YAP(Ce) crystal characterization with proton beam up to 60 MeV

A YAP(Ce) crystal was characterized with a proton beam up to 60 MeV. Tests were performed to investigate the possibility of using this detector as a proton calorimeter. The size of the crystal was chosen so that the proton energy is totally lost inside the medium. The authors propose to use the YAP(Ce) crystal in medical applications for proton therapy. In particular, in proton computed tomography (pCT) project it is necessary as a calorimeter in order to measure the proton residual energy after the phantom. resolution, linearity, and light yield were measured in the Laboratori Nazionali del Sud with the CATANA proton beam [http://www.lns.infn.it/CATANA/CATANA] and the results are shown in this paper. ystal shows a good resolution (3% at 60 MeV proton beam) and it shows good linearity for different proton beam energies (1% at 30–60 MeV energy range). ystal performances confirm that the YAP(Ce) crystal represents a good solution for these kinds of application.