Dosimertry characteristics and performance comparisons: Environmental radiophotoluminescent glass dosemeters versus thermoluminescent dosemeters

This paper describes the dosimetry characteristic comparison of environmental radiophotoluminescent glass dosemeter (RPLGD) and thermoluminescent dosemeter (TLD) systems employed at the Institute of Nuclear Energy Research (INER, Taiwan). The luminescence centers of TLD disappeared by reading process, and repetition of measurement is impossible. RPLGDs can be repeatedly read and keep the luminescence centers for a long time. The RPLGD fading is about 1% within 30 days after being exposed to ionizing radiation. Environmental cumulative doses measured by a RPLGD and a TLD were compared at the same monitoring points of INER during two years. The sensitivity of TLD decreased with gradual loss due to fading at higher temperatures. The difference between results obtained by RPLGD and TLD is discussed mainly with respect to the dependence on the ambient temperature. In addition, this research also refers to the American National Standard Institute (ANSI) Draft Standard N13.29 (1996) to organize the environmental dosimetry performance tests of the INER's RPLGDs and the TLDs. The results mean that both kinds of dosemeters can meet the performance test criteria. An accreditation procedure for the institutes which provide the environmental dosimetry services in Taiwan was suggested based on the comparison results of these two dosimetry systems.     

Advantages and disadvantages of luminescence dosimetry

Owing to their excellent dosimetric properties, luminescence detectors of ionizing radiation are now extensively applied in individual dosimetry services. The most frequently used personal dosemeters are based on Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL), radiophotoluminescence (RPL) or thermoluminescence (TL). Luminescence detectors have also found several applications in clinical dosimetry, especially around new radiation modalities in radiotherapy, such as Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) or ion beam radiotherapy. Requirements of luminescence detectors applied in individual and clinical dosimetry and some recent developments in luminescence of detectors and techniques leading to significant improvements of the functionality and accuracy of dosimetry systems are reviewed and discussed.     

Biodosimetry versus physical dosimetry for emergency dose assessment following large-scale radiological exposures

Existing data on intercomparisons involving biodosimetry or physical dosimetry methods are analyzed and the results interpreted regarding their efficacy in triage in emergency dosimetry following mass casualty radiological events. The biodosimetry technique examined is dicentric chromosome aberrations (DCA). The physical dosimetry techniques include electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) of biological material (teeth) and physical material (smartphone screen glass), and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) of electronic components (surface mount resistors) from mobile phones. Issues relating to calibration and interpretation of the data are discussed. An important conclusion of the analysis is that more research is critically needed to interpret the efficacy of the various methods. Included in this needed research are intercomparisons of the various methods in controlled experiments and the need to harmonize protocols.     

Intercomparison of radiation protection devices in a high-energy stray neutron field. Part III: Instrument response

The European Commission has funded within its 6th Framework Programme a three-year project (2005–2007) called CONRAD, COordinated Network for RAdiation Dosimetry. The organizational framework for this project was provided by the European radiation Dosimetry Group EURADOS. Work Package 6 of CONRAD dealt with “complex mixed radiation fields at workplaces” and in this context it organised a benchmark exercise, which included both measurements and calculations, in a stray radiation field at a high-energy particle accelerator at GSI, Germany. The aim was to intercompare the response of several types of active detectors and passive dosemeters in a well-characterised workplace field. The Monte Carlo simulations of the radiation field and the experimental determination of the neutron spectra with various Bonner Sphere Spectrometers are discussed in Rollet et al. (2008) and in Wiegel et al. (2008). This paper focuses on the intercomparison of the response of the dosemeters in terms of ambient dose equivalent. The paper describes in detail the detectors employed in the experiment, followed by a discussion of the results. A comparison is also made with the H^*(10) values predicted by the Monte Carlo simulations and those measured by the BSS systems.     

Isothermal read-out for thermoluminescence dosimetry with CaSO4:Dy (TLD-900)

Experiments on the isothermal decay of the therraoluminescence associated with the main dosimetry peak of CaS0₄:Dy (TLD-900) dosemeters are described in this paper. The results on the kinetics parameters s (the frequency factor) and b (the order of the kinetics) and a new time dependence study on accidental high dose occurrence are also reported.     

A Review of the New European Technical Recommendations for Monitoring Individuals Occupationally Exposed to External Radiation

This paper reviews the revised Technical Recommendations for Monitoring Individuals Occupationally Exposed to External Radiation as issued by the European Commission as Radiation Protection 160. These recommendations are aimed at all stakeholders in radiation protection dosimetry with an emphasis in the responsible technical staff of approved dosimetry services. This paper briefly touches each Chapter and ends with a more in depth section on the uncertainty evaluation of dose measurements.     

Quality assurance in individual monitoring: A summary of the EURADOS survey 2012

EURADOS Working Group 2 (WG2) on Harmonization of Individual Monitoring is a network of individual monitoring services (IMSs) that aims to promote quality, technical excellence and good practice in European Member States. To help to improve quality, in 2012 EURADOS WG2 carried out a survey of IMSs in Europe. The survey was sent to about 170 IMS and included questions on: the use of formal quality assurance (QA) standards, QA in dosimetry, matters of practice, and common sources of error. The present paper summarises the main findings of the survey, and compares them with those of an earlier study (2003). The survey found that profile of QA is high amongst the responding IMSs, and that most are following good practice. A majority of services comply with formal quality standards and good attention is paid to traceability, method validation and proficiency testing. There are some areas where lessons can be learned, for example in the assessment of measurement uncertainty; and it remains very instructive to see what the main causes of error are for IMSs in general.     

Test and optimization of two routine dosemeters for the dose quantity Hp(3)

The individual monitoring service Seibersdorf uses two different passive dosemeter types based on thermo luminescence (TL) detectors for monitoring occupationally exposed persons in Austria. Whole body personal dosemeters for the personal dose equivalent quantities H_p(10) and H_p(0.07) worn on the trunk and dosemeters for the extremities for H_p(0.07) worn on a finger or wrist. Both routine dosemeters were calibrated and tested in terms of the personal dose equivalent H_p(3) assuming that the whole body dosemeter is worn on the chest (without or above a lead apron) and the modified ring/wrist dosemeter using a special strap worn on the forehead near the eyes (head band dosemeter). The test results show that it is possible to measure the dose quantity H_p(3) with these dosemeters that were originally not designed for this dose quantity. Only changes in the dose calculation algorithm and in the choice of the reference radiation quality were necessary to fulfil the requirements given in international standards for passive dosemeters in a wide energy (20 keV–1.3 MeV) and angular range (0°–60°).     

Using the OSL single-aliquot regenerative-dose protocol with quartz extracted from building materials in retrospective dosimetry

We report on the application of the single-aliquot regenerative-dose (SAR) protocol to the optically stimulated luminescence signal from quartz extracted from fired bricks and unfired mortar in retrospective dosimetry. The samples came from a radioactive materials storage facility, with ambient dose rates of about 0.1 mGy/h. A detailed dose-depth profile was analysed from one brick, and compared with dose records from area TL dosemeters. Small-aliquot dose-distributions were analysed from the mortar samples; one associated with the exposed brick, and one from a remote site exposed only to background radiation. We conclude that unfired materials have considerable potential in retrospective dosimetry.     

The measurement using passive dosemeters of the neutron component of aircraft crew dose

The cosmic radiation field at aviation altitudes can be measured with simple passive detectors. The non-neutron component may be measured by means of thermoluminescence dosimetry or other techniques, and the neutron component may be measured using poly allyl diglycol carbonate (PADC) dosemeters as described in this paper. Effective dose from neutron radiation becomes the larger component for altitudes above about 10 km, in general. The dominance is more pronounced for higher latitudes. The neutron energies range up to the maximum of the incident protons, that is many GeV. However the majority of the dose is contributed by neutrons of a few hundred MeV and less, with two maxima in the fluence spectrum, one between 1 and 10 MeV and the other between 50 and 150 MeV. We have used PADC dosemeters, electrochemically etched, to estimate the neutron component of effective dose. Up to 50 dosemeters are used in a single measurement to obtain an estimate of sufficient precision for total neutron effective doses of 50 microSv and less. The neutron fluence response characteristics of the dosemeter have been measured up to 70 MeV. These are extrapolated up to 180 MeV. This extrapolation is validated, partially, by a comparison of measured and predicted readings in the CERN reference field. From the dosemeter readings for exposure on board aircraft, neutron fluence may be estimated assuming an isotropic radiation field and the estimated neutron fluence spectrum. The neutron fluence may then be converted to effective dose using published values of conversion coefficients with the same assumptions of isotropy and known fluence spectrum. For the measurement results reported here, the calculated spectrum for the CERN concrete shielded field is used.     

Out-of-field dose measurements in radiotherapy – An overview of activity of EURADOS Working Group 9: Radiation protection in medicine

This review of dosimetry for second cancer risk estimation introduces work carried out by Working Group 9 (WG9: Radiation Protection Dosimetry in Medicine) of the European Radiation Dosimetry Group (EURADOS). The work concentrates on the measurement of out-of-field doses in water phantoms using a variety of dosimeters to measure photon and neutron doses. These include optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), radiophotoluminescence (RPL) and thermoluminescence (TLD) dosimeters for photon dosimetry (together with ion chambers for reference measurements) and track etch and superheated emulsion detectors for neutron measurements. The motivation of WG 9 was to assess undue, non-target patient doses in radiotherapy and the related risks of second malignancy. Improvements in cancer treatment have increased survival times and thus increased incidence of second cancer may be expected in the future. In addition, increased whole body exposure may result from some developments in radiotherapy. This means that radiotherapy clinics will need to simulate their treatments in order to estimate and minimise doses to healthy tissues and organs. The proposed work is designed to generate a robust dataset of out-of-field dose measurements which can be used for the development and validation of dose algorithms.     

Introduction to dosimetry and risk estimation of second cancer induction following radiotherapy

This brief review of dosimetry in second cancer dosimetry introduces work carried out by Working Group 9 (Radiation Protection Dosimetry in Medicine) of the European Radiation Dosimetry Group (EURADOS). The work described in the following papers in this edition was presented at a Workshop on Dosimetry for Second Cancer Risk Estimation given at the EURADOS Annual meeting in Vienna on February 8th 2012. The work concentrates on the measurement of out-of-field doses in water tanks and BOMAB-like phantoms using a variety of dosimeters to measure photon and neutron doses. These include optically stimulated luminescence (OSL), radiophotoluminescence (RPL) and thermoluminescence (TLD) dosimeters for photon dosimetry (together with ion chambers for reference measurements traceable to primary standards) and track etch and bubble detectors for neutron measurements. A discussion of the various phantoms available for these measurements is presented together with a brief introduction to a model for the relationship between organ doses and the risk of induction of second cancers. The estimation of second cancer risks is not trivial and involves processes which are currently incompletely understood. However, progress in this field requires a robust foundation and methodology for the measurement or calculation of organ doses following radiotherapy, so that risks can be placed in perspective, algorithms for out-of-field doses can be compared with measured data, and future epidemiological studies may have a reliable foundation of organ dosimetry for retrospective dosimetry studies.     

Neutron measurements around a TN85-type storage cask with high-active waste

Several types of casks have been deposited in the German interim storage facility for spent fuel assemblies and vitrified high-active waste (HAW) at Gorleben since 1995, most of them of the CASTOR^® type. In 2008 a delivery of 11 TN85-type casks arrived. They belong to the Transnuclear/Areva cask family and, compared to the flasks of the German (GNS) CASTOR^® type, they differ in the neutron shielding design.Generally, radiation exposure of personnel during transportation and storage of casks containing spent fuel and vitrified waste is caused by mixed photon/neutron fields. Frequently, especially at casks for vitrified waste from reprocessing, neutrons are the major component of radiation exposure.Spectrometric and dosimetric investigations were made around a cask of the TN85-type. Neutron fluence spectra and reference values of the ambient dose equivalent H*(10) were measured by means of a Bonner sphere spectrometer (BSS) at several locations on the cask surface and in its environment. Moreover, commercial area dosemeters, LB6411 neutron monitors and conventional AD 6-type photon dosemeters were used. In addition, the responses of two electronic personal dosemeters for mixed fields (EPD-N2, DMC 2000GN) and a TLD albedo dosemeter were investigated.The neutron spectra obtained from the BSS are presented and compared with former measurements at CASTOR^® type casks. The relative responses of the LB6411 survey meter and the individual dosemeters are discussed. The LB6411 monitor indicates H*(10) around the TN85 cask with tolerable measuring uncertainties. The personal dosemeters provide acceptable results for photons but overestimate the neutron dose considerably.     

A mammographic phantom to measure mean glandular dose by thermoluminescent dosimetry

We have designed a phantom to evaluate mean glandular dose (MGD) as part of the regulatory dosimetry control for mammographic equipment. The phantom is constituted by TLD-100 thermoluminescent dosemeters (TLDs) inserted within semicircular plates of acrylic. Different groups of TLDs are used to determine entrance surface air kerma and half-value layer (HVL). Calibration of both tasks has been performed using a Senographe 2000D system and an ionization chamber. The phantom has been tested in five clinical systems. The HVL and MGD obtained by this method agree, on average, within 3%, with those from standard procedures based on the use of ionization chambers. The phantom MGD measurements have a combined uncertainty better than 10% (k = 1).     

Inertial cavitation initiated by polytetrafluoroethylene nanoparticles under pulsed ultrasound stimulation

Nanoscale gas bubbles residing on a macroscale hydrophobic surface have a surprising long lifetime (on the order of days) and can serve as cavitation nuclei for initiating inertial cavitation (IC). Whether interfacial nanobubbles (NBs) reside on the infinite surface of a hydrophobic nanoparticle (NP) and could serve as cavitation nuclei is unknown, but this would be very meaningful for the development of sonosensitive NPs. To address this problem, we investigated the IC activity of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) NPs, which are regarded as benchmark superhydrophobic NPs due to their low surface energy caused by the presence of fluorocarbon. Both a passive cavitation detection system and terephthalic dosimetry was applied to quantify the intensity of IC. The IC intensities of the suspension with PTFE NPs were 10.30 and 48.41 times stronger than those of deionized water for peak negative pressures of 2 and 5 MPa, respectively. However, the IC activities were nearly completely inhibited when the suspension was degassed or ethanol was used to suspend PTFE NPs, and they were recovered when suspended in saturated water, which may indicates the presence of interfacial NBs on PTFE NPs surfaces. Importantly, these PTFE NPs could sustainably initiate IC for excitation by a sequence of at least 6000 pulses, whereas lipid microbubbles were completely depleted after the application of no more than 50 pulses under the same conditions. The terephthalic dosimetry has shown that much higher hydroxyl yields were achieved when PTFE NPs were present as cavitation nuclei when using ultrasound parameters that otherwise did not produce significant amounts of free radicals. These results show that superhydrophobic NPs may be an outstanding candidate for use in IC-related applications.     

Comparison of dose measurements in CT using a photodiode and a small ion chamber

Owing to the advance of multislice computed tomography (CT), the dosimetric protocol currently used in CT has become inadequate. Instead of dosimetry based on the measurement of the Computed Tomography Dosimetry Index (CTDI) using a pencil ion chamber (IC) 100 mm in length, the use of a short IC and the calculation of the dose equilibrium (D_eq) at the location of the chamber are proposed. The objective of this work was to compare the performance of a short IC and a commercial photodiode (BPW34FS) to measure the accumulated dose at the center of the scan length L, D_L(0), and to obtain the equilibrium dose D_eq using the two detectors. The result for L = 100 mm was compared with the result of the pencil chamber. The results indicate that the commercial photodiode is suitable to measure the accumulated dose at the center of the scan length L as compared with the ICs. This methodology allows measurements of the accumulated dose for any desired scan length, allowing measurement of the equilibrium dose D_eq if the phantom is long enough to allow it.     

Discussion on sources of uncertainty for two TLD albedo dosimetry systems in a comparison of individual monitors in a reference 241Am–Be field

Under standard conditions, several studies assess uncertainty values for individual dosimetry for photons, but seldom for neutrons. The Thermoluminescent Dosimetry Laboratory (LDT) of the Instituto de Radioproteção e Dosimetria (IRD), Brazil, has been running a neutron individual monitoring service using two different albedo monitors. This paper presents a study of the contribution of relevant sources of uncertainty for neutron dose evaluation, for both systems (called System 1 and System 2), using a reference ²⁴¹Am–Be field, at normal incidence. The combined and expanded uncertainties were calculated using GUM methodology and follows RP160 from the European Commission. This methodology was applied to calculate the uncertainties associated with the LDT assessment of neutron doses in the First Brazilian National Comparison on Measurements for Neutron Individual Monitors. The LDT participated in this comparison with its two systems, both presenting satisfactory performance. For System 1, at low neutron doses, the reproducibility of the apparent neutron dose is the more relevant source of uncertainty. However, for higher doses, the neutron calibration factor, NCF, becomes more important. For System 2, NCF is the main source of uncertainty for low and high doses. For occupational doses, the uncertainty will be much higher due to the need of additional correction factors, which depend on stray neutron field.     

Chemical mechanical planarization of Ge_2Sb_2Te_5 using IC1010 and Politex reg pads in acidic slurry

In the paper, chemical mechanical planarization(CMP) of Ge2Sb2Te5(GST) is investigated using IC1010 and Politex reg pads in acidic slurry. For the CMP with blank wafer, it is found that the removal rate(RR) of GST increases with the increase of pressure for both pads, but the RR of GST polished using IC1010 is far more than that of Politex reg. To check the surface defects, GST film is observed with an optical microscope(OM) and scanning electron microscope(SEM). For the CMP with Politex reg, many spots are observed on the surface of the blank wafer with OM, but no obvious spots are observed with SEM. With regard to the patterned wafer, a few stains are observed on the GST cell, but many residues are found on other area with OM. However, from SEM results, a few residues are observed on the GST cell, more dielectric loss is revealed about the trench structure. For the CMP with IC1010, the surface of the polished blank wafer suffers serious scratches found with both OM and SEM, which may result from a low hardness of GST, compared with those of IC1010 and abrasives. With regard to the patterned wafer, it can achieve a clean surface and almost no scratches are observed with OM, which may result from the high-hardness SiO2 film on the surface, not from the soft GST film across the whole wafer. From the SEM results, a clean interface and no residues are observed on the GST surface, and less dielectric loss is revealed. Compared with Politex reg, the patterned wafer can achieve a good performance after CMP using IC1010.     

Bandwidth-efficient frequency-domain equalization for single carrier multiple-input multiple-output underwater acoustic communications

This paper proposes a single carrier (SC) receiver scheme with bandwidth-efficient frequency-domain equalization (FDE) for underwater acoustic (UWA) communications employing multiple transducers and multiple hydrophones. Different from the FDE methods that perform FDE on a whole data block, the proposed algorithm implements an overlapped-window FDE by partitioning a large block into small subblocks. A decision-directed channel estimation scheme is incorporated with the overlapped-window FDE to track channel variations and improve the error performance. The proposed algorithm significantly increases the length of each block and keeps the same number of training symbols per block, hence achieving better data efficiency without performance degradation. The proposed scheme is tested by the undersea data collected in the Rescheduled Acoustic Communications Experiment (RACE) in March 2008. Without coding, the 2-by-12 MIMO overlapped-window FDE reduces the average bit error rate (BER) over traditional SC-FDE schemes by 74.4% and 84.6% for the 400 m and 1000 m range systems, respectively, at the same data efficiency. If the same BER performance is required, the proposed algorithm has only 8.4% transmission overhead, comparing to over 20% overhead in other existing UWA OFDM and SC-FDE systems. The improved data efficiency and/or error performance of the proposed FDE scheme is achieved by slightly increased computational complexity over traditional SC-FDE schemes.