Ultrafast detection in positron emission tomography using Cherenkov light

The talk will discuss the development of a novel PET scanner concept which is cost-effective, could have a higher patient throughput, and would also allow for the construction of a full-body PET apparatus. The resulting detection system would provide the basis for increased sensitivity in cancer detection, providing a more robust diagnosis for an early therapy selection in an individual patient. The scanner will be based on the detection of the annihilation gammas by using Cherenkov light, thus translating basic particle physics experiments to clinical PET. We will report on a series of experimental and simulation studies that have shown that with this detection concept TOF resolutions below 100 ps are possible, that silicon photomultipliers present a very promising device for Cherenkov light detection in TOF PET, and that such an apparatus offers a very interesting cheaper alternative to scintillating crystal based scanners.