Measurements of neutron distribution in neutrons–γ-rays mixed field using imaging plate for neutron capture therapy

Measurement of spatial distribution of neutrons and gamma rays for BNCT using multi-imaging plate system

Quality assurance of the spatial distributions of neutrons and gamma rays was tried using imaging plates (IPs) and converters to enhance the beam components in the epithermal neutron mode of the Kyoto University Reactor. The converters used were 4mm thick epoxy resin with B4C at 6.85 weight-percent (wt%) (10)B for epithermal neutrons, and 3mm thick carbon for gamma rays. Results suggested that the IP signal does not need a sensitivity correction regardless of the incident radiation that produces it.

Measurement of activity distribution using photostimulable phosphor imaging plates in decommissioned 10 MV medical linear accelerator

Photonuclear reactions generate neutrons in the head of the linear accelerator. Therefore, some parts of the linear accelerator can become activated. Such activated materials must be handled as radioactive waste. The authors attempted to investigate the distribution of induced radioactivity using photostimulable phosphor imaging plates. Autoradiographs were produced from some parts of the linear accelerator (the target, upper jaw, multileaf collimator and shielding). The levels of induced radioactivity were confirmed to be non-uniform within each part from the autoradiographs. The method was a simple and highly sensitive approach to evaluating the relative degree of activation of the linear accelerators, so that appropriate materials management procedures can be carried out.

Study on detecting spatial distribution of neutrons and gamma rays using a multi-imaging plate system

In order to measure the spatial distributions of neutrons and gamma rays separately using the imaging plate, the requirement for the converter to enhance specific component was investigated with the PHITS code. Consequently, enhancing fast neutrons using recoil protons from epoxy resin was not effective due to high sensitivity of the imaging plate to gamma rays. However, the converter of epoxy resin doped with (10)B was found to have potential for thermal and epithermal neutrons, and graphite for gamma rays.

Feasibility study on using imaging plates to estimate thermal neutron fluence in neutron-gamma mixed fields

In current radiotherapy, neutrons are produced in a photonuclear reaction when incident photon energy is higher than the threshold. In the present study, a method of discriminating the neutron component was investigated using an imaging plate (IP) in the neutron-gamma-ray mixed field. Two types of IP were used: a conventional IP for beta- and gamma rays, and an IP doped with Gd for detecting neutrons. IPs were irradiated in the mixed field, and the photo-stimulated luminescence (PSL) intensity of the thermal neutron component was discriminated using an expression proposed herein. The PSL intensity of the thermal neutron component was proportional to thermal neutron fluence. When additional irradiation of photons was added to constant neutron irradiation, the PSL intensity of the thermal neutron component was not affected. The uncertainty of PSL intensities was approximately 11.4 %. This method provides a simple and effective means of discriminating the neutron component in a mixed field.

Development of monitoring method of spatial neutron distribution in neutrons-gamma rays mixed field using imaging plate for NCT--depression of the field

The degree of depression in the neutron field caused by neutron absorption in the materials of an imaging plate (IP) was investigated using MCNP-4C. Consequently, the IP doped with Gd, which reproduced the distribution of (157)Gd(n,γ)(158)Gd reaction rate in the previous study, depresses the relative distribution by about 50%. The depression for the IP in which Gd is replaced with similar amount of B atoms was estimated to be about 10%. The signal intensity for this IP is estimated to be at a similar level with that for Gd-doped IP.