Display options
Cite
Berg E, Roncali E, Cherry SR. Optimizing light transport in scintillation crystals for time-of-flight PET: an experimental and optical Monte Carlo simulation study. Biomed Opt Express. 2015;6(6):2220-30doi: 10.1364/BOE.6.002220.
Berg, E., Roncali, E., & Cherry, S. R. (2015). Optimizing light transport in scintillation crystals for time-of-flight PET: an experimental and optical Monte Carlo simulation study. Biomedical optics express, 6(6), 2220-30. https://doi.org/10.1364/BOE.6.002220
Berg, Eric, et al. "Optimizing light transport in scintillation crystals for time-of-flight PET: an experimental and optical Monte Carlo simulation study." Biomedical optics express vol. 6,6 (2015): 2220-30. doi: https://doi.org/10.1364/BOE.6.002220
Berg E, Roncali E, Cherry SR. Optimizing light transport in scintillation crystals for time-of-flight PET: an experimental and optical Monte Carlo simulation study. Biomed Opt Express. 2015 May 26;6(6):2220-30. doi: 10.1364/BOE.6.002220. eCollection 2015 Jun 01. PMID: 26114040; PMCID: PMC4473755.
Copy Download .nbib Format: NLM
Share it on

Biomed Opt Express. 2015 May 26;6(6):2220-30. doi: 10.1364/BOE.6.002220. eCollection 2015 Jun 01.

Optimizing light transport in scintillation crystals for time-of-flight PET: an experimental and optical Monte Carlo simulation study.

Biomedical optics express

Eric Berg, Emilie Roncali, Simon R Cherry

Affiliations

  1. Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA ; These authors contributed equally.
  2. Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of California, Davis, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.

PMID: 26114040 PMCID: PMC4473755 DOI: 10.1364/BOE.6.002220

Abstract

Achieving excellent timing resolution in gamma ray detectors is crucial in several applications such as medical imaging with time-of-flight positron emission tomography (TOF-PET). Although many factors impact the overall system timing resolution, the statistical nature of scintillation light, including photon production and transport in the crystal to the photodetector, is typically the limiting factor for modern scintillation detectors. In this study, we investigated the impact of surface treatment, in particular, roughening select areas of otherwise polished crystals, on light transport and timing resolution. A custom Monte Carlo photon tracking tool was used to gain insight into changes in light collection and timing resolution that were observed experimentally: select roughening configurations increased the light collection up to 25% and improved timing resolution by 15% compared to crystals with all polished surfaces. Simulations showed that partial surface roughening caused a greater number of photons to be reflected towards the photodetector and increased the initial rate of photoelectron production. This study provides a simple method to improve timing resolution and light collection in scintillator-based gamma ray detectors, a topic of high importance in the field of TOF-PET. Additionally, we demonstrated utility of our Monte Carlo simulation tool to accurately predict the effect of altering crystal surfaces on light collection and timing resolution.

Keywords: (120.3890) Medical optics instrumentation; (170.2670) Gamma ray imaging; (170.5280) Photon migration; (240.0240) Optics at surfaces; (240.5770) Roughness; (260.1180) Crystal optics

References

  1. Phys Med Biol. 2011 Feb 7;56(3):735-56 - PubMed
  2. Eur J Nucl Med Mol Imaging. 2011 Jun;38(6):1147-57 - PubMed
  3. Phys Med Biol. 2008 Sep 7;53(17):R287-317 - PubMed
  4. Phys Med Biol. 2014 Apr 21;59(8):2023-39 - PubMed
  5. J Nucl Med. 2008 Mar;49(3):462-70 - PubMed
  6. Phys Med Biol. 2014 Jul 7;59(13):3261-86 - PubMed
  7. Phys Med Biol. 2013 Apr 7;58(7):2185-98 - PubMed
  8. Semin Nucl Med. 1998 Jul;28(3):268-75 - PubMed

Publication Types

Grant support