Scattered Radiation Field Research Articles

Simulation and measurement of X-ray scattered radiation in radiodiagnosis

This work aims to measure the scattered radiation energy spectrum and radiation dose at different positions during radiological diagnosis through the Monte Carlo simulation and experiment. The results show that the average energy of the scattered radiation energy spectrum increases with the increase of the tube voltage and decreases with the increase of the scattering angle, but it changes very little with the measuring distance. It is not unified for the scattered radiation distribution in the space around the water phantom at the same tube voltage, and the exposure to scattered radiation is greater on the side closer to the water phantom or the X-ray tube. This indicates that the radiation exposure is not unified for medical staff in the scattered radiation field. The scattering energy spectrum and dose distribution are helpful to evaluate the scattered radiation exposure and enhance the self-protection awareness of medical staff in practice.

Characterization of Stray Radiation Produced by a Proton Beam in an Anthropomorphic Phantom with Dental Implants Using a Pixel Detector

<h3>Purpose/Objective(s)</h3> We investigated the scattered radiation produced by a collimated proton beam in the case of head and neck cancer using an anthropomorphic head phantom with human-like anatomy, with two dental implants inserted. Using high-resolution semiconductor pixel detectors, we measured and analyzed the backscatter radiation with particle identification resolving power. This research is focused on giving quantitative information about the radiation field components. <h3>Materials/Methods</h3> A treatment plan was designed on a standard X-ray CT which contained the implants at the center of the tumor. Two irradiations of an anthropomorphic head phantom were performed with clinical proton beams: one without metallic implants (plastic inserts) and one with dental implants. Two titanium cylindrical inserts of 1 cm length and 0.33 cm diameter were placed in the phantom's upper jaw like the molar's replacements. The planning target volume (PTV) is shaped so that the dental inserts are centered in the target volume. A scattered fixed proton beam with a nominal energy of 170 MeV was delivered to the phantom using collimators and boluses designed to shape and stop the beam according to the treatment plan. Scattered primary and secondary radiation was detected with hybrid semiconductor pixel detectors, placed at 4 cm behind the PTV. Detailed description of the mixed-radiation field was performed with spectral (energy loss) and tracking (direction) sensitivity. <h3>Results</h3> Measurements included a low intensity proton beam to assess the particle tracking response and identification resolving power in both situations (with and without implants). In this manner, the components of the radiation field were observed and analyzed. Based on their characteristic directional-sensitive spectral-track signal in the detector, both primary and secondary protons can be distinguished from light charged particles. This was done by analyzing single particle pixelated clusters morphology, spectral and directional sensitive parameters. Directional fluxes and linear energy transfer (LET) spectra of charged particle groups provide information about the scattered radiation field. <h3>Conclusion</h3> We present novel information about dental metallic implants' influences in a proton-based treatment. Preliminary results show differences in the LET distributions of the scattered radiation when the implants are in place, respectively, when they are missing. Further analyses will be done to provide a detailed dissemination of contribution for every type of particle.

Investigation of optical resonances arising in the scattered radiation field of a Yb fiber laser in transparent dielectric media

Investigation of optical resonances arising in the scattered radiation field of a Yb fiber laser in transparent dielectric media

The X-ray polarimeter of solar flares for the Interhelioprobe mission: experimental determination of the response of the physical model to polarized x-ray radiation

The work is devoted to the study of the characteristics of the PING-M hard x-ray polarimeter using its physical model (PING-P FM). The PING-M instrument is developed jointly by the Moscow Engineering Physical Iinstitute and the Ioffe Institute for the mission “Interhelioprobe”. The operation of the device is based on Compton scattering. The degree and direction of linear polarization are determined by measuring the asymmetry of the scattered radiation field. The device uses active scatterers that register the Compton recoil electron. A useful event is the case when two impulses in the detector-scatterer and in the detector-receiver of scattered radiation coincide. The physical model represents the detector part of the polarimeter. It contains three scatterers and six receivers of scattered radiation – a total of 18 pairs of detectors oriented at different azimuthal angles. As a result of the experiments, the dependences of counting rates in pairs of detectors on the positional angle of the polarization plane of the incident radiation were measured. The modulation depth of this dependence determines the sensitivity of the device to the polarization degree. The sensitivity of the device is estimated.

Wolf effect in the scattering of polychromatic radiation by two spheres having parity-time symmetry

It was recently proposed (P A Brandão and S B Cavalcanti 2019 Phys. Rev. A 100 043822) that two small (Dirac) scatterers, one having gain and the other having loss, drastically modifies the spectral density of the scattered radiation field. Here, we extend this previous work by studying the scattering of stochastic radiation by two finite spheres having gain and loss, satisfying the parity-time symmetry condition, and verifying the spectral changes in frequency domain, i.e. the non-Hermitian Wolf effect. Under the Born approximation, we analytically found the specific frequencies where the spectral density of the scattered field vanishes and show that they depend on the gain and loss parameter γ of each material. This is evidence of a non-Hermitian Wolf effect, meaning that the spectrum can be tuned by the gain/loss properties of the system. We have also shown that there is a π/2 phase shift when compared to the Hermitian configuration (γ = 0).

Line-drag damping of Alfvén waves in radiatively driven winds of magnetic massive stars

ABSTRACT Line-driven stellar winds from massive (OB) stars are subject to a strong line-deshadowing instability. Recently, spectropolarimetric surveys have collected ample evidence that a subset of Galactic massive stars hosts strong surface magnetic fields. We investigate here the propagation and stability of magnetoradiative waves in such a magnetized, line-driven wind. Our analytic, linear stability analysis includes line-scattering from the stellar radiation, and accounts for both radial and non-radial perturbations. We establish a bridging law for arbitrary perturbation wavelength after which we analyse separately the long- and short-wavelength limits. While long-wavelength radiative and magnetic waves are found to be completely decoupled, a key result is that short-wavelength, radially propagating Alfvén waves couple to the scattered radiation field and are strongly damped due to the line-drag effect. This damping of magnetic waves in a scattering-line-driven flow could have important effects on regulating the non-linear wind dynamics, and so might also have strong influence on observational diagnostics of the wind structure and clumping of magnetic line-driven winds.

COMPARISON OF EXPERIMENTAL AND NUMERICAL METHODS OF PATIENT DOSE ESTIMATIONS IN CT USING ANTHROPOMORPHIC MODELS.

The common methods for patient dose estimations in computed tomography (CT) are thermoluminescence dosemeter (TLD) measurements or the usage of software packages based on Monte Carlo simulations like CT-Expo or the newer CTVoxDos, which uses the ICRP Reference Adult Male (ICRP 110). Organ (OD) and effective doses of a CT protocol of the upper abdomen are compared. Compared to CTVoxDos, ODs inferred by TLD measurement using an anthropomorphic phantom differ by $\mathbf{(19\pm 16)\,\%}$ inside the primary radiation field, $\mathbf{(14\pm 2)\,\%}$ for partially primary irradiated organs and $\mathbf{(34\pm 38)\,\%}$ in the scattered radiation field. ODs estimated by CT-Expo show a mean deviation of $\mathbf{(16\pm 9)\,\%}$ (primary irradiated) and $\mathbf{(28\pm 31)\,\%}$ (scatter irradiated) from ODs estimated by CTVoxDos.

The X-ray polarimeter of solar flares for the Interhelioprobe mission: a study of the characteristics of the physical model using radioisotope radiation sources

The paper describes the physical model of the PING-P polarimetry unit of the PING-M X-ray polarimeter. The polarimeter is developed jointly by the Ioffe Institute and the Institute of Astrophysics of the Moscow Engineering Physics Institute for the Interhelioprobe mission. The model (PING-P-FM), made by the Ioffe Institute, represents the detector part of the polarimeter. The polarization degree is determined by the measurement of the asymmetry of the scattered radiation field. The device uses active scatterers based on paraterphenyl crystals for detecting the events of Compton scattering. A useful signal is the coincidence of pulses from one of the active scatterers (detector-scatterer) and one detector-receiver of scattered radiation. The polarimetry unit contains 3 detector-scatterers and 6 detector-receivers, thus resulting in 18 measurement channels. The requirements for instrument symmetry and stability of the measuring channels are high. The paper presents the results of an experimental study of the parameters of the measuring channels of the PING-P-FM model and their calibrations at different X-ray energies using Cd-109, Am-241, and Ba-133 isotope sources.

The role of the time delay in the reflection and transmission of ultrashort electromagnetic pulses on a system of parallel current sheets

The reflection and transmission of a few-cycle laser pulse impinging on two parallel thin metal layers have been analyzed. The two layers, with a thickness much smaller than the skin depth of the incoming radiation field, are represented by current sheets embedded in three dielectrics, all with different index of refraction. The dynamics of the surface currents and the scattered radiation field are described by the coupled system of Maxwell–Lorentz equations. When applying the plane wave modeling assumptions, these reduce to a hybrid system of two delay differential equations for the electron motion in the layers and a recurrence relation for the scattered field. The solution is given as the limit of a singularly perturbed system and the effects of the time delay on the dynamics is analyzed.

Calibration of a thermoluminescent dosimeter worn over lead aprons in fluoroscopy guided procedures

Fluoroscopy guided interventional procedures provide remarkable benefits to patients. However, medical staff working near the scattered radiation field may be exposed to high cumulative equivalent doses, thus requiring shielding devices such as lead aprons and thyroid collars. In this situation, it remains an acceptable practice to derive equivalent doses to the eye lenses or other unprotected soft tissues with a dosimeter placed above these protective devices. Nevertheless, the radiation backscattered by the lead shield differs from that generated during dosimeter calibration with a water phantom. In this study, a passive personal thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) was modelled by means of the Monte Carlo (MC) code Penelope. The results obtained were validated against measurements performed in reference conditions in a secondary standard dosimetry laboratory. Next, the MC model was used to evaluate the backscatter correction factor needed for the case where the dosimeter is worn over a lead shield to estimate the personal equivalent dose Hp(0.07) to unprotected soft tissues. For this purpose, the TLD was irradiated over a water slab phantom with a photon beam representative of the result of a fluoroscopy beam scattered by a patient. Incident beam angles of 0° and 60°, and lead thicknesses between the TLD and phantom of 0.25 and 0.5 mm Pb were considered. A backscatter correction factor of 1.23 (independent of lead thickness) was calculated comparing the results with those faced in reference conditions (i.e., without lead shield and with an angular incidence of 0°). The corrected dose algorithm was validated in laboratory conditions with dosimeters irradiated over a thyroid collar and angular incidences of 0°, 40° and 60°, as well as with dosimeters worn by interventional radiologists and cardiologists. The corrected dose algorithm provides a better approach to estimate the equivalent dose to unprotected soft tissues such as eye lenses. Dosimeters that are not shielded from backscatter radiation might underestimate personal equivalent doses when worn over a lead apron and, therefore, should be specifically characterized for this purpose.

Modeling of Radiation Fields of Uniform Anisotropically Scattering Slab of Aarbitrary Optical Thickness

Modeling of radiation fields of an arbitrary optical thickness uniform slab in the case of a weak absorption and strongly elongated phase functions has been carried. The simple modification of classical Ambarzumian’s — Chandrasekhar’s invariance principle indispensable for the receiving of new non-linear integral equations connected with azimuthal Fourier harmonics of generalized unified photometric function and photometric invariants has been used. These values join upgoing and downgoing radiation fields intensities making use of simple linear manner at arbitrary optical levels in mirror vision directions including fixed azimuthal angles and solar zenith distance. Parametrizations of obtained non-linear integral equations have demonstrated in the absence of reflecting underlying surfaces, placed at the lowest level of considered uniform slab, the possibility to express angular-spatial properties of unified photometrical function and appropriate photometrical invariants taking into account the phase functions strongly elongation near small scattering angles and small slab’s absorption with the help of primary scattered radiation field intensities and adaptive fitting multipliers. These functional adaptive corrections have been stipulated by uniform slab’s multiple light scattering and possess the clear physical interpretation. The use of mirror reflection (symmetry) principle, elaborated by the author, and conception of unified photometric function allows one to estimate the above-mentioned peculiarities of real environment’s phase functions in the framework of photometric invariants numerical modeling. An analysis of appropriate radiative modeling results has shown a dominating influence of primary light scattering in the formation of anisotropically scattered radiation fields of an arbitrary optical thickness uniform slab in the case of weak radiation absorption and strongly elongated phase functions.

Strong constraints on hadronic models of blazar activity fromFermiand IceCube stacking analysis

High-energy emission from blazars is produced by electrons which are either accelerated directly (the assumption of leptonic models of blazar activity) or produced in interactions of accelerated protons with matter and radiation fields (the assumption of hadronic models). The hadronic models predict that gamma-ray emission is accompanied by neutrino emission with comparable energy flux but with a different spectrum. We derive constraints on the hadronic models of activity of blazars imposed by non-detection of neutrino flux from a population of gamma-ray emitting blazars. We stack the gamma-ray and muon neutrino flux from 749 blazars situated in the declination strip above -5 degrees. Non-detection of neutrino flux from the stacked blazar sample rules out the proton induced cacade models in which the high-energy emission is powered by interactions of shock-accelerated proton beam in the AGN jet with the ambient matter or with the radiation field of the black hole accretion disk. The result remains valid also for the case of interactions in the scattered radiation field in the broad line region. IceCube constraint could be avoided if the spectrum of accelerated protons is sharply peaking in the ultra-high-energy cosmic ray range, as in the models of acceleration in the magnetic reconnection regions or in the vacuum gaps of black hole magnetospheres. Models based on these acceleration mechanisms are consistent with the data only if characteristic energies of accelerated protons are higher than 1e19 eV.

Monte Carlo study of the scattered radiation field near the eyes of the operator in interventional procedures

Interventional radiology and cardiology guarantee high benefits for patients, but are known to be associated with a high level of radiation exposure of medical staff. The recently suggested decrease of the annual dose limit for the eye lens, from 150 to 20 mSv, caused a need for a reconsideration of practices ensuring sufficient protection for the lens of the eyes of medical staff. In such context the study of the scattered radiation around the operator’s head could help in finding the best solutions to be adopted for the ceiling-suspended shield and lead glasses in the most common situations in interventional practices.MCNPX Monte Carlo code was employed with anthropomorphic mathematical phantoms to simulate interventional practice projections. For each projection the effect of changing selected parameters on the evaluated scattered radiation towards the operator’s head has been calculated.The variety of modelled situations provides plentiful material regarding the spatial distribution of the scattered radiation, useful to improve eye lens radiation protection, such as the following: (a) Glasses, which provide shielding from both lateral and bottom-up scattered radiation, can reduce by ten times the exposure to the most exposed eyes; (b) The ceiling-suspended shield offers valuable protection, but such effectiveness can diminish by 90% if the shielding is not correctly positioned; (c) The transition from femoral to radial access usually intensifies the scattered radiation toward the operator head (a factor of 1.5 for AP projection), but for RAO projections, a reduction of the order by two to three times, in the case of radial access, can be seen, due to the protection provided by the image receptor.The detailed fluence outcomes show that there is a preferential direction of the impinging scattered radiation that should be considered when radiation protection options are evaluated or when a dedicated eye lens dosemeter is used for monitoring.

Optimisation of occupational radiological protection in image-guided interventions: potential impact of dose rate measurements

The optimisation of occupational radiological protection is challenging and a variety of factors have to be considered. Physicians performing image-guided interventions are working in an environment with one of the highest radiation risk levels in healthcare. Appropriate knowledge about the radiation environment is a prerequisite for conducting the optimisation process. Information about the dose rate variation during the interventions could provide valuable input to this process. The overall purpose of this study was to explore the prerequisite and feasibility to measure dose rate in scattered radiation and to assess the usefulness of such data in the optimisation process.Using an active dosimeter system, the dose rate in the unshielded scattered radiation field was measured in a fixed point close to the patient undergoing an image-guided intervention. The measurements were performed with a time resolution of one second and the dose rate data was continuously timed in a data log. In two treatment rooms, data was collected during a 6 month time period, resulting in data from 380 image-guided interventions and vascular treatments in the abdomen, arms and legs. These procedures were categorised into eight types according to the purpose of the treatment and the anatomical region involved.The dose rate varied substantially between treatment types, both regarding the levels and the distribution during the procedure. The maximum dose rate for different types of interventions varied typically between 5 and 100 mSv h−1, but substantially higher and lower dose rates were also registered. The average dose rate during a complete procedure was however substantially lower and varied typically between 0.05 and 1 mSv h−1. An analysis of the distribution disclosed that for a large part of the treatment types, the major amount of the total accumulated dose for a procedure was delivered in less than 10% of the exposure time and in less than 1% of the total procedure time.The present study shows that systematic dose rate measurements are feasible. Such measurements can be used to give a general indication of the exposure level to the staff and could serve as a first risk assessment tool when introducing new treatment types or x-ray equipment in the clinic. For example, it could provide an indication for when detailed eye dose measurements are needed. It also gives input to risk management considerations and the development of efficient routines for other radiological protection measures.

Mesosphere light scattering depolarization during the Perseids activity epoch by wide-angle polarization camera measurements

The paper describes the study of scattered radiation field in the mesosphere basing on wide-angle polarization camera (WAPC) measurements of the twilight sky background and single scattering separation procedure. Mid-August observations in 2012 and 2013 show the decrease of single scattering polarization value probably related with Perseids meteor dust moderation in the upper mesosphere. Effect correlates with activity of tiny fraction of Perseids shower. Polarization and temperature analysis allows estimating the altitude of dust layer and character polarization of dust scattering.

Cooperativity in light scattering by cold atoms

AbstractA cloud of cold N two‐level atoms driven by a resonant laser beam shows cooperative effects both in the scattered radiation field and in the radiation pressure force acting on the cloud center‐of‐mass. The induced dipoles synchronize and the scattered light presents superradiant and/or subradiant features. We present a quantum description of the process in terms of a master equation for the atomic density matrix in the scalar, Born‐Markov approximations, reduced to the single‐excitation limit. From a perturbative approach for weak incident field, we derive from the master equation the effective Hamiltonian, valid in the linear regime. We discuss the validity of the driven timed Dicke ansatz and of a partial wave expansion for different optical thicknesses and we give analytical expressions for the scattered intensity and the radiation pressure force on the center of mass. We also derive an expression for collective suppression of the atomic excitation and the scattered light by these correlated dipoles.

Reversible absorption of weak fields revealed in coherent transients

It is shown that the absorbtion of a weak field in a thick resonant absorber is a reversible process even in the case of the homogeneous broadening of the absorption line. As an example, the propagation of a long rectangular pulse with sharp edges in an optically dense resonant medium is studied theoretically in the linear response approximation. Transient nutation (TN), free induction decay (FID), and transients, induced by the phase switch of the incident pulse, are considered. It is shown that in exact resonance the amplitude of FID increases with the length of the medium. FID arises due to the scattered radiation field (dipoles ringing). In a thick medium the scattered field is almost of the same amplitude but opposite in phase with the incident radiation field. Both fields interfere destructively to produce what is seen as radiation damping at the output of the medium. The scattered field needs time to develop. Therefore, the leading edge of the pulse is not absorbed, demonstrating temporal transparency followed by TN. Phase shift (180${}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}$) of the pulse brings the incident pulse in phase with the scattered radiation. Constructive interference of the pulse with the scattered radiation field produces a short pulse with an amplitude that is two times larger than the amplitude of the incident pulse. If the input pulse is detuned from resonance, for a particular detuning and optical thickness of the medium the amplitude of the transient pulse, induced by the phase shift, is nearly three times larger than the amplitude of the incident pulse. This is explained by the interference of the scattered field, the phase-shifted input field, and the slowly propagating part of the pulse, developed before the phase shift.

Radiation burst from a singleγ-photon field

The radiation burst from a single $\ensuremath{\gamma}$-photon field interacting with a dense resonant absorber is studied theoretically and experimentally. This effect was discovered for the fist time by P. Helisto et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 66, 2037 (1991)] and it was named the ``gamma echo.'' The echo is generated by a 180${}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}$ phase shift of the incident radiation field, attained by an abrupt change of the position of the absorber with respect to the radiation source during the coherence time of the photon wave packet. Three distinguishing cases of the gamma echo are considered; i.e., the photon is in exact resonance with the absorber, close to resonance (on the slope of the absorption line), and far from resonance (on the far wings of the resonance line). In resonance the amplitude of the radiation burst is two times larger than the amplitude of the input radiation field just before its phase shift. This burst was explained by Helisto et al. as a result of constructive interference of the coherently scattered field with the phase-shifted input field, both having almost the same amplitude. We found that out of resonance the scattered radiation field acquires an additional component with almost the same amplitude as the amplitude of the incident radiation field. The phase of the additional field depends on the optical thickness of the absorber and resonant detuning. Far from resonance this field interferes destructively with the phase-shifted incident radiation field and radiation quenching is observed. Close to resonance the three fields interfere constructively and the amplitude of the radiation burst is three times larger than the amplitude of the input radiation field.

Characterization of the scattered radiation field around an x-ray tube

To determine patient doses or doses to the medical staff, Monte Carlo calculations are frequently applied. In these kinds of calculations the x-ray tube is often simplified to make the calculations faster. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of simplifications in the Monte Carlo set-up of the x-ray tube on the observed differences between measurements and calculations in the scattered field. At a distance of 50 and 100 cm from the focal spot, air kerma calculations are done for different angles from −90° to 90° from the central beam axis in steps of 15° with the Monte Carlo software code MCNP-X. Different calculations were performed where each time a component of the simulated x-ray tube (collimator, filters, etc) or the environment (walls) is included. Scattered doses are also measured with thermoluminescent dosemeters. For the most simplified geometry of the x-ray tube, measurements are on average 70% larger than the calculated results. A much better agreement with the measurements is observed for more realistic calculations. The current work applies to a particular source in the SCK•CEN calibration laboratory; therefore the obtained results are representative and relevant for studies in calibration laboratories. As clinical sources have more shielding material and as in real imaging situations the scatter generated at the patient is much larger than the scatter leaking from the source, the results of this study have a limited impact on the wider field of clinical dosimetry.

Intercomparison of active personal dosemeters in interventional radiology

The use of active personal dosemeters (APD) in interventional radiology was evaluated by Working Group 9 (Radiation protection dosimetry of medical staff) of the CONRAD project, which is a Coordination Action supported by the European Commission within its sixth Framework Programme. Interventional radiology procedures can be very complex and they can lead to relatively high doses to personnel who stand close to the primary radiation field and are mostly exposed to radiation scattered by the patient. For the adequate dosimetry of the scattered photons, APDs must be able to respond to low-energy [10-100 keV] and pulsed radiation with relatively high instantaneous dose rates. An intercomparison of five APD models deemed suitable for application in interventional radiology was organised in March 2007. The intercomparison used pulsed and continuous radiation beams, at CEA-LIST (Saclay, France) and IRSN (Fontenay-aux-Roses, France), respectively. A specific configuration, close to the clinical practice, was considered. The reference dose, in terms of Hp(10), was derived from air kerma measurements and from the measured and calculated energy distributions of the scattered radiation field. Additional Monte Carlo calculations were performed to investigate the energy spectra for different experimental conditions of the intercomparison. The results of this intercomparison are presented in this work and indicate which APDs are able to provide a correct response when used in the specific low-energy spectra and dose rates of pulsed X-rays encountered in interventional radiology.