Claude Bailat

An absolute dose determination of helical tomotherapy accelerator, TomoTherapy High-Art II

PURPOSE A helical tomotherapy accelerator presents a dosimetric challenge because, to this day, there is no internationally accepted protocol for the determination of the absolute dose. Because of this reality, we investigated the different alternatives for characterizing and measuring the absolute dose of such an accelerator. We tested several dosimetric techniques with various metrological traceabilities as well as using a number of phantoms in static and helical modes. METHODS Firstly, the relationship between the reading of ionization chambers and the absorbed dose is dependent on the beam quality value of the photon beam. For high energy photons, the beam quality is specified by the tissue phantom ratio (TPR20,10) and it is therefore necessary to know the TPR20,10 to calculate the dose delivered by a given accelerator. This parameter is obtained through the ratio of the absorbed dose at 20 and 10 cm depths in water and was measured in the particular conditions of the tomotherapy accelerator. Afterward, measurements were performed using the ionization chamber (model A1SL) delivered as a reference instrument by the vendor. This chamber is traceable in absorbed dose to water in a Co-60 beam to a water calorimeter of the American metrology institute (NIST). Similarly, in Switzerland, each radiotherapy department is directly traceable to the Swiss metrology institute (METAS) in absorbed dose to water based on a water calorimeter. For our research, this traceability was obtained by using an ionization chamber traceable to METAS (model NE 2611A), which is the secondary standard of our institute. Furthermore, in order to have another fully independent measurement method, we determined the dose using alanine dosimeters provided by and traceable to the British metrology institute (NPL); they are calibrated in absorbed dose to water using a graphite calorimeter. And finally, we wanted to take into account the type of chamber routinely used in clinical practice and therefore measured the dose using a Farmer-type instrument (model NE 2571) as well. RESULTS We found the tomotherapy TPR20,10 value to be around 0.629, which is close to a 4 MV conventional linear accelerator value. During static irradiation, the secondary standard and the alanine dosimeters were compatible within 0.5%. The A1SL relative deviation to the secondary standard was 1.2% and the NE2571 relative deviation to the secondary standard was -1.7%. The measurement in dynamic helical mode found the different dosimeters compatible within 1.4% and the alanine dosimeters and the secondary standard were even found under 0.2%. CONCLUSIONS We found that the different methods are all within uncertainties as well as globally coherent, and the specific limitations of the various dosimeters are discussed in order to help the medical physicist design an independent reference system. We demonstrated that, taking into account the particular reference conditions, one can use an ionization chamber calibrated for conventional linear accelerators to assert the absolute dose delivered by a tomotherapy accelerator.

A new measurement of the half-life of 166mHo

The work presented here is a new and precise measurement of the half-life of (166m)Ho by determining the activity concentration, using an ionisation chamber calibrated for this nuclide, and measuring the number of (166m)Ho atoms using multi-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS). Since the isotope (166)Er interferes with the mass spectrometric measurement, Er has to be eliminated from the (166m)Ho radioactive solution. The elimination was achieved using ion-exchange chromatography with the cation exchange resin Dowex AG 50W-X8 and 2-Hydroxybutanoic acid as the mobile phase. After a first transit through the chromatographic column, the purified (166m)Ho eluate was spiked with natural Er to get a resulting Er isotopic composition close to that of natural Er at better than 99.5%, and then it underwent two further separations to eliminate the Er. The activity concentration of this Er-free radioactive (166m)Ho solution was measured in our reference ionisation chamber calibrated for this nuclide by means of the 4πβ(PC)-γ and 4πβ(PS)-4πγ coincidence techniques and integral counting with a well-type NaI(Tl) detector and Monte Carlo efficiencies. An aliquot of this standardized solution was sent to the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) for mass concentration determination using an isotope dilution MC-ICP-MS approach. The mass concentration of (166m)Ho in this solution was determined with 0.25% relative standard uncertainty. This value was corroborated by two other independent measurements. The new half-life of (166m)Ho, 1132.6(39) years (k=1), is compatible with the value determined in 1965, but is 5.6% shorter and about 43 times more precise.

Irradiation in a flash: Unique sparing of memory in mice after whole brain irradiation with dose rates above 100 Gy/s

This study shows for the first time that normal brain tissue toxicities after WBI can be reduced with increased dose rate. Spatial memory is preserved after WBI with mean dose rates above 100Gy/s, whereas 10Gy WBI at a conventional radiotherapy dose rate (0.1Gy/s) totally impairs spatial memory.

On decay constants and orbital distance to the Sun—part III: beta plus and electron capture decay

The hypothesis that seasonal changes in proximity to the Sun cause variation of decay constants at permille level has been tested for radionuclides disintegrating through electron capture and beta plus decay. Activity measurements of 22Na, 54Mn, 55Fe, 57Co, 65Zn, 82+85Sr, 90Sr, 109Cd, 124Sb, 133Ba, 152Eu, and 207Bi sources were repeated over periods from 200 d up to more than four decades at 14 laboratories across the globe. Residuals from the exponential nuclear decay curves were inspected for annual oscillations. Systematic deviations from a purely exponential decay curve differ from one data set to another and appear attributable to instabilities in the instrumentation and measurement conditions. Oscillations in phase with Earths orbital distance to the sun could not be observed within 10−4–10−5 range precision. The most stable activity measurements of β + and EC decaying sources set an upper limit of 0.006% or less to the amplitude of annual oscillations in the decay rate. There are no apparent indications for systematic oscillations at a level of weeks or months.

On decay constants and orbital distance to the Sun—part II: beta minus decay

Claims that proximity to the Sun causes variations of decay constants at the permille level have been investigated for beta-minus decaying nuclides. Repeated activity measurements of H-3, C-14, Co-60, Kr-85, Sr-90, Sb-124, Cs-134, Cs-137, and Eu-154 sources were performed over periods of 259 d up to 5 decades at various nuclear metrology institutes. Residuals from the exponential decay curves were inspected for annual oscillations. Systematic deviations from a purely exponential decay curve differ in amplitude and phase from one data set to another and appear attributable to instabilities in the instrumentation and measurement conditions. Oscillations in phase with Earths orbital distance to the Sun could not be observed within 10(-4)-10(-5) range precision. The most stable activity measurements of beta-decaying sources set an upper limit of 0.003%-0.007% to the amplitude of annual oscillations in the decay rate. There are no apparent indications for systematic oscillations at a level of weeks or months.

On decay constants and orbital distance to the Sun - Part I: Alpha decay

Claims that proximity to the Sun causes variation of decay constants at permille level have been investigated for alpha decaying nuclides. Repeated decay rate measurements of Po-209, Ra-226, Th-228, U-230, and Am-241 sources were performed over periods of 200 d up to two decades at various nuclear metrology institutes around the globe. Residuals from the exponential decay curves were inspected for annual oscillations. Systematic deviations from a purely exponential decay curve differ in amplitude and phase from one data set to another and appear attributable to instabilities in the instrumentation and measurement conditions. The most stable activity measurements of alpha decaying sources set an upper limit between 0.0006% and 0.006% to the amplitude of annual oscillations in the decay rate. There are no apparent indications for systematic oscillations at a level of weeks or months. Oscillations in phase with Earths orbital distance to the sun could not be observed within 10(-5)-10(-6) range precision.

Uncertainties in 4πβ–γ coincidence counting

The 4πβ-γ coincidence counting method and its close relatives are widely used for the primary standardization of radioactivity. Both the general formalism and specific implementation of these methods have been well-documented. In particular, previous papers contain the extrapolation equations used for various decay schemes, methods for determining model parameters and, in some cases, tabulated uncertainty budgets. Two things often lacking from experimental reports are both the rationale for estimating uncertainties in a specific way and the details of exactly how a specific component of uncertainty was estimated. Furthermore, correlations among the components of uncertainty are rarely mentioned. To fill in these gaps, the present article shares the best-practices from a few practitioners of this craft. We explain and demonstrate with examples of how these approaches can be used to estimate the uncertainty of the reported massic activity. We describe uncertainties due to measurement variability, extrapolation functions, dead-time and resolving-time effects, gravimetric links, and nuclear and atomic data. Most importantly, a thorough understanding of the measurement system and its response to the decay under study can be used to derive a robust estimate of the measurement uncertainty.

Evidence against solar influence on nuclear decay constants

The hypothesis that proximity to the Sun causes variation of decay constants at permille level has been tested and disproved. Repeated activity measurements of mono-radionuclide sources were performed over periods from 200 days up to four decades at 14 laboratories across the globe. Residuals from the exponential nuclear decay curves were inspected for annual oscillations. Systematic deviations from a purely exponential decay curve differ from one data set to another and are attributable to instabilities in the instrumentation and measurement conditions. The most stable activity measurements of alpha, beta-minus, electron capture, and beta-plus decaying sources set an upper limit of 0.0006% to 0.008% to the amplitude of annual oscillations in the decay rate. Oscillations in phase with Earth’s orbital distance to the Sun could not be observed within a 10−6 to 10−5 range of precision. There are also no apparent modulations over periods of weeks or months. Consequently, there is no indication of a natural impediment against sub-permille accuracy in half-life determinations, renormalisation of activity to a distant reference date, application of nuclear dating for archaeology, geo- and cosmochronology, nor in establishing the SI unit becquerel and seeking international equivalence of activity standards.

International comparison CCRI(II)-S7 on the analysis of uncertainty budgets for 4πβγ coincidence counting

Detailed uncertainty reporting is imperative for proficiency tests and comparison exercises because uncertainties need to be comparable and trusted by all the participants. Even though participants do their best to follow the Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement, ambiguities and divergences about uncertainty evaluation remain. Consequently, to analyze the situation, the CCRI (II) Uncertainties Working Group proposed a comparison exercise (CCRI(II)-S7) about the uncertainty evaluation of a relatively simple primary activity measurement: the standardization of a 60Co source by coincidence counting. To be able to understand how various NMIs calculate coincidence counting uncertainties, our study focused on two of the dominant uncertainty components commonly quoted for 4πβ-γ coincidence counting in the International Reference System (SIR) submissions and Key Comparison exercises: efficiency-extrapolation and weighing. Participants from twelve different laboratories were sent the same set of measurement data from the analysis of a 60Co solution standardized at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL). Our study demonstrated the extent of the different interpretations of the uncertainty components. Some factors causing large discrepancies were isolated and are discussed. Further studies of other techniques using a similar approach would be beneficial for the metrology community. Main text. To reach the main text of this paper, click on Final Report. Note that this text is that which appears in Appendix B of the BIPM key comparison database kcdb.bipm.org/. The final report has been peer-reviewed and approved for publication by the CCRI, according to the provisions of the CIPM Mutual Recognition Arrangement (CIPM MRA).

High dose‐per‐pulse electron beam dosimetry – A model to correct for the ion recombination in the Advanced Markus ionization chamber

Purpose: The purpose of this work was to establish an empirical model of the ion recombination in the Advanced Markus ionization chamber for measurements in high dose rate/dose‐per‐pulse electron beams. In addition, we compared the observed ion recombination to calculations using the standard Boag two‐voltage‐analysis method, the more general theoretical Boag models, and the semiempirical general equation presented by Burns and McEwen. Methods: Two independent methods were used to investigate the ion recombination: (a) Varying the grid tension of the linear accelerator (linac) gun (controls the linac output) and measuring the relative effect the grid tension has on the chamber response at different source‐to‐surface distances (SSD). (b) Performing simultaneous dose measurements and comparing the dose–response, in beams with varying dose rate/dose‐per‐pulse, with the chamber together with dose rate/dose‐per‐pulse independent Gafchromic™ EBT3 film. Three individual Advanced Markus chambers were used for the measurements with both methods. All measurements were performed in electron beams with varying mean dose rate, dose rate within pulse, and dose‐per‐pulse (10−2 ≤ mean dose rate ≤ 103 Gy/s, 102 ≤ mean dose rate within pulse ≤ 107 Gy/s, 10−4 ≤ dose‐per‐pulse ≤ 101 Gy), which was achieved by independently varying the linac gun grid tension, and the SSD. Results: The results demonstrate how the ion collection efficiency of the chamber decreased as the dose‐per‐pulse increased, and that the ion recombination was dependent on the dose‐per‐pulse rather than the dose rate, a behavior predicted by Boag theory. The general theoretical Boag models agreed well with the data over the entire investigated dose‐per‐pulse range, but only for a low polarizing chamber voltage (50 V). However, the two‐voltage‐analysis method and the Burns & McEwen equation only agreed with the data at low dose‐per‐pulse values (≤ 10−2 and ≤ 10−1 Gy, respectively). An empirical model of the ion recombination in the chamber was found by fitting a logistic function to the data. Conclusions: The ion collection efficiency of the Advanced Markus ionization chamber decreases for measurements in electron beams with increasingly higher dose‐per‐pulse. However, this chamber is still functional for dose measurements in beams with dose‐per‐pulse values up toward and above 10 Gy, if the ion recombination is taken into account. Our results show that existing models give a less‐than‐accurate description of the observed ion recombination. This motivates the use of the presented empirical model for measurements with the Advanced Markus chamber in high dose‐per‐pulse electron beams, as it enables accurate absorbed dose measurements (uncertainty estimation: 2.8–4.0%, k = 1). The model depends on the dose‐per‐pulse in the beam, and it is also influenced by the polarizing chamber voltage, with increasing ion recombination with a lowering of the voltage.