Kissick, M

The photon interactions transfer energy to electrons, and it is these electrons that deliver dose as they slow down in matter. To understand the basic physics involved, we will start with an important derivation for heavy charged particles that will then be generalized to eventually work for electrons slowing down in condensed matter. It is in fact remarkable that this extension to electrons works as well as it does. Interactions of Heavy Charged Particles Stopping Power and Mass Stopping Power Collisional Mass Stopping Power for Heavy Charged Particles Soft Collision Mass Stopping Power for Heavy Charged Particles Hard Collision Mass Stopping Power for Heavy Charged Particles Shell Correction Dependence of the Stopping Power on the Medium Mass Collisional Stopping Power Dependence on Particle Velocity Mass Collisional Stopping Power Dependence on Particle Charge Electron and Positron Interactions

This book is based on course notes from Medical Physics 501, a quite famous course in the Medical Physics Department of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. All of this material derives very heavily from Frank "Herb" Attix, the course's original instructor. It also benefited from Thomas Rockwell Mackie, the course's second instructor, who innovated by more properly organizing the material. From Alireza Kassaee in Medical Physics…"I find the Lectures on Radiation Dosimetry Physics a well mathematically illustrated supplemental book for a graduate course in radiation dosimetry. It is also a fine reference for practicing medical physicists who are using the two dosimetry protocols and need to either remind themselves of fundamentals or have a deeper understanding of the details in the protocols without having to refer to many publications and textbooks on the subject." Modern protocols can guide a person toward uncertainties of only 0.5% in the energy deposited per unit mass, the dose. In order to achieve this remarkably low level of uncertainty, one must fully understand all of the subtleties along the way. That is the purpose of this book. This book covers essential physics concepts for understanding and calculating problems in the physical energy deposited in matter from ionizing radiation. The focus of application is on medical uses, both imaging and radiation therapy. There is more weight on radiation therapy throughout the book because of the much greater need for accuracy and precision in that field. This work also draws upon many others, including Paul DeLuca and others in the University of Wisconsin–Madison medical physics and human oncology departments. Also helpful were many of the faculty of the nuclear engineering departments of both Pennsylvania State University and the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

The use of radiochromic film (RCF) dosimetry in radiation therapy is extensive due to its high level of achievable accuracy for a wide range of dose values and its suitability under a variety of measurement conditions. However, since the publication of the 1998 AAPM Task Group 55, Report No. 63 on RCF dosimetry, the chemistry, composition, and readout systems for RCFs have evolved steadily. There are several challenges in using the new RCFs, readout systems and validation of the results depending on their applications. Accurate RCF dosimetry requires understanding of RCF selection, handling and calibration methods, calibration curves, dose conversion methods, correction methodologies as well as selection, operation and quality assurance (QA) programs of the readout systems. Acquiring this level of knowledge is not straight forward, even for some experienced users. This Task Group report addresses these issues and provides a basic understanding of available RCF models, dosimetric characteristics and properties, advantages and limitations, configurations, and overall elemental compositions of the RCFs that have changed over the past 20 yr. In addition, this report provides specific guidelines for data processing and analysis schemes and correction methodologies for clinical applications in radiation therapy.