Characterization of linear energy transfer (LET) of gel dosimetersfor mixexd radiation fields

M. VALENTE; MATTEA, F.; CHACÓN OBANDO, D.; P. PÉREZ; J. VEDELAGO; A. WOLFEL

Zacatecas

Simposio; XIX International Symposium on Solid State Dosimetry; 2019

Mexican Society of Irradiation and Dosimetry

Gel dosimeters, like Fricke or different polymer formulations, are currently considered the only reliable option for accurate 3D dosimetry. Moreover, gel dosimeters are capable of suitable quantification of the different components present in mixed radiation fields, due to their flexibility in chemical and isotopic compositions. Although being water-equivalent due to their inherent composition, the corresponding dosimetry outputs need to be carefully described in terms of the different radiation qualities involved in the mixed field. To this aim, a detailed description of the linear energy transfer (LET) represents the baseline for further accurate dose deconvolution in mixed radiation fields. The present study reports on theoretical and Monte Carlo approaches aimed at characterizing dosimetry output in terms of LET for different gel dosimeter formulations (Fricke, PAGAT, NIPAM, and itaconic acid ITABIS) considering a wide variety of radiation types, including photons/electrons, protons and neutrons. Different well-known validated Monte Carlo main codes were used for this study in order to provide independent characterizations for the dosimetry output in terms of radiation LET. The obtained results confirm that non-negligible variations exist according to the LET, which need to be accounted for a further precise dose deconvolution in mixed radiation fields.