Premium
A technique for calculating range spectra of charged particle beams distal to thick inhomogeneities
Author(s) -
Schneider Uwe,
Schaffner Barbara,
Lomax Tony,
Pedroni Eros,
Tourovsky Alexander
Publication year - 1998
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 - 10.1118/1.598220
Subject(s) - stopping power , monte carlo method , spectral line , charged particle , range (aeronautics) , bragg peak , pencil (optics) , computational physics , coulomb , scattering , beam (structure) , physics , atomic physics , optics , materials science , nuclear physics , electron , ion , detector , statistics , mathematics , quantum mechanics , astronomy , composite material
A method was developed for calculating range spectra of charged particles after passing through an inhomogeneous structure whose thickness was comparable to the range of the incident particles. It was shown that the spectra are strongly affected by the influence of multiple Coulomb scattering at interfaces parallel to the beam direction of two media with different relative stopping power. The calculations are in agreement with Monte Carlo simulations. The degraded Bragg peak was calculated on the basis of the computed range spectra behind the inhomogeneity interface. The method can be included into charged particle treatment planning systems where broad pencil beams are used to predict the deteriorated Bragg peak behind inhomogeneity interfaces more precisely.