The use of enriched ⁶Li and ⁷Li Lif:Mg,Cu,P glass-rod thermoluminescent dosemeters for linear accelerator out-of-field radiation dose measurements

Abstract

⁶LiF:Mg,Cu,P and ⁷LiF:Mg,Cu,P glass-rod thermoluminescent dosemeters (TLDs) were used for measurements of out-of-field photon and neutron doses produced by Varian iX linear accelerator. Both TLDs were calibrated using 18-MV X-ray beam to investigate their dose–response sensitivity and linearity. CR-39 etch-track detectors (Luxel+, Landauer) were employed to provide neutron dose data to calibrate 6LiF:Mg,Cu,P TLDs at various distances from the isocentre. With cadmium filters employed, slow neutrons (<0.5 eV) were distinguished from fast neutrons. The average in-air photon dose equivalents per monitor unit (MU) ranged from 1.5±0.4 to 215.5±94.6 μSv at 100 and 15 cm from the isocentre, respectively. Based on the cross-calibration factors obtained with CR-39 etch-track detectors, the average in-air fast neutron dose equivalents per MU range from 10.6±3.8 to 59.1±49.9 μSv at 100 and 15 cm from the isocentre, respectively. Contribution of thermal neutrons to total neutron dose equivalent was small: 3.1±7.2 μSv per MU at 15 cm from the isocentre.