Secondary particles contribution to the dose characteristics in high energy particles beams and fields

Abstract

High energy protons and photons are not able to form directly a track in an etch detector (TED). Such detectors can, however, be used for the detection and the dosimetry in the fields and beams of these radiation through the registration of secondary charged particles with sufficiently high values of linear energy transfer (LET). Analysis of tracks parameters of these secondary particles allows for the assessment of their LET spectra, and from them many other dosimetric information can be deduced. LET spectra of secondary particles have been established in high energy proton beams (E p ϵ<80;250>MEV), high energy bremsstrahlung photon beams (E max ≤ 50 MV) and on the board of a satellite during a radiobiological experiment. Dose and dose equivalent distributions have been calculated from these spectra, the contribution of secondary particles to the total dose characteristics is appreciated and discussed.