Comparison of Gamma Radiation Effects on CCD Cameras Under Different Bias Conditions Using Image Analysis Techniques

In this article, we have investigated gamma radiation effects on two identical CCD cameras under “power on” and “power off” conditions. The cameras were irradiated up to a total ionizing dose of 40 krad at a dose rate of 20 krad/h using a Co-60 gamma source. The images captured at regular intervals with both cameras were analyzed using image quality analysis techniques to evaluate the performance degradation of the cameras with gamma dose. The parameters such as the mean value, mode value, variance, number of bright pixels, peak signal-to-noise ratio, and structural similarity index matrix were calculated from the image data. All statistical parameters showed that for the same gamma dose, the degradation of the camera under the “power on” condition was higher than that of the camera, which was irradiated under the “power off” condition. The image analysis techniques presented in this article could be helpful for assessing the health or useful life of the cameras during operation in nuclear facilities.