Speaker
Description
LhARA, the Laser-hybrid Accelerator for Radiobiological Applications, is a proposed facility designed to advance the study of pre-clinical radiation biology using proton and ion beams. The accelerator is intended to deliver various dose rates including ultra-high dose rates, necessitating real-time measurement of the dose distribution to minimize uncertainties. To meet this requirement, a detector has been developed harnessing the acoustic waves and luminescence produced by the energy deposition within it.
A recent experiment at the Laser-Driven Ion Accelerator (LION) in Munich evaluated the detectors' potential to provide a calibrated 3D dose map. The SmartPhantom, a liquid-filled phantom, has three ports for mounting ultrasound transducers to detect acoustic waves. For calibration, the SmartPhantom is filled with a liquid scintillator, and luminescence is captured by two cameras positioned perpendicular to the beam axis.
Simultaneous optical and acoustic measurements were recorded for incident nominal beam energies in the range 10 to 20 MeV. Various beam widths were generated by positioning collimators with diameters ranging from 2 to 4 mm at the front of the SmartPhantom’s entrance window.
Results indicated a correlation between acoustic and optical signals generated by the proton beam energy deposition in the liquid scintillator under various configurations. This study lays the groundwork for pursuing the goal of an absolute calibration of the 3D dose distribution.
