Timing resolution for an optical fibre-based detector in a 74 MeV proton therapy beam

A Terbium activated Gadolinium Oxysulfide (Gd2O2S:Tb)-filled optical fibre sensor was developed and tested as a proton therapy beam dosimeter on a 74 MeV proton beam. Tests were carried out at the TRIUMF proton therapy centre, where a passively scattered beam is used for treatment. To create a clinically relevant spread-out Bragg peak, a modulator wheel with steps of varying thickness is employed. To determine the sensor’s response in a 23 mm spread out Bragg peak, the sensor signal was sampled at depth intervals of 0.79 mm along the beam axis in a water phantom. The resulting data showed a periodic variation in the signal corresponding to the rotation of the modulator wheel and related to the depth in water of the detector. This timing resolution in the sensor response could find application in quality assurance for modulated proton beams