研究目的
The goal of this work is to make a preliminary study to evaluate the functionality of several Timepix3 pixel detectors with different sensors as a small and portable Compton camera.
研究成果
The Compton camera principle can be used in many different applications (scintigraphy, SPECT, etc.). One example of a scintigraphic application is revealing small residues after the surgical removal of thyroid gland. Localization of such residues helps to prevent further extension of the disease, which is the second most frequent cancer for women. Currently available collimator based gamma cameras offer resolution of only about 15 mm. In this preliminary study, we have presented the commercially available Timepix3 detector can be used to construct a Compton camera. It was shown in this work that such device can distinguish different positions of a gamma source with a resolution of about 6 times better than currently available devices. Further benefits of a Timepix3 based Compton camera is the very broad field of view, small size, and low weight. These advantages enable the usage of the Compton camera in applications where distance and portability matters.
研究不足
The angular resolution of the presented Compton camera depends on the detected energy, and it is in the order of 1 degree. The practical evaluation was performed with 2 layers, and the maximal number of layers is not limited.