Plastic Scintillator Based Pet Detector Technique For Proton Therapy Range Monitoring: A Monte Carlo Study

Currently a positron emission tomography (PET) based on novel, cutting-edge technology is developed by the Jagiellonian-PET (J-PET) collaboration. In this contribution, the principle of plastic scintillator based detector system, J-PET and the investigation of its feasibility for proton beam therapy range monitoring will be presented. Results of Monte Carlo simulation studies aiming at the characterization of secondary radiation induced by a proton beam in a PMMA phantom and detected by the J-PET scanner will be shown. Accounting for detector acceptance and PET-gamma detection efficiency in the plastics the diagnostic J-PET scanner can acquire 1.7 x 10(-5) PET-gammas per primary proton. The J-PET detector configurations and signal acquisition during and after the therapy is discussed.