Liquid Argon detector prototype for Positron Emission Tomography

Liquid Argon Time Projection Chambers (LArTPC) are a widely used technology in neutrino physics and they can detect a wide range of particle energies, including the 511 keV low-energy gamma rays emitted from a tracer chemical like fluorine-18 used in Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanners. PET scanners are important tools for diagnosing cancer and cardiovascular diseases. A liquid argon PET (LArPET) scanner could take advantage of LArTPC strengths, such as fine spatial resolution and sensitive calorimetry. We have been working on a simulation of a LArPET device, as well as building a small prototype that we are aiming to have operational in 2026. The LArPET prototype will contain a few liters of liquid argon, and will use a pixelated readout to measure its performance under cryogenic conditions. This prototype detector will be used to validate the concept and guide future work towards full-scale devices. This talk will cover the details of the simulation and experimental setup under development at Syracuse University.