A primary simulation study of scintillating fibre dosimetry for a proton minibeam

Abstract

In this paper is explored the application of optical fibre-based dosimetry in the context of charged-particles MiniBeam Radiation Therapy through comprehensive simulation analyses. A FLUKA simulation of 64 Scintillating Plastic Optical Fibre array was implemented based on a prototype built in our group. The simulations indicate that the proposed system accurately reproduces the peak-and-valley pattern of minibeams. The optical photons transport inside and between fibres was also simulated, revealing that the optical crosstalk is negligible. The resilience of the detector’s electronics under secondary radiation composed of photons and neutrons was assessed. Our results suggest the electronics’ ability to withstand the expected radiation environment in clinical accelerators. This simulation-based investigation provides valuable insights into the feasibility of optical fibre-based dosimetry for MBRT. The results show the potential of using an array of thin scintillating plastic optical fibres to determine the peak–valley dose ratio, which is a key parameter to assess the efficacy of this emerging modality.