TITLE:
Monte Carlo Simulation and a Review of the Physics of the Positron Annihilation Process in PET
AUTHORS:
Hamed Hamid Muhammed, Ziya Zengin
KEYWORDS:
Positron Annihilation Physics; Positron Emission Tomography; Monte Carlo Simulation
JOURNAL NAME:
Engineering,
Vol.5 No.10B,
October
23,
2013
ABSTRACT:
In this paper, we investigate the physics of the positron annihilation
process, which occurs in a PET imaging system. In particular, the diffusion of
beta particles (positrons) within water was addressed. Beta particles are
emitted isotropically from the same source point with random directions and
randomly chosen energy levels. After traversing a certain distance within water, beta particles
lose a certain amount of its energy. The inelastic collisions with atomic
electrons are mainly responsible for the energy dissipation of charged
particles, such as electrons and positrons (that have low mass). The energy
loss rate due to inelastic process is estimated by using the Beta-Bloch
formula. These results help in understanding
how to develop and implement a computationally efficient Monte Carlo Simulation
of the positron annihilation process.