Positron emission tomography coincidence detection with photon polarization correlation
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Date
2013-02-09
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
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Publisher
SPIE
Abstract
Two-photon annihilation quanta are emitted in a pure quantum state and when detected in coincidence, the photon pairs possess orthogonal polarizations. We propose that this polarization correlation can be exploited in Positron Emission Tomography (PET), which relies crucially on accurate coincidence detection of photon pairs. In this proof of concept study, we investigate how photon polarization information can be exploited in PET imaging by developing a method to discern true coincidences using the polarization correlation of annihilation pairs. We demonstrate that the unique identification of true photon pairs with their polarization correlation can dramatically enhance overall PET image quality, especially for high emission rates, when conventional, energy- based coincidence detection methods become increasingly unreliable. Our results suggest that polarization-based coincidence detection offers new prospects for in vivo molecular imaging with next-generation PET systems. © 2013 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).
Description
Keywords
Positron computed tomography, Photons, Polarization, Quantum states, Particle interactions, Annihilation
Citation
McNamara, A. L., Wu, K., Boardman, D., Reinhard, M. I. & Kuncic, Z. (2013). Positron emission tomography coincidence detection with photon polarization correlation. Paper presented to SPIE Medical Imaging 2013, Orlando, Florida, USA, 9 - 14 February 2013. In Proceedings SPIE 8668, Medical Imaging 2013: Physics of Medical Imaging, 86681U. doi:10.1117/12.2007794