Particle Physics Seminar: Radiation protectionc alculations using the FLUKA MC code

Lior Epstein, Tel Aviv University 

20 April 2023, 10:00 
Shenkar Building, Melamed Hall 006 
Particle Physics Seminar

Abstract:

Health physics is the science of radiation protection. It focuses on measurements and calculations of radiation doses and their influence on humans and the environment. One of the common tools for dose assessments is Monte Carlo simulations. I will present the FLUKA Monte Carlo code, developed by CERN and INFN, which follows the transport of 64 types of particles in complex geometries including human phantoms. I will present several interesting radiation protection projects conducted by our research group at Soreq Nuclear Research Center. We will start with dose calculations around a DaRT source. DaRT is a brachytherapy technique for treatment of solid tumors, developed by prof. Itzhak Kelson and prof. Yona Keisari in Tel Aviv University. The DaRT source is embedded with 224Ra atoms that detach from the source due to the alpha recoil. The 224Ra decay products disperse in the tumor and continue their decay. The emitted energy is deposited in the tumor tissue creating a ‘kill region’ around the source with a diameter of ~4 mm. I will present the beta and gamma doses, calculated using FLUKA around the DaRT source. 

 

I will continue with dose assessments following an explosion of a radiological dispersal device (RDD). In an RDD event, radioactive fragments may penetrate the skin and even reach deeper tissues of people located close to the device. We have calculated the doses to the patient and the medical staff. The radioactive fragments will also create an image artifact in the x-ray image that may impede fragment localization and removal. We have developed image processing tools to improve x-ray images quality for prompt and accurate fragment localization. I will conclude with other FLUKA applications for shielding designs for various radiation sources. 
 

 

 

Seminar Organizer: Dr. Adi Ashkanzi

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