Cerenkov light transport in scintillation crystals explained: realistic simulation with GATE.

To our knowledge, this is the first complete simulation of the generation, transport, and detection of the combination of Cerenkov and scintillation photons for TOF detectors. This simulation framework will allow for quantitative study of the factors influencing timing resolution, including the photodetector characteristics, and ultimately aid the development of BGO and other Cerenkov-based detectors for TOF PET.