Two-voltage Method Research Articles

Recombination and polarity effects of Farmer chambers in a strong magnetic field

PurposeIonisation chamber based reference dosimetry in magnetic resonance linear accelerators (MRL) aimed for radiotherapy requires correction for recombination losses. Published studies have found that such corrections can be carried out using the two-voltage method. These studies have, however, not included comparison with recombination corrections based on the Niatel method, which can be seen as a robust reference method due to its clear separation of initial and volume recombination and its explicit account of the pulsed nature of the dose delivery. The primary objective of this work therefore was to carry out such a comparison. Materials and methodsFour Farmer-type chambers (PTW-30006 and PTW-30013) were placed in a water phantom in 1.5 T Elekta Unity MRL. The chambers were oriented antiparallel or perpendicular to the static magnetic field B0 and irradiated at a source-to-surface distance of 133.5 cm with a 10 × 10 cm2 field size. ResultsThe two-voltage method gave results in agreement (within 0.1%) with the recombination corrections derived from the Niatel method. The recombination corrections from three Niatel parameter sets (one based on a Varian Truebeam and two obtained directly in the MRL) deviated less than 0.1% from each other. A systematic shift in the recombination correction of less than 0.05% was observed if polarity corrections were not applied. ConclusionsThe study supports the use of the two-voltage method in MRLs based on its excellent agreement with the Niatel method. This work, therefore, complements existing knowledge as previous studies have not included a comparison with the Niatel method.

Automated determination of the ion-recombination correction factor (ksat) in ultra-high dose rate electron radiation therapy.

Plane-parallel ionization chambers are the recommended secondary standard systems for clinical reference dosimetry of electrons. Dosimetry in high dose rate and dose-per-pulse (DPP) is challenging as ionization chambers are subject to ion recombination, especially when dose rate and/or DPP is increased beyond the range of conventional radiotherapy. The lack of universally accepted models for correction of ion recombination in UDHR is still an issue as it is, especially in FLASH-RT research, which is crucial in order to be able to accurately measure the dose for a wide range of dose rates and DPPs. The objective of this study was to show the feasibility of developing an Artificial Intelligence model to predict the ion-recombination factor-ksat for a plane-parallel Advanced Markus ionization chamber for conventional and ultra-high dose rate electron beams based on machine parameters. In addition, the predicted ksat of the AI model was compared with the current applied analytical models for this correction factor. A total number of 425 measurements was collected with a balanced variety in machine parameter settings. The specific ksat values were determined by dividing the output of the reference dosimeter (optically stimulated luminescence [OSL]) by the output of the AM chamber. Subsequently, a XGBoost regression model was trained, which used the different machine parameters as input features and the corresponding ksat value as output. The prediction accuracy of this regression model was characterized by R2-coefficient of determination, mean absolute error and root mean squared error. In addition, the model was compared with the Two-Voltage (TVA) method and empirical Petersson model for 19 different dose-per-pulse values ranging from conventional to UDHR regimes. The Akiake Information criterion (AIC) was calculated for the three different models. The XGBoost regression model reached a R2-score of 0.94 on the independent test set with a MAE of 0.067 and RMSE of 0.106. For the additional 19 random data points, the ksat values predicted by the XGBoost model showed to be in agreement, within the uncertainties, with the ones determined by the Petersson model and better than the TVA method for doses per pulse>3.5Gy with a maximum deviation from the ground truth of 14.2%, 16.7%, and -36.0%, respectively, for DPP>4Gy. The proposed method of using AI for ksat determination displays efficiency. For the investigated DPPs, the ksat values obtained with the XGBoost model were in concurrence with the ones obtained with the current available analytical models within the boundaries of uncertainty, certainly for the DPP characterizing UDHR. But the overall performance of the AI model, taking the number of free parameters into account, lacked efficiency. Future research should optimize the determination of the experimental ksat, and investigate the determination the ksat for DPPs higher than the ones investigated in this study, while also evaluating the prediction of the proposed XGBoost model for UDHR machines of different centers.

Evaluation of Ion Recombination Correction for Indigenously Developed Farmer Ion Chamber in Flattening Filter-Free Photon Beams.

Modern generation linear accelerator (linac) either generates X-rays with a flattening filter (WFF beam) or without flattening filter free (FFF beam). The FFF beams are associated with a significantly higher dose per pulse compared to WFF beams due to the absence of a flattening filter and the corresponding attenuation caused by it. This results in increased ion recombination and a larger saturation correction factor (ks). In accordance with the IAEA TRS 398 dosimetry protocol, ks is necessary for the accurate measurement of absorbed dose at a point in water. The objective of this study was to evaluate the ks for the indigenous FAR 65-GB ion chamber (IC) for the FFF X-rays. The study was carried out on TrueBeam linac (Varian, A Siemens Healthineers company) which offers 6 MV WFF, 6 MV FFF, 10 MV WFF and 10 MV FFF beams. The two-voltage method was employed to measure ks in a solid water phantom at a depth of 10 cm for a FAR 65-GB and SNC 600c and 0.6cc PTW 30013 Farmer chambers at 100 cm and 150 cm source-to-chamber distances for a 10 cm × 10 cm field size. The ks values for the FAR 65-GB, PTW 30,013, and SNC 600c were 1.0055 (1.0113), 1.0051 (1.0071), and 1.0033 (1.0066) for the 6 MV WFF (FFF) beams, respectively, and 1.0066 (1.0178), 1.0061 (1.0137), and 1.0035 (1.0119) for the 10MV WFF (FFF) beams, respectively. The ks values calculated by two-voltage method matches with ks values obtained from Jaffe's plot. The chamber exhibited a linear dose-response up to 3000 cGy, beyond which a saturation effect was observed. Our study reveals that this chamber is suitable for the reference dosimetry for the FFF beams.

Ion recombination correction factors and detector comparison in a very-high dose rate proton scanning beam

PurposeAccurate dosimetry is paramount to study the FLASH biological effect since dose and dose rate are critical dosimetric parameters governing its underlying mechanisms. With the goal of assessing the suitability of standard clinical dosimeters in a very-high dose rate (VHDR) experimental setup, we evaluated the ion collection efficiency of several commercially available air-vented ionization chambers (IC) in conventional and VHDR proton irradiation conditions. MethodsA cyclotron at the Orsay Proton Therapy Center was used to deliver VHDR pencil beam scanning irradiation. Ion recombination correction factors (ks) were determined for several detectors (Advanced Markus, PPC05, Nano Razor, CC01) at the entrance of the plateau and at the Bragg peak, using the Niatel model, the Two-voltage method and Boag’s analytical formula for continuous beams. ResultsMean dose rates ranged from 4 Gy/s to 385 Gy/s, and instantaneous dose rates up to 1000 Gy/s were obtained with the experimental set-up. Recombination correction factors below 2 % were obtained for all chambers, except for the Nano Razor, at VHDRs with variations among detectors, while ks values were significantly smaller (0.8 %) for conventional dose rates. ConclusionsWhile the collection efficiency of the probed ICs in scanned VHDR proton therapy is comparable to those in the conventional regime with recombination coefficiens smaller than 1 % for mean dose rates up to 177 Gy/s, the reduction in collection efficiency for higher dose rates cannot be ignored when measuring the absorbed dose in pre-clinical proton scanned FLASH experiments and clinical trials.

Full-electric microfluidic platform to capture, analyze and selectively release single cells.

Current single-cell technologies require large and expensive equipment, limiting their use to specialized labs. In this paper, we present for the first time a microfluidic device which demonstrates a combined method for full-electric cell capturing, analyzing, and selectively releasing with single-cell resolution. All functionalities are experimentally demonstrated on Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Our microfluidic platform consists of traps centered around a pair of individually accessible coplanar electrodes, positioned under a microfluidic channel. Using this device, we validate our novel Two-Voltage method for trapping single cells by positive dielectrophoresis (pDEP). Cells are attracted to the trap when a high voltage (VH) is applied. A low voltage (VL) holds the already trapped cell in place without attracting additional cells, allowing full control over the number of trapped cells. After trapping, the cells are analyzed by broadband electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. These measurements allow the detection of single cells and the extraction of cell parameters. Additionally, these measurements show a strong correlation between average phase change and cell size, enabling the use of our system for size measurements in biological applications. Finally, our device allows selectively releasing trapped cells by turning off the pDEP signal in their trap. The experimental results show the techniques potential as a full-electric single-cell analysis tool with potential for miniaturization and automation which opens new avenues towards small-scale, high throughput single-cell analysis and sorting lab-on-CMOS devices.

Characterization of the Plastic Scintillator Detector System Exradin W2 in a High Dose Rate Flattening-Filter-Free Photon Beam.

(1) Background: The Exradin W2 is a commercially available scintillator detector designed for reference and relative dosimetry in small fields. In this work, we investigated the performance of the W2 scintillator in a 10 MV flattening-filter-free photon beam and compared it to the performance of ion chambers designed for small field measurements. (2) Methods: We measured beam profiles and percent depth dose curves with each detector and investigated the linearity of each system based on dose per pulse (DPP) and pulse repetition frequency. (3) Results: We found excellent agreement between the W2 scintillator and the ion chambers for beam profiles and percent depth dose curves. Our results also showed that the two-voltage method of calculating the ion recombination correction factor was sufficient to correct for the ion recombination effect of ion chambers, even at the highest DPP. (4) Conclusions: These findings show that the W2 scintillator shows excellent agreement with ion chambers in high DPP conditions.

Evaluation of Two-Voltage and Three-Voltage Linear Methods for Deriving Ion Recombination Correction Factors in Proton FLASH Irradiation

Ultrahigh dose-rate (FLASH) proton therapy is of great interest due to potential reduced normal tissue toxicities without compromising tumor-killing effect compared to current clinical proton practices. However, the ionization chamber response to proton beams under ultrahigh dose rates (&#x003E;40 Gy/s) has not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, four different ion chambers (PTW 34045 Advanced Markus, PPC-40, CC-04, and CC-13 from IBA Dosimetry) were irradiated with 230 MeV proton beams at 1.5, 63.7, and 127.6 Gy/s dose rates. Theoretical values of ion recombination correction factor (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${k}_{s}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) were calculated from saturation curves using Niatel&#x2019;s model. The theoretical <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${k}_{s}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> values were compared to the values using the two-voltage (2V) method from standard dosimetry protocols and the three-voltage linear (3VL) method proposed by Rossomme <i>et al.</i> Both parallel plate chambers and CC-04 demonstrated adequate ion collection efficiency at the highest dose rate. For these three chambers, there is no statistically significant difference between theoretical <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${k}_{s}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> values and those calculated with 2V and 3VL methods. However, significant ion recombination correction was found in CC-13 (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${k}_{s}&gt;1.50$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) when dose rate reached 63.7 Gy/s. The assumption of insignificant initial recombination in standard dosimetry protocols also underestimated the ion recombination effect in this scenario.

Ion collection efficiency of ionization chambers in ultra-high dose-per-pulse electron beams.

The ion collection efficiency of vented ionization chambers has been investigated in an ultra-high dose-per-pulse (DPP) electron beam. The role of the chamber design and the electric field strength in the sensitive air volume have been evaluated. An advanced Markus chamber and three specially designed parallel plate air-filled ionization chambers (EWC: End Window Chamber) with varying electrode distance of 0.5, 1, and 2mm have been investigated. Their ion collection efficiencies were determined experimentally using two methods: extrapolation of Jaffé plots and comparison against a DPP-independent reference detector. The latter was achieved by calibrating a current transformer against alanine dosimeters. All measurements were performed in a 24 MeV electron beam with DPP values between 0.01 and 3Gy. Additionally, the numerical approach introduced by Gotz et al. was implemented taking into account space charge effects at these ultra-high DPPs. The method has been extended to obtain time-resolved and position-dependent electric field distortions within the air cavity. The ion collection efficiency of the investigated ionization chambers drops significantly in the ultra-high DPP range. The extent of this drop is dependent on the electrode distance, the applied chamber voltage and thus the field strength in the sensitive air volume. For the Advanced Markus chamber, a good agreement between the experimental, numerical and the results of Petersson et al. could be shown. Using the three EWCs with different electrode spacing, an improvement of the ion collection efficiency and a reduction of the polarity effect with decreasing electrode distance could be demonstrated. Furthermore, the results revealed that the determination of the ion collection efficiency from the Jaffé plots and therefore also from two-voltage method typically underestimate the ion collection efficiency in the region of high dose-per-pulse (3 to 130mGy) and overestimate the ion collection efficiency at ultra-high dose-per-pulse (>1Gy per pulse). In this work, the ion collection efficiency determined with different methods and ionization chambers have been compared and discussed. As expected, an increase of the electric field in the ionization chamber, either by applying a higher bias voltage or a reduction of the electrode distance, improves the ion collection efficiency and also reduces the polarity effect. For the Advanced Markus chamber, the experimental results obtained by comparison against a reference agree well with the numerical solution. Based on these results, it seems possible to keep the recombination loss less than or equal to 5% up to a dose-per-pulse of 3Gy with an appropriately designed ionization chamber, which corresponds to the level accepted in conventional radiotherapy dosimetry protocols.

Mapping initial and general recombination in scanning proton pencil beams

The ion recombination is examined in parallel-plate ionization chambers in scanning proton beams at the Danish Centre for Particle Therapy and the Skandion Clinic. The recombination correction factor ks is investigated for clinically relevant energies between 70 MeV and 244 MeV for dose rates below 400 Gy min−1 in air. The Boutillon formalism is used to separate the initial and general recombination. The general recombination is compared to predictions from the numerical recombination code IonTracks and the initial recombination to the Jaffé theory. ks is furthermore calculated with the two-voltage method (TVM) and extrapolation approaches, in particular the recently proposed three-voltage (3VL) method. The TVM is in agreement with the Boutillon method and IonTracks for dose rates above 100 Gy min−1. However, the TVM calculated ks is closer related to the Jaffé theory for initial recombination for lower dose rate, indicating a limited application in scanning light ion beams. The 3VL is in turn found to generally be in agreement with Boutillon’s method. The recombination is mapped as a function of the dose rate and proton energy at the two centres using the Boutillon formalism: the initial recombination parameter was found to be A = (0.10 ± 0.01) V at DCPT and A = (0.22 ± 0.13) V at Skandion, which is in better agreement with the Jaffé theory for initial recombination than previously reported values. The general recombination parameter was estimated to and . Furthermore, the numerical algorithm IonTracks is demonstrated to correctly predict the initial recombination at low dose rates and the general recombination at high dose rates.

Evaluation of the uncertainty associated with the ion recombination correction in high dose-per-pulse electron beam dosimetry: an MC approach

The high dose and dose-per-pulse rates (up to 130 mGy/pulse) produced by some intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) accelerators pose specific dosimetric problems due to the high density of electric charge per pulse produced in the ionization chamber cavity. In particular, the correction factor for ion recombination, ks, calculated with the traditional two-voltage method is significantly overestimated and three alternative models have been proposed in the literature allowing for the presence of a free-electron component. However, at present there is no general consensus on the best model to assess the ion recombination correction and controversy remains on the uncertainty associated with ks.In the present work we adopted a Monte Carlo (MC) approach to assess the uncertainty associated with the ion recombination correction in plane-parallel chambers used in high dose-per-pulse electron beam dosimetry. The uncertainty associated with ks was calculated for the following plane-parallel ionization chambers: Scanditronix/Wellhofer Parallel Plate Chamber PPC05 and PPC40, PTW Advanced Markus Model 34 045 and PTW Roos Model 34 001. Input variables for MC calculations were derived from experimental data at 28 and 73 mGy/pulse.Taken together, the results of this study indicate that ks values calculated according to the three ion recombination models do not overlap within their standard uncertainties, suggesting that an additional type-B uncertainty component would be necessary to take into account possible differences between the models. Our results indicate that the combined relative standard uncertainty in ks should be calculated as the sum in quadrature of a (type-A) MC-based uncertainty component and a (type-B) uncertainty contribution evaluated assuming a uniform distribution between ks values obtained from the two extreme models.

The impact of flattening filter free (FFF) photon beams to ion recombination correction factor

This study aimed to evaluate ion recombination correction for ionization chamber in flattening filter free (FFF) photon beams and compare it to the flattened (with-flattening-filter) photon beams. The evaluation of ion recombination correction factor was performed for FC65-G, SNC600c, and CC13 ionization chambers. The measurements of three ionization chambers were performed using the water phantom and the Varian Trilogy linac with FFF capability. The ion recombination correction factor values for the three ionization chambers were obtained from the calculation using the simple two-voltage method and Jaffe plot curve fitting. The ion recombination correction factor value obtained from all three ionization chambers were higher for unflattened (FFF) photon beams than the flattened (WFF) photon beams with discrepancy less than 3%. The ion recombination correction value obtained from the linear Jaffe plot curve fitting had the highest discrepancy at about 7.67% when compared to the two-voltage method. On the contrary, the ion recombination correction value obtained from the Jaffe plot with quadratic and exponential quadratic curve fitting had discrepancies less than 2% when compared to the two-voltage method.

129. Recombination effects in parallel-plates ionization chambers under clinical continuous active scanning proton beams

PurposeSeveral factors can influence the response of an ionization chamber (IC) when exposed to radiation. One of these is the ion recombination. It depends mainly on dose rate (volumetric recombination, Vrec) and ionization density (initial recombination, Irec). This work aimed to determine the recombination correction factor (Ks) for parallel-plates (PP) ICs irradiated under continuous pencil beam scanning proton beams. MethodsPPICs were exposed to clinical proton beams produced by an isochronous cyclotron (Proteus®PLUS-Iba). To compensate for fluctuations of the beam two PPICs were set face-to-face, one used as monitor and the second was the PPIC under study, as explained in [1]. To separate Vrec and Irec, measurements were performed at different dose-rates (minimum cyclotron current 75 nA, maximum 300 nA) and different voltage (20 V–500 V). Ks was obtained as the ratio between the saturation current (Isat) and the ionization current (I) measured at the operating voltage (Ks=Isat/I) [1]. This was carried-out for three scenarios: (a) single 10 × 10 cm2 unmodulated 100 MeV layer; (b) single 10 × 10 cm2 unmodulated 226 MeV layer; (c) modulated box-like field (range 15 cm-modulation 10 cm). A theoretical model is under investigation to be compared to Ks-values determined with the two-voltage method [2] for continuous beam. Only results obtained using an PPC05 IC (Iba-Dosimetry) are reported. ResultsAll scenarios show similar results (Figure). At high voltages, data has an exponential trend, highlighting the presence of charge multiplication effects (CME). This should be due to the small gap (0.6 mm) between electrodes. At low voltages, there is a rather linear relation between 1/I and 1/V2. Using the two-voltage method, at +300 V, a Ks-value of 1.001 is found in all scenarios. Due to CME this value could be overestimated. ConclusionsAlthough the proton beam used can be considered as continuous, the variation of Ks against 1/V2 is not linear due to CME, so the two-voltage method use might be unsuitable. Further investigations are currently made to decouple recombination effect from CME and derive a model for accurately determine Ks.▪

Ion recombination and polarity correction factors for a plane-parallel ionization chamber in a proton scanning beam.

To evaluate the effect on charge collection in the ionization chamber (IC) in proton pencil beam scanning (PBS), where the local dose rate may exceed the dose rates encountered in conventional MV therapy by up to three orders of magnitude. We measured values of the ion recombination (ks ) and polarity (kpol ) correction factors in water, for a plane-parallel Markus TM23343 IC, using the cyclotron-based Proteus-235 therapy system with an active proton PBS of energies 30-230MeV. Values of ks were determined from extrapolation of the saturation curve and the Two-Voltage Method (TVM), for planar fields. We compared our experimental results with those obtained from theoretical calculations. The PBS dose rates were estimated by combining direct IC measurements with results of simulations performed using theFLUKA MC code. Values of ks were also determined by the TVM for uniformly irradiated volumes over different ranges and modulation depths of the proton PBS, with or without range shifter. By measuring charge collection efficiency versus applied IC voltage, we confirmed that, with respect to ion recombination, our proton PBS represents a continuous beam. For a given chamber parameter, e.g., nominal voltage, the value of ks depends on the energy and the dose rate of the proton PBS, reaching c. 0.5% for the TVM, at the dose rate of 13.4Gy/s. For uniformly irradiated regular volumes, the ks value was significantly smaller, within 0.2% or 0.3% for irradiations with or without range shifter, respectively. Within measurement uncertainty, the average value of kpol , for the Markus TM23343 IC, was close to unity over the whole investigated range of clinical proton beam energies. While no polarity effect was observed for the Markus TM23343 IC in our pencil scanning proton beam system, the effect of volume recombination cannot be ignored.

Ion recombination correction factor in scanned light-ion beams for absolute dose measurement using plane-parallel ionisation chambers

Based on international reference dosimetry protocols for light-ion beams, a correction factor (ks) has to be applied to the response of a plane-parallel ionisation chamber, to account for recombination of negative and positive charges in its air cavity before these charges can be collected on the electrodes. In this work, ks for IBA PPC40 Roos-type chambers is investigated in four scanned light-ion beams (proton, helium, carbon and oxygen). To take into account the high dose-rates used with scanned beams and LET-values, experimental results are compared to a model combining two theories. One theory, developed by Jaffé, describes the variation of ks with the ionization density within the ion track (initial recombination) and the other theory, developed by Boag, describes the variation of ks with the dose rate (volume recombination). Excellent agreement is found between experimental and theoretical ks-values. All results confirm that ks cannot be neglected. The solution to minimise ks is to use the ionisation chamber at high voltage. However, one must be aware that charge multiplication may complicate the interpretation of the measurement. For the chamber tested, it was found that a voltage of 300 V can be used without further complication. As the initial recombination has a logarithmic variation as a function of 1/V, the two-voltage method is not applicable to these scanned beams.

Recombination in liquid-filled ionization chambers beyond the Boag limit.

The high mass density and low mobilities of charge carriers can cause important recombination in liquid-filled ionization chambers (LICs). Saturation correction methods have been proposed for LICs. Correction methods for pulsed irradiation are based on Boag equation. However, Boag equation assumes that the charge ionized by one pulse is fully collected before the arrival of the next pulse. This condition does not hold in many clinical beams where the pulse repetition period may be shorter than the charge collection time, causing overlapping between charge carriers ionized by different pulses, and Boag equation is not applicable there. In this work, the authors present an experimental and numerical characterization of collection efficiencies in LICs beyond the Boag limit, with overlapping between charge carriers ionized by different pulses. The authors have studied recombination in a LIC array for different dose-per-pulse, pulse repetition frequency, and polarization voltage values. Measurements were performed in a Truebeam Linac using FF and FFF modalities. Dose-per-pulse and pulse repetition frequency have been obtained by monitoring the target current with an oscilloscope. Experimental collection efficiencies have been obtained by using a combination of the two-dose-rate method and ratios to the readout of a reference chamber (CC13, IBA). The authors have also used numerical simulation to complement the experimental data. The authors have found that overlap significantly increases recombination in LICs, as expected. However, the functional dependence of collection efficiencies on the dose-per-pulse does not change (a linear dependence has been observed in the near-saturation region for different degrees of overlapping, the same dependence observed in the nonoverlapping scenario). On the other hand, the dependence of collection efficiencies on the polarization voltage changes in the overlapping scenario and does not follow that of Boag equation, the reason being that changing the polarization voltage also affects the charge collection time, thus changing the amount of overlapping. These results have important consequences for saturation correction methods for LICs. On one hand, the two-dose-rate method, which relies on the functional dependence of the collection efficiencies on dose-per-pulse, can also be used in the overlapping situation, provided that the two measurements needed to feed the method are performed at the same pulse repetition frequency (monitor unit rate). This result opens the door to computing collection efficiencies in LICs in many clinical setups where charge overlap in the LIC exists. On the other hand, correction methods based on the voltage-dependence of Boag equation like the three-voltage method or the modified two-voltage method will not work in the overlapping scenario due to the different functional dependence of collection efficiencies on the polarization voltage.

SU‐F‐T‐293: Experimental Comparisons of Ionization Chambers with Different Volumes for CyberKnife Delivery Quality Assurance

Purpose:To evaluate the practicality use of ionization chambers with different volumes for delivery quality assurance of CyberKnife plans,Methods:Dosimetric measurements with a spherical solid water phantom and three ionization chambers with volumes of 0.13, 0.04, and 0.01 cm3 (IBA CC13, CC04, and CC01, respectively) were performed for various CyberKnife clinical treatment plans including both isocentric and nonisocentric delivery. For each chamber, the ion recombination correction factors &lt;I&gt;Ks&lt;/I&gt; were calculated using the Jaffe plot method and twovoltage method at a 10‐cm depth for a 60‐mm collimator field in a water phantom. The polarity correction factors &lt;I&gt;Kpol&lt;/I&gt; were determined for 5–60‐mm collimator fields in same experimental setup. The measured doses were compared to the doses for the detectors calculated using a treatment planning system.Results:The differences in the &lt;I&gt;Ks&lt;/I&gt; between the Jaffe plot method and two‐voltage method were −0.12, −0.02, and 0.89% for CC13, CC04, and CC01, respectively. The changes in &lt;I&gt;Kpol&lt;/I&gt; for the different field sizes were 0.2, 0.3, and 0.8% for CC13, CC04, and CC01, respectively. The measured doses for CC04 and CC01 were within 3% of the calculated doses for the clinical treatment plans with isocentric delivery with collimator fields greater than 12.5 mm. Those for CC13 had differences of over 3% for the plans with isocentric delivery with collimator fields less than 15 mm. The differences for the isocentric plans were similar to those for the single beam plans. The measured doses for each chamber were within 3% of the calculated doses for the non‐isocentric plans except for that with a PTV volume less than 1.0 cm3.Conclusion:Although there are some limitations, the ionization chamber with a smaller volume is a better detector for verification of the CyberKnife plans owing to the high spatial resolution.

A two-dose-rate method for general recombination correction for liquid ionization chambers in pulsed beams

The correction for general recombination losses in liquid ionization chambers (LICs) is more complex than that in air-filled ionization chambers. The reason for this is that the saturation charge in LICs, i.e. the charge that escapes initial recombination, depends on the applied voltage. This paper presents a method, based on measurements at two different dose rates in a pulsed beam, for general recombination correction in LICs. The Boag theory for pulsed beams is used and the collection efficiency is determined by numerical methods which are equivalent to the two-voltage method used in dosimetry with air-filled ionization chambers. The method has been tested in experiments in water in a 20 MeV electron beam using two LICs filled with isooctane and tetramethylsilane. The dose per pulse in the electron beam was varied between 0.1 mGy/pulse and 8 mGy/pulse. The relative standard deviations of the collection efficiencies determined with the two-dose-rate method ranged between 0.1% and 1.5%. The dose-rate variations of the general recombination corrected charge measured with the LICs are in excellent agreement with the corresponding values obtained with an air-filled plane parallel ionization chamber.

Ion recombination for ionization chamber dosimetry in a helical tomotherapy unit

Ion recombination for ionization chambers in pulsed high-energy photon beams is a well-studied phenomenon. Despite this, the correction for ion recombination is often determined inaccurately due to the inappropriate combination of using a high polarizing voltage and the simple two-voltage method. An additional complication arises in new treatment modalities such as IMRT and tomotherapy, where the dosimetry of a superposition of many constituting fields becomes more relevant than of single static fields. For these treatment modalities, the irradiation of the ion chamber geometry can be instantaneously inhomogeneous and time dependent. This article presents a study of ion recombination in ionization chambers used for dosimetry in a helical tomotherapy beam. Models are presented for studying the recombination correction factors in a continuous beam, in pulsed large and small fields, and in helical fields. Measurements using Exradin A1SL, NE2571, and NE2611 type chambers and Monte Carlo simulations using PENELOPE are performed in support of these models. Initial recombination and charge multiplication are found to be the same in 60Co and in the pulsed high-energy photon beam for the chambers and operating voltages used in this study. Applying the two-voltage technique for the A1SL chamber at its recommended operating voltage of 300 V leads to an overestimation of the recombination. Operating at a voltage of 100 V yields larger but more accurate values for the recombination correction. The recombination correction measured for this chamber in the TomoTherapy HiArt unit is lower than the 1% applied in the routine dosimetry for this treatment unit. For a helical dose delivery with a small slice width, lateral electron scatter in the cavity makes that the recombination is smaller than for an open beam delivering the same total dose. In a Farmer type chamber, a helical delivery with a 1 cm slice field results in a time and spatially integrated volume recombination of 55% of that with a 2.5 cm slice field. The relative recombination corrections for different slice widths and different field offsets with respect to the chamber center obtained from the developed models are in good agreement with experimental data. Because of the presence of charge multiplication, it is more accurate to determine the recombination correction at lower operating voltages than are often applied using the two-voltage method. Models and experiments for partial irradiation conditions of the ion chamber show that resulting recombination corrections are reduced compared to those for an open field. A model for helical dose deliveries results in recombination corrections that get lower with smaller slice widths. This model could be adapted to any IMRT delivery where the ion chamber is instantaneously partial and/or inhomogeneously irradiated, and could provide a practical procedure to calculate the recombination for complex deliveries for which it is difficult to be measured.

Determining charge collection efficiency in parallel-plate liquid ionization chambers

An accurate computation of the collection efficiency due to recombination has a capital importance in order to perform high-precision dose measurements with ionization chambers. The two-voltage method, developed to compute charge collection efficiency in gas chambers, cannot be directly applied to liquid-filled ionization chambers (LICs) due to the ionized charge strong dependence on the collection electric field, which is caused by initial recombination. It is shown that in order to apply the two-voltage method to parallel-plate LICs it is necessary to introduce explicitly the slope of the ionization charge yield with respect to the polarization voltage applied in the chamber. A three-voltage method is also proposed to avoid the introduction of the slope parameter. That method allows decoupling initial and general recombination. It leads to a nonlinear system of equations which can be solved using numerical methods.

Operational Characteristics of Ionization Chambers for a Radiation Monitoring

Ionization chambers for a Radiation Monitoring System (RMS) are required to cover a wide range of dose rates from 10−1 μSv/h to 106 μSv/h. For a RMS, two cylindrical ionization chambers, which had active volumes of 11.8 L and 1L, were fabricated in consideration of an electronic equilibrium and a guard electrode structure. Preliminary tests such as saturation currents and leakage currents were performed with and without a 925 MBq 241Am gamma source. Linearity against low dose rates was also performed by using a conventional shadow shielding technique with NIST certified 33.52 MBq 226Ra source in a calibration room. A field test with 11.8 L was also performed at the Yong-kwang power plant. A Parallel Plate Ionization Chamber (PPIC) was also developed not only to measure the proton beam intensity but also to derive relevant parameters with other reference ionization chambers aimed at assisting in the quality control of a proton accelerator. Operational characteristics were investigated at high dose rates by using the X-ray generator located at the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS). Ion recombination, which is one of the characteristics of an ionization chamber, was evaluated with the experimental results and a theoretical model. The collection efficiencies of a PPIC were calculated by a experimental two-voltage method when the filling gases and the distance of the two electrodes were varied.