Radiation

Dosimetry

(An Introduction to Radiation Physics)

Naslinda Noor Rizan, MSc

Medical Physicist
Gleneagles Penang
naslinda@gmail.com

Structure of the Atom (Bohr

Model)
Orbiting electron e (- ve)
Only allowed certain
discrete energy.
define shells or energy
levels

Nucleus contains protons

(+ve) and neutrons (no
charge)
Nucleus contains
protons (+ve) and
neutrons(no charge)

P +N = A (mass no)

No of protons =Z
(atomic no)
K, L, M, N..etc
Max e- shell formula : 2n2

Nomenclature: A
Z

X
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Physics of the Very Small (is

Very Strange)
Leptons

(build electrons)

1. e- & e- neutrino
2. muon & muon neutrino
3. tau & tau neutrino

Standard Model
of Matter Particles
(building blocks of atoms)

Quarks
(build protons, neutron...etc)

1. Up & down
2. Charm & strange
3. Top & bottom
Boson
(carrier of the fundamental forces in the universe)

1.
2.
3.
4.

Gluon (strong force)

Photon (electromagnetic force)
Z & W (weak force)
Graviton (cause gravity)
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Nuclide & Energy

General term for atoms with specific number protons and neutrons. (atom = nuclide + e -)
Isotope = nuclide with same Z (e.g 1H1, 1H2, 1H3 )
Isotone = nuclide with same neutrons (N)
Isomer - nuclide with same A

Potential energy
increases (from
inner to outer
valence)

Isobar - nuclide with same A& Z but different energy state.

Binding energy increases (from outer

to inner shell)
Amount of energy needed to remove
electron from its orbit
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Units & Formula

Atomic mass unit (amu) = 1/12 mass of C-12 = 1.67X10 -27 kg

Amu

e- = 0.000548 amu
p+ =1.00727 amu
neutron = 1.00866 amu

E = mc2
Where m = 1.66 x 10-27 kg.
C = 3x108 m/sec , therefore

E = hv
= hc

Mass per atom = Aw

NA

E = 1.49 x 10-10 J (1Mev = 1.6 x 10-13 J)

E = 931.25 Mev

Plancks Constant, h = 6.626 070 040 x 10-34 J s

Speed of light, C = 3x108 m/sec
Avogadros No NA= 6.0221 1023 mol-1 (atoms ,molecules etc)
Joules = kg.m2/s2
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Units & Formula

Kinetic energy

Energy at rest
e- energy at rest = 0.511MeV

Total energy

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Ionizing
Has enough energy to ionize matter
directly or indirectly

Radi
ation

Non-ionizing
Cannot ionize matter,
energy lower than ionizing
potential

Directly ionising (charged particles - e-, p+, particles,

heavy ions
Deposit energy directly in matter
Indirectly ionising (neutral particles (photons, neutrons
Deposit energy through 2 step process
1. Release charge particle
2. Charge particle deposit energy in matter
Source
Generated source
Radioisotope
X-ray tube

Linear Accelerator
(LINAC)
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Characteristic x-ray : etransition between atomic

shell

Bremstrahlung: enucleus Coulomb

interaction

Production of
Ionizing photon

Gamma ray: nuclear

transition

Annihilation quanta: positron

-e- annihilation

X ray tube output

spectrum
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Manufactured source
1.X-ray tube
2.Linear Accelerator
(basic principle: e- accelerating onto a metal target to produce photons)

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X-ray Tube

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Linear accelerator

(the very

basic)
RF Source
Waveguide
Electron gun

Bending
magnets
Flattening
filter

Target

Primary
collimator
collimators
http://www.irsn.fr/fr/professionnels_sante/documentation/documents/syllabus_chapitre_5.pdf
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Rayleigh Scattering (low energy photon - why the sky is blue)

Photoelectric
Compton Scattering
Pair Production
Photon

Radiat
ion
intera
ction
e-

conversion of photon
into a moving electron
(e- then goes on to
ionize the medium)
scattering of a photon by a
(free) electron that leads to a
moving electron and a lower
energy photon (most important
in radiotherapy)
conversion of a photon into a
matter/antimatter pair of electrons.The two
moving electrons share the remainder of
the initial photon energy. Eventually the
Characteristic x-rays
positron annihilates at the end of its range
Bremstrahlung
giving two 511 keV photons (important in
SPECT and PET imaging)

http://ozradonc.wikidot.com/photon-interactions

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Dominance of process

photon energy and atomic number, Z of the absorbing material

For both the photoelectric effect

and pair production the photon is
totally absorbed while for Compton
scattering a photon of degraded
energy remains.

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/nuclear-engineering/22-01-introduction-to-ionizing-radiation-fall-2006/lecture-notes/energy_dep_photo.pdf
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Mv or MeV??
To produce a 6MV photon in linac you need a 6MeV electron but the output would be in a
spectrum with max energy of 6MeV (photon).
Therefore for convenience we refer
to photon from x-ray tube using its electric
potential (MV or kV)
Electron output and radioisotope has
mono-energetic energy and is correctly termed
as keV or MeV

(*e- output in LINAC is produce but removing target and flattening filter)
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Segre Chart

Radioactivity

Alpha
Nucleus too big

Neutron rich

Beta
Too many protons or
too many neutrons

Stable

Decay mode
Gamma
Unstable parent
unstable atomic nuclei dont have enough
binding energy to hold the nucleus together
due to an excess of either protons or
neutron

http://algebralab.com/practice/practice.aspx?file=Reading_TheBandOfStability.xml

Proton rich

 - Alpha Decay
During alpha decay, an atom's nucleus sheds two protons and two
neutrons in a packet that scientists call an alpha particle.

alpha particle is a fast moving helium nucleus. Alpha particles carry a

charge of +2 and strongly interact with matter. They travel only a few
inches through air and can easily be stopped with a sheet of paper.

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Too many neutrons or too many protons. One of the protons or

neutrons is transformed into the other.

-Beta Decay
Beta+ (positron)
a proton decays into a
neutron, a positron, and a
neutrino

Electron Capture
decay by capturing one of

Betaa neutron decays into a proton,

an electron, and an
antineutrino

the electrons that surround

the nucleus.

Gamma

A nucleus changes from a higher energy state to a lower energy

state through the emission of electromagnetic radiation

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Formula
s
Half life, T

1/2

Decay constant,
Activity,

ln2/

time taken for half or nuclei

present to decay

= ln2/T1/2

A = A0e-t

Units Bq (Baquerel) = 1 disintigration per second

1mCi = 37MBq
1MBq = 27Ci
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