The use of microdosimetric techniques in radiation protection measurements
A major objective of radiation protection is to determine the dose equivalent for routine radiation protection applications. As microdosimetry has developed over approximately three decades, its most important application has been in measuring radiation quality, especially in radiation fields of unknown or inadequately known energy spectra. In these radiation fields, determination of dose equivalent is not straightforward; however, the use of microdosimetric principles and techniques could solve this problem. In this paper, the authors discuss the measurement of lineal energy, a microscopic analog to linear energy transfer, and demonstrate the development and implementation of the variance-covariance method, a novel method in experimental microdosimetry. This method permits the determination of dose mean lineal energy, an essential parameter of radiation quality, in a radiation field of unknown spectrum, time-varying dose rate, and high dose rate. Real-time monitoring of changes in radiation quality can also be achieved by using microdosimetric techniques.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Assistant Secretary for Human Resources and Administration, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 425309
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-96-3451; CONF-970134-12; ON: DE97000371; TRN: 97:003043
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 30. midyear topical meeting of the Health Physics Society, San Jose, CA (United States), 5-8 Jan 1997; Other Information: PBD: [1997]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
SU-E-T-81: Comparison of Microdosimetric Quantities Calculated Using the Track Structure Monte Carlo Algorithms Geant4-DNA and NOREC
Microdosimetric basis for exposure limits