Search

Abstract Background Alongside the benefits of Total-Body imaging modalities, such as higher sensitivity, single-bed position, low dose imaging, etc., their final construction cost prevents worldwide utilization. The main aim of this study is to present a simulation-based comparison of the sensitivities of existing and currently developed tomographs to introduce a cost-efficient solution for constructing a Total-Body PET scanner based on plastic scintillators. Methods For the case of this study, eight tomographs based on the uEXPLORER configuration with different scintillator materials (BGO, LYSO), axial field-of-view (97.4 cm and 194.8 cm), and detector configurations (full and sparse) were simulated. In addition, 8 J-PET scanners with different configurations, such as various axial field-of-view (200 cm and 250 cm), different cross sections of plastic scintillator, and multiple numbers of plastic scintillator layers (2, 3, and 4), based on J-PET technology have been simulated by GATE software. Furthermore, Siemens’ Biograph Vision has been simulated to compare the results with standard PET scans. Two types of simulations have been performed. The first one with a centrally located source with a diameter of 1 mm and a length of 250 cm, and the second one with the same source inside a water-filled cylindrical phantom with a diameter of 20 cm and a length of 183 cm. Results With regards to sensitivity, among all the proposed scanners, the ones constructed with BGO crystals give the best performance ( $$\sim$$ ∼ 350 cps/kBq at the center). The utilization of sparse geometry or LYSO crystals significantly lowers the achievable sensitivity of such systems. The J-PET design gives a similar sensitivity to the sparse LYSO crystal-based detectors while having full detector coverage over the body. Moreover, it provides uniform sensitivity over the body with additional gain on its sides and provides the possibility for high-quality brain imaging. Conclusion Taking into account not only the sensitivity but also the price of Total-Body PET tomographs, which till now was one of the main obstacles in their widespread clinical availability, the J-PET tomography system based on plastic scintillators could be a cost-efficient alternative for Total-Body PET scanners.

Abstract Background The Jagiellonian Positron Emission Tomograph is the 3-layer prototype of the first scanner based on plastic scintillators, consisting of 192 half-metre-long strips with readouts at both ends. Compared to crystal-based detectors, plastic scintillators are several times cheaper and could be considered as a more economical alternative to crystal scintillators in future PETs. JPET is also a first multi-photon PET prototype. For the development of multi-photon detection, with photon characterized by the continuous energy spectrum, it is important to estimate the efficiency of J-PET as a function of energy deposition. The aim of this work is to determine the registration efficiency of the J-PET tomograph as a function of energy deposition by incident photons and the intrinsic efficiency of the J-PET scanner in detecting photons of different incident energies. In this study, 3-hit events are investigated, where 2-hits are caused by 511 keV photons emitted in $$e^+e^-$$ e + e - annihilations, while the third hit is caused by one of the scattered photons. The scattered photon is used to accurately measure the scattering angle and thus the energy deposition. Two hits by a primary and a scattered photon are sufficient to calculate the scattering angle of a photon, while the third hit ensures the precise labeling of the 511 keV photons. Results By comparing experimental and simulated energy distribution spectra, the registration efficiency of the J-PET scanner was determined in the energy deposition range of 70–270 keV, where it varies between 20 and 100 $$\%$$ % . In addition, the intrinsic efficiency of the J-PET was also determined as a function of the energy of the incident photons. Conclusion A method for determining registration efficiency as a function of energy deposition and intrinsic efficiency as a function of incident photon energy of the J-PET scanner was demonstrated. This study is crucial for evaluating the performance of the scanner based on plastic scintillators and its applications as a standard and multi-photon PET systems. The method may be also used in the calibration of Compton-cameras developed for the ion−beam therapy monitoring and simultaneous multi-radionuclide imaging in nuclear medicine.

Kaonic atoms are an extremely efficient tool to investigate the strong interaction at the low energy Frontier, since they provide direct access to the K−N interaction at threshold, eliminating the necessity for extrapolation, unlike in the case of scattering experiments. During the 1970s and 1980s, extensive studies were performed on kaonic atoms spanning across a broad spectrum of elements in the periodic table, ranging from lithium to uranium. These measurements provided inputs and constraints for the theoretical description of the antikaon-nuclei interaction potential. Nevertheless, the existing data suffer from significant experimental uncertainties, and numerous measurements have been found to be inconsistent with more recent measurements that utilize advanced detector technology. Furthermore, there remain numerous transitions of kaonic atoms that have yet to be measured. For these reasons, a new era of kaonic atoms studies is mandatory. The DAΦNE electron-positron collider at the INFN Laboratory of Frascati (INFN-LNF) stands out as a unique source of low-energy kaons, having been utilized by Collaborations such as DEAR, SIDDHARTA, and AMADEUS for groundbreaking measurements of kaonic atoms and kaon-nuclei interactions. Presently, the SIDDHARTA-2 experiment is installed at DAΦNE, aiming to perform the first-ever measurement of the 2p → 1s x-ray transition in kaonic deuterium, a crucial step towards determining the isospin-dependent antikaon-nucleon scattering lengths. Based on the experience gained with the SIDDHARTA experiment, which performed the most precise measurement of the kaonic hydrogen 2p → 1s x-ray transition, the SIDDHARTA-2 setup is now fully equipped for the challenging kaonic deuterium measurement. In this paper, we present a comprehensive description of the SIDDHARTA-2 setup and of the first kaonic atoms measurements performed during the commissioning phase of the DAΦNE collider. We also outline a proposal for future measurements of kaonic atoms at DAΦNE beyond SIDDHARTA-2, which is intended to stimulate discussions within the broad scientific community performing research, directly or indirectly, related to this field.

CPT violation could manifest itself in annihilating positronium events, but searching for this effect would require to know the spin of the annihilating system. Here, the authors do this using a positron-emission tomography scanner, finding no violation with a statistical precision of 10−4.

Abstract Purpose The time-over-threshold (TOT) technique is being used widely due to itsimplications in developing the multi-channel readouts, mainly when fast signal processing is required. Using the TOT technique, as a measure of energy loss instead of charge integration methods, significantly reduces the signal readout costs by combining the time and energy information. Therefore, this approach can potentially be utilized in J-PET tomograph which is built from plastic scintillators characterized by fast light signals. The drawback in adopting this technique lies in the non-linear correlation between input energy loss and TOT of the signal. The main motivation behind this work is to develop the relationship between TOT and energy loss and validate it by the J-PET tomograph setup. Methods The experiment was performed using a 22Na beta emitter source placed in the center of the J-PET tomograph. This isotope produces photons of two different energies: 511 keV photons from the positron annihilation (direct annihilation or through the formation of a para-positronium atom or pick-off process of ortho-positronium atoms) and a 1275 keV prompt photon. This allows the study of the correlation between TOT values and energy loss for energy ranges up to 1000 keV. Since the photon interacts predominantly via Compton scattering inside the plastic scintillator, there is no direct information of the energy deposition. However, using the J-PET geometry, one can measure the scattering angle of the interacting photon. Since the 22Na source emits photons of two different energies, it is necessary to know unambiguously the energy of incident photons and their corresponding scattering angles in order to estimate energy deposition. In summary, this work presents a dedicated algorithm developed to tag photons of different energies and studying their scattering angles to calculate the energy deposition by the interacting photons. Results A new method was elaborated to measure the energy loss by photons interacting with plastic scintillators used in the J-PET tomograph. We find the relationship between the energy loss and TOT is non-linear and can be described by the functions TOT = A0 + A1 * ln(E dep + A2) + A3 * (ln(E dep + A2))2 and TOT = A0 - A1 * A2 E dep $^{E_{dep}}\phantom {\dot {i}\!}$ . In addition, we also introduced a theoretical model to calculate the TOT as a function of energy loss in plastic scintillators. Conclusions A relationship between TOT and energy loss by photons interacting inside the plastic scintillators used in J-PET scanner is established for a deposited energy range of 100–1000 keV.

Abstract Purpose In living organisms, the positron-electron annihilation (occurring during the PET imaging) proceeds in about 30% via creation of a metastable ortho-positronium atom. In the tissue, due to the pick-off and conversion processes, over 98% of ortho-positronia annihilate into two 511 keV photons. In this article, we assess the feasibility for reconstruction of the mean ortho-positronium lifetime image based on annihilations into two photons. The main objectives of this work include the (i) estimation of the sensitivity of the total-body PET scanners for the ortho-positronium mean lifetime imaging using 2γ annihilations and (ii) estimation of the spatial and time resolution of the ortho-positronium image as a function of the coincidence resolving time (CRT) of the scanner. Methods Simulations are conducted assuming that radiopharmaceutical is labeled with 44 S c isotope emitting one positron and one prompt gamma. The image is reconstructed on the basis of triple coincidence events. The ortho-positronium lifetime spectrum is determined for each voxel of the image. Calculations were performed for cases of total-body detectors build of (i) LYSO scintillators as used in the EXPLORER PET and (ii) plastic scintillators as anticipated for the cost-effective total-body J-PET scanner. To assess the spatial and time resolution, the four cases were considered assuming that CRT is equal to 500 ps, 140 ps, 50 ps, and 10 ps. Results The estimated total-body PET sensitivity for the registration and selection of image forming triple coincidences (2γ+γ prompt) is larger by a factor of 13.5 (for LYSO PET) and by factor of 5.2 (for plastic PET) with respect to the sensitivity for the standard 2γ imaging by LYSO PET scanners with AFOV = 20 cm. The spatial resolution of the ortho-positronium image is comparable with the resolution achievable when using TOF-FBP algorithms already for CRT = 50 ps. For the 20-min scan, the resolution better than 20 ps is expected for the mean ortho-positronium lifetime image determination. Conclusions Ortho-positronium mean lifetime imaging based on the annihilations into two photons and prompt gamma is shown to be feasible with the advent of the high sensitivity total-body PET systems and time resolution of the order of tens of picoseconds.

Abstract The determination of low-energy cross sections and branching ratios of the $$\hbox {K}^-$$ K- multi-nucleon absorption processes in $$\Lambda \hbox {p}$$ Λp and $$\Sigma ^0\hbox {p}$$ Σ0p final states performed by the AMADEUS collaboration is presented. Low momentum $$\hbox {K}^-$$ K- ($$p_{\mathrm{K}} \simeq 127\ \hbox {MeV}/\hbox {c}$$ pK≃127MeV/c ) produced at the $$\hbox {DA}\Phi \hbox {NE}$$ DAΦNE collider are impinged on a Carbon target within the KLOE detector and the two and three nucleon absorption processes are disentangled by comparing the experimental data to phenomenological calculations. The $$\Lambda \hbox {p}$$ Λp spectra are interpreted in terms of $$\hbox {K}^{-}$$ K- multi-nucleon absorption processes; the possible contribution of a $$\hbox {K}^{-}\hbox {pp}$$ K-pp bound state is demonstrated to overlap with the two nucleon capture process, its absolute yield thus resulting indistinguishable.

Abstract J-PET is a detector optimized for registration of photons from the electron–positron annihilation via plastic scintillators where photons interact predominantly via Compton scattering. Registration of both primary and scattered photons enables to determinate the linear polarization of the primary photon on the event by event basis with a certain probability. Here we present quantitative results on the feasibility of such polarization measurements of photons from the decay of positronium with the J-PET and explore the physical limitations for the resolution of the polarization determination of 511 keV photons via Compton scattering. For scattering angles of about 82$$^\circ $$ ∘ (where the best contrast for polarization measurement is theoretically predicted) we find that the single event resolution for the determination of the polarization is about 40$$^\circ $$ ∘ (predominantly due to properties of the Compton effect). However, for samples larger than ten thousand events the J-PET is capable of determining relative average polarization of these photons with the precision of about few degrees. The obtained results open new perspectives for studies of various physics phenomena such as quantum entanglement and tests of discrete symmetries in decays of positronium and extend the energy range of polarization measurements by five orders of magnitude beyond the optical wavelength regime.

We report on the experimental search for the bound state of an η meson and He3 nucleus performed using the WASA-at-COSY detector setup. In order to search for the η-mesic nucleus decay, the pd→3He2γ and pd→3He6γ channels have been analysed. These reactions manifest the direct decay of the η meson bound in a He3 nucleus. This non-mesonic decay channel has been considered for the first time. When taking into account only statistical errors, the obtained excitation functions reveal a slight indication for a possible bound state signal corresponding to a 3He-η nucleus width Γ above 20 MeV and binding energy Bs between 0 and 15 MeV. However, the determined cross sections are consistent with zero in the range of the systematic uncertainty. Therefore, as final result we estimate only the upper limit for the cross section of the η-mesic He3 nucleus formation followed by the η meson decay which varies between 2 nb and 15 nb depending on possible bound state parameters. Keywords: η-mesic nuclei, η meson

We report on the search for the rare decay η→π0e+e− which is of interest to study C violation in the electromagnetic interaction which would indicate contributions from physics beyond the Standard Model, since the allowed decay via a two-photon intermediate state is strongly suppressed. The experiment has been performed using the WASA-at-COSY installation, located at the COSY accelerator of the Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany. In total 3×107 events of the reaction pd→3Heη have been recorded at an excess energy of Q=59.8MeV. Based on this data set the C parity violating decay η→π0γ⁎→π0e+e− via a single-photon intermediate state has been searched for, resulting in new upper limits of Γ(η→π0e+e−)/Γ(η→π+π−π0)

We present the analysis of K− absorption processes on He4 leading to Λπ− final states, measured with the KLOE spectrometer at the DAΦNE e+e− collider and extract, for the first time, the modulus of the non-resonant K−n →Λπ− direct production amplitude about 33 MeV below the K‾N threshold. This analysis also allows to disentangle the K− nuclear absorption at-rest from the in-flight capture, for K− momenta of about 120 MeV. The data are interpreted with the help of a phenomenological model, and the modulus of the non-resonant K−n →Λπ− amplitude for K− absorption at-rest is found to be |AK−n→Λπ−|=(0.334±0.018stat−0.058+0.034syst)fm. Keywords: Strong interaction, Strangeness nuclear physics, Antikaon interactions in nuclear matter

New data on both total and differential cross sections of the production of η mesons in proton–deuteron fusion to He3η in the excess energy region 13.6MeV≤Qη≤80.9MeV are presented. These data have been obtained with the WASA-at-COSY detector setup located at the Forschungszentrum Jülich, using a proton beam at 15 different beam momenta between pp=1.60GeV/c and pp=1.74GeV/c. While significant structure of the total cross section is observed in the energy region 20MeV≲Qη≲60MeV, a previously reported sharp variation around Qη≈50MeV cannot be confirmed. Angular distributions show the typical forward-peaking that was noted earlier. For the first time, it is possible to study the development of these angular distributions with rising excess energy over a wide interval. Keywords: Meson production, Proton–deuteron interactions, η meson

A consistent description of the dd→ 4Heη and dd→ (4Heη)→boundX cross sections was recently proposed with a broad range of real (V0) and imaginary (W0), η−4He optical potential parameters leading to a good agreement with the dd→ 4Heη data. Here we compare the predictions of the model below the η production threshold, with the WASA-at-COSY excitation functions for the dd→ 3HeNπ reactions to put stronger constraints on (V0,W0). The allowed parameter space (with |V0|

This letter reports a first quantitative analysis of the contribution of higher partial waves in the charge symmetry breaking reaction dd→4Heπ0 using the WASA-at-COSY detector setup at an excess energy of Q=60MeV. The determined differential cross section can be parametrized as dσ/dΩ=a+bcos2⁡θ⁎, where θ⁎ is the production angle of the pion in the center-of-mass coordinate system, and the results for the parameters are a=(1.55±0.46(stat)+0.32−0.8(syst))pb/sr and b=(13.1±2.1(stat)−2.7+1.0(syst))pb/sr. The data are compatible with vanishing p-waves and a sizable d-wave contribution. This finding should strongly constrain the contribution of the Δ isobar to the dd→4Heπ0 reaction and is, therefore, crucial for a quantitative understanding of quark mass effects in nuclear production reactions. Keywords: Charge symmetry breaking, Deuteron–deuteron interactions, Pion production

Exclusive measurements of the quasi-free pn→ppπ− and pp→ppπ0 reactions have been performed by means of pd collisions at Tp=1.2 GeV using the WASA detector setup at COSY. Total and differential cross sections have been obtained covering the energy region Tp=0.95–1.3 GeV (s=2.3–2.46 GeV), which includes the regions of Δ(1232), N⁎(1440) and d⁎(2380) resonance excitations. From these measurements the isoscalar single-pion production has been extracted, for which data existed so far only below Tp=1 GeV. We observe a substantial increase of this cross section around 1 GeV, which can be related to the Roper resonance N⁎(1440), the strength of which shows up isolated from the Δ resonance in the isoscalar (Nπ)I=0 invariant-mass spectrum. No evidence for a decay of the dibaryon resonance d⁎(2380) into the isoscalar (NNπ)I=0 channel is found. An upper limit of 180 μb (90% C.L.) corresponding to a branching ratio of 9% has been deduced.

Using the production reactions pd→He3ω and pp→ppω, the Dalitz plot distribution for the ω→π+π−π0 decay is studied with the WASA detector at COSY, based on a combined data sample of (4.408±0.042)×104 events. The Dalitz plot density is parametrised by a product of the P-wave phase space and a polynomial expansion in the normalised polar Dalitz plot variables Z and ϕ. For the first time, a deviation from pure P-wave phase space is observed with a significance of 4.1σ. The deviation is parametrised by a linear term 1+2αZ, with α determined to be +0.147±0.036, consistent with the expectations of ρ-meson-type final-state interactions of the P-wave pion pairs.

Various theoretical calculations based on QCD or hadronic interactions predict that in addition to the recently observed dibaryon resonance d⁎(2380) with I(JP)=0(3+) there should also exist a dibaryon resonance with mirrored quantum numbers I(JP)=3(0+). We report here on a search for such a NN-decoupled state in data on the pp→ppπ+π+π−π− reaction. Since no clear-cut evidence has been found, we give upper limits for the production cross section of such a resonance in the mass range 2280–2500 MeV. Keywords: Dibaryons, Four-pion production

The excellent quality kaon beam provided by the DAΦNE collider of LNF-INFN (Italy) together with SIDDHARTA/SIDDHARTA-2 new experimental techniques, as very precise and fast-response X-ray detectors, allow to perform unprecedented measurements on light kaonic atoms crucial for a deeper understanding of the low-energy quantum chromodynamics (QCD) in the strangeness sector. In this paper an overview of the main results obtained by the SIDDHARTA collaboration, as well as the future plans related to the SIDDHARTA-2 experiment, are discussed.

This article reports on the feasibility of testing of the symmetry under reversal in time in a purely leptonic system constituted by positronium atoms using the J-PET detector. The present state of T symmetry tests is discussed with an emphasis on the scarcely explored sector of leptonic systems. Two possible strategies of searching for manifestations of T violation in nonvanishing angular correlations of final state observables in the decay of metastable triplet states of positronium available with J-PET are proposed and discussed. Results of a pilot measurement with J-PET and assessment of its performance in reconstruction of three-photon decays are shown along with an analysis of its impact on the sensitivity of the detector for the determination of T-violation sensitive observables.

Exclusive measurements of the quasi-free np→npπ0π0 reaction have been performed by means of dp collisions at Td=2.27 GeV using the WASA detector setup at COSY. Total and differential cross sections have been obtained covering the energy region s=(2.35–2.46) GeV, which includes the region of the ABC effect and its associated d⁎(2380) resonance. Adding the d⁎ resonance amplitude to that for the conventional processes leads to a reasonable description of the data. The observed resonance effect in the total cross section is in agreement with the predictions of Fäldt and Wilkin as well with those of Albadajedo and Oset. The ABC effect, i.e. the low-mass enhancement in the π0π0-invariant mass spectrum, is found to be very modest – if present at all, which might pose a problem to some of its interpretations. Keywords: Two-pion production, ABC effect and resonance structure, Dibaryon resonance

Charge symmetry breaking (CSB) observables are a suitable experimental tool to examine effects induced by quark masses on the nuclear level. Previous high precision data from TRIUMF and IUCF are currently used to develop a consistent description of CSB within the framework of chiral perturbation theory. In this work the experimental studies on the reaction dd→He4π0 have been extended towards higher excess energies in order to provide information on the contribution of p-waves in the final state. For this, an exclusive measurement has been carried out at a beam momentum of pd=1.2 GeV/c using the WASA-at-COSY facility. The total cross section amounts to σtot=(118±18stat±13sys±8ext) pb and first data on the differential cross section are consistent with s-wave pion production. Keywords: Charge symmetry breaking, Deuteron–deuteron interactions, Pion production

Purpose: The aim of this work is to investigate the feasibility of the Jagiellonian Positron Emission Tomography (J-PET) scanner for intra-treatment proton beam range monitoring., Methods: The Monte Carlo simulation studies with GATE and PET image reconstruction with CASToR were performed in order to compare six J-PET scanner geometries. We simulated proton irradiation of a PMMA phantom with a Single Pencil Beam (SPB) and Spread-Out Bragg Peak (SOBP) of various ranges. The sensitivity and precision of each scanner were calculated, and considering the setup's cost-effectiveness, we indicated potentially optimal geometries for the J-PET scanner prototype dedicated to the proton beam range assessment., Results: The investigations indicate that the double-layer cylindrical and triple-layer double-head configurations are the most promising for clinical application. We found that the scanner sensitivity is of the order of 10 -5 coincidences per primary proton, while the precision of the range assessment for both SPB and SOBP irradiation plans was found below 1 mm. Among the scanners with the same number of detector modules, the best results are found for the triple-layer dual-head geometry. The results indicate that the double-layer cylindrical and triple-layer double-head configurations are the most promising for the clinical application, CONCLUSIONS:: We performed simulation studies demonstrating that the feasibility of the J-PET detector for PET-based proton beam therapy range monitoring is possible with reasonable sensitivity and precision enabling its pre-clinical tests in the clinical proton therapy environment. Considering the sensitivity, precision and cost-effectiveness, the double-layer cylindrical and triple-layer dual-head J-PET geometry configurations seem promising for future clinical application., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The Authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Associazione Italiana di Fisica Medica e Sanitaria. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Discrete symmetries play an important role in particle physics with violation of CP connected to the matter-antimatter imbalance in the Universe. We report the most precise test of P, T and CP invariance in decays of ortho-positronium, performed with methodology involving polarization of photons from these decays. Positronium, the simplest bound state of an electron and positron, is of recent interest with discrepancies reported between measured hyperfine energy structure and theory at the level of 10 -4 signaling a need for better understanding of the positronium system at this level. We test discrete symmetries using photon polarizations determined via Compton scattering in the dedicated J-PET tomograph on an event-by-event basis and without the need to control the spin of the positronium with an external magnetic field, in contrast to previous experiments. Our result is consistent with QED expectations at the level of 0.0007 and one standard deviation., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Alongside the benefits of Total-Body imaging modalities, such as higher sensitivity, single-bed position, low dose imaging, etc., their final construction cost prevents worldwide utilization. The main aim of this study is to present a simulation-based comparison of the sensitivities of existing and currently developed tomographs to introduce a cost-efficient solution for constructing a Total-Body PET scanner based on plastic scintillators., Methods: For the case of this study, eight tomographs based on the uEXPLORER configuration with different scintillator materials (BGO, LYSO), axial field-of-view (97.4 cm and 194.8 cm), and detector configurations (full and sparse) were simulated. In addition, 8 J-PET scanners with different configurations, such as various axial field-of-view (200 cm and 250 cm), different cross sections of plastic scintillator, and multiple numbers of plastic scintillator layers (2, 3, and 4), based on J-PET technology have been simulated by GATE software. Furthermore, Siemens' Biograph Vision has been simulated to compare the results with standard PET scans. Two types of simulations have been performed. The first one with a centrally located source with a diameter of 1 mm and a length of 250 cm, and the second one with the same source inside a water-filled cylindrical phantom with a diameter of 20 cm and a length of 183 cm., Results: With regards to sensitivity, among all the proposed scanners, the ones constructed with BGO crystals give the best performance ([Formula: see text] 350 cps/kBq at the center). The utilization of sparse geometry or LYSO crystals significantly lowers the achievable sensitivity of such systems. The J-PET design gives a similar sensitivity to the sparse LYSO crystal-based detectors while having full detector coverage over the body. Moreover, it provides uniform sensitivity over the body with additional gain on its sides and provides the possibility for high-quality brain imaging., Conclusion: Taking into account not only the sensitivity but also the price of Total-Body PET tomographs, which till now was one of the main obstacles in their widespread clinical availability, the J-PET tomography system based on plastic scintillators could be a cost-efficient alternative for Total-Body PET scanners., (© 2023. Springer Nature Switzerland AG.)

Kaonic atom X-ray spectroscopy is a consolidated technique for investigations on the physics of strong kaon-nucleus/nucleon interaction. Several experiments have been conducted regarding the measurement of soft X-ray emission (<20 keV) from light kaonic atoms (hydrogen, deuterium, and helium). Currently, there have been new research activities within the framework of the SIDDHARTA-2 experiment and EXCALIBUR proposal focusing on performing precise and accurate measurements of hard X-rays (>20 keV) from intermediate kaonic atoms (carbon, aluminum, and sulfur). In this context, we investigated cadmium-zinc-telluride (CdZnTe or CZT) detectors, which have recently demonstrated high-resolution capabilities for hard X-ray and gamma-ray detection. A demonstrator prototype based on a new cadmium-zinc-telluride quasi-hemispherical detector and custom digital pulse processing electronics was developed. The detector covered a detection area of 1 cm 2 with a single readout channel and interesting room-temperature performance with energy resolution of 4.4% (2.6 keV), 3% (3.7 keV), and 1.4% (9.3 keV) FWHM at 59.5, 122.1, and 662 keV, respectively. The results from X-ray measurements at the DAΦNE collider at the INFN National Laboratories of Frascati (Italy) are also presented with particular attention to the effects and rejection of electromagnetic and hadronic background.

In positron emission tomography (PET) studies, convolutional neural networks (CNNs) may be applied directly to the reconstructed distribution of radioactive tracers injected into the patient's body, as a pattern recognition tool. Nonetheless, unprocessed PET coincidence data exist in tabular format. This paper develops the transformation of tabular data into n-dimensional matrices, as a preparation stage for classification based on CNNs. This method explicitly introduces a nonlinear transformation at the feature engineering stage and then uses principal component analysis to create the images. We apply the proposed methodology to the classification of simulated PET coincidence events originating from NEMA IEC and anthropomorphic XCAT phantom. Comparative studies of neural network architectures, including multilayer perceptron and convolutional networks, were conducted. The developed method increased the initial number of features from 6 to 209 and gave the best precision results (79.8) for all tested neural network architectures; it also showed the smallest decrease when changing the test data to another phantom.

Objective: The Jagiellonian PET (J-PET) technology, based on plastic scintillators, has been proposed as a cost effective tool for detecting range deviations during proton therapy. This study investigates the feasibility of using J-PET for range monitoring by means of a detailed Monte Carlo simulation study of 95 patients who underwent proton therapy at the Cyclotron Centre Bronowice (CCB) in Krakow, Poland. &#xD;Approach: Discrepancies between prescribed and delivered treatments were artificially introduced in the simulations by means of shifts in patient positioning and in the Hounsfield unit to the relative proton stopping power calibration curve. A dual-layer, cylindrical J-PET geometry was simulated in an in-room monitoring scenario and a triple-layer, dual-head geometry in an in-beam protocol. The distribution of range shifts in reconstructed PET activity was visualised in the beam's eye view. Linear prediction models were constructed from all patients in the cohort, using the mean shift in reconstructed PET activity as a predictor of the mean proton range deviation. &#xD;Main results: Maps of deviations in the range of reconstructed PET distributions showed agreement with those of deviations in dose range in most patients. The linear prediction model showed a good fit, with coefficient of determination r^2 = 0.84 (in-room) and 0.75 (in-beam). Residual standard error was below 1 mm: 0.33 mm (in-room) and 0.23 mm (in-beam). &#xD;Significance: The precision of the proposed prediction models shows the sensitivity of the proposed J-PET scanners to shifts in proton range for a wide range of clinical treatment plans. Furthermore, it motivates the use of such models as a tool for predicting proton range deviations and opens up new prospects for investigations into the use of intra-treatment PET images for predicting clinical metrics that aid in the assessment of the quality of delivered treatment.&#xD., (Creative Commons Attribution license.)

Background: The Jagiellonian Positron Emission Tomograph is the 3-layer prototype of the first scanner based on plastic scintillators, consisting of 192 half-metre-long strips with readouts at both ends. Compared to crystal-based detectors, plastic scintillators are several times cheaper and could be considered as a more economical alternative to crystal scintillators in future PETs. JPET is also a first multi-photon PET prototype. For the development of multi-photon detection, with photon characterized by the continuous energy spectrum, it is important to estimate the efficiency of J-PET as a function of energy deposition. The aim of this work is to determine the registration efficiency of the J-PET tomograph as a function of energy deposition by incident photons and the intrinsic efficiency of the J-PET scanner in detecting photons of different incident energies. In this study, 3-hit events are investigated, where 2-hits are caused by 511 keV photons emitted in [Formula: see text] annihilations, while the third hit is caused by one of the scattered photons. The scattered photon is used to accurately measure the scattering angle and thus the energy deposition. Two hits by a primary and a scattered photon are sufficient to calculate the scattering angle of a photon, while the third hit ensures the precise labeling of the 511 keV photons., Results: By comparing experimental and simulated energy distribution spectra, the registration efficiency of the J-PET scanner was determined in the energy deposition range of 70-270 keV, where it varies between 20 and 100[Formula: see text]. In addition, the intrinsic efficiency of the J-PET was also determined as a function of the energy of the incident photons., Conclusion: A method for determining registration efficiency as a function of energy deposition and intrinsic efficiency as a function of incident photon energy of the J-PET scanner was demonstrated. This study is crucial for evaluating the performance of the scanner based on plastic scintillators and its applications as a standard and multi-photon PET systems. The method may be also used in the calibration of Compton-cameras developed for the ion-beam therapy monitoring and simultaneous multi-radionuclide imaging in nuclear medicine., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Objective: This paper reports on the implementation and shows examples of the use of the ProTheRaMon framework for simulating the delivery of proton therapy treatment plans and range monitoring using positron emission tomography (PET). ProTheRaMon offers complete processing of proton therapy treatment plans, patient CT geometries, and intra-treatment PET imaging, taking into account therapy and imaging coordinate systems and activity decay during the PET imaging protocol specific to a given proton therapy facility. We present the ProTheRaMon framework and illustrate its potential use case and data processing steps for a patient treated at the Cyclotron Centre Bronowice (CCB) proton therapy center in Krakow, Poland., Approach: The ProTheRaMon framework is based on GATE Monte Carlo software, the CASToR reconstruction package and in-house developed Python and bash scripts. The framework consists of five separated simulation and data processing steps, that can be further optimized according to the user's needs and specific settings of a given proton therapy facility and PET scanner design., Main Results: ProTheRaMon is presented using example data from a patient treated at CCB and the J-PET scanner to demonstrate the application of the framework for proton therapy range monitoring. The output of each simulation and data processing stage is described and visualized., Significance: We demonstrate that the ProTheRaMon simulation platform is a high-performance tool, capable of running on a computational cluster and suitable for multi-parameter studies, with databases consisting of large number of patients, as well as different PET scanner geometries and settings for range monitoring in a clinical environment. Due to its modular structure, the ProTheRaMon framework can be adjusted for different proton therapy centers and/or different PET detector geometries. It is available to the community via github., (Creative Commons Attribution license.)

In vivo assessment of cancer and precise location of altered tissues at initial stages of molecular disorders are important diagnostic challenges. Positronium is copiously formed in the free molecular spaces in the patient’s body during positron emission tomography (PET). The positronium properties vary according to the size of inter- and intramolecular voids and the concentration of molecules in them such as, e.g., molecular oxygen, O 2 ; therefore, positronium imaging may provide information about disease progression during the initial stages of molecular alterations. Current PET systems do not allow acquisition of positronium images. This study presents a new method that enables positronium imaging by simultaneous registration of annihilation photons and deexcitation photons from pharmaceuticals labeled with radionuclides. The first positronium imaging of a phantom built from cardiac myxoma and adipose tissue is demonstrated. It is anticipated that positronium imaging will substantially enhance the specificity of PET diagnostics.

Charged lepton system symmetry under combined charge, parity, and time-reversal transformation (CPT) remains scarcely tested. Despite stringent quantum-electrodynamic limits, discrepancies in predictions for the electron-positron bound state (positronium atom) motivate further investigation, including fundamental symmetry tests. While CPT noninvariance effects could be manifested in non-vanishing angular correlations between final-state photons and spin of annihilating positronium, measurements were previously limited by knowledge of the latter. Here, we demonstrate tomographic reconstruction techniques applied to three-photon annihilations of ortho-positronium atoms to estimate their spin polarisation without magnetic field or polarised positronium source. We use a plastic-scintillator-based positron-emission-tomography scanner to record ortho-positronium (o-Ps) annihilations with single-event estimation of o-Ps spin and determine the complete spectrum of an angular correlation operator sensitive to CPT-violating effects. We find no violation at the precision level of 10 -4 , with an over threefold improvement on the previous measurement., (© 2021. The Author(s).)