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The scaling method applied to beta particle line sources with a finite diameter
Author(s) -
Schaart Dennis R.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
medical physics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.473
H-Index - 180
eISSN - 2473-4209
pISSN - 0094-2405
DOI - 10.1118/1.1513567
Subject(s) - scaling , line source , beta (programming language) , planar , physics , particle (ecology) , range (aeronautics) , line (geometry) , computational physics , optics , mathematical analysis , mechanics , mathematics , geometry , materials science , computer science , oceanography , computer graphics (images) , composite material , programming language , geology
The well‐known scaling method for planar and punctiform beta particle sources is extended to the case of a cylindrical source with a length larger than the beta particle range times two and with an infinitesimal or finite diameter. The equation for a spherical source with a finite diameter is also given. As a means of illustration, previously measured and simulated radial depth‐dose distributions of a 40‐mm‐long prototype188 W / 188 Re intravascular beta source in polymethylmethacrylate are scaled to H 2 O and compared with simulations in the latter medium. The results suggest that the scaling method is accurate to within about 3%, provided that the finite diameter of the source is taken into account.