Absorbed dose in water. Comparison of several methods using a liquid ionization chamber.

In the present investigation a liquid ionization chamber has been used as a transfer instrument for the quantity absorbed dose in water in a cobalt-60 gamma-ray beam. The characteristics of the liquid ionization chamber are described. The transferred dosimetric information has been compared with absorbed-dose determination using air-ionization-chamber dosimetry, water calorimetry and ferrous-sulphate dosimetry. The agreement between the different measured absorbed-dose values is very good, i.e. within 0.2%. This is an indication that the consistency in the methods used to determine absorbed dose in water is good. The impact of the new standard for air kerma in air, introduced in 1986 by the BIPM, on the air-ionization-chamber dosimetry is investigated. It is shown that any differences in the dosimetry when using the old or the new set of data cancel out for the cobalt-60 beam. The investigation also shows that the value of epsilon mG for the ferrous-sulphate dosimeter recommended in ICRU 35 for electrons can be used also in cobalt-60 beams.

Calibration of Beta-Particle Ophthalmic Applicators at the National Bureau of Standards.

The method used at the National Bureau of Standards for the calibration of strontium-90 + yttrium-90 beta-particle ophthalmic applicators in terms of absorbed dose to water, is described. The method involves measurement of ionization density at the applicator surface with an extrapolation chamber, correction for the difference in backscatter between the collection electrode and water, and application of the Bragg-Gray equation. The calibration obtained is an average over the active surface of the applicator. The overall uncertainty of the surface calibration is about ±15 percent.

The photon-fluence scaling theorem for Compton-scattered radiation.

This paper concerns a method of scaling photon fluence from one scattering material to another when the photon energies are such that the dominant mode of interaction is Compton scattering. The theorem establishes a one-to-one correspondence between points in the two scattering media where the spectra of primary and scattered photons have the same distribution in energy and angle, and where the fluence ratio equals the square of the electron density ratio. Experimental tests were made with cobalt-60 gamma radiation using ionization-chamber measurements in graphite, acrylic plastic, polystyrene, and water phantoms. The experimental results are consistent with the equality of photon spectral shapes and angular distributions at corresponding points. The fluence ratios may differ by a few percent from the predicted values, depending on distance from the source.