A new detector for the beam energy measurement in proton therapy: a feasibility study.

A new detector for the beam energy measurement in proton therapy: a feasibility study. Phys Med Biol. 2020 Jul 31;: Authors: Vignati A, Giordanengo S, Mas Milian F, Ahmadi Ganjeh Z, Donetti M, Fausti F, Ferrero M, Hammad Ali O, Martì Villarreal OA, Mazza G, Shakarami Z, Sola V, Staiano A, Cirio R, Sacchi R, Monaco V Abstract The proof of concept of a new device, capable of determining in a few seconds the energy of clinical proton beams by measuring the Time of Flight (ToF) of protons, is presented. The prototype consists of 2 thin Ultra Fast Silicon Detector (UFSD) pads, aligned along the beam direction in a telescope configuration and readout by a digitizer. The method developed for extracting the energy at the isocenter from the measured ToF, validated by Monte Carlo simulations, and the procedure used to calibrate the system are also presented and discussed in detail. The prototype was tested at the Centro Nazionale di Adroterapia Oncologica (CNAO, Pavia, Italy), at several beam energies, covering the entire clinical range, and using different distances between the sensors. The measured beam energies were benchmarked against the nominal CNAO energy values, obtained during the commissioning of the centre from the measured ranges in water. Deviations of few hundreds of keV have been achieved for all considered proton beam energies for distances between the two sensors larger than 60 cm, indicating a sensitivity to the correspondin...
Source: Physics in Medicine and Biology - Category: Physics Authors: Tags: Phys Med Biol Source Type: research