate, and lutetium oxyorthosilicate, where n is a width of the scintillation crystal array and m is a length of the scintillation crystal array.

4. The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein a fourth corner of the plurality of corners is not aligned with a fourth center of a fourth of the photomultiplier tubes.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the scintillation crystal array includes n 2 crystals selected from the group consisting of bismuth germanium oxide, germanium silicate, and lutetium oxyorthosilicate, where n is a matrix size of the scintillation crystal array.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising another scintillation crystal array coupled to the first photomultiplier tube of the plurality of photomultiplier tubes, the another scintillation crystal array defining another corner that is aligned with the first center of the first of the plurality of photomultiplier tubes.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a light guide coupled between the plurality of photomultiplier tubes and the scintillation crystal array.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the pentagonal block of the scintillation crystal array is tapered in an in-plane dimension of the scintillation crystal array.

9. A positron emission tomography camera comprising the apparatus of claim 1 .

10. The apparatus of claim 1 , the plurality of photomultiplier tubes configured in a circular system.

11. A method, comprising:

coupling a plurality of photomultiplier tubes to a scintillation crystal array, the scintillation crystal array defining a plurality of corners,

wherein a first corner of the plurality of corners is aligned with a first center of a first photomultiplier tube of the plurality of photomultiplier tubes and a second corner of the plurality of corners is not aligned with a second center of a second photomultiplier tube of the plurality of photomultiplier tubes;

wherein the scintillation crystal array comprises a pentagonal block of crystals; and

wherein the pentagonal block is tapered in accordance with the following equation:

T=W /cos 2 (180° /N )−2 D tan(180° /N )

where T is a taper amount, W is a width of the scintillation crystal array, D is a depth of the scintillation crystal array, and N is a number.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein a third corner of the plurality of corners is not aligned with a third center of a third of the plurality of photomultiplier tubes.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein a fourth corner of the plurality of corners is not aligned with a fourth center of a fourth of the photomultiplier tubes.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the scintillation crystal array includes n 2 crystals selected from the group consisting of bismuth germanium oxide, germanium silicate, and lutetium oxyorthosilicate.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the scintillation crystal array includes n×m crystals selected from the group consisting of bismuth germanium oxide, germanium silicate, and lutetium oxyorthosilicate.

16. The method of claim 11 , further comprising coupling another scintillation crystal array to the first photomultiplier tube of the plurality of photomultiplier tubes, the another scintillation crystal array defining another corner that is aligned with the first center of the first of the plurality of photomultiplier tubes.

17. The method of claim 11 , further comprising coupling a light guide between the plurality of photomultiplier tubes and the scintillation crystal array.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the pentagonal block of the scintillation crystal array is tapered in an in-plane dimension of the scintillation crystal array.

19. A method, comprising detecting radiation with a scintillation crystal array coupled to a plurality of photomultiplier tubes, the scintillation crystal array defining a plurality of corners;

wherein a first corner of the plurality of corners is aligned with a first center of a first photomultiplier tube of the plurality of photomultiplier tubes and a second corner of the plurality of corners is not aligned with a second center of a second photomultiplier tube of the plurality of photomultiplier tubes;

wherein the scintillation crystal array comprises a pentagonal block of crystals; and

wherein the pentagonal block is tapered in accordance with the following equation:

T=W /cos 2 (180° /N )−2 D tan(180° /N )

where T is a taper amount, W is a width of the scintillation crystal array, D is a deDth of the scintillation crystal array, and N is a number.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein a third corner of the plurality of corners is not aligned with a third center of a third of the plurality of photomultiplier tubes.

21. The method of claim 20 , wherein a fourth corner of the plurality of corners is not aligned with a fourth center of a fourth of the photomultiplier tubes.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein the scintillation crystal array includes n 2 crystals selected from the group consisting of bismuth germanium oxide and lutetium oxyorthosilicate.

23. The method of claim 19 , wherein the scintillation crystal array includes n×m crystals selected from the group consisting of bismuth germanium oxide, germanium silicate, and lutetium oxyorthosilicate.

24. The method of claim 19 , further comprising coupling another scintillation crystal array to the first photomultiplier tube of the plurality of photomultiplier tubes, the another scintillation crystal array defining another corner that is aligned with the first center of the first of the plurality of photomultiplier tubes.

25. The method of claim 19 , further comprising guiding a photon from the scintillation crystal array to at least one of the plurality of photomultiplier tubes via a light guide.

26. An apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of photomultiplier tubes configured as a continuous detector-ring; and

a scintillation crystal array coupled to the plurality of photomultiplier tubes, the scintillation crystal array comprising a plurality of pentagonal blocks of crystals tapered in accordance with the following equation:

T=W /cos 2 (180° /N )×2 D tan(180° /N )

where T is a taper amount, W is a width of the scintillation crystal array, D is a depth of the scintillation crystal array, and N is a number.

27. The apparatus of claim 26 , the plurality of pentagonal blocks of crystals comprising equal-entrance-width crystals.

28. The apparatus of claim 26 , the plurality of pentagonal blocks of crystals comprising equal-production-slice thickness crystals.

29. The apparatus of claim 26 , the continuous detector-ring comprising a circular system.