Quantum entanglement will enhance nuclear medicine.

Positron Emission Tomography (PET scanning) is one of the most effective cancer diagnostic methods and a valuable tool for detecting Alzheimer's disease. This technique allows us to observe how organs and tissues function by tracking a previously injected radioactive substance.

Certain cells, such as cancerous ones, absorb more glucose and appear brighter on a PET scan. The method operates on the principle that the radioactive material emits positron particles, which annihilate with electrons in the body, resulting in gamma radiation. This radiation reaches the PET scanner's detectors, enabling the construction of a three-dimensional image of the examined body part. Tumors generate more gamma particles than healthy tissues.

Detecting gamma particles is challenging because they scatter and lose energy before reaching the detector. This phenomenon is known as "garbage" scattered events. Researchers from York University are focusing on utilizing these scattered signals through quantum physics to enhance the accuracy of PET scanning.

Quantum entanglement is a phenomenon where particles are interconnected in such a way that the state of one instantly affects the state of another, regardless of the distance between them. Scientists have learned to generate gamma particles in a state of quantum entanglement. New research has shown that quantum entanglement is largely preserved during the scattering of gamma particles.

This result opens up possibilities for employing artificial intelligence and machine learning in analyzing data generated from such events. Observing the second entangled particle will allow for the collection of more data from a single round of tomographic examination. This, in turn, could lead to the development of more sensitive diagnostic tools and potentially reduce radiation doses for patients.

“The reliability of quantum entanglement between PET photons was a real surprise for us. Now that we understand this quantum entanglement at a more fundamental level, the application of quantum information in PET scanning has become a realistic possibility,” explained project leader Professor Daniel Watts, head of the Department of Hadron and Nuclear Physics at York University (UK).

New research in the field of quantum entanglement could significantly improve diagnostic methods for diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer's.

The scientific work has been published in the journal Physical Review Letters.