Influence of the physical data to calibrate TEPCs

Area of Science:

• Medical Physics
• Radiation Dosimetry
• Particle Detectors

Background:

• Tissue-equivalent proportional counters (TEPCs) are crucial for measuring ionization distributions from radiation fields.
• Calibration requires identifying marker points, such as the proton-edge (p-edge), in pulse-height spectra.
• The accuracy of the assigned lineal energy value to the p-edge is critical for reliable calibration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the influence of different input databases on the calibration of TEPCs.
• To evaluate the impact of data source selection on the accuracy of lineal energy determination.
• To compare calibration results using various energy-range tables for propane and propane-TE gas mixtures.

Main Methods:

• Precise identification of the proton-edge (p-edge) marker point with sub-1% uncertainty.
• Evaluation of the energy value assigned to the p-edge using different, commonly used energy-range tables.
• Analysis of calibration effects for pure propane gas and a propane-TE gas mixture.

Main Results:

• The choice of input databases for energy-range tables demonstrably influences TEPC calibration.
• Variations in calibration factors were observed depending on the selected data set.
• The study quantified the impact of different databases on pure propane and propane-TE gas mixtures.

Conclusions:

• The selection of input databases is a significant factor affecting the accuracy of TEPC calibration.
• Consistent and validated data sources are essential for reliable radiation dosimetry.
• Further research should focus on standardizing or recommending specific databases for TEPC calibration.