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Photostimulated luminescence
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<p>Photostimulated luminescence (PSL) is the release of stored energy within a <a href="/facts/Phosphor/vTLjrGDE">phosphor</a> by stimulation with visible light, to produce a luminescent signal. <a href="/facts/X-ray/wseP79cN">X-rays</a> may induce such an energy storage. A plate based on this mechanism is called a photostimulable phosphor (PSP) plate (or imaging plate) and is one type of <a href="/facts/X-ray_detector/gaU0yhyy">X-ray detector</a> used in <a href="/facts/Projectional_radiography/IUvVylwq">projectional radiography</a>. Creating an image requires illuminating the <a href="/facts/Photographic_plate/LbTmHKJb">plate</a> twice: the first exposure, to the <a href="/facts/Radiation/RwMocyeq">radiation</a> of interest, "writes" the image, and a later, second illumination (typically by a visible-wavelength <a href="/facts/Laser/jk6PTvvT">laser</a>) "reads" the image. The device to read such a plate is known as a phosphorimager (occasionally spelled phosphoimager, perhaps reflecting its common application in <a href="/facts/Molecular_biology/YgqU35ub">molecular biology</a> for detecting <a href="/facts/Radiolabel/0210Jncn">radiolabeled</a> <a href="/facts/Phosphorylated/LXUEEeIL">phosphorylated</a> <a href="/facts/Proteins/Jxmagu3E">proteins</a> and <a href="/facts/Nucleic_acids/2tTgcI0v">nucleic acids</a>). </p><p><a href="/facts/Projectional_radiography/IUvVylwq">Projectional radiography</a> using a photostimulable phosphor plate as an <a href="/facts/X-ray_detector/gaU0yhyy">X-ray detector</a> can be called "phosphor plate radiography" or "computed radiography" (not to be confused with <a href="/facts/Computed_tomography/NusPJ2S8">computed tomography</a> which uses computer processing to convert multiple projectional radiographies to a <a href="/facts/3D_imaging/MlnAUm3l">3D image</a>). </p>