Scintillation array apparatus and method of use thereof

An apparatus for tomographic imaging of a tumor of a patient with positively charged particles, comprising:

• a beam transport line from an accelerator to a plurality of scintillation optics, each scintillation optic of said plurality of scintillation optics comprising:
• a longitudinal length of a first scintillation material comprising a first index of refraction;
• and
• a cladding circumferentially enclosing said longitudinal length of said first scintillation material, said cladding comprising a second index of refraction, said second index of refraction less than said first index of refraction;
• and
• a two-dimensional detector array optically coupled to a two-dimensional matrix of said plurality of scintillation optics, said two-dimensional detector array configured to detect secondary photons emitted from said first scintillation material, resultant from energy transfer from the positively charged particles,
• said beam transport line configured to transport the positively charged particles from an accelerator through the tumor to said plurality of scintillation optics during use, a z-axis defined along a non-scattered positively charged particle path, of the positively charged particles, from the tumor to said plurality of scintillation optics, said plurality of scintillation optics comprising incident surfaces, for receiving the positively charged particles, distributed along an x/y-plane perpendicular to the z-axis.

A method for imaging a sample with positively charged particles, comprising the steps of:

• transporting the positively charged particles along a beam transport line from an accelerator, through the sample, and to a plurality of scintillation optics, a z-axis defined along a path of the positively charged particles, each scintillation optic of said plurality of scintillation optics comprising:
• a longitudinal length of a first scintillation material comprising a first index of refraction;
• and
• a cladding circumferentially enclosing said longitudinal length of said first scintillation material, said cladding comprising a second index of refraction, said second index of refraction less than said first index of refraction;
• and
• detecting secondary photons emitted from said first scintillation material, resultant from energy transfer from the positively charged particles, with a two-dimensional detector array optically coupled to a two-dimensional matrix of said plurality of scintillation optics, said plurality of scintillation optics comprising incident surfaces, for receiving the positively charged particles, distributed along an x/y-plane perpendicular to the z-axis.