Bremsstrahlung Target Research Articles

Study on the influence of side-blown airflow velocities on plasma and combustion wave generated from fused silica induced by combined pulse laser

This study examines the impact of variations in side-blowing airflow velocity on plasma generation, combustion wave propagation mechanisms, and surface damage in fused silica induced by a combined millisecond-nanosecond pulsed laser. The airflow rate and pulse delay are the main experimental variables. The evolution of plasma motion was recorded using ultrafast time-resolved optical shadowing. The experimental results demonstrate that the expansion velocities of the plasma and combustion wave are influenced differently by the side-blowing airflow at different airflow rates (0.2 Ma, 0.4 Ma, and 0.6 Ma). As the flow rate of the side-blow air stream increases, the initial expansion velocities of the plasma and combustion wave gradually decrease, and the side-blow air stream increasingly suppresses the plasma. It is important to note that the target vapor is always formed and ionized into plasma during the combined pulse laser action. Therefore, the side-blown airflow alone cannot completely clear the plasma. Depending on the delay conditions, the pressure of the side-blowing airflow, the influence of inverse Bremsstrahlung radiation absorption and target surface absorption mechanisms can lead to a phenomenon known as the double combustion waves when using a nanosecond pulse laser. Both simulation and experimental results are consistent, indicating the potential for further exploration of fused silica targets in the laser field.

Estimation of Absorbed Dose due to Gas Bremsstrahlung Based on Residual Gas in Electron Storage Rings

Gas bremsstrahlung, generated by the interaction between stored electrons and residual gas in electron storage rings, is an important radiation source for the shielding of synchrotron radiation (SR) facilities. In recent SR facilities, hydrogen was found dominant in the residual gas of the vacuum chambers of the electron storage rings, although air has been conventionally assumed as the bremsstrahlung target for the shielding designs of SR beamlines extended from the electron storage ring. To study the effect of residual gas composition on the dose rate outside shields, we calculated the intensity of gas bremsstrahlung based on the gas composition for both the air and the residual gas expected in the recent electron storage rings using an analytical formula and general-purpose Monte Carlo codes for particle transport calculations. The analytical shielding calculation with a realistic gas composition was found to well reproduce the energy spectra of gas bremsstrahlung simulated by the Monte Carlo codes. The correction factors between the air and the realistic gas compositions are applied to the conventional analytical formulas for dose estimation of secondary radiations generated by the interaction between the bremsstrahlung from air and beamline components.

OPTIMIZATION OF THE BREMSSTRAHLUNG CONVERTER

Variants of the formation of bremsstrahlung (BS) distributions along an extended converter, which ensures the maximum thickness of an object under two-sided and four-sided irradiation, are studied. For the target of the TaH2OFe converter, the thicknesses of the Pb filter were determined, at which the average BS energy increases by more than 25%. In the PENELOPE package, the simulation of dose distributions in polyethylene produced by BS converters with optimal targets: previously used TaH2OFe and proposed by us TaH2OFePb, for 7.5 MeV electron energy, was performed. For four-sided irradiation, a technique for optimizing the distribution of the BS intensity along an extended converter is proposed. The combined use of the TaH2OFePb target and optimal BS intensity distributions along an extended converter makes it possible to increase the thickness of objects by a factor of ~ 1.35 under four-sided irradiation, DUR < 1.5.

Bayesian optimization to design a novel x-ray shaping device.

In radiation therapy, x-ray dose must be precisely sculpted to the tumor, while simultaneously avoiding surrounding organs at risk. This requires modulation of x-ray intensity in space and/or time. Typically, this is achieved using a multi leaf collimator (MLC)-a complex mechatronic device comprising over one hundred individually powered tungsten 'leaves' that move in or out of the radiation field as required. Here, an all-electronic x-ray collimation concept with no moving parts is presented, termed "SPHINX": Scanning Pencil-beam High-speed Intensity-modulated X-ray source. SPHINX utilizes a spatially distributed bremsstrahlung target and collimator array in conjunction with magnetic scanning of a high energy electron beam to generate a plurality of small x-ray "beamlets." A simulation framework was developed in Topas Monte Carlo incorporating a phase space electron source, transport through user defined magnetic fields, bremsstrahlung x-ray production, transport through a SPHINX collimator, and dose in water. This framework was completely parametric, meaning a simulation could be built and run for any supplied geometric parameters. This functionality was coupled with Bayesian optimization to find the best parameter set based on an objective function which included terms to maximize dose rate for a user defined beamlet width while constraining inter-channel cross talk and electron contamination. Designs for beamlet widths of 5, 7, and 10 mm2 were generated. Each optimization was run for 300 iterations and took approximately 40h on a 24-core computer. For the optimized 7-mm model, a simulation of all beamlets in water was carried out including a linear scanning magnet calibration simulation. Finally, a back-of-envelope dose rate formalism was developed and used to estimate dose rate under various conditions. The optimized 5-, 7-, and 10-mm models had beamlet widths of 5.1, 7.2, and 10.1 mm2 and dose rates of 3574, 6351, and 10015Gy/C, respectively. The reduction in dose rate for smaller beamlet widths is a result of both increased collimation and source occlusion. For the simulation of all beamlets in water, the scanning magnet calibration reduced the offset between the collimator channels and beam centroids from 2.9 ±1.9mm to 0.01 ±0.03mm. A slight reduction in dose rate of approximately 2% per degree of scanning angle was observed. Based on a back-of-envelope dose rate formalism, SPHINX in conjunction with next-generation linear accelerators has the potential to achieve substantially higher dose rates than conventional MLC-based delivery, with delivery of an intensity modulated 100 × 100 mm2 field achievable in 0.9 to 10.6 s depending on the beamlet widths used. Bayesian optimization was coupled with Monte Carlo modeling to generate SPHINX geometries for various beamlet widths. A complete Monte Carlo simulation for one of these designs was developed, including electron beam transport of all beamlets through scanning magnets, x-ray production and collimation, and dose in water. These results demonstrate that SPHINX is a promising candidate for sculpting radiation dose with no moving parts, and has the potential to vastly improve both the speed and robustness of radiotherapy delivery. A multi-beam SPHINX system may be a candidate for delivering magavoltage FLASH RT in humans.

Design optimization of an electron-to-photon conversion target for ultra-high dose rate x-ray (FLASH) experiments at TRIUMF

Objective. To develop a bremsstrahlung target and megavoltage (MV) x-ray irradiation platform for ultrahigh dose-rate (UHDR) irradiation of small-animals on the Advanced Rare Isotope Laboratory (ARIEL) electron linac (e-linac) at TRIUMF. Approach. An electron-to-photon converter design for UHDR radiotherapy (RT) was centered around optimization of a tantalum–aluminum (Ta–Al) explosion-bonded target. Energy deposition within a homogeneous water-phantom and the target itself were evaluated using EGSnrc and FLUKA MC codes, respectively, for various target thicknesses (0.5–1.5 mm), beam energies (E e− = 8, 10 MeV) and electron (Gaussian) beam sizes ( = 2–10 mm). Depth dose-rates in a 3D-printed mouse phantom were also calculated to infer the compatibility of the 10 MV dose distributions for FLASH-RT in small-animal models. Coupled thermo-mechanical FEA simulations in ANSYS were subsequently used to inform the stress–strain conditions and fatigue life of the target assembly. Main results. Dose-rates of up to 128 Gy s−1 at the phantom surface, or 85 Gy s−1 at 1 cm depth, were obtained for a 1 × 1 cm2 field size, 1 mm thick Ta target and 7.5 cm source-to-surface distance using the FLASH-mode beam (E e− = 10 MeV, 2 = 5 mm, P = 1 kW); furthermore, removal of the collimation assembly and using a shorter (3.5 cm) SSD afforded dose-rates >600 Gy s−1, albeit at the expense of field conformality. Target temperatures were maintained below the tantalum, aluminum and cooling-water thresholds of 2000 °C, 300 °C and 100 °C, respectively, while the aluminum strain behavior remained everywhere elastic and helped ensure the converter survives its prescribed 5 yr operational lifetime. Significance. Effective design iteration, target cooling and failure mitigation have culminated in a robust target compatible with intensive transient (FLASH) and steady-state (diagnostic) applications. The ARIEL UHDR photon source will facilitate FLASH-RT experiments concerned with sub-second, pulsed or continuous beam irradiations at dose rates in excess of 40 Gy s−1.

Photon beam dose enhancement in AuNP AC tumour through energy moderation of a 6 MeV electron beam: A Monte Carlo study

PurposeTo use Monte Carlo (MC) simulations (BEAMnrc and DOSXYZnrc) to investigate different moderators to slow down 6 MeV electrons before striking a tungsten bremsstrahlung target. The generated x-ray beam is then used to study the dose-effect when the beam traverses a gold-nanoparticle (AuNP) enriched tumour. Materials and methodsIn this study, the 6 MV linear accelerator model was without a beam flattening filter. The BEAMnrc code was used to simulate the 6 MeV electron beam traversing through water or carbon moderators of various thicknesses before striking a thin tungsten target to produce photon beams with effective energies less than the original 6 MV beam (without any moderation). For each beam, a phase-space (PHSP) file was scored to be used in subsequent DOSXYZnrc simulations. The DOSXYZnrc code was utilised to obtain percentage depth dose (PDD) and dose distributions in a 40 × 40 × 40 cm3 water phantom for each beam. All DOSXYZnrc simulations were repeated but with a tumour model near the surface of the water phantom. Dose enhancement effects (DEFs) were calculated in the tumour model as the ratio of the dose in the tumour with and without gold-nanoparticles (AuNPs) seeded into the tumour at a concentration of 7 mg/g. ResultsWater or carbon moderators slowed the primary 6 MeV electron beam down, resulting in lower energy photon beam spectra generated in the tungsten target. Significant dependence of DEFs on the mean energy of the resulting x-ray beams was shown as a function of moderator thickness. For beams moderated to kilovolt energies, the effect was more enhanced as anticipated. DEF values ranged between 1.01 and 1.075 for various moderator/bremsstrahlung x-ray target combinations. The highest DEF (1.075) was obtained for a moderator consisting of either 2.5 cm water or 1.4 cm carbon to slow the 6 MeV electrons down before hitting the tungsten target of 0.07 cm thickness. ConclusionsCarbon and water moderators can effectively slow electrons down before using them to generate low energy bremsstrahlung x-rays to enhance the dose in a tumour seeded with AuNPs. DEF's of up to 1.075 can be obtained whilst using beams of energy lower than 1 MV.

Absolute Double Differential Cross Sections of Bremsstrahlung Produced from 4.0 keV Electrons Incident on Free Ar Atoms

New results are reported on the measurements of absolute double differential cross sections (DDCSs) of bremsstrahlung produced from 4.0 keV electrons incident on free Ar atoms in the angular detection range of 45°–120°. A significant reduction of the thick target bremsstrahlung (TTB) of the chamber wall and of the photon transmission windows has been achieved by modifying the experimental set-up used previously; a large reduction of TTB in the present experiments is supported by the results of our model calculations for the ratio of TTB background to the normal bremsstrahlung (NB) spectrum carried out for the employed geometry of the experimental set-up. The results of photon energy distribution measured at different angles and those of angular distributions of photons of a given energy are compared with theoretical predictions of Kissel–Quarles–Pratt (KQP) theory for ordinary bremsstrahlung and with predictions of total bremsstrahlung including polarization bremsstrahlung (PBS) of the stripping approximation (SA). A satisfactory agreement observed between experiment and predictions using SA theory for absolute DDCSs of bremsstrahlung provides evidence for an appreciable contribution of polarization bremsstrahlung at the considered impact energy of electrons on one hand, while on the other hand, it exhibits a large discrepancy (about a factor of 2) in DDCSs of bremsstrahlung photons obtained by experiment and by KQP theory for photon energy distributions at all detection angles measured in these experiments. In addition, present results of the angular dependence of photons of different energies show anisotropic distributions and they are found to be in reasonable agreement with both KQP and SA theories. The satisfactory agreement between experiment and theory for angular distributions is an indication of a significant reduction of the background produced from TTB photons.

Design of bremsstrahlung target of 4 MeV flash X-ray machine

Bremsstrahlung converter target is one of the key factors for flash X-ray machine. The bremsstrahlung radiation process in which the electron beam impinges on the target is simulated utilizing the Monte Carlo method, by which the influence of the effective target thickness on the exposure is analyzed, the optimal target thickness and the exposure are also obtained for the 4 MeV flash X-ray machine. The damages of target impacted by the electron beam are compared and discussed for various electron energy deposit density from different sources, such as 12 MeV LIA, Dragon accelerators and 4 MeV flash X-ray machine. The results show that the tantalum distributed target may be the satisfactory solution for the bremsstrahlung target of 4 MeV flash X-ray machine.

Beam energy measurement on LINAC-200 accelerator and energy calibration of scintillation detectors by electrons in range from 1 MeV to 25 MeV

Abstract Accurate determination of the energy of LINAC-200 fast electrons was performed using several photonuclear reactions carried out on natural Indium after conversion of electron energy in bremsstrahlung in thick Tungsten target. Natural Indium was used as an activation detector and the ratios of saturation activities R( 113m In)/R( 115m In), R( 114m In)/R( 115m In) and R(111In)/R ( 115m In) were used as a measure of the endpoint energy of the bremsstrahlung beam (and energy of electrons striking the bremsstrahlung target as well). Energy dependence of the three ratios of saturation activities were determined by using the bremsstrahlung produced by electrons accelerated by Microtron to the energies known with accuracy not worse than 0.1 MeV. Three types of scintillation detectors (LaBr3:Ce, BGO and plastic) were calibrated using electrons having energies from 1.17 MeV to 25 MeV. In low energy region photoelectrons produced by 60 Co gamma radiation in the detector itself were used, as well as high energy electrons (from 11 MeV to 25 MeV) accelerated by LINAC-200.

Experimental thick target bremsstrahlung spectra produced by 5–25 keV electrons for 6 ≤ Z ≤ 82 and comparison with Monte Carlo PENELOPE simulations

Measurements of bremsstrahlung spectra of thick solid C(Z = 6), Ti(Z = 22), Zr(Z = 40), Nb(Z = 41), W(Z = 74) and Pb(Z = 82) targets by the impact of electrons with energies of 5–25 keV are presented. The experimental data exhibit an excellent agreement with the simulated results by means of the Monte Carlo code PENELOPE based only on ordinary bremsstrahlung. It demonstrates that the bremsstrahlung of thick solid targets in the energy range of interest has not shown any polarization bremsstrahlung contribution and this process can be described accurately by the PENELOPE code.

The effect of the flattening filter on photoneutron production at 10MV in the Varian TrueBeam linear accelerator.

Neutrons are an unavoidable by-product of high-energy radiation therapy treatments that deliver unwanted nontarget dose to patients. Use of flattening-filter-free (FFF) photon beams has been shown to significantly reduce photoneutron production per monitor unit (MU) of dose delivered. The purpose of this investigation was to characterize the photoneutron production of the 10MV and 10MV FFF beams of the Varian TrueBeamTM linear accelerator. Neutron fluence spectra were measured using a Nested Neutron SpectrometerTM (NNS, Detec Inc., Gatineau, Canada). The ratios of neutron fluence and ambient dose equivalent for the 10MV FFF beam relative to the 10MV beam, dubbed FF-ratios (FFF/FF), were used to characterize the difference between the two beams. FF-ratios were compared under the following three conditions (a) per MU, at various locations in the treatment room, (b) per MU, with the linac jaws opened and closed, and (c) per electron striking the bremsstrahlung target, as opposed to per MU, at one location with the jaws closed. On average, the neutron fluence for the 10MV FFF beam was 37% lower per MU than the 10MV beam (FF-ratio=0.63). The FF-ratio in neutron fluence and ambient dose equivalent did not vary by much between different locations within the treatment room. However, the FF-ratio in neutron ambient dose equivalent was reduced significantly when the linac jaws were opened compared to closed, which implies that the jaws contribute more to the photoneutron spectrum of the 10MV FFF beam than to the 10MV beam. Finally, it was found that the 10MV FFF beam produces more photoneutrons per electron striking the bremsstrahlung target than the 10MV beam (FF-ratio=2.56). The photoneutron fluence per MU produced by the 10MV FFF beam is 37% lower than the 10MV beam of a Varian TrueBeam linac. Accordingly, a reduction in neutron dose received by patients is achieved through use of the unflattened beam, provided that treatment plans for each beam require approximately the same number of MU. It was found to be instructive to compare the photoneutron yield per source electron between the two beams as it helped provide an understanding of the physics underlying photoneutron production in both beams.

Measurement of the angular distribution of thick target bremsstrahlung produced by 10–25 keV electrons incident on Ti and Cu targets

Angular distributions of bremsstrahlung photons produced by 10–25 keV electrons incident on thick Ti (Z = 22) and Cu (Z = 29) targets using a Si-PIN photodiode detector have been measured and new results are reported. The incidence angle, defined as the angle between the direction of the incident electrons and the normal of the target surface, varied between 15° and 75°. The intensity of the bremsstrahlung radiation, differential in angle and energy, that is, the double differential bremsstrahlung yield, was obtained by varying the incidence angle, while the photon detector was kept fixed perpendicular to the electron beam direction in reflection geometry. The experimental bremsstrahlung yields were normalized so that the values measured at 45° coincide with the results of Monte Carlo simulations. For the other incidence angles, the measured yields are found to be in good agreement with simulation results, within the experimental uncertainties. Our results suggest that the bremsstrahlung radiation emerging from the considered electron-target collision reactions is anisotropic in general; a relatively larger anisotropy is observed for all energy photons produced by high-energy electrons compared to that by low energy electrons. Furthermore, there is an indication of a weak dependence of the angular variation of the bremsstrahlung yield on atomic number (Z) of the bombarded targets.

Thermal limits on MV x-ray production by bremsstrahlung targets in the context of novel linear accelerators.

To study the impact of target geometrical and linac operational parameters, such as target material and thickness, electron beam size, repetition rate, and mean current on the ability of the radiotherapy treatment head to deliver high-dose-rate x-ray irradiation in the context of novel linear accelerators capable of higher repetition rates/duty cycle than conventional clinical linacs. The depth dose in a water phantom without a flattening filter and heat deposition in an x-ray target by 10 MeV pulsed electron beams were calculated using the Monte-Carlo code MCNPX, and the transient temperature behavior of the target was simulated by ANSYS. Several parameters that affect both the dose distribution and temperature behavior were investigated. The target was tungsten with a thickness ranging from 0 to 3 mm and a copper heat remover layer. An electron beam with full width at half maximum (FWHM) between 0 and3 mm and mean current of 0.05-2 mA was used as the primary beam at repetition rates of 100, 200, 400, and 800 Hz. For a 10 MeV electron beam with FWHM of 1 mm, pulse length of 5 μs, by using a thin tungsten target with thickness of 0.2 mm instead of 1 mm, and by employing a high repetition rate of 800 Hz instead of 100 Hz, the maximum dose rate delivered can increase two times from 0.57 to 1.16 Gy/s. In this simple model, the limiting factor on dose rate is the copper heat remover's softening temperature, which was considered to be 500°C in our study. A high dose rate can be obtained by employing thin targets together with high repetition rate electron beams enabled by novel linac designs, whereas the benefit of thin targets is marginal at conventional repetition rates. Next generation linacs used to increase dose rate need different target designs compared to conventional linacs.

Determination of EPID convolution kernels for portal imaging using carbon target bremsstrahlung

Abstract Improving the accuracy and reproducibility during patient positioning is of paramount importance. Hence, the goal of this work is to characterize the aspects of image blurring occurring during carbon target bremsstrahlung portal imaging and to assess the applicability of a deconvolution algorithm. Blurring effects involved in this method of portal imaging are electron scattering inside the EPID, geometric blurring due to the photon source size and photon scattering inside the patient. These effects can all be described by convolutions using as the convolutional kernel a Lorentz function, whose FWHM is 2λ. The λ values measured for these effects range from 0.2 mm to 0.45 mm, and an iterative 2D-deconvolution of carbon target portal images was performed accordingly. A significant decrease in the image blurring of test objects has been achieved and confirmed by analyzing the RMTF. However for clinical images, the deconvolution method is presently faced with the problem of the associated increase of image noise.

Possibility of determining microimpurities in materials using a activation measuring complex based on a photoneutron source

An activation measuring complex containing a W–Be photoneutron source of neutrons and a lowbackground gamma spectrometer is designed at the Russian Academy of Sciences Institute for Nuclear Research. The photoneutron source is mounted on the beam of a LUE-8 industrial electron linear accelerator with an electron energy of 7–8 MeV and contains a tungsten bremsstrahlung target, a photoneutron beryllium target, and a fast neutron moderator. The measuring component of the complex includes a detector made from high purity germanium, positioned inside a low-background chamber with active-passive protection. Neutron-activation analysis (NAA) is used to determine the content of microimpurities in a substance. A procedure for measuring ultralow contents of elements in aerosol filters is developed. Contents of Au, As, Sb, Mn, Fe, W, and other elements are measured in a variety of samples. The limits of detecting microimpurities in materials are estimated.

Dosimetric characterization of an accessory mounted mini-beam collimator across clinically beam matched medical linear accelerators

Background and Purpose. The goal of this project was the dosimetric characterization of a mini-beam collimator across three clinically beam matched medical linear accelerators (linacs). Methods and Materials. The beam quality (%DD(10)), peak-to-valley dose ratio (PVDR), collimator factor and relative output were obtained for 6 MV mini-beam collimated fields of various sizes on three clinically beam matched Varian iX medical linear accelerators. Monte Carlo simulations of the mini-beam collimated fields were used to correlate the experimental results to the accelerators’ electron beam full width-half maximum (FWHM) incident on the Bremsstrahlung target. Results. The beam quality of the mini-beam collimated field on all three linear accelerators agreed with that of the open field beam to within ±1%. PVDR on the different linacs varied by up to ±8.1% from the mean. Similarly, the collimator factors varied from the mean by up to ±3.6%. However, changes in the mini-beam collimated field due to changes in collimator inclination with respect to the beam central axis or field size were consistent across the three linacs. The collimator factors of the linacs were found to decrease by up to 7.1% in response to changes in inclination of less than 0.1°, and have an inverse relationship to field size. Monte Carlo simulations indicated that the disagreement in collimator factor can be linked to variation in the spatial width of the electron beam incident on the Bremsstrahlung target. Conclusion. A mini-beam collimator has been dosimetrically characterized on three clinically beam matched medical linear accelerators. Discrepancies in the mini-beam collimated field characteristics were observed across accelerators. Monte Carlo simulation revealed that these differences were related to the linac electron beam FWHM.

A model of tungsten anode x-ray spectra

A semiempirical model for x-ray production in tungsten thick-targets was evaluated using a new characterization of electron fluence. Electron fluence is modeled taking into account both the energy and angular distributions, each of them adjusted to Monte Carlo simulated data. Distances were scaled by the CSDA range to reduce the energy dependence. Bremsstrahlung production was found by integrating the cross section with the fluence in a 1D penetration model. Characteristic radiation was added using a semiempirical law whose validity was checked. The results were compared the experimental results of Bhat et al., with the SpekCalc numerical tool, and with mcnpx simulation results from the work of Hernandez and Boone. The model described shows better agreement with the experimental results than the SpekCalc predictions in the sense of area between the spectra. A general improvement of the predictions of half-value layers is also found. The results are also in good agreement with the simulation results in the 50-640 keV energy range. A complete model for x-ray production in thick bremsstrahlung targets has been developed, improving the results of previous works and extending the energy range covered to the 50-640 keV interval.

SU‐F‐T‐656: Monte Carlo Study On Air Activation Around a Medical Electron Linac

Purpose:In high energy photon therapy, several radiation protection issues result from photonuclear reactions. The activation of air ‐ directly by photonuclear reactions as well as indirectly by capture of photoneutrons generated inside the linac head ‐ is a major point of concern for the medical staff. The purpose of this study was to estimate the annual effective dose to medical workers due to activated air around a medical high energy electron linac by means of Monte Carlo simulations.Methods:The treatment head of a Varian Clinac in 18 MV‐X mode as well as the surrounding concrete bunker were modeled and the radiation transport was simulated using the Monte Carlo code FLUKA, starting from the primary electron striking the bremsstrahlung target. The activation yields in air from photo‐disintegration of O‐16 and N‐14 nuclei as well as from neutron capture on Ar‐40 nuclei were obtained from the simulations. The activation build‐up, radioactive decay and air ventilation were studied using a mathematical model. The annual effective dose to workers was estimated by using published isotope specific conversion factors.Results:The oxygen and nitrogen activation yields were in contrast to the argon activation yield found to be field size dependent. The impact of the treatment room ventilation on the different air activation products was investigated and quantified. An estimate with very conservative assumptions gave an annual effective dose to workers of < 1 mSv/a.Conclusion:From the results of this study it can be concluded that the contribution of air activation to the radiation exposure to medical workers should be negligible in modern photon therapy, especially when it is compared to the dose due to prompt neutrons and the activation of heavy solid materials such as the jaws and the collimators inside the linac head.

Optimum target source term estimation for high energy electron accelerators

Abstract Optimum target for bremsstrahlung emission is defined as the thickness of the target material, which produces maximum bremsstrahlung yield, on interaction of electron with the target. The bremsstrahlung dose rate per unit electron beam power at a distance of 1 m from the target material gives the optimum target source term. In the present work, simulations were performed for three different electron energies, 450, 1000 and 2500 MeV using EGSnrc Monte-Carlo code to determine the optimum thickness. An empirical relation for optimum target as a function of electron energy and atomic number of the target materials is found out from results. Using the simulated optimum target thickness, experiments are conducted to determine the optimum target source term. For the experimental determination, two available electron energies, 450 MeV and 550 MeV from booster synchrotron of Indus facility is used. The optimum target source term for these two energies are also simulated. The experimental and simulated source term are found to be in very good agreement within ±3%. Based on the agreement of the simulated source term with the experimental source term at 450 MeV and 550 MeV, the same simulation methodology is used to simulate optimum target source term up to 2500 MeV. The paper describes the simulations and experiments carried out on optimum target bremsstrahlung source term and the results obtained.

Dragon-II accelerator and its key technology

Dragon-Ⅱaccelerator can provide three pulse electron beams under MHz repetition rate what the performance of each pulse electron beam is 18-20 MeV, 2.1 kA, 60 ns pulse length. Three pulses with adjustable spacing(300 ns minimum spacing) are delivered to the bremsstrahlung targets, generating three 1.7 mm(FWHM) spot size X-ray pulses with a dose of 7.7410-2C/kg (300 R) at 1 m. The key technology is analyzed in the accelerator development and the design requirements.