Development of a personal dosimeter badge system using sintered LiF:Mg,Cu,Na,Si TL detectors for photon fields

The badge system of personal thermoluminescence (TL) dosimeter for photon fields using LiF:Mg,Cu,Na,Si TL material, which was developed by Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) a few years ago, was developed by taking advantage of its dosimetric properties including energy dependencies. A badge filter system was designed by practical irradiation experiments supported by computational modeling using Monte Carlo simulation. Design properties and dosimetric characteristics such as photon energy response and angular dependence of new TL dosimeter system examined through the irradiation experiments are presented. Based on the experiments for the developed dosimeter, it is demonstrated that the deep dose response of dosimeter provided the value between 0.78 and 1.08, which is within the design limit by ISO standard. This multi-element TL dosimeter badge system allows the discrimination of the incident radiation type between photon and beta by using the ratios of the four TL detectors. Personal TL dosimeter using sintered LiF:Mg,Cu,Na,Si TL detectors has the ability to measure a personal dose equivalent H_p(d) for a wide range of photon energies.     

The microdosimetric one-hit detector model for calculating the response of solid state detectors

The microdosimetric one-hit detector model has been developed and applied to calculate the dose response, energy response and relative efficiency of thermoluminescent LiF:Mg,Cu,P and CaF₂:Tm detectors, and of the free-radical alanine dosimeter, after their exposure to radiation of different quality. The one-hit detector is described by two model parameters: the target diameter, d and the saturation parameter, α. Combining these parameters with microdosimetric distributions in nanometer-size targets calculated using Monte Carlo track structure codes TRION and MOCA-14, it was possible to describe and predict a great variety of experimental data for photon, X-ray, beta-electron, proton, alpha-particles and heavy ion irradiation. Within the framework of this biophysical model of radiation action, some mechanistic insight into the physics of radiation action in solid state detectors can be obtained.     

Response of CaSO4:Dy phosphor based TLD badge system to high energy electron beams from medical linear accelerator and estimation of whole body dose and skin dose

Response of thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) badge based on CaSO₄:Dy phosphor to high energy electron beams from medical linear accelerators was simulated using FLUKA Monte Carlo code and experimentally verified. This study was carried out in order to determine the response of TL discs under different filter regions of the TLD badge and their ratios under different irradiation conditions in the energy range 6–20 MeV of high energy electron beams. It was found that the response of TL disc under metal filters of the TLD badge (D1) is always higher than the response of the TL discs under Polystyrene filter (D2) and open window (D3) and its response was found to decrease with increase in the energy of the electron beam. Estimation of whole body dose and skin dose including its error was carried out as an extension of the present study in case of accidental exposure of radiation worker to high energy electron beam.     

Dosimetric properties of the newly developed KLT-300 (LiF:Mg,Cu,Na,Si) TL detector

The dosimetric properties of the newly developed KLT-300 (KAERI LiF:Mg,Cu,Na,Si TL detector) in KAERI (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute) were investigated. The sensitivity of the TL detector was about 30 times higher than that of the TLD-100 by light integration. In the study of the dose linearity of the detector, the dose response was very linear up to 10 Gy and a sublinear response was observed at higher doses. The energy response of the detector was studied for photon energies from 20 to 662 keV. The results show that a maximum response of 1.004 at 53 keV and a minimum response of 0.825 at 20 keV were observed. The reproducibility study for the TL detector was also carried out. The coefficients of variation for each detector separately did not exceed 0.016, and for all the 10 detectors collectively it was 0.0054. IEC Standard requires that the coefficient of variation shall not exceed 0.075. So, the reproducibility of this new TL detector sufficiently satisfied the IEC requirements. A detection threshold of the detector was investigated and found to be 70 nGy by Harshaw 4500 TLD Reader.     

Investigations of touchscreen glasses from mobile phones for retrospective and accident dosimetry

Touchscreen glasses of mobile phones are sensitive to ionizing radiation and have the potential of usage as an emergency dosimeter for retrospective dosimetry for the purpose of triage after a radiological accident or attack. In this study the TL glow curves and dosimetric properties of touchscreen glasses were studied in detail, such as intrinsic background dose, dose response, reproducibility, optical stability and long-term stability of the TL signal.Preliminary results are additionally presented to minimize the intrinsic background dose by mechanically removing the surface layer of the glass samples. Additionally chemical element analyses of the touchscreen glass samples were carried out to investigate the difference between glass samples which show a TL signal and samples which show neither an intrinsic zero dose signal nor a radiation induced TL signal.An irradiation trial using glass samples stored in the dark demonstrated a successful dose recovery. However, when applying a realistic, external light exposure scenario, dose underestimation was observed, even though samples were pre-bleached prior to measurement. More investigations have to be carried out in the future to solve the challenge of the low optical stability of the TL signal, if touchscreen glasses are to be used as a reliable emergency dosimeter.     

Analysis of the calibration results obtained with Liulin-4J spectrometer-dosimeter on protons and heavy ions

We are developing a portable dosimeter (Liulin-4J) based on a silicon semiconductor detector for use in measuring the absorbed dose from primary or secondary cosmic rays to astronauts and airplane crews. The dosimeter can measure not only the flux and dose rate, but also the deposited energy spectrum for silicon in per unit time. In order to calibrate the dosimeter, we have carried out exposures at the NIRS cyclotron and HIMAC heavy ion synchrotron facilities. We obtained a detector response function for using in measuring energy deposition and LET.     

Model calculations of the radiation dose and LET spectra on LDEF and comparisons with flight data

Ionizing radiation environment models, a 3-D spacecraft mass model, and radiation transport codes have been used to predict the radiation dose and linear energy transfer (LET) spectra measured at various locations on the LDEF satellite. The predictions are compared with thermoluminescent dosimeter measurements of the trapped proton and electron doses and with LET spectra measured by plastic nuclear track detectors. The predicted vs observed comparisons indicate some of the uncertainties of present ionizing radiation environment models for low Earth-orbit missions.     

Dosimetric properties of natural quartz grains extracted from fired materials

The paper describes an examination of the dosimetric properties of natural quartz grains extracted from ancient fired materials. Eleven samples of different origin were tested for their TL and GLSL (green light stimulated luminescence) sensitivities within the mGy dose range. Very promising results were obtained showing the possibility of measuring the doses of around 10 mGy with 1% precision using GLSL or TL and using the single aliqout technique for natural quartz as a dosimeter. The lowest detectable dose was estimated to be lower than 500 μGy. The results obtained indicate that natural quartz grains from selected materials could be used for the dosimetry of environmental gamma radiation for the purposes of paleodosimetric dating methods as well as for accident dosimetry.     

Dosimetry for simulated experiments in extraterrestrial conditions using thermally stimulated luminescence

In recent years, the number of experiments related to the simulation of chemical reactions induced by radiation, that may take place in the interstellar medium, is growing very fast. To have a quantitative picture of the changes observed in those systems, a low-temperature dosimeter is needed. The aim of this paper is to search for a dosimetric system that can be used in those laboratory simulation experiments. Three systems were used in this study, (1) LiF:Mg,Cu,P, (2) CaSO₄: Dy and (3) ferrous sulfate in frozen aqueous solution. There is a considerable effect in their behavior in relation to the irradiation temperature. The results for the two TL dosimeters show that their responses are dependent on the irradiation temperature. At low-radiation dose the response was linear with the dose (10–600 Gy). For the case of iron salt the response was linear in the range used (0–600 Gy). Numerical simulations fit the experimental data obtained with this dosimeter.     

OSL efficiency for BeO OSL dosimeters

In the course of this work, the experimental energy dependence of the OSL material beryllium oxide was determined for different radiation qualities. With the help of the radiation transport program AMOS the experimental setup was simulated. The calculated energy response differs from the experimental energy response. There is an underestimation for low energy photons caused by local saturation effects. For radiation with higher LET local structures of the detector can be saturated. The deposited energy doesn't contribute to the OSL effect. The detected dose is lower. The ratio between experimental and simulated energy response is called OSL efficiency. Subsequently the results were used to generate a model of local saturation for calculating the efficiency for different irradiation conditions. With the help of the model predictions for the detection efficiency for photons and electrons in the common energy range for personal and environmental dosimetry, reaching from 10 keV up to some MeV, are possible. The efficiency for electrons decreases with falling energy continuously. Photons show a similar effect, but for energies ranging from 40 to 80 keV the efficiency increases with decreasing energy. This can be explained by the interaction effects of the photons with the detector material. The experimental and modeled detection efficiencies can be used to calculate the readout of a BeO-OSL detector from dose values determined with radiation transport programs.     

New scheme for dual readout of dose in polycrystalline Li2B4O7 irradiated with synchrotron X-rays from Indus-2

A new thermoluminescent (TL) dosimeter readout scheme was developed which allows for the measurement of both the single incident dose and the accumulated dose from multiple irradiations, through a novel dual readout procedure. Undoped, Mn doped and Cu doped polycrystalline Li₂B₄O₇ pallets were irradiated by synchrotron X-rays from Indus-2 with different dose. Thermoluminescence glow curves were taken at various heating rates. Two glow peaks were observed in each sample. TL intensities of different samples were compared and it was found that TL counts are more in Cu doped Li₂B₄O₇ sample. TL counts under each peak were calculated and a fixed ratio for two peaks was obtained. A new method of reading out the two peaks separately was formalized, allowing for greater flexibility in the use of TL based personnel dose monitoring devices.     

The Effect of TiO2 and MgO on the Thermoluminescence Properties of a Lithium Potassium Borate Glass System

The influence of dopant TiO₂ and co-dopant MgO on the thermoluminescence (TL) properties of lithium potassium borate glass (LKB) is reported in this paper. The glow curve exhibits a prominent peak (T_m) at 230 °C. The TL intensity was enhanced by a factor of ~3 due to the incorporation of MgO, and this was attributed to the creation of extra electron traps mediated by radiative recombination energy transfer. We achieved good linearity of the TL yield with dose, low fading, excellent reproducibility and a promising effective atomic number (Z_eff=8.89), all of which are highly suitable for dosimetry. The effect of heating rate, sunlight and dose rate on the TL are also examined. These attractive features demonstrate that our dosimeter is useful in medical radiation therapy.     

400nm IMPL RADFET剂量计的性能研究

RADFET~多通道探测器将要用来测量北京谱仪BESⅢ中量能器附近的累计剂量. 探测器的技术关键是对400nmIMPL RADFET剂量计具体性能的了解和掌握. 本工作以⁶⁰Co γ源为辐射源, 实验研究了400nm IMPL RADFET剂量计的各项性能, 包括RADFET通道间的一致性、测量累积剂量时的辐照强度相关性以及退火特性等, 同时也讨论了测量数据的拟合方法, 为该类型RADFET剂量计在RADFET多通道探测器的设计、建造和其他方面的应用提供了实验基础.     

Production and characterization of spodumene dosimetric pellets by prepared by pechini and proteic sol–gel route

Spodumene is an aluminosilicate that has proven suitable for high-dose TL dosimetry of beta or gamma rays. Due to the presence of lithium in its chemical composition (LiAlSi₂O₆ – β-LAS), it has potential as neutron dosimeter as well. This silicate may be obtained naturally or synthetically. The synthetic LAS has been produced by solid state reaction and conventional sol–gel, whose difficulty arises from the need to employ high temperatures and high cost reagents, respectively. Alternative routes like Pechini and proteic sol–gel methods are promising, because they can reduce production costs and the possibility of environmental pollution. This work aimed at producing spodumene with the proteic sol–gel method using edible unflavored gelatin as a precursor and also with the Pechini method. The products were characterized physically and morphologically, and their applicability as TL dosimeter was investigated, comparing the sensitivity of samples produced by different methods. Two sets of samples were produced using different sources of silicon, tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS, Si(C₂H₅O)₄) and silica (SiO₂). The materials produced were characterized by X-ray diffraction and by thermal analysis in order to evaluate their structural properties, as well as possible temperature-dependent changes in physical or chemical properties. The syntherized pellets produced with these crystals were irradiated with a ⁹⁰Sr–⁹⁰Y source and their TL glow curves were evaluated. The production of β-LAS was successful by both methods, either using silica or TEOS as a silicon source. The crystals were obtained using much lower temperatures than by methods described in literature. We observed that the method of powder production was critical to develop a radiation detector: the best TL material was the powder produced using silica and the Pechini Method.     

A procedure for the distinction between static and dynamic radiation exposures of personal radiation badges using pulsed optically stimulated luminescence

A method is described for the distinction between the normal, “dynamic” radiation exposure of a personal radiation dosimetry badge during normal wear of the badge, and an abnormal, or “static” exposure of the badge in a fixed position relative to a radiation source. An example of a static exposure would be the intentional (unauthorized), or accidental, exposure of the badge to a radiation source when the badge is not being worn by a person. Other abnormal exposure conditions of interest include when the badge is accidentally partially shielded by (say) coins or other heavy material during incorrect wear of the badge (e.g. in a pocket) such that the usual reading of the badge may reveal a lower-than-expected absorbed dose reading. This paper describes the use of Pulsed Optically Stimulated Luminescence (POSL) as a dosimetric readout mode and the application of this technique to “imaging” of the dose distribution across the face of a large area Al₂O₃:C dosimeter. The technique relies upon the use of a radiation filter with a periodic array of holes, or other weakly absorbing regions, such that the Al₂O₃:C is exposed in a pattern which follows the pattern of the filtration. Subsequent illumination of the Al₂O₃:C using a defocused laser beam reveals a pattern of luminescence emission corresponding to the pattern of the absorbed dose. During static exposure, the absorbed radiation pattern is sharp and clear, whereas during dynamic exposure the absorbed radiation pattern is diffuse. Image processing of the collected POSL emission pattern using a Discrete Fourier Transform produces a spatial frequency spectrum of the collected image from which a factor is calculated which indicates the probability of static versus dynamic exposure. Furthermore, the POSL image obtained (vis-à-vis the absorbed radiation dose pattern) can also reveal accidental shielding. The image collection procedure, the image processing algorithms, and two different methods to determine the probability factor are described. Application of the technique to several exposure conditions is illustrated.     

Measurements of the longitudinal and lateral development of electromagnetic cascades in lead, copper and aluminum at 6 GeV

The longitudinal and radial development of electromagnetic cascades, initiated by 6 GeV electrons, has been measured in lead, copper and aluminum by means of silver-phosphate dosimeter glasses. The measured energy deposition was compared with Monte-Carlo calculations by Völkel, especially at large depths and radii. Excellent agreement was found for the transition curves up to 40 radiation lengths and for the lateral distributions up to 4 Molière units. Between 4 and 12 Molière units the calculations tend to underestimate the energy deposition.     

An improved HarshawTLD™ extremity dosimeter – DXTRAD beta ring

An improved HarshawTLD? extremity dosimeter system that is rugged in design and easy to wear is presented. This dosimeter is improved from the earlier version (2008) for personnel beta monitoring while still having full range photon performance. The dosimeter style, referred to as DXTRAD, is small in size and has identification by means of a circular barcode. It consists of a detector composed of a thin 7 mg cm^?2 monolayer of HarshawTLD-700H (⁷LiF:Mg,Cu,P) powder and a ring cap with a 3.3 mg cm^?2 entrance window. The use of the TLD-700H TLD material provides a good beta energy response as well as a flat energy response from low energy x-rays to high energy gamma rays. A new assembly tool that improves the consistency of dosimeter geometry and ruggedness for warm and cold sterilization is also developed. With the optimized design, this dosimeter is capable of meeting the stringent energy and angular response requirements of the Physikalisch Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) for both betas and photons. Presented in this paper are the ISO-12974 and PTB type tests as well as additional operational tests, such as residue, reuse, warm and cold sterilization, and environmental leakage.     

Photon dosimetry methods outside the target volume in radiation therapy: Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), thermoluminescence (TL) and radiophotoluminescence (RPL) dosimetry

Dosimetry methods outside the target volume are still not well established in radiotherapy. Luminescence detectors due to their small dimensions, very good sensitivity, well known dose and energy response are considered as an interesting approach in verification of doses outside the treated region. The physical processes of thermoluminescence (TL), radiophotoluminescence (RPL) and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) are very similar and can be described in terms of the energy band model of electron-hole production following irradiation.This work is a review of the main dosimetric characteristics of luminescence detectors which were used in experiments performed by EURADOS Working Group 9 for in-phantom measurements of secondary radiation (scattered and leakage photons). TL LiF:Mg,Ti detectors type MTS-7 (IFJ PAN, Poland), types TLD-100 and TLD-700 (Harshaw), OSL Al₂O₃:C detectors type nanoDot™ (Landauer Inc.) and RPL rod glass elements type GD-352M (Asahi Techno Glass Coorporation) are described. The main characteristics are discussed, together with the readout and calibration procedures which lead to a determination of absorbed dose to water.All dosimeter types used show very good uniformity, batch reproducibility and homogeneity. For improved accuracy, individual sensitivity correction factors should be applied for TL and OSL dosimeters while for RPL dosimeters there is no need for individual sensitivity corrections.The dose response of all dosimeters is linear for a wide range of doses.The energy response of GD-352M type dosimeters (with Sn filter) used for out-of-field measurements is flat for medium and low energy X-rays.The energy dependence for TLDs is low across the range of photon energies used and the energy correction was neglected. A significant over response of Al₂O₃:C OSLDs irradiated in kilovoltage photon beams was taken into account. The energy correction factor f_en was calculated by using the 2006 PENELOPE Monte Carlo code.With suitable calibration, all dosimeter types are appropriate for out-of-field dose measurements as well as for the in-phantom measurements of radiotherapy MV X-rays beams.     

The study on optically stimulated luminescence dosimeter based on the SrS：Eu,Sm and CaS：Eu,Sm

With the increasing use of nuclear energy, there is a need for a wider range of efficient dosimeters for radiation detection and assessment. There has been a tremendous growth in the development of radiation detectors and devices in the past few decades. In recent years, the development of new materials for radiation dosimetry has progressed significantly. Alkaline earth sulfides （AES） have been known for a long time as excellent and versatile phosphor materials. In the present investigation, a number of phosphor samples such as mono-, binary and ternary sulfides of alkaline earths （II^a-VI^b） have been prepared and their TL properties have been studied with respect to exposure （x-ray） response and fading. In this paper, some results on SrS：Eu, Sm and CaS：Eu, Sm phosphors are presented. A type of novel OSL dosimeter is described. The dosimeter takes advantage of the characteristics of charge trapping materials SrS：Eu, Sm and CaS：Eu, Sm that exhibit optically stimulated luminescence （OSL）. The measuring range of the dosimeter is from 0.01 to 1000 Gy. The OSL dosimeters provide capability for remote monitoring radiation locations which are difficult to access and hazardous. This equipment is relatively simple, small in size and has low power consumption. The device is suitable for space radiation dose exploration. In addition, it also can be used in IC and other radiation occasions and has good prospects.     

红外测温仪光学系统像质评价的一种方法

本文根据红外辐射测温仪实际工作情况,提出评价测温仪光学系统像质的一种方法。用全视场不同物面光线的点列图计算测温仪探测器接收的目标辐射能量及其集中程度;用计算目标距离不同时(目标温度不变)探测器所接收的辐射能量的相对误差来评价测温仪光学系统的像质。