| Title |
Monte Carlo simulation and experimental verification of photon radiation-induced polymerization in dosimetric materials / |
| Translation of Title |
Fotonų spinduliuotės sukeltos polimerizacijos dozimetrinėse medžiagose Monte Karlo modeliavimas ir eksperimentinis tyrimas. |
| Authors |
Ševčik, Aleksandras |
| Full Text |
|
| Pages |
148 |
| Keywords [eng] |
Monte Carlo ; radiation-induced polymerisation ; Fluka ; orthovoltage therapy ; metal implant |
| Abstract [eng] |
Polymer gel dosimeters are a unique type of dosimeter that allow for three-dimensional assessment of radiation dose distributions. These dosimeters are based on radiation-induced polymerization within the gel volume. In addition to recording radiation doses, polymer gels enable volumetric imaging of complex anatomical structures under irradiation, such as tumors in radiotherapy. The dosimetric information obtained from these dosimeters provides a radiation therapy device-independent dose verification and allows for comparison of experimental results with Monte Carlo simulations, which are particularly relevant for studying dose distributions in heterogeneous media with complex geometries. The variety of radiation-induced polymerization mechanisms in polymer gels poses a major challenge in evaluating dosimetric information, leading to the choice of a Monte Carlo approach to model these complex mechanisms and allow for probabilistic modeling of polymer characteristics like chain growth and branching. This work presents an innovative Monte Carlo-based model that simulates the polymerization of several thousand methacrylic acid monomers under the influence of ionizing radiation, with initial parameters obtained using quantum chemical calculations. The simulation results explain the changes in the physicochemical properties of the polymer gels due to polymerization, thus ensuring the reliability of dose estimation using polymer gel dosimeters. This model provides a powerful tool for optimizing and validating the use of gel dosimeters in complex radiotherapy applications. Further research can build upon this Monte Carlo framework to investigate additional gel formulations and irradiation scenarios to advance the field of 3D dosimetry using polymer gels. |
| Dissertation Institution |
Kauno technologijos universitetas. |
| Type |
Doctoral thesis |
| Language |
English |
| Publication date |
2024 |
