Validation of the Geant4 simulation of bremsstrahlung from thick targets
  below 3 MeV

There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.

Abstract

The bremsstrahlung spectra produced by electrons impinging on thick targets are simulated using the Geant4 Monte Carlo toolkit. Simulations are validated against experimental data available in literature for a range of energy between 0.5 and 2.8 MeV for Al and Fe targets and for a value of energy of 70keV for Al, Ag, W and Pb targets. All three independent sets of electromagnetic models available in Geant4 to simulate bremsstrahlung are tested. A quantitative analysis is performed reproducing with each model the energy spectrum for the different configurations of emission angles, energies and targets. At higher energies (0.5-2.8 MeV) of the impinging electrons on Al and Fe targets, Geant4 is able to reproduce the spectral shapes and the integral photon emission in the forward direction. The agreement is within 10-30%, depending on energy, emission angle and target material. The physics model based on the Penelope Monte Carlo code is in slightly better agreement with the measured data than the other two. However, all models over-estimate the photon emission in the backward hemisphere. For the lower energy study (70 keV), which includes higher-Z targets, all models systematically under-estimate the total photon yield, while still providing a reasonable agreement between 10 and 50%. The results of this work are of potential interest for medical physics applications, where knowledge of the energy spectra and angular distributions of photons is needed for accurate dose calculations with Monte Carlo and other fluence-based methods.

Related collections

Most cited references 9

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: not found

Accelerator beam data commissioning equipment and procedures: report of the TG-106 of the Therapy Physics Committee of the AAPM.

Matthew E J Watts, Ashim Mitra, Wen-Xue Li … (2008)

For commissioning a linear accelerator for clinical use, medical physicists are faced with many challenges including the need for precision, a variety of testing methods, data validation, the lack of standards, and time constraints. Since commissioning beam data are treated as a reference and ultimately used by treatment planning systems, it is vitally important that the collected data are of the highest quality to avoid dosimetric and patient treatment errors that may subsequently lead to a poor radiation outcome. Beam data commissioning should be performed with appropriate knowledge and proper tools and should be independent of the person collecting the data. To achieve this goal, Task Group 106 (TG-106) of the Therapy Physics Committee of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine was formed to review the practical aspects as well as the physics of linear accelerator commissioning. The report provides guidelines and recommendations on the proper selection of phantoms and detectors, setting up of a phantom for data acquisition (both scanning and no-scanning data), procedures for acquiring specific photon and electron beam parameters and methods to reduce measurement errors (<1%), beam data processing and detector size convolution for accurate profiles. The TG-106 also provides a brief.discussion on the emerging trend in Monte Carlo simulation techniques in photon and electron beam commissioning. The procedures described in this report should assist a qualified medical physicist in either measuring a complete set of beam data, or in verifying a subset of data before initial use or for periodic quality assurance measurements. By combining practical experience with theoretical discussion, this document sets a new standard for beam data commissioning.