Simulations of the 4DMPET SiPM-based PET module

The 4DMPET project aims to develop PET detector modules compatible with operations inside a MRI scanner. PET/MRI hybrid imaging will improve the diagnostic capabilities in soft tissues like the human brain, providing functional and morphological information within the same device. The block detector, designed to provide a measurement of the Depth of Interaction and the Time Of Flight, will feature Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPM) coupled to LYSO scintillator slabs. The Monte Carlo simulations presented here are validated by the comparison with experimental data obtained with 4 × 4 and 8 × 8 SiPM matrices coupled to a LYSO scintillator. The proposed block layout is based on a 48 mm × 48 mm × 10 mm LYSO slab, read out by two 16 × 16 identical SiPM matrices on both sides. The preliminary results of the simulation of the proposed detector are presented, showing good performance in terms of energy, spatial and time resolution.