Proton therapy treatment verification: a spatio-temporal emission reconstruction with experimental data

We present here the first experimental results of the spatio-temporal emission reconstruction for treatment verification in proton therapy. With a multi-detector prompt-gamma timing system, we are able to simultaneously reconstruct the spatial and temporal distribution of the emitted prompt photons. This distribution is correlated to both the primary particle range and their motion inside the target. A multi-detector system based on LaBr3:Ce crystals was developed within the MERLINO project for the proof-of-concept. Experimental measurements of a 227 MeV proton beam impinging on an homogeneous phantom were taken at the National Center for Oncological Hadrontherapy (CNAO) in Italy. The results shown here represent the first step towards the experimental validation of the technique.