Which component detects the light converted to an electrical signal in a PSP reader?

• A. Photodetector
• B. Sensor array
• C. Photographic plate
• D. Amplifier

Answer: (A)

When the PSP plate is scanned, it emits light in proportion to the stored image. The task of turning that light into an electrical signal lies with the photodetector. This component directly detects the photons and converts them into an electrical current that can be amplified and processed to form the digital image. The amplifier raises the signal strength after detection, but it isn’t the device that detects light itself. The photographic plate is the storage medium, not the detector, and a sensor array would be a broader detector concept, whereas the PSP reader relies on a photodetector to perform the light-to-electrical conversion.