Abstract
This chapter considers one of the main manifestations of charged particle energy loss that of the penetration into matter. It begins with the derivation of the continuous slowing down approximation (CSDA) range for heavy charged particles and presents the Bragg peak. As electrons remain currently the most commonly used charged particles in radiation oncology, we review the depth–dose curves of electrons in soft tissue. Unlike energetic heavy charged particles, multiple Coulomb scatter is a significant effect upon the radiation transport of electrons and cannot be excluded in the determination of the range, as has already been examined in the context of the Fermi–Eyges theory of Sect. 6.3.7. We conclude the chapter with an examination of the ranges of positrons in matter and the probabilities of in-flight annihilation.
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- 1.
In general practice, this curve is derived from a measured depth–ionisation curve for which the ordinate is the ionisation measured in an ionisation chamber. This is converted to absorbed dose through the application of a number of factors, including the ratio of the collision stopping power of the medium to that of the gas within the chamber (usually air). This ratio has an energy dependence which is equivalent to a depth dependence.
- 2.
In radionuclide therapy in which the radiation is emitted internally, the typical energies of the β-particles are of the order of 1 MeV or less. This is due to the vector delivering the β-emitting radionuclide to the target and long ranges are usually not required.
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McParland, B.J. (2014). Charged Particle Range. In: Medical Radiation Dosimetry. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-5403-7_13
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-5403-7_13
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