electronCT -- An Imaging Technique Using Very-high Energy Electrons

TL;DR

electronCT is a novel imaging technique using very high energy electrons based on multiple Coulomb scattering, demonstrating feasibility with potential applications in medical imaging and radiotherapy, and offering simple setup advantages.

Contribution

This paper introduces electronCT, a new imaging method utilizing VHEE electrons for projectional and tomographic imaging with a simple setup and potential for in-situ medical applications.

Findings

Feasibility demonstrated with measurements at 155 MeV.

Successful projectional and tomographic reconstructions performed.

Potential for integration with VHEE radiotherapy discussed.

Abstract

The electronCT technique is an imaging method based on the multiple Coulomb scattering of relativistic electrons and has potential applications in medical and industrial imaging. It utilizes a pencil beam of electrons in the very high energy electron (VHEE, 50-250 MeV) range and a single detection layer for the determination of the beam profile. The technique constitutes a projectional, two-dimensional imaging method and thus also qualifies for the tomographic reconstruction of samples. Given the simplicity of the technical setup and its location behind the sample, the electronCT technique has potential synergies with VHEE radiotherapy, making use of the same electron source for both treatment and diagnostics and thus being a candidate for in-situ imaging and patient localization. At the same time, several technical challenges arise from the measurement technique when applied for the imaging of living beings. Measurements performed at the ARES linear particle accelerator at an electron energy of 155 MeV using a mouse phantom and a Timepix3 silicon pixel detector assembly demonstrate the feasibility of this technique. Both projectional and tomographic reconstructions are presented and the potential and limits of the technology are discussed.