Technical Note: Single-pulse beam characterization for FLASH-RT using optical imaging in a water tank

High dose rate conditions, coupled with problems related to small field dosimetry, make dose characterization for FLASH-RT challenging. Most conventional dosimeters show significant dependence on dose rate at ultra-high dose rate conditions or fail to provide sufficiently fast temporal data for pulse to pulse dosimetry. Here fast 2D imaging of radioluminescence from a water and quinine phantom was tested for dosimetry of individual 4 μs linac pulses.

A modified clinical linac delivered an electron FLASH beam of >50 Gy/s to clinical isocenter. This modification removed the x-ray target and flattening filter, leading to a beam that was symmetric and gaussian, as verified with GafChromic EBT-XD film. Lateral projected 2D dose distributions for each linac pulse were imaged in a quinine-doped water tank using a gated intensified camera, and an inverse Abel transform reconstruction provided 3D images for on-axis depth dose values. A total of 20 pulses were delivered with a 10 MeV, 1.5 cm circular beam, and beam with jaws wide open (40 × 40 cm² ), and a 3D dose distribution was recovered for each pulse. Beam output was analyzed on a pulse by pulse basis.

The R_p , D_max , and the R₅₀ measured with film and optical methods agreed to within 1 mm for the 1.5 cm circular beam and the beam with jaws wide open. Cross beam profiles for both beams agreed with film data with >95% passing rate (2%/2 mm gamma criteria). The optical central axis depth dose agreed with film data, except for near the surface. A temporal pulse analysis revealed a ramp-up period where the dose per pulse increased for the first few pulses and then stabilized.

Optical imaging of radioluminescence was presented as a valuable tool for establishing a baseline for the recently initiated electron FLASH beam at our institution.