EVALUATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF BETA PARTICLE IMAGERS

Abstract

Compact beta imagers have the great potential for tumor localization for radio-guided treatment interventions thanks, in part, to their natural collimation of beta particles. Their rapid survey capabilities of small areas, on the scale of tens of square centimeters, are important for clinical adoption. In this work we investigate the experimental methods and evaluate the performance of the uniformity, sensitivity, spatial resolution and field of view (FOV) of a hand-held beta camera. Results from this work have demonstrated a high degree of sensitivity and uniformity and a millimeter scale spatial resolution within a FOV close to 1 square centimeter. In addition, we report the progress of the development of a new beta imager using gas electron multiplier (GEM) detectors and discuss the related issues for particle detection.