title: Fission converter and metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor study of thermal neutron flux distribution in an epithermal neutron therapy beam.
abstract: The depth distribution of the thermal neutron flux is a major factor in boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) in determining the efficiency of cell sterilization. In this paper the fission detector method is developed and applied to measure the in-phantom thermal neutron flux depth distribution. Advantages of the fission detector include small size, direct measurement of thermal neutron flux in a mixed radiation field of BNCT beam, self-calibration, and the possibility of on-line measurement. The measurements were performed at epithermal a BNCT facility. The experimental results were compared with the thermal neutron flux calculated by the Monte Carlo method and found to be in good agreement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Engineering Physics, University of Wollongong, Australia. gkaplan@uow.edu.au
authors.forename: G I
authors.initials: GI
authors.lastname: Kaplan
authors.forename: A B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Rosenfeld
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Coderre
authors.forename: H B
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D055592:Biophysical Phenomena; D001703:Biophysics; D016754:Boron Neutron Capture Therapy / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy; D019047:Phantoms, Imaging; D011874:Radiometry / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012666:Semiconductors; D014173:Transistors, Electronic; D014501:Uranium
chemical_list: D014501:Uranium