We recently had the distinct pleasure of hosting Prof. Todd Peterson from the Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science for a highly productive two-week research visit at the University of Siegen.
Prof. Peterson is a leading expert in medical imaging. His research drives innovation in two major areas: the development of high-resolution, multi-pinhole SPECT capabilities utilizing novel semiconductor radiation detector technology, and the advancement of quantitative CT, SPECT, and PET techniques for preclinical research applications.
During his stay, Prof. Peterson collaborated closely with two key research groups at the University of Siegen:
โ๏ธ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ข๐ฆ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ฅ ๐๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ก๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ข๐๐ฌ ๐๐ง๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐๐๐ฅ ๐๐ฆ๐๐ ๐ข๐ง๐ (Department of Physics, led by Prof. Ivor Fleck)
๐ป ๐๐ฆ๐๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ฆ๐ฌ (Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, led by Prof. Roman Obermaisser)
It was fantastic to see our PhD studentsโ Yazeed Balasmeh, Lars Maczey, Aravinda Lasya Indukuri, Kritima Rajbanshi and Charles Onuohaโactively participating in these cross-disciplinary discussions.
๐๐ก๐ ๐
๐จ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ: ๐๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ฅ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ญ๐จ๐ง ๐๐๐ฆ๐๐ซ๐
The primary goal of the visit was a deep dive and exchange of ideas regarding our DFG-funded project to develop a next-generation Compton Camera. This new camera will successfully detect gammas above 1 MeV opening up entirely new fields of study and allowing a broader range of isotopes to be detected.
This is a massive system-level challenge requiring cutting-edge hardware and software:
๐๐ซ๐๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง ๐๐๐ซ๐๐ฐ๐๐ซ๐: Utilizing SiPMs connected to ASICs for charge integration and ultra-precise 200 ps resolution timestamping.
๐๐๐๐ฅ-๐๐ข๐ฆ๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ : Using FPGAs to process signals in real-time, performing critical data reduction by sorting signals by production time at ultra-low latency.
๐๐๐๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง: Developing reconstruction algorithms and physics-based system models for accurate 3D localization of radioactive sources.
๐๐ ๐๐ง๐ญ๐๐ ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง: Training a neural network on data from known radioactive sources to accurately reconstruct the position of the source, ultimately enabling real-time imaging.
We want to extend our most sincere thanks to Prof. Peterson for his time, his invaluable expertise, and the fantastic exchange of ideas over the last two weeks. Collaborative discussions like these are exactly what push the boundaries of science and engineering forward!
