Use of a medical positron emission tomography cyclotron to perform proton-induced X-ray emission analysis

Abstract

We explored whether medical positron emission tomography (PET) cyclotron proton beams could be used for proton-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) analysis. The beam current of the medical PET cyclotron is high, as required for radioisotope production, and is not commonly used for PIXE analysis. We successfully extracted stable proton beams of low intensity by using the ion source of a medical cyclotron to exploit proton impurities in deuteron gas. We performed 20-MeV PIXE analysis of a biological sample (used tea leaves). Elements lighter than Sr could be detected with high sensitivity ([Formula: see text]14 ppm) using a silicon drift detector. We thus showed that a medical cyclotron widely used for PET diagnosis could be employed for PIXE analysis of biological samples.