Investigation of X-rays Beams Uniformity in Radiotherapeutic Tumor Treatment Procedure Using LuAG:Ce Crystal Detectors

Abstract

In this study, Ce3+-doped Lu3Al5O12 garnet (LuAG) crystal detectors, with a density of ρ = 6 g/cm3 and an effective atomic number Zeff = 62, are proposed as promising materials for radiotherapy applications. This type of detector demonstrates excellent uniformity of structural and optical properties, high thermoluminescence (TL) light yield, optimal position of main TL glow peaks at temperatures around 245–295 °C, and high radiation stability. The set of TL detectors made from LuAG:Ce single crystal was used to evaluate the uniformity of dose and energy spectra of X-ray radiation from a clinical accelerator with 6 MV and 15 MV beams at the Department of Medical Physics, Oncology Center in Bydgoszcz, Poland, and γ-rays from a 60Co source at the National Institute of Oncology in Warsaw. The LuAG:Ce crystal detectors demonstrated highly promising results for registering X-ray radiation from accelerators with both 6 MV and 15 MV electron beams, as well as γ-rays from a 60Co source with energies of 1.17 and 1.33 MeV.