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Title: Organic Scintillator for Real-Time Neutron Dosimetry

Journal Article · · Radiation Protection Dosimetry
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1093/rpd/ncx255· OSTI ID:1454834
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [3];  [2];  [2];  [1];  [1]
  1. Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States). Dept. of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences
  2. Polish Academy of Sciences (PAS), Krakow (Poland). Henryk Niewodniczanski Inst. of Nuclear Physics
  3. Institute of Nuclear Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Radzikowskiego 152, 31-342 Kraków, Poland
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We have developed a radiation detector based on an organic scintillator for spectrometry and dosimetry of out-of-field secondary neutrons from clinical proton beams. The detector consists of an EJ-299-34 crystalline organic scintillator, coupled by fiber optic cable to a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM). Proof of concept measurements were taken with 137Cs and 252Cf, and corresponding simulations were performed in MCNPX-PoliMi. Despite its small size, the detector is able to discriminate between neutron and gamma-rays via pulse shape discrimination. We simulated the response function of the detector to monoenergetic neutrons in the 100 keV–0 MeV range using MCNPX-PoliMi. The measured unfolded 252Cf neutron spectrum is in good agreement with the theoretical Watt fission spectrum. We determined the ambient dose equivalent by folding the spectrum with the fluence-to-ambient dose conversion coefficient, with a 1.4% deviation from theory. Some preliminary proton beam experiments were preformed at the Bronowice Cyclotron Center patient treatment facility using a clinically relevant proton pencil beam for brain tumor and craino-spinal treatment directed at a child phantom.

Research Organization:
Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA), Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation
Grant/Contract Number:
NA0002534; G019737
OSTI ID:
1454834
Journal Information:
Radiation Protection Dosimetry, Vol. 180, Issue 1-4; ISSN 0144-8420
Publisher:
Oxford University PressCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 5 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (5)

A scintillation counter with neutron and gamma-ray discriminators journal April 1959
Assessing the risk of second malignancies after modern radiotherapy journal May 2011
MAXED, A Computer Code For Maximum Entropy Deconvolution of Multisphere Neutron Spectrometer Data journal January 1999
Application of Al 2 O 3 :C+fibre dosimeters for 290 MeV/n carbon therapeutic beam dosimetry journal October 2015
Pulse shape discrimination in the plastic scintillator EJ-299-33
  • Pozzi, S. A.; Bourne, M. M.; Clarke, S. D.
  • Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, Vol. 723 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2013.04.085
journal September 2013

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Related Subjects

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY