Development of a plastic scintillating optical fibers array dosimeter for radiobiology

Abstract

In this work a detector prototype built as an array of Scintillating Plastic Optical fibers (SPOFs) is presented. The primary aim of this detector is to improve spatial resolution, provide real-time dose mapping and a tissue equivalent detector in radiobiology experiments. Details on the design and construction are provided along with the initial tests carried out using low-energy X-ray and electrons from a 90Sr source. Regarding the design and construction of the detector, the mechanical design of the irradiation box is presented and the Quality Assurance (QA) the optical fiber arrays were subjected to is discussed. The QA measurements show that the alignment of the optical fibers is within acceptable tolerances for dose readout. After the detector assembly, correction factors for each fiber were extracted from tests using a collimated X-ray beam. Special care was taken to ensure that each fiber is submitted to the same dose. Broad field tests show that the measurements are reproducible to within 3 %. Potential innovative features of this system for radiobiological experiments are discussed as well as the future follow-up of the prototype.