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Title: Characterization and real-time optical measurements of the ionizing radiation dose response for a new radiochromic medium

Journal Article · · Medical Physics
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1118/1.1951447· OSTI ID:20726265
; ;  [1]
  1. Princess Margaret Hospital/Ontario Cancer Institute, Department of Medical Biophysics and Radiation Oncology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario (Canada)

A new radiochromic film, GafChromic EBT, was investigated for use in a real-time radiation dosimetry system. It was found to be approximately eight times more sensitive to ionizing radiation dose, exhibited less postexposure development and achieved stable readout faster than one of its predecessors, GafChromic MD-55. A clear distinction in change in optical density between exposure and postexposure was observed, but the measurements obtained during exposure were not linear with time or dose. This could not be explained by a shift in wavelength of maximum change in absorbance, as it was stable at {approx}636 nm during the entire exposure range (up to 9.52 Gy). Increasing the spectral window of interest over which calculations were performed did little to correct the nonlinearity. The radiochromic film exhibited small dose rate dependence in real-time measurements, with an increase in standard deviation of change in optical density measurements from 0.9% to 1.8% over a sixfold variation in dose rate. Overall, GafChromic EBT has increased sensitivity and decreased postexposure darkening, and this bodes well for its potential role as a radiation dosimeter, including real-time applications.

OSTI ID:
20726265
Journal Information:
Medical Physics, Vol. 32, Issue 8; Other Information: DOI: 10.1118/1.1951447; (c) 2005 American Association of Physicists in Medicine; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0094-2405
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English