Proton Radiography With Timepix Based Time Projection Chambers.

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Particle Imaging
• Radiation Oncology

Background:

• Proton beam therapy offers precise radiation delivery but requires accurate patient imaging.
• Current imaging techniques may introduce uncertainties in dose deposition calculations.
• Advanced imaging systems are needed to optimize proton therapy outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a novel proton radiography system for enhanced patient imaging in proton beam therapy.
• To assess the feasibility of using GridPix-based time projection chambers for proton tracking.
• To measure the residual energy of protons for improved range verification.

Main Methods:

• Utilized GridPix-based time projection chambers (TPCs) incorporating the Timepix chip for proton tracking.
• Employed a Barium Fluoride (BaF2) crystal coupled with a photomultiplier tube to measure proton residual energy.
• Conducted feasibility experiments using phantoms simulating human tissue-equivalent materials.

Main Results:

• The developed system demonstrated effective tracking of protons with minimal impact on track determination.
• Experimental data showed good agreement between measured and simulated proton energies and tracks.
• The system proved capable of imaging tissue-equivalent materials with promising accuracy.

Conclusions:

• The novel proton radiography system shows significant potential for improving patient imaging in proton therapy.
• GridPix-based TPCs are suitable for precise proton tracking, contributing to enhanced treatment accuracy.
• The system's performance in feasibility studies validates its utility for clinical application.