Positron emission tomography coincidence detection with photon polarization correlation

Aimee L. McNamara; Kinwah Wu; David Boardman; Mark I. Reinhard; Zdenka Kuncic

doi:10.1117/12.2007794

6 March 2013 Positron emission tomography coincidence detection with photon polarization correlation

Aimee L. McNamara, Kinwah Wu, David Boardman, Mark I. Reinhard, Zdenka Kuncic

Proceedings Volume 8668, Medical Imaging 2013: Physics of Medical Imaging; 86681U (2013) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2007794
Event: SPIE Medical Imaging, 2013, Lake Buena Vista (Orlando Area), Florida, United States

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.

Citation Download Citation

Aimee L. McNamara, Kinwah Wu, David Boardman, Mark I. Reinhard, and Zdenka Kuncic "Positron emission tomography coincidence detection with photon polarization correlation", Proc. SPIE 8668, Medical Imaging 2013: Physics of Medical Imaging, 86681U (6 March 2013); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2007794

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