First Positronium Lifetime Imaging using 52Mn and 55Co with a plastic-based PET scanner
M. Das, S. Sharma, E. Yitayew Beyene, A. Bilewicz, J. Choiński, N. Chug, C. Curceanu, E. Czerwiński, J. Hajduga, S. Jalali, K. Kacprzak, T. Kaplanoglu, Ł. Kapłon, K. Kasperska, A. Khreptak, G. Korcyl, T. Kozik, K. Kubat, D. Kumar, S. Kumar Kundu, A. Kunimmal Venadan, E. Lisowski, F. Lisowski, J. Medrala-Sowa, S. Moyo, W. Mryka, S. Niedźwiecki, A. Pandey, P. Pandey, S. Parzych, A. Porcelli, B. Rachwał, M. Rädler, N. Rathod, N. Razzaq, A. Rominger, K. Shi, M. Skurzok, M. Słotwiński, A. Stolarz, T. Szumlak, P. Tanty, K. Tayefi Ardebili, S. Tiwari, K. Valsan Eliyan, R. Walczak, E. Ł. Stępień, P. Moskal
abstract
This study demonstrates applicability of 52Mn and 55Co radionuclides for positronium imaging. Positronium Lifetime Imaging
(PLI) extends positron emission tomography by using the lifetime of positronium atoms as a probe of tissue molecular
architecture. However, its practical use requires ?+ emitters that also provide an additional prompt ? ray to mark the positron creation time. In this work, we report the first PLI measurements performed with 52Mn and 55Co using the modular J-PET. Four samples were studied in each experiment: two Certified Reference Materials (polycarbonate and fused silica) and two
human tissues (cardiac myxoma and adipose). The selection of PLI events was based on the registration of two 511 keV
annihilation photons and one prompt gamma in triple coincidence. From the resulting lifetime spectra we extracted the mean
ortho-positronium lifetime ?oPs and the mean positron lifetime ?Tmean for each sample. The measured values of ?oPs in
polycarbonate using both isotopes matches well with the certified reference values. Furthermore, 55Co reproduced identical
results for fused-silica measurements at their respective uncertainty levels. In contrast, measurements with 52Mn in fused silica show a minor deviation, which could be caused by the Parafilm spacer. In myxoma and adipose tissue, the reduced ?oPs values are mainly linked to the long storage history of the samples rather than to the choice of isotope. Comparing peak-to-background ratios and spectral purity, 55Co provides cleaner PLI data under the same experimental conditions. Although 52Mn offers a longer half-life and a multi gamma cascade enhancing ?+ + ? coincidences, but at the expense of higher background. In this study, we demonstrate that the applied selection criteria on the data measured with the modular J-PET can be used for PLI studies even with radionuclides with complex decay patterns.
First ex-vivo positronium imaging of tissues with modular J-PET scanner using 44Sc radionuclide
K. Kubat, M. Das, S. Sharma, E. Y. Beyene, A. Bilewicz, J. Choiński, N. Chug, C. Curceanu, E. Czerwiński, J. Hajduga, S. Jalali, K. Kacprzak, T. Kaplanoglu, Ł. Kapłon, K. Kasperska, A. Khreptak, G. Korcyl, T. Kozik, D. Kumar, S. Kumar Kundu, A. Kunimmal-Venadan, B. Leszczyński, E. Lisowski, F. Lisowski, J. Mędrala-Sowa, S. Moyo, W. Mryka, S. Niedźwiecki, A. Pandey, P. Pandey, S. Parzych, A. Porcelli, B. Rachwał, M. Rädler, M. Skurzok, A. Stolarz, T. Szumlak, P. Tanty, K. Tayefi Ardebili, S. Tiwari, K. Valsan Eliyan, R. Walczak, P. Moskal, E. Ł. Stępień
abstract
This study presents the first ex-vivo positronium imaging of human tissues using the modular J-PET scanner with the 44Sc radionuclide. The 44Sc isotope was produced via the 44Ca(p, n)44Sc nuclear reaction and used to perform positronium imaging of phantom composed of human adipose tissue, cardiac myxoma tissue, thrombi blood clot, and also porous polymer XAD4, and a certified reference material (CRM) made from fused silica. The experiment demonstrates the suitability of 44Sc as a positron source for positronium imaging. The performance of J-PET for positronium imaging with 44Sc was validated by proper reconstruction of the mean orthopositronium lifetime for CRM material and XAD-4 polymer. The mean ortho-positronium (oPs) lifetimes determined for adipose tissue, cardiac myxoma tissues and thrombi were consistent with results of previous experiments. The study highlights the potential Sc radionuclide for positronium lifetime imaging (PLI).
Studies of CPT symmetry in positronium decays with 192 plastic strip J-PET detector
N. Chug, S. D. Bass, E. Y. Beyene, C. Curceanu, E. Czerwiński, M. Das, K. V. Eliyan, M. Gorgol, J. Hajduga, S. Jalali, B. Jasińska, K. Kacprzak, T. Kaplanoglu, Ł. Kapłon, K. Kasperska, A. Khreptak, A. Kierys, G. Korcyl, T. Kozik, K. Kubat, D. Kumar, A. Kunimmal Venadan, E. Lisowski, F. Lisowski, J. Mędrala-Sowa, S. Moyo, W. Mryka, S. Niedźwiecki, P. Pandey, S. Parzych, E. Pérez del Río, A. Porcelli, B. Rachwał, M. Rädler, A. Sienkiewicz, S. Sharma, M. Skurzok, E. Ł. Stępień, T. Szumlak, P. Tanty, K. Tayefi Ardebili, S. Tiwari, P. Moskal
abstract
A direct test of the CPT symmetry is performed for the electromagnetic decays of ortho-positronium using the Jagiellonian positron emission tomograph (J-PET). We present the precise measurement of the CPT-sensitive angular correlation entailing the positronium spin and the momenta of its annihilation photons, surpassing previous studies utilizing the same detection system. Positrons originating from a 22Na source are emitted from the detector?s center and subsequently form positronium atoms within the spherical chamber covered with porous material. Reconstruction of annihilation locations using the 192-strip J-PET detector makes it possible to determine the positronium emission direction, which defines the quantization axis along which positronium is polarized, without the application of external magnetic fields. The measurements were performed in total for 356 days resulting in an identification of 47.8×10^6 events with ortho-positronium decays into three photons. The results are consistent with the exactness of CPT symmetry with measured asymmetry amplitude -0.00029+-0.00022 (stat.) and with statistical error four times smaller than the previous best measurement.
First Positronium Imaging Using 44Sc With the J-PET Scanner: a Case Study on the NEMA-Image Quality Phantom
Manish Das, Sushil Sharma, Ermias Yitayew Beyene, Aleksander Bilewicz, Jarosław Choiński, Neha Chug, Catalina Curceanu, Eryk Czerwiński, Kavya Valsan Eliyan, Jakub Hajduga, Sharareh Jalali, Krzysztof Kacprzak, Tevfik Kaplanoglu, Łukasz Kapłon, Kamila Kasperska, Aleksander Khreptak, Grzegorz Korcyl, Tomasz Kozik, Karol Kubat, Deepak Kumar, Anoop Kunimmal Venadan, Edward Lisowski, Filip Lisowski, Justyna Medrala Sowa, Simbarashe Moyo, Wiktor Mryka, Szymon Niedźwiecki, Piyush Pandey, Szymon Parzych, Alessio Porcelli, Bartłomiej Rachwał, Elena Perez del Rio, Martin Rädler, Axel Rominger, Kuangyu Shi, Magdalena Skurzok, Anna Stolarz, Tomasz Szumlak, Pooja Tanty, Keyvan Tayefi Ardebili, Satyam Tiwari, Rafał Walczak, Ewa Ł. Stępień, Paweł Moskal
abstract
Positronium Lifetime Imaging (PLI), an emerging extension of conventional positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, offers a novel window for probing the submolecular properties of biological tissues by imaging the mean lifetime of the positronium atom. Currently, the method is under rapid development in terms of reconstruction and detection systems. Recently, the first in vivo PLI of the human brain was performed using the J-PET scanner utilizing the 68Ga isotope. However, this isotope has limitations due to its comparatively low prompt gamma yields, which is crucial for positronium lifetime measurement. Among alternative radionuclides, 44Sc stands out as a promising isotope for PLI, characterized by a clinically suitable half-life (4.04 hours) emitting 1157 keV prompt gamma in 100% cases after the emission of the positron. This study reports the first experimental demonstration of PLI with 44Sc, carried out on a NEMA-Image Quality (IQ) phantom using the Modular J-PET tomograph?the first plastic scintillators-based PET scanner.
muPPET: Investigating the Muon Puzzle with J-PET Detectors
A. Porcelli, K. Valsan Eliyan, G. Moskal, N. Nasrin Protiti, D. L. Sirghi, E. Yitayew Beyene, N. Chug, C. Curceanu, E. Czerwiński, M. Das, M. Gorgol, J. Hajduga, S. Jalali, B. Jasińska, K. Kacprzak, T. Kaplanoglu, Ł. Kapłon, K. Kasperska, A. Khreptak, G. Korcyl, T. Kozik, D. Kumar, K. Kubat, E. Lisowski, F. Lisowski, J. Mędrala-Sowa, W. Mryka, S. Moyo, S. Niedźwiecki, S. Parzych, P. Pandey, E. Perez del Rio, B. Rachwał, M. Rädler, S. Sharma, M. Skurzok, E. Ł. Stępień, T. Szumlak, P. Tanty, K. Tayefi Ardebili, S. Tiwari, and P. Moskal
abstract
The muPPET [muon Probe with J-PET] project aims to investigate the Muon
Puzzle seen in cosmic ray air showers. This puzzle arises from the observation of a significantly
larger number of muons on Earth's surface than that predicted by the current
theoretical models. The investigated hypothesis is based on recently observed asymmetries
in the parameters for the strong interaction cross-section and trajectory of an outgoing particle
due to projectile-target polarization. The measurements require detailed information
about muons at the ground level, including their track and charge distributions. To achieve
this, the two PET scanners developed at the Jagiellonian University in Krakow (Poland),
the J-PET detectors, will be employed, taking advantage of their well-known resolution
and convenient location for detecting muons that reach long depths in the atmosphere.
One station will be used as a muon tracker, while the second will reconstruct the core of
the air shower. In parallel, the existing hadronic interaction models will be modified and
fine-tuned based on the experimental results. In this work, we present the conceptualization
and preliminary designs of muPPET.
First Experimental Demonstration of Positronium Lifetime Imaging with 44Sc Using the J-PET Scanner
M. Das, S. Sharma, E. Y. Beyene, A. Bilewicz, J. Choiński, N. Chug, C. Curceanu, E. Czerwiński, J. Hajduga, S. Jalali, T. Kaplanoglu, Ł. Kapłon, K. Kasperska, A. Khreptak, G. Korcyl, K. Kubat, D. Kumar, A. Kunimmal Venadan, E. Lisowski, F. Lisowski, J. Mędrala-Sowa, S. Moyo, W. Mryka, S. Niedźwiecki, P. Pandey, S. Parzych, A. Porcelli, B. Rachwał, E. P.D. Río, M. Rädler, M. Skurzok, A. Stolarz, T. Szumlak, S. Tiwari, P. Tanty, K. Tayefi Ardebili, K. Valsan Eliyan, R. Walczak, E.Ł. Stępień, P. Moskal
published in: 2025 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium (NSS), Medical Imaging Conference (MIC) and Room Temperature Semiconductor Detector Conference (RTSD)
Positronium lifetime imaging (PLI) [1], an extension of PET, provides insight into the submolecular properties of tissues by imaging the lifetime of the positronium atom [2]. Currently, the method is under rapid development as regards reconstruction [3], [4] and detection systems [5], [6]. The first studies with the J-PET scanner using 68Ga have demonstrated the feasibility of this technique in human subjects [6]. However, the Ga68 isotope has limitations due to its low yield of de-excitation photons necessary for positronium lifetime estimation. In this context, 44Sc emerges as a promising candidate for PLI [7], offering a clinically optimal half-life of 3.97 hours and a high deexcitation photon yield of 94.3 % with an energy of 1157 keV. In this work, we report the results of the successful demonstration of PLI with 44 Sc using the Modular J-PET tomograph, featuring triggerless data acquisition that enables simultaneous multiphoton detection [8]. 44Sc was produced at the Heavy Ion Laboratory in Warsaw and transported to Jagiellonian University in Kraków. A NEMA IQ phantom with six spheres was used. The three largest spheres were filled with 44Sc, and the three smallest with 18 F, both diluted with water, having an initial activity concentration ratio of 1:3. Event selection was based on the simultaneous detection of two 511 keV photons and one de-excitation photon, enabling reconstruction of images of the mean positronium lifetime [2], [6]. The measured mean o-Ps lifetime shows good agreement with previously reported values in water [9]. This study presents the first-ever demonstration of PLI with 44 Sc, marking a significant advancement and opening new possibilities for developing PLI for clinical applications.
First Experimental Demonstration of Positronium Lifetime Imaging with 44Sc Using the J-PET Scanner
M. Das, S. Sharma, E. Y. Beyene, A. Bilewicz, J. Choiński, N. Chug, C. Curceanu, E. Czerwiński, J. Hajduga, S. Jalali, T. Kaplanoglu, Ł. Kapłon, K. Kasperska, A. Khreptak, G. Korcyl, K. Kubat, D. Kumar, A. Kunimmal Venadan, E. Lisowski, F. Lisowski, J. Mędrala-Sowa, S. Moyo, W. Mryka, S. Niedźwiecki, P. Pandey, S. Parzych, A. Porcelli, B. Rachwał, E. P.D. Río, M. Rädler, M. Skurzok, A. Stolarz, T. Szumlak, S. Tiwari, P. Tanty, K. Tayefi Ardebili, K. Valsan Eliyan, R. Walczak, E.Ł. Stępień, P. Moskal
2025 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium (NSS), Medical Imaging Conference (MIC) and Room Temperature Semiconductor Detector Conference (RTSD), Yokohama, Japan (1-8 November 2025))
Simulation studies of a brain PET insert for the total body J-PET tomograph
M. Rädler, E. Y. Beyene, A. Bilewicz, J. Choiński, N. Chug, C. Curceanu, E. Czerwiński, M. Das, J. Hajduga, S. Jalali, T. Kaplanoglu, Ł. Kapłon, A. Khreptak, G. Korcyl, K. Kubat, D. Kumar, A. Kunimmal Venadan, E. Lisowski, F. Lisowski, J. Mędrala-Sowa, S. Moyo, W. Mryka, S. Niedźwiecki, P. Pandey, S. Parzych, A. Porcelli, B. Rachwał, E. P. d. Río, S. Sharma, M. Skurzok, A. Stolarz, T. Szumlak, S. Tiwari, P. Tanty, K. Tayefi Ardebili, K. Valsan Eliyan, R. Walczak, E. Ł. Stępień, P. Moskal
IEEE NSS MIC RTSD in Yokohama
Study of Total-Body J-PET sensitivity as a function of the ring number
S. Jalali, M. Rädler, K. Tayefi Ardebili, P. Moskal
2nd Symposium on new trends in nuclear and medical physics, Krakow, Poland (24-26 September 2025)
