Measurement of neutron spectra generated by a 62 AMeV carbon-ion beam on a PMMA phantom using extended range Bonner sphere spectrometers

Neutrons constitute an important component of the radiation environment in hadron therapy accelerators. Their energy distribution may span from thermal up to hundred of MeV. The characterization of these fields in terms of dosimetric or spectrometric quantities is crucial for either the patient prot...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment, 2012-07, Vol.681, p.110-115
Main Authors: Bedogni, R, Amgarou, K, Domingo, C, Russo, S, Cirrone, GAP, Pelliccioni, M, Esposito, A, Pola, A, Introini, M V, Gentile, A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accelerators
Beams (radiation)
Detectors
Hadrons
Patients
Polymethyl methacrylates
Spectrometers
Therapy
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Neutrons constitute an important component of the radiation environment in hadron therapy accelerators. Their energy distribution may span from thermal up to hundred of MeV. The characterization of these fields in terms of dosimetric or spectrometric quantities is crucial for either the patient protection or the facility design aspects. To date, the Extended Range Bonner Sphere Spectrometer (ERBSS) is the only instrument able to simultaneously determine all spectral components in such workplaces. With the aim of providing useful data to the scientific community involved in neutron measurements at hadron therapy facilities, a measurement campaign was carried out at the Centro di AdroTerapia e Applicazioni Nucleari Avanzate (CATANA) of INFN-LNS (Laboratori Nazionali del Sud), where a 62 AMeV carbon ion is available. The beam was directed towards a PMMA phantom, simulating the patient, and two neutron measurement points were established at 0[deg] and 90[deg] with respect to the beam-line. The ERBSSs of UAB (Universidad AutA3noma de Barcelona-Grup de FASHsica de les Radiacions) and INFN (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare-Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati) were used to measure the resulting neutron fields. The two ERBSSs use different detectors and sphere diameters, and have been independently calibrated. The FRUIT code was used to unfold the results.
ISSN:0168-9002
DOI:10.1016/j.nima.2012.04.014