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Dosimetric response of radiochromic films to protons of low energies in the Bragg peak region

M. C. Battaglia, D. Schardt, J. M. Espino, M. I. Gallardo, M. A. Cortés-Giraldo, J. M. Quesada, A. M. Lallena, H. Miras, and D. Guirado
Phys. Rev. Accel. Beams 19, 064701 – Published 21 June 2016
An article within the collection: oPAC 2015 Conference Edition

Abstract

One of the major advantages of proton or ion beams, applied in cancer treatment, is their excellent depth-dose profile exhibiting a low dose in the entrance channel and a distinct dose maximum (Bragg peak) near the end of range in tissue. In the region of the Bragg peak, where the protons or ions are almost stopped, experimental studies with low-energy particle beams and thin biological samples may contribute valuable information on the biological effectiveness in the stopping region. Such experiments, however, require beam optimization and special dosimetry techniques for determining the absolute dose and dose homogeneity for very thin biological samples. At the National Centre of Accelerators in Seville, one of the beam lines at the 3 MV Tandem Accelerator was equipped with a scattering device, a special parallel-plate ionization chamber with very thin electrode foils and target holders for cell cultures. In this work, we present the calibration in absolute dose of EBT3 films [Gafchromic radiotherapy films, http://www.ashland.com/products/gafchromic-radiotherapy-films] for proton energies in the region of the Bragg peak, where the linear energy transfer increases and becomes more significant for radiobiology studies, as well as the response of the EBT3 films for different proton energy values. To irradiate the films in the Bragg peak region, the energy of the beam was degraded passively, by interposing Mylar foils of variable thickness to place the Bragg peak inside the active layer of the film. The results obtained for the beam degraded in Mylar foils are compared with the dose calculated by means of the measurement of the beam fluence with an ionization chamber and the energy loss predicted by srim2008 code.

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  • Received 30 September 2015

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevAccelBeams.19.064701

This article is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.

Published by the American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Accelerators & Beams

Collections

This article appears in the following collection:

oPAC 2015 Conference Edition

A collection of articles that expand upon original research presented at the oPAC International Conference on Accelerator Optimization to be held in Seville, Spain, 7th to 9th October 2015

Authors & Affiliations

M. C. Battaglia1, D. Schardt2, J. M. Espino1,3, M. I. Gallardo3, M. A. Cortés-Giraldo3, J. M. Quesada3, A. M. Lallena4, H. Miras5, and D. Guirado6

  • 1Centro Nacional de Aceleradores (CNA) de la Universidad de Sevilla, Junta de Andalucía y CSIC, 41092 Seville, Spain
  • 2GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ions Research, 64291 Darmstadt, Germany
  • 3Departamento de Física Atómica, Molecular y Nuclear, Universidad de Sevilla, 41013 Seville, Spain
  • 4Departamento de Física Atómica, Molecular y Nuclear, Universidad de Granada, E-18071 Granada, Spain
  • 5Hospital Universitario Virgen Macarena (HUVM), 41071 Seville, Spain
  • 6Servicio de Radiofísica y Protección Radiológica, Hospital Universitario San Cecilio, E-18012 Granada, Spain

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Issue

Vol. 19, Iss. 6 — June 2016

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It is not necessary to obtain permission to reuse this article or its components as it is available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI are maintained. Please note that some figures may have been included with permission from other third parties. It is your responsibility to obtain the proper permission from the rights holder directly for these figures.

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