PET CT

The sculpture "The Short, Rich Life of Positronium" commemorates fundamental research on antimatter conducted at the University of Michigan. Positron emission tomography (PET) uses positron-emitting radioactive isotopes as tracers and coincidence detection of the resulting back-to-back photons to construct tomographic images. PET enables visualization of functional processes in the body by tracking radioactive tracers like fluorodeoxyglucose, which is used to show glucose metabolism and thus tissue activity. While providing valuable medical information, PET also involves some radiation risks due to the penetrating nature of the emitted photons.