Imaging and range estimations of prompt X-rays using YAP(Ce) camera during particle-ion irradiation to phantoms with air cavities

Low-energy X-ray imaging of prompt secondary electron bremsstrahlung X-rays (prompt X-rays) emitted during particle-ion irradiation is a promising method for range estimation. However, measurements have so far been conducted mainly for uniform phantoms of water or an acrylic block. Prompt X-ray imaging for phantoms with air cavities has not yet been extensively measured or evaluated with realistic conditions. Consequently, we conducted imaging of prompt X-rays using a pinhole YAP(Ce) camera during irradiation by protons as well as carbon ions to non-uniform acrylic phantoms with small cavities and then evaluated the images and estimated the ranges from the measured prompt X-ray images. The non-uniform acrylic phantom used for imaging had a cylindrical cavity with a 20-mm or 10-mm diameter in the phantom. During irradiation by protons or carbon ions, imaging of one of the phantoms was conducted using the pinhole YAP(Ce) camera with an air cavity as well as filling the cavity with an acrylic rod. For the phantom with a 20-mm-diameter cavity, the prompt X-ray images measured for both protons and carbon ions showed the shape of the cavity in the images, and the ranges could be estimated from the images. For the phantom with a 10-mm-diameter hole, although the shape of the hole could not be clearly observed, the ranges could also be estimated from the images. Furthermore, Monte Carlo simulated prompt X-ray images with different spatial resolution of the X-ray camera showed similar images to the measured images. We confirmed that prompt X-ray imaging of phantoms with air cavities using the pinhole YAP(Ce) cameras was possible and that prompt X-ray imaging is a promising approach for estimating the ranges for both protons and carbon ions, even for phantoms with air cavities.