Overcoming imaging plate saturation with a multi-scan reconstruction technique for high-flux deuteron diagnostics

Abstract

Imaging plates are widely used for charged-particle diagnostics, but their performance at high flux is limited by scanner saturation, leaving calibration gaps at low energies. In this work, we introduce a multi-scan reconstruction technique that recovers pre-saturation photostimulated luminescence (PSL) signals through repeated scans. This approach enables reliable extension of the dynamic range of imaging plates without hardware modification. As a proof of concept, we present the absolute calibration of BAS-TR imaging plates for monoenergetic deuterons in the 5–200 keV range, a regime where no prior data were available. The reconstructed PSL yield per deuteron shows good agreement with energy deposition simulations above 8 keV, with deviations at 5 keV attributed to surface effects. Overall, this method provides a practical solution to overcome saturation in imaging plate measurements and offers valuable reference data for ion diagnostics in nuclear fusion, plasma, and accelerator experiments. © 2025 Elsevier Ltd.