Characteristics of a plastic scintillation detector in photon beam dosimetry.

Abstract

Plastic scintillating detectors (PSD) have gained popularity due to small size and are ideally suited in small-field dosimetry due to no correction needed and hence detector reading can be compared to dose. Likewise, these detectors are active and water equivalent. A new PSD from Blue Physics is characterized in photon beam. Innovation in small-field dosimetry detector has led us to examine Blue Physics PSD (BP-PSD) for use in photon beams from linear accelerator. BP-PSD was acquired and its characteristics were evaluated in photon beams from a Varian TrueBeam. Data were collected in a 3D water tank. Standard parameters; dose, dose rate, energy, angular dependence and temperature dependence were studied. Depth dose, profiles and output in a reference condition as well as small fields were measured. BP-PSD is versatile and provides data very similar to an ion chamber when Cerenkov radiation is properly accounted. This device measures data pulse by pulse which very few detectors can perform. The differences between ion chamber data and PSD are<2% in most cases. The angular dependence is a bit pronounces to 1.5% which is due to PSD housing. Depth dose and profiles are comparable within<1% to an ion chamber. For small fields this detector provides suitable field output factor compared to other detectors and Monte Carlo (MC) simulated data without any added correction factor. The characteristics of Blue Physics PSD is uniquely suitable in photon beam and more so in small fields. The data are reproducible compared to ion chamber for most parameters and ideally suitable for small-field dosimetry without any correction factor.