The invention comprises a system for redundantly determining the state of a charged particle beam, such as beam position, direction, energy, and/or intensity. For example, the charged particle beam state is determined: (1) in an extraction system from a synchrotron, (2) in a charged particle beam transport path, and/or (3) at or about a patient undergoing charged particle cancer therapy using one or more film layers designed to emit photons upon passage of a charged particle beam, which yields information on position and/or intensity of the charged particle beam. The emitted photons are used to calculate position, direction, and/or intensity of the treatment beam in imaging and/or during tumor treatment.