Signal versus noise in fiber coupled radiation dosimeters for medical applications

摘要

The utilization of scintillation light as a measure of radiation dose has many attractive features for medical applications. When high doses of ionizing radiation are being administered to cancer patients, precise and accurate dosimetry in terms of absolute dose and its location are essential. Fiber Optic Dosimeters [FOD] are unique in this application, since compared to other medical radiation dosimeters, they are smaller, more reliable and most significantly, they are human tissue equivalent. The principal limitation of the FOD is its signal to noise ratio, a feature that we discuss in terms of materials science and physical optics. The aim of this study is to outline a theoretical approach to dosimeter design based on geometrical optics that has the potential to increase the signal and decrease the noise.