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An evaluation of the EGS4 and CYLTRAN Monte Carlo codes with regard to boundary beta‐ray dosimetry by comparison with experimental beta‐ray dose backscatter factors
Author(s) -
Nunes Josane,
Prestwich William V.,
Kwok Cheuk S.
Publication year - 1993
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 - 10.1118/1.596975
Subject(s) - backscatter (email) , dosimetry , monte carlo method , beta particle , electron , computational physics , physics , materials science , optics , nuclear medicine , nuclear physics , medicine , mathematics , statistics , computer science , telecommunications , wireless
Beta‐ray dose backscatter factors or dose ratios at planar soft‐tissue boundaries were calculated using the EGS4/PRESTA and CYLTRAN (version 2.1) Monte Carlo codes and these data were compared with experimental results. Since the beta‐ray source was 32 P, this work addressed the transport of, and energy deposition by, electrons less energetic than 2 MeV. In particular, the simulations targeted the codes' performances with regard to the transport of low energy electrons across material boundaries and the backscattering of low energy electrons. In general, backscatter factors calculated at 7.25 mg/cm 2 from several soft‐tissue interfaces agreed with experimental values to within about five percent. CYLTRAN was also used to calculate the variation of backscatter factor with distance from aluminum/soft‐tissue and air/soft‐tissue interfaces and was found to reproduce the shapes of experimental backscatter factor depth profiles.