IMAGING OF PROTON BRAGG PEAKS IN LiF

Abstract

Lithium fluoride (LiF) is one of the most common thermoluminescent phosphors routinely used in radiation protection services. Another advantageous property of LiF is radiophotoluminescence, whose occurs after its irradiation due to the creation of color centers. Excitation of LiF samples with a blue light causes the emission of photoluminescence, which spectrum consists of two peaks at ~520 and ~670 nm. The work was focused on imaging of Bragg peaks of proton beams routinely applied at the proton eye radiotherapy facility operating at the Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy of Sciences (IFJ PAN) in Krakow by the measurement of the fluorescence light in LiF crystals excited with a 445 nm blue light after their previous irradiation with the proton beams of energies of 28, 30, 40 and 50 MeV. The range of proton beams in LiF crystals for different energies was calculated by Monte Carlo simulations.