Effective source size, radial, angular and energy spread of therapeutic 11C positron emitter beams produced by 12C fragmentation

Abstract

The use of positron emitter light ion beams in combination with PET (Positron Emission Tomography) and PET–CT (Computed Tomography) imaging could significantly improve treatment verification and dose delivery imaging during radiation therapy.The present study is dedicated to the analysis of the beam quality in terms of the effective source size, as well as radial, angular and energy spread of the 11C ion beam produced by projectile fragmentation of a primary point monodirectional and monoenergetic 12C ion beam in a dedicated range shifter of different materials. This study was performed combining analytical methods describing the transport of particles in matter and the Monte Carlo code SHIELD-HIT+.A high brilliance and production yield of 11C fragments with a small effective source size and emittance is best achieved with a decelerator made of two media: a first liquid hydrogen section of about 20cm followed by a hydrogen rich section of variable length.The calculated intensity of the produced 11C ion beam ranges from about 5% to 8% of the primary 12C beam intensity depending on the exit energy and the acceptance of the beam transport system. The angular spread is lower than 1 degree for all the materials studied, but the brilliance of the beam is the highest with the proposed mixed decelerator.