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Title: Monte Carlo calculations for reference dosimetry of electron beams with the PTW Roos and NE2571 ion chambers

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate recommendations for reference dosimetry of electron beams and gradient effects for the NE2571 chamber and to provide beam quality conversion factors using Monte Carlo simulations of the PTW Roos and NE2571 ion chambers. Methods: The EGSnrc code system is used to calculate the absorbed dose-to-water and the dose to the gas in fully modeled ion chambers as a function of depth in water. Electron beams are modeled using realistic accelerator simulations as well as beams modeled as collimated point sources from realistic electron beam spectra or monoenergetic electrons. Beam quality conversion factors are calculated with ratios of the doses to water and to the air in the ion chamber in electron beams and a cobalt-60 reference field. The overall ion chamber correction factor is studied using calculations of water-to-air stopping power ratios. Results: The use of an effective point of measurement shift of 1.55 mm from the front face of the PTW Roos chamber, which places the point of measurement inside the chamber cavity, minimizes the difference betweenR{sub 50}, the beam quality specifier, calculated from chamber simulations compared to that obtained using depth-dose calculations in water. A similar shift minimizes the variation of the overall ion chambermore » correction factor with depth to the practical range and reduces the root-mean-square deviation of a fit to calculated beam quality conversion factors at the reference depth as a function of R{sub 50}. Similarly, an upstream shift of 0.34 r{sub cav} allows a more accurate determination of R{sub 50} from NE2571 chamber calculations and reduces the variation of the overall ion chamber correction factor with depth. The determination of the gradient correction using a shift of 0.22 r{sub cav} optimizes the root-mean-square deviation of a fit to calculated beam quality conversion factors if all beams investigated are considered. However, if only clinical beams are considered, a good fit to results for beam quality conversion factors is obtained without explicitly correcting for gradient effects. The inadequacy of R{sub 50} to uniquely specify beam quality for the accurate selection of k{sub Q} factors is discussed. Systematic uncertainties in beam quality conversion factors are analyzed for the NE2571 chamber and amount to between 0.4% and 1.2% depending on assumptions used. Conclusions: The calculated beam quality conversion factors for the PTW Roos chamber obtained here are in good agreement with literature data. These results characterize the use of an NE2571 ion chamber for reference dosimetry of electron beams even in low-energy beams.« less

Authors:
 [1]
  1. Physics Department, Carleton Laboratory for Radiotherapy Physics, Carleton University, 1125 Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5B6 (Canada)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22251394
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Medical Physics
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 40; Journal Issue: 12; Other Information: (c) 2013 American Association of Physicists in Medicine; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 0094-2405
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE; ACCELERATORS; COBALT 60; COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION; CONVERSION; CORRECTIONS; DEPTH DOSE DISTRIBUTIONS; DOSIMETRY; ELECTRON BEAMS; IONIZATION CHAMBERS; MONTE CARLO METHOD; POINT SOURCES; RADIATION DOSES; RECOMMENDATIONS; STOPPING POWER

Citation Formats

Muir, B. R., E-mail: bmuir@physics.carleton.ca, and Rogers, D. W. O.,. Monte Carlo calculations for reference dosimetry of electron beams with the PTW Roos and NE2571 ion chambers. United States: N. p., 2013. Web. doi:10.1118/1.4829577.
Muir, B. R., E-mail: bmuir@physics.carleton.ca, & Rogers, D. W. O.,. Monte Carlo calculations for reference dosimetry of electron beams with the PTW Roos and NE2571 ion chambers. United States. https://doi.org/10.1118/1.4829577
Muir, B. R., E-mail: bmuir@physics.carleton.ca, and Rogers, D. W. O.,. 2013. "Monte Carlo calculations for reference dosimetry of electron beams with the PTW Roos and NE2571 ion chambers". United States. https://doi.org/10.1118/1.4829577.
@article{osti_22251394,
title = {Monte Carlo calculations for reference dosimetry of electron beams with the PTW Roos and NE2571 ion chambers},
author = {Muir, B. R., E-mail: bmuir@physics.carleton.ca and Rogers, D. W. O.,},
abstractNote = {Purpose: To investigate recommendations for reference dosimetry of electron beams and gradient effects for the NE2571 chamber and to provide beam quality conversion factors using Monte Carlo simulations of the PTW Roos and NE2571 ion chambers. Methods: The EGSnrc code system is used to calculate the absorbed dose-to-water and the dose to the gas in fully modeled ion chambers as a function of depth in water. Electron beams are modeled using realistic accelerator simulations as well as beams modeled as collimated point sources from realistic electron beam spectra or monoenergetic electrons. Beam quality conversion factors are calculated with ratios of the doses to water and to the air in the ion chamber in electron beams and a cobalt-60 reference field. The overall ion chamber correction factor is studied using calculations of water-to-air stopping power ratios. Results: The use of an effective point of measurement shift of 1.55 mm from the front face of the PTW Roos chamber, which places the point of measurement inside the chamber cavity, minimizes the difference betweenR{sub 50}, the beam quality specifier, calculated from chamber simulations compared to that obtained using depth-dose calculations in water. A similar shift minimizes the variation of the overall ion chamber correction factor with depth to the practical range and reduces the root-mean-square deviation of a fit to calculated beam quality conversion factors at the reference depth as a function of R{sub 50}. Similarly, an upstream shift of 0.34 r{sub cav} allows a more accurate determination of R{sub 50} from NE2571 chamber calculations and reduces the variation of the overall ion chamber correction factor with depth. The determination of the gradient correction using a shift of 0.22 r{sub cav} optimizes the root-mean-square deviation of a fit to calculated beam quality conversion factors if all beams investigated are considered. However, if only clinical beams are considered, a good fit to results for beam quality conversion factors is obtained without explicitly correcting for gradient effects. The inadequacy of R{sub 50} to uniquely specify beam quality for the accurate selection of k{sub Q} factors is discussed. Systematic uncertainties in beam quality conversion factors are analyzed for the NE2571 chamber and amount to between 0.4% and 1.2% depending on assumptions used. Conclusions: The calculated beam quality conversion factors for the PTW Roos chamber obtained here are in good agreement with literature data. These results characterize the use of an NE2571 ion chamber for reference dosimetry of electron beams even in low-energy beams.},
doi = {10.1118/1.4829577},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22251394}, journal = {Medical Physics},
issn = {0094-2405},
number = 12,
volume = 40,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Dec 15 00:00:00 EST 2013},
month = {Sun Dec 15 00:00:00 EST 2013}
}