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A novel system for micron-scale analysis of energy deposition and response to low-dose radiation

Pasricha P, McNairn C, Mansour IR, Milligan K, Muir BR, Andrews JL, Cassol E, Chauhan V et al.

Medical physics, 2026

Abstract

Background: Micrometer-scale evaluation of energy deposition is important for radiation protection and therapy as well as for advancing knowledge of responses to radiation in materials and biological systems. Due to the stochastic nature of radiation interactions, there is significant variation in energy deposition in micrometer-sized targets, especially at low doses. This variability underscores the need for a framework for microdosimetry, particularly in low-dose scenarios.

Purpose: The goal of this work is to develop a novel system for micron-scale characterization of energy deposition and response to radiation that is applicable at low doses, using a combination of Monte Carlo (MC) simulations and experimental techniques.

Methods: EBT3 radiochromic film samples are irradiated to absorbed doses of 0.003-0.5 Gy using the 6-MV beam from a clinical linear accelerator. To quantify energy deposition, MC simulations of the experimental irradiations are conducted to evaluate specific energy deposited within micron-scale voxels in the active layer of the film. To investigate the dose response of the film, the following two methods are employed: (i) flatbed scanner measurement of changes in optical density (OD) of the film, and (ii) Raman spectroscopy (RS) to measure response intensity across doses with micron-scale resolution. Experimental film responses are compared to predictions from the microdosimetric one-hit model.

Results: Specific energy distributions obtained from MC…

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