Radionuclide production for dose verification in VHEE FLASH radiotherapy
Year: 2026
Authors: Urso F., Baffigi F., Ciarrocchi E., Gizzi L.A., Koester P., Labate L., Morrocchi M., Piccinini S., Salvadori M., Bisogni M.G.
Autors Affiliation: Univ Pisa, Dipartimento Fis, Largo Pontecorvo 3, I-56127 Pisa, Italy; INFN, Sez Pisa, Largo Bruno Pontecorvo 3, I-56127 Pisa, Italy; CNR, INO Ist Nazl Ott, Via Moruzzi 1, I-56124 Pisa, Italy.
Abstract: This study explores the production of radionuclides in a PMMA (Polymethylmethacrylate) phantom irradiated with Very High Energy Electrons (VHEE) beams as a novel method for dose verification. In this work, Monte Carlo simulation studies using the Geant4 toolkit and experimental measurements with a VHEE beam produced by a laser-plasma accelerator were conducted. Specifically, the photonuclear production of 11C, 15O and 13N is examined, with a detailed analysis of their spatial distribution, production yields and decay time.
Journal/Review: NUCLEAR INSTRUMENTS & METHODS IN PHYSICS RESEARCH SECTION A-ACCELERATORS SPECTROMETERS DETECTORS AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT
Volume: 1081 Pages from: 170832-1 to: 170832-4
More Information: We acknowledge financial support under the Piano Nazionale Ripresa e Resilineza (PNRR), Mission 4, Component 2, Investment 1.1, Call for tender No. 104 published on 2.2.2022 by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR), funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU- Project Title Monitor for flash therapy (MORSE) -CUP I53D23000830006- Grant Assignment Decree No. n. 974 adopted on 30/06/2023 by the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MUR). This work was also partially supported by the Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza (PNRR), Missione 4, Componente 2, Ecosistemi dell’Innovazione – Tuscany Health Ecosystem (THE), Spoke 1 Advanced Radiotherapies and Diagnostics in Oncology-CUP I53C22000 780001.KeyWords: Radionuclides; Very high energy electrons; FLASH radiotherapy; Dose verification; Monte Carlo simulationDOI: 10.1016/j.nima.2025.170832
