Performance evaluation of MACACO: a multilayer Compton camera

Compton imaging devices have been proposed and studied for a wide range of applications. We have developed a Compton camera prototype which can be operated with two or three detector layers based on monolithic lanthanum bromide (${LaBr}_3$) crystals coupled to silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs), to be used for proton range verification in hadron therapy. In this work, we present the results obtained with our prototype in laboratory tests with radioactive sources and in simulation studies. Images of a ${}^{22}$Na and an ${}^{88}$Y radioactive sources have been successfully reconstructed. The full width half maximum of the reconstructed images is below 4 mm for a ${}^{22}$Na source at a distance of 5 cm. (paper)