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. 2009 May;36(5):1736-43.
doi: 10.1118/1.3117583.

Exploration of the potential of liquid scintillators for real-time 3D dosimetry of intensity modulated proton beams

Sam Beddar  1 , Louis Archambault, Narayan Sahoo, Falk Poenisch, George T Chen, Michael T Gillin, Radhe Mohan
Affiliations

Exploration of the potential of liquid scintillators for real-time 3D dosimetry of intensity modulated proton beams

Sam Beddar et al. Med Phys. 2009 May.

Abstract

In this study, the authors investigated the feasibility of using a 3D liquid scintillator (LS) detector system for the verification and characterization of proton beams in real time for intensity and energy-modulated proton therapy. A plastic tank filled with liquid scintillator was irradiated with pristine proton Bragg peaks. Scintillation light produced during the irradiation was measured with a CCD camera. Acquisition rates of 20 and 10 frames per second (fps) were used to image consecutive frame sequences. These measurements were then compared to ion chamber measurements and Monte Carlo simulations. The light distribution measured from the images acquired at rates of 20 and 10 fps have standard deviations of 1.1% and 0.7%, respectively, in the plateau region of the Bragg curve. Differences were seen between the raw LS signal and the ion chamber due to the quenching effects of the LS and due to the optical properties of the imaging system. The authors showed that this effect can be accounted for and corrected by Monte Carlo simulations. The liquid scintillator detector system has a good potential for performing fast proton beam verification and characterization.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The detector system consisting of a light-tight gray PVC phantom, a transparent acrylic inner tank filled with liquid scintillator, and a CCD camera. The dashed lines represent the camera’s field of view.
Figure 2
Figure 2
A consecutive series of images of the LS detector system exposed to a 120 MeV proton beam. Each image represents the total light output seen within a 100 ms time interval.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Depth scintillation light profile measured from single images with acquisition times of 100 and 50 ms.
Figure 4
Figure 4
(a) Scintillation light profile measured with the LS detector system along the depth of the beam and compared to ion chamber depth dose curve measurements (Advance Markus chamber perpendicular to the beam direction). (b) Lateral profiles taken at 2 cm depth with the LS detector system and compared to ion chamber measurements (Pinpoint ionization chamber). All measurements were averaged over an acquisition period of 100 MU.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Scintillation light profile measured with the LS detector system compared to depth dose measurement with an ion chamber and Monte Carlo simulations (all the curves were normalized at 2.0 cm).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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