USIC production of ¹³N for positron emission tomography applications

Abstract

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Nuclear Science and Engineering, 2013.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (page [43]).Testing was performed on a data acquisition (DAQ) system that was built specifically to characterize a new ultracompact superconducting isochronous cyclotron (USIC) at MIT. A production model of Nitrogen-13 was validated by experiment at Massachusetts General Hospital. Both absolute and relative activity calculations were conducted utilizing an original MATLAB script; it is demonstrated that relative activity calculations are both more accurate and precise. The DAQ system limitations in terms of potential activity calculations were also explored. A saturation limit of 3500 coincident counts per second was calculated and validated, which sets a design criterion limit for future work. The potential for the USIC to be utilized in an active SNM interrogation role is also explored.by Shawn Fitzgerald.S.M