High-Flux Entangled Photon Generation via Clinical Megavoltage Radiotherapy Beams for Quantum Imaging and Theranostics
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arXiv
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| Natura: | Preprint |
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2025
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| author | Olivera, Gustavo Ziberi, Bashkim Avery, Stephen Skinner, Heth Devin Sajo, Erno Ribeiro, Hugo Huq, M. Saiful |
| author_facet | Olivera, Gustavo Ziberi, Bashkim Avery, Stephen Skinner, Heth Devin Sajo, Erno Ribeiro, Hugo Huq, M. Saiful |
| contents | Traditional sources of quantum-entangled photons, such as spontaneous parametric down-conversion, suffer from low flux, limiting clinical applications. We investigated whether clinical megavoltage (MV) radiotherapy beams can serve as dual-purpose sources, delivering therapeutic dose while simultaneously generating high-flux entangled photon pairs for quantum ghost imaging, quantum theranostics (QTX), and related applications. Using GEANT4 Monte Carlo simulations, we modeled water-equivalent phantoms containing 2 cm spherical tumors loaded with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs, 10 mg/mL). Clinical spectra at 6, 10, and 15 MV were simulated. Key metrics included 511 keV photon-pair yield, positronium lifetimes (time-resolved), Doppler and energy broadening (energy-resolved), signal-to-noise ratios (SNR), and entanglement retention at depths from 5 to 15 cm. Pair yields scaled with beam energy and AuNP concentration, reaching about 10^8 pairs per Gy per cm^3 in AuNP-loaded tumors. Positronium lifetime shifts (about 100 ps) reflected tumor oxygenation and reactive oxygen species, offering potential functional biomarkers. Doppler (1-3 keV) and AuNP-induced line broadening (0.5-1 keV) produced distinct spectroscopic signatures of electron density, tissue composition, and nanoparticle uptake. Time-resolved QTX revealed oxygenation and ROS levels, energy-resolved QTX probed tissue density and atomic composition, and combined modes enabled comprehensive theranostic imaging. Depth-dependent simulations achieved voxel SNRs exceeding 100. These findings demonstrate that clinical MV beams can serve as practical, high-flux entangled photon sources. Integrated time- and energy-resolved QTX supports functional and spectroscopic tumor imaging, enables nanoparticle optimization, and expands quantum imaging platforms from optical (eV) to therapeutic (hundreds of keV) regimes. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_03958 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | High-Flux Entangled Photon Generation via Clinical Megavoltage Radiotherapy Beams for Quantum Imaging and Theranostics Olivera, Gustavo Ziberi, Bashkim Avery, Stephen Skinner, Heth Devin Sajo, Erno Ribeiro, Hugo Huq, M. Saiful Medical Physics Traditional sources of quantum-entangled photons, such as spontaneous parametric down-conversion, suffer from low flux, limiting clinical applications. We investigated whether clinical megavoltage (MV) radiotherapy beams can serve as dual-purpose sources, delivering therapeutic dose while simultaneously generating high-flux entangled photon pairs for quantum ghost imaging, quantum theranostics (QTX), and related applications. Using GEANT4 Monte Carlo simulations, we modeled water-equivalent phantoms containing 2 cm spherical tumors loaded with gold nanoparticles (AuNPs, 10 mg/mL). Clinical spectra at 6, 10, and 15 MV were simulated. Key metrics included 511 keV photon-pair yield, positronium lifetimes (time-resolved), Doppler and energy broadening (energy-resolved), signal-to-noise ratios (SNR), and entanglement retention at depths from 5 to 15 cm. Pair yields scaled with beam energy and AuNP concentration, reaching about 10^8 pairs per Gy per cm^3 in AuNP-loaded tumors. Positronium lifetime shifts (about 100 ps) reflected tumor oxygenation and reactive oxygen species, offering potential functional biomarkers. Doppler (1-3 keV) and AuNP-induced line broadening (0.5-1 keV) produced distinct spectroscopic signatures of electron density, tissue composition, and nanoparticle uptake. Time-resolved QTX revealed oxygenation and ROS levels, energy-resolved QTX probed tissue density and atomic composition, and combined modes enabled comprehensive theranostic imaging. Depth-dependent simulations achieved voxel SNRs exceeding 100. These findings demonstrate that clinical MV beams can serve as practical, high-flux entangled photon sources. Integrated time- and energy-resolved QTX supports functional and spectroscopic tumor imaging, enables nanoparticle optimization, and expands quantum imaging platforms from optical (eV) to therapeutic (hundreds of keV) regimes. |
| title | High-Flux Entangled Photon Generation via Clinical Megavoltage Radiotherapy Beams for Quantum Imaging and Theranostics |
| topic | Medical Physics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.03958 |