Proton beam characterization by proton-induced acoustic emission: simulation studies

Due to their Bragg peak, proton beams are capable of delivering a targeted dose of radiation to a narrow volume, but range uncertainties currently limit their accuracy. One promising beam characterization technique, protoacoustic range verification, measures the acoustic emission generated by the proton beam. We simulated the pressure waves generated by proton radiation passing through water. We observed that the proton-induced acoustic signal consists of two peaks, labeled α and γ, with two originating sources. The α acoustic peak is generated by the pre-Bragg peak heated region whereas the source of the γ acoustic peak is the proton Bragg peak. The arrival time of the α and γ peaks at a transducer reveals the distance from the beam propagation axis and Bragg peak center, respectively. The maximum pressure is not observed directly above the Bragg peak due to interference of the acoustic signals. Range verification based on the arrival times is shown to be more effective than determining the Bragg peak position based on pressure amplitudes. The temporal width of the α and γ peaks are linearly proportional to the beam diameter and Bragg peak width, respectively. The temporal separation between compression and rarefaction peaks is proportional to the spill time width. The pressure wave expected from a spread out Bragg peak dose is characterized. The simulations also show that acoustic monitoring can verify the proton beam dose distribution and range by characterizing the Bragg peak position to within ~1 mm.