Ultracompact Compton camera for innovative gamma-ray imaging

J. Kataoka*, A. Kishimoto, T. Taya, S. Mochizuki, L. Tagawa, A. Koide, K. Sueoka, H. Morita, T. Maruhashi, K. Fujieda, T. Kurihara, M. Arimoto, H. Okochi, N. Katsumi, S. Kinno, K. Matsunaga, H. Ikeda, E. Shimosegawa, J. Hatazawa, S. OhsukaT. Toshito, M. Kimura, Y. Nagao, M. Yamaguchi, K. Kurita, N. Kawachi

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A multipixel photon counter (MPPC) features excellent photon-counting capability as a radiation detector. In particular, a two-plane Compton camera consisting of Ce:GAGG scintillators coupled with MPPC arrays has significant application potential owing to its compact size and low weight. For example, the camera can be easily mounted on a commercial drone to identify radiation hot spots from the sky. In Fukushima, we demonstrated that a 137Cs distribution within a 100 m diameter can be mapped correctly within a couple of tens of minutes. The advanced use of the Compton camera is also anticipated in the field of proton therapy. We evaluated an image of 511 keV annihilation gamma-rays emitted from a PMMA phantom irradiated by 200 MeV protons to mimic an in-beam monitor for proton therapy. Finally, we developed an ultracompact Compton camera (weight = 580 g), for 3-D multicolor molecular imaging. In order to demonstrate the performance capabilities of the device, 131I (365 keV), 85SrCl2 (514 keV), and 65ZnCl2 (1116 keV) were injected into a living mouse and the data were taken from 12 angles with a total acquisition time of 2 h. We confirmed that all tracers had accumulated on the target organs of the thyroid, bone, and liver, and that the obtained 3-D image was quantitatively correct with an accuracy of ±20%.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1-5
Number of pages5
JournalNuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research, Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment
Volume912
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2018 Dec 21

Keywords

  • 3D imaging
  • Compton camera
  • Multi-Pixel photon counter (MPPC)
  • Scintillator

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Nuclear and High Energy Physics
  • Instrumentation

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