The use of a holographic interferometer to measure absorbed energy distributions in water from pulsed electron beams

Abstract

An optical holographic interferometer was used to measure the energy deposition as a function of depth in water, as well as the total energy deposited in the water from various intensities of pulsed, monoenergetic electron beams. The energy of the electron beams varied from 1.00 MeV to 2.50 MeV in increments of 0.25 MeV. Data for 1.00, 1.75 and 2.50 MeV are presented. The interferometer and the analytical technique used to reduce the data are described. The measured results are compared to those predicted by ETRAN-15, a Monte Carlo radiation transport code. Reasonable agreement was found between the measured and the computed energy deposition in water as a function of depth of penetration of the electrons. Measured values for the total energy deposited agreed well with those predicted by ETRAN-15 and showed good correlation with the changes in the electron-flux densities. In view of the results of this study, there is no apparent reason why this technique could not be extended to measure the energy deposition of intense pulsed beams of other types of charged particles.