Study of characteristics for heavy water photoneutron source in boron neutron capture therapy

Bremsstrahlung photon beams produced by medical linear accelerators are currently the most commonly used method of radiation therapy for cancerous tumors. Photons with energies greater than 8-10 MeV potentially generate neutrons through photonuclear interactions in the accelerator's treatment h...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:arXiv.org 2013-07
Main Authors: Salehi, Danial, M Salehi Jozani, Sardari, Dariush
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accelerators
Boron
Bremsstrahlung
Deuterium
Electron beams
Electron energy
Energy spectra
Filterability
Heavy water
Linear accelerators
Neutron flux
Neutrons
Nuclear capture
Photon beams
Photons
Radiation therapy
Target thickness
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Summary:Bremsstrahlung photon beams produced by medical linear accelerators are currently the most commonly used method of radiation therapy for cancerous tumors. Photons with energies greater than 8-10 MeV potentially generate neutrons through photonuclear interactions in the accelerator's treatment head, patient's body, and treatment room ambient. Electrons impinging on a heavy target generate a cascade shower of bremsstrahlung photons, the energy spectrum of which shows an end point equal to the electron beam energy. By varying the target thickness, an optimum thickness exists for which, at the given electron energy, maximum photon flux is achievable. If a source of high-energy photons i.e. bremsstrahlung, is conveniently directed to a suitable D2O target, a novel approach for production of an acceptable flux of filterable photoneturons for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) application is possible. This study consists of two parts. 1. Comparison and assessment of deuterium photonuclear cross section data. 2. Evaluation of the heavy water photonuclear source.
ISSN:2331-8422
DOI:10.48550/arxiv.1307.2769