Simulation of phoswich detectors using MCNPX and EGSnrc

The in vivo monitoring Lab at KIT uses two phoswich detectors for routine lung counting. A simplified model of one of them has been implemented in the two Monte Carlo codes EGSnrc and MCNPX. The active part of the detector consists of a crystal of NaI(Tl) and one of CsI(Tl): the energy deposited in both the crystals have been studied to consider the effect of the anticoincidence logic, present in the read-out electronics of the detectors and not yet studied with Monte Carlo simulations. Only the NaI(Tl) crystal has then been used to study the escape peaks at several energies, which are more prominent at low energies. The results from the two codes have been compared. The comparison of the codes predictions for the escape peaks has been then extended using the model of a germanium detector. (authors)