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The purpose of this study was to determine how the characteristics of the data acquisition (DAQ) electronics of a Compton camera (CC) affect the quality of the recorded prompt gamma (PG) interaction data and the reconstructed images, during clinical proton beam delivery. We used the Monte-Carlo-plus-Detector-Effect (MCDE) model to simulate the delivery of a 150 MeV clinical proton pencil beam to a tissue-equivalent plastic phantom. With the MCDE model we analyzed how the recorded PG interaction data changed as two characteristics of the DAQ electronics of a CC were changed: (1) the number of data readout channels; and (2) the active charge collection, readout, and reset time. As the proton beam dose rate increased, the number of recorded PG single-, double-, and triple-scatter events decreased by a factor of 60× for the current DAQ configuration of the CC. However, as the DAQ readout channels were increased and the readout/reset timing decreased, the number of recorded events decreased by

The purpose of this study was to determine the types, proportions, and energies of secondary particle interactions in a Compton camera (CC) during the delivery of clinical proton beams. The delivery of clinical proton pencil beams ranging from 70 to 200 MeV incident on a water phantom was simulated using Geant4 software (version 10.4). The simulation included a CC similar to the configuration of a Polaris J3 CC designed to image prompt gammas (PGs) emitted during proton beam irradiation for the purpose of in vivo range verification. The interaction positions and energies of secondary particles in each CC detector module were scored. For a 150-MeV proton beam, a total of 156 688(575) secondary particles per 108 protons, primarily composed of gamma rays (46.31%), neutrons (41.37%), and electrons (8.88%), were found to reach the camera modules, and 79.37% of these particles interacted with the modules. Strategies for using CCs for proton range verification should include methods of reducing the large neutron backgrounds and low-energy non-PG radiation. The proportions of interaction types by module from this study may provide information useful for background suppression.

Position sensitive CdZnTe Compton imaging cameras are currently being studied for their use of proton beam range verification for radiotherapy applications. This work presents the use of an experimental large volume CdZnTe detector for the detection of prompt gamma rays that are emitted from proton-nuclei interaction within plastic (C2H4) targets. Two experiments were conducted where the incident angle and the dose profile of the beam were varied. The energy spectra from these experiments show that the angle at which the beam enters the target can influence the photopeak to Compton continuum ratios, resulting in more than 18% increase at 718 keV when the beam is parallel to the detector. Images of the 718 keV and 4.44 MeV characteristic prompt gamma ray emission from carbon-proton interactions are reconstructed using list-mode maximum likelihood expectation maximization (MLEM). Images from these prompt gamma emissions line up well with the expected location of the proton beam within the plastic targets.