Response of alanine and barium dithionate EPR dosimeters.

The response of alanine and barium dithionate EPR dosimeters to proton irradiation with energies ranging from 6.6-25 MeV has been investigated. EPR dosimeters were calibrated using calibrated gamma sources. Alanine dosimeters show a value 29% higher than those obtained by a Markus chamber at the same energy, and barium dithionate shows a value 22% smaller. The response of the EPR dosimeters to irradiation at a mean dose of about 40 Gy depends on the proton energy. Using experimental data, the yield of the radicals in the tracks for the alanine pellets was calculated. The yield of the radicals was determined to be proportional to the linear energy transfer (LET) on the straight-line length of the proton track, and the proportional coefficient for alanine is equal to 0.109 eV-1. In the area of the Bragg peak, the probability of recombination of the ionized electrons with cations is increased. As a result, approximately 4.6 MeV of proton energy is used for ionization that results in electron-cation recombination instead of formation of radicals, and maximum LET does not coincide with the maximum concentration of the radicals.

Barium dithionate as an EPR dosemeter.

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) dosimetry is growing in popularity and this success has encouraged the search for other dosimetric materials. Previous studies of gamma-irradiated barium dithionate (BaS(2)O(6) x 2H(2)O) have shown promise for its use as a radiation dosemeter. This work studies in greater detail several essential attributes of the system. Special attention has been directed to the study of EPR response dependences on microwave power, irradiation temperature, minimum detectable dose and post-irradiation stability.