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Investigation of buildup dose from electron contamination of clinical photon beams
Author(s) -
Petti P. L.,
Goodman M. S.,
Gabriel T. A.,
Mohan R.
Publication year - 1983
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 - 10.1118/1.595287
Subject(s) - imaging phantom , electron , monte carlo method , photon , physics , beam (structure) , cathode ray , dosimetry , atomic physics , optics , nuclear medicine , nuclear physics , medicine , statistics , mathematics
The contribution made by contaminating electrons present in a clinical photon beam to the buildup dose in a polystyrene phantom has been calculated and compared to measurements. A Monte Carlo technique was employed. The calculation was divided into two parts. First, the accelerator treatment head was simulated in detail using the EGS–PEGS electromagnetic shower code. Then, information obtained from these calculations was used to compute dose curves in a polystyrene phantom. Two cases were considered, one in which both electrons and photons were incident upon the phantom, and another in which electrons were eliminated from the incident beam. Results of these calculations agree with recent experimental findings. A decrease in buildup dose as well as a shift in d max was observed when electrons were eliminated from the beam.