Streaming Readout PET Architecture and Development

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a radionuclide functional diagnostic imaging technique for medical applications such as cancer diagnosis and drug development. Jefferson Lab is developing PET instrumentation using a novel data acquisition system (DAQ) readout methodology referred to as streaming readout (SRO). The SRO-based approach transitions PET DAQ systems from traditional dedicated "triggered" systems to more versatile "triggerless" systems. In this new configuration, the SRO-enabled PET detector modules are interconnected using Ethernet with synchronized external timing circuitry. The SRO-PET system implementation is entirely software-based, encompassing detector calibrations and coincident event sorting. The adoption of SRO technology in PET instrumentation has the potential to simplify system installation and enhance key performance indices, especially for whole-body and total-body PET applications.