Open AccessExperimentally determined and Monte Carlo–calculated energy dependence of NaCl pellets read by optically stimulated luminescence for photon beams in the energy range 30 keV to 1.25 MeV
Author(s) -
Lovisa Waldner,
Christopher Rääf,
Yvonne Hinrichsen,
Lars Herrnsdorf,
Christian Bernhardsson
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of radiological protection
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.471
H-Index - 46
eISSN - 1361-6498
pISSN - 0952-4746
DOI - 10.1088/1361-6498/abc052
Subject(s) - pellets , monte carlo method , dosimetry , optically stimulated luminescence , materials science , dosimeter , backscatter (email) , luminescence , imaging phantom , photon energy , photon , dose profile , optics , radiation , physics , nuclear medicine , optoelectronics , composite material , medicine , telecommunications , statistics , mathematics , computer science , wireless
Ordinary salt, NaCl, has many properties suitable for dosimetry and has been suggested for both retrospective and prospective optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dosimetry. Lately, the focus has been on NaCl that is compressed into solid pellets, as this improves both its handling and dosimetric properties. In this project, the energy dependence of NaCl pellets produced in-house was investigated for photon energies between 30 and 1.25 MeV. The NaCl pellets were first exposed to free-in-air conditions, and the estimated absorbed dose to the NaCl pellets was compared to the air kerma, K air , at the point of exposure. Second, a backscatter medium of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) was added, and NaCl pellets were exposed when positioned on a ISO slab phantom to relate the response in the NaCl to the personal dose equivalent, H p (10). The results show a significant energy dependence for exposure to low-energy photons with a peak over-response compared to K air and H p (10) of up to 18. Comparisons with Monte Carlo simulations show good agreement, even though the simulations cannot account for properties related to the intrinsic luminescence effects of the NaCl pellets or the readout and calibration process. The finite thickness of the NaCl pellet makes it an imperfect Bragg-Grey cavity, which complicates the behaviour of the energy dependence. The results presented here may serve as an important basis for further experimental and theoretical modelling of a build-up layer and filters in efforts to develop a passive personal dosemeter based on NaCl.