Application of advanced Monte Carlo Methods in numerical dosimetry

Radiat Prot Dosimetry. 2006;119(1-4):479-82. doi: 10.1093/rpd/nci682. Epub 2006 May 18.

Abstract

Many tasks in different sectors of dosimetry are very complex and highly sensitive to changes in the radiation field. Often, only the simulation of radiation transport is capable of describing the radiation field completely. Down to sub-cellular dimensions the energy deposition by cascades of secondary electrons is the main pathway for damage induction in matter. A large number of interactions take place until such electrons are slowed down to thermal energies. Also for some problems of photon transport a large number of photon histories need to be processed. Thus the efficient non-analogue Monte Carlo program, AMOS, has been developed for photon and electron transport. Various applications and benchmarks are presented showing its ability. For radiotherapy purposes the radiation field of a brachytherapy source is calculated according to the American Association of Physicists in Medicine Task Group Report 43 (AAPM/TG43). As additional examples, results for the detector efficiency of a high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector and a dose estimation for an X-ray shielding for radiation protection are shown.

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms*
  • Monte Carlo Method*
  • Numerical Analysis, Computer-Assisted
  • Radiation Dosage
  • Radiation Protection / methods*
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Sensitivity and Specificity
  • Thermoluminescent Dosimetry / methods*