The influence of nuclear models and Monte Carlo radiation transport codes on stray neutron dose estimations in proton therapy

This study investigates the influence of several Monte Carlo radiation transport codes and nuclear models on the simulation of secondary neutron spectra and its impact on calculating and measuring the neutron doses in proton therapy. Three different multi-purpose Monte Carlo radiation transport code...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Radiation measurements 2022-01, Vol.150, p.106693, Article 106693
Main Authors: De Saint-Hubert, M., Farah, J., Klodowska, M., Romero-Expósito, M.T., Tyminska, K., Mares, V., Olko, P., Stolarczyk, L., Trinkl, S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bioengineering
CR39
Life Sciences
Monte Carlo radiation transport codes
Neutron dosimetry
Nuclear medicine
Nuclear models
Proton therapy
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Summary:This study investigates the influence of several Monte Carlo radiation transport codes and nuclear models on the simulation of secondary neutron spectra and its impact on calculating and measuring the neutron doses in proton therapy. Three different multi-purpose Monte Carlo radiation transport codes (FLUKA, MCNPX, Geant4) were used together with different available nuclear models, to calculate secondary neutron energy spectra at various points inside a water tank phantom with PMMA walls using a 10 × 10 cm2 rectangular, mono-energetic proton beam (110 MeV, 150 MeV, 180 MeV, 210 MeV). Using Kerma approximation secondary neutron doses were calculated applying fluence-to-dose equivalent conversion coefficients in water. Moreover, the impact of varying spectra for electrochemically etched CR39 detector calibration was analyzed for different codes and models. In distal positions beyond the Bragg peak, results show largest variations between the codes, which was up to 53% for the high energy neutron fluence at 16 cm from the Bragg peak of the 110 MeV proton beam. In lateral positions, the variation between the codes is smaller and for the total neutron fluence within 20%. Variation in the nuclear models in MCNPX was only visible for the proton beam energies of 180 and 210 MeV and modeling the high energy neutron fluence which reached up to 23% for 210 MeV at 11 cm lateral from the beam axis. Impact on neutron dose equivalent was limited for the different models used (
ISSN:1350-4487
1879-0925
DOI:10.1016/j.radmeas.2021.106693