We investigated the optical properties of novel terbium (Tb³⁺)-doped nanophosphors with various host compounds irradiated by clinical electron, photon, and proton beams for their potential as optical probes. The emission spectra of nanophosphors embedded in tissue-mimicking phantoms were collected by an optical fiber connected to a CCD-coupled spectrograph while the samples were irradiated with electron and photon beams generated by a medical linear accelerator and proton beams generated by a clinical cyclotron. We characterized the luminescence of such nanophosphors as a function of the beam energy and observed a dose dependency of the luminescence signal. We demonstrated x-ray luminescence, cathodoluminescence, and ionoluminescence of the nanophosphors in clinical ionizing radiation fields, which indicates their potential as downconverters of high-energy radiation into visible light.

Date Published: 2 March 2015
PDF: 6 pages
Proc. SPIE 9308, Optical Methods for Tumor Treatment and Detection: Mechanisms and Techniques in Photodynamic Therapy XXIV, 930812 (2 March 2015); doi: 10.1117/12.2079373

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 9308:
Optical Methods for Tumor Treatment and Detection: Mechanisms and Techniques in Photodynamic Therapy XXIV
David H. Kessel; Tayyaba Hasan, Editor(s)