Abstract
The secondary radiation field produced by seven different ion species (from hydrogen to nitrogen), impinging onto thick targets made of either iron or ICRU tissue, was simulated with the FLUKA Monte Carlo code, and transported through thick concrete shields: the ambient dose equivalent was estimated and shielding parameters evaluated. The energy for each ion beam was set in order to reach a maximum penetration in ICRU tissue of 290mm (equivalent to the therapeutic range of 430MeV/amu carbon ions). Source terms and attenuation lengths are given as a function of emission angle and ion species, along with fits to the Monte Carlo data, for shallow depth and deep penetration in the shield. Trends of source terms and attenuation lengths as a function of neutron emission angle and ion species impinging on target are discussed. A comparison of double differential distributions of neutrons with results from similar simulation works reported in the literature is also included. The aim of this work is to provide shielding data for the design of future light-ion radiation therapy facilities.
Highlights
A growing number of proton accelerators with energies typically up to 250 MeV are being installed in hospitals worldwide for cancer radiation therapy, exploiting the better dose distributions allowed by protons over photons and electrons
The present study provides a consistent set of source term and attenuation length data for the shielding design of intermediate energy light ion accelerators
Attenuation of total dose equivalent in concrete for 215 MeV protons impinging on an iron target: source terms H1 and H2 (Sv m2 per ion) and attenuation lengths k1 and k2 (g cmÀ2) for shallow and deep penetration resulting from the fits to the data
Summary
A growing number of proton accelerators with energies typically up to 250 MeV are being installed in hospitals worldwide for cancer radiation therapy, exploiting the better dose distributions allowed by protons over photons and electrons. Hadrons heavier than protons can further improve precision and effectiveness of the treatment: on the one hand, the sharper Bragg peak and the lower lateral scattering allow even better sparing of healthy tissues; on the other hand, their higher relative biological effectiveness (RBE) increases the radiation response of a certain class of tumours At present a few medical facilities using carbon ions up to 430 MeV/amu are operational or at the planning stage, and it cannot be excluded that the use of other light ions will be investigated for future clinical use (hadron therapy) [2,3].
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