Monte Carlo Simulations and prompt gamma measurement for online control of ion therapy

During the treatment of a tumor with light ions, the Bragg peak location must be accurately known. A significant fraction of the incident ions undergo nuclear collisions with the target nuclei leading to the prompt emission of particles which may carry information on the ion path. This work, which focuses on prompt gamma, shows that the depth profile of these emissions is highly correlated to the ions path and the measured counting rates allow to consider a realistic imaging system, operating in real time. For that purpose, we performed experiments at GANIL and at GSI with a collimated detector placed perpendicular to the beam axis and the time of flight technique was used in order to reduce the noise induced by neutrons and charged particles. Geant4 simulations were performed for the experimental design and data interpretation. A qualitative agreement between simulations and experiment is observed for the amount of energy deposited in the detector and the shape of the time of flight spectrum. However, discrepancies appear for the prompt gamma yield and the depth distribution of gamma detected. These discrepancies are discussed, mainly in terms of nuclear physics models that must be improved. After selecting the physical models which lead to the best agreement between simulations and measurements, studies on the location of prompt gamma emission and on the influence of diffusion in the target were performed to determine the impact on the correlation with the ion path. (author)