Within the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) of the European Commission, a three-year project named LABSYNC has been recently funded with the aim of designing a complete small facility around the MIRRORCLE light source, a laboratory sized commercial synchrotron developed in Japan [1]. The Medical Physics group of Ferrara University is one of the seven partners of the LABSYNC consortium. Within the project, we will be responsible for the design of the diagnostic imaging and therapeutic beamlines owing to the broad experience in the physics of diagnostic radiology acquired through the years, in particular for the application of synchrotron radiation to mammography and the development of tunable quasi-monochromatic x-ray beams. Preliminary investigations have confirmed the potential of small-scale synchrotron light sources for medical imaging applications. Indeed, Monte Carlo simulations have demonstrated that x-ray beams generated by the interaction of MeV electrons with target materials of diagnostic interest are far more intense than those generated by conventional x-ray tubes [2]. Furthermore, significant improvement in x-ray beam monochromaticity can be achieved by viewing the x-ray emission from a direction orthogonal or antiparallel to that of the incident electron beam. Since the energy range involved is significantly beyond the diagnostic range an optimization of x-ray detector characteristics is also desirable. Finally, possible applications of Parametric X-ray Radiation to medical imaging are also discussed.
Optimization of a table top synchrotron light source for radiological applications
GAMBACCINI, Mauro;DI DOMENICO, Giovanni;MARZIANI, Michele;TAIBI, Angelo
2010
Abstract
Within the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) of the European Commission, a three-year project named LABSYNC has been recently funded with the aim of designing a complete small facility around the MIRRORCLE light source, a laboratory sized commercial synchrotron developed in Japan [1]. The Medical Physics group of Ferrara University is one of the seven partners of the LABSYNC consortium. Within the project, we will be responsible for the design of the diagnostic imaging and therapeutic beamlines owing to the broad experience in the physics of diagnostic radiology acquired through the years, in particular for the application of synchrotron radiation to mammography and the development of tunable quasi-monochromatic x-ray beams. Preliminary investigations have confirmed the potential of small-scale synchrotron light sources for medical imaging applications. Indeed, Monte Carlo simulations have demonstrated that x-ray beams generated by the interaction of MeV electrons with target materials of diagnostic interest are far more intense than those generated by conventional x-ray tubes [2]. Furthermore, significant improvement in x-ray beam monochromaticity can be achieved by viewing the x-ray emission from a direction orthogonal or antiparallel to that of the incident electron beam. Since the energy range involved is significantly beyond the diagnostic range an optimization of x-ray detector characteristics is also desirable. Finally, possible applications of Parametric X-ray Radiation to medical imaging are also discussed.I documenti in SFERA sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
