Speaker
Mrs
Martina Bucciantonio
(TERA Foundation - University of Bern)
Description
We describe the design and implementation of a fast data acquisition (DAQ) system for GEM trackers applied to imaging and dosimetry in hadrontherapy. Within the AQUA project of TERA foundation a prototype of Proton Range Radiography of 30x30 cm$^2$ active area has been designed and built to provide in-beam integrated density images of the patient before treatment. It makes use of a pair of GEM to record position and direction of protons emerging from the target. A fast data acquisition rate close to a MHz will allow obtaining good resolution in-beam proton radiography in a few seconds. A dedicated fast front-end circuit for GEM detectors (GEMROC by Krakow University) is read by the FPGA based DAQ card (GR_DAQ), developed by the AQUA group. This module has been built around a Cyclone iii FPGA and a fast ADC and it is able to acquire and digitize the incoming signals with a continuous readout at 1MHz. 6 GR_DAQ modules cover the entire GEM bi-dimensional strip readout. A slave card collects the data from the GR_DAQs and sends them by USB to the PC. The software, developed on LabVIEW, provide multiple run modes, including electronics test, calibration and online data taking. It is foreseen to develop faster data analysis and monitoring software to provide real time or near-real time radiographic images. The same GEMs system is under evaluation (within ENVISION WP.3) to realize the in-vivo dosimetry, based on detecting secondary light particles during the treatment of the patient.
Primary author
Mrs
Martina Bucciantonio
(TERA Foundation - University of Bern)
Co-authors
Mr
David Watts
(TERA Foundation)
Prof.
Fabio Sauli
(TERA Foundation)
Dr
Nail Malakhov
(TERA Foundation)
Dr
Robert Kieffer
(TERA Foundation)
Prof.
Ugo Amaldi
(TERA Foundation)
