title: Review of doped silica glass optical fibre: their TL properties and potential applications in radiation therapy dosimetry.
abstract: Review is made of dosimetric studies of Ge-doped SiO(2) telecommunication fibre as a 1-D thermoluminescence (TL) system for therapeutic applications. To-date, the response of these fibres has been investigated for UV sources, superficial X-ray beam therapy facilities, a synchrotron microbeam facility, electron linear accelerators, protons, neutrons and alpha particles, covering the energy range from a few eV to several MeV. Dosimetric characteristics include, reproducibility, fading, dose response, reciprocity between TL yield and dose-rate and energy dependence. The fibres produce a flat response to fixed photon and electron doses to within better than 3% of the mean TL distribution. Irradiated Ge-doped SiO(2) optical fibres show limited signal fading, with an average loss of TL signal of ~0.4% per day. In terms of dose response, Ge-doped SiO(2) optical fibres have been shown to provide linearity to x and electron doses, from a fraction of 1 Gy up to 2 kGy. The dosimeters have also been used in measuring photoelectron generation from iodinated contrast media; TL yields being some 60% greater in the presence of iodine than in its absence. The review is accompanied by previously unpublished data.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Nuclear and Radiation Physics, Department of Physics, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7XH, Surrey, United Kingdom. d.a.bradley@surrey.ac.uk
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Bradley
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Hugtenburg
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nisbet
authors.forename: Ahmad Taufek
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Abdul Rahman
authors.forename: Fatma
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Issa
authors.forename: Noramaliza
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mohd Noor
authors.forename: Amani
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alalawi
mesh_terms: D001918:Brachytherapy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D005857:Germanium; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy; D055100:Optical Fibers; D011874:Radiometry; D012822:Silicon Dioxide; D013819:Thermoluminescent Dosimetry / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays
chemical_list: D005857:Germanium; D012822:Silicon Dioxide