| The product of the radiation dose and radiation quality indicates the biological consequences of radiation exposure. Therefore, quantifying both radiation dose and radiation quality is important to biological experiments as well as radiation protection. A small, specialized amplifier based on commercial ICs was developed to measure the radiation dose and quality in real-time using a microdosimetric detector, operated in the current mode, and the variance method. The random nature of radiation induces variance in the dose (in a small volume such as that of cell or DNA) for a specific radiation field that is proportional to the radiation quality. The charges from the microdosimetric detector, operated in the current mode, were repeatedly collected for a fixed period of time for 20 cycles of 100 integrations, and processed by the specialized amplifier to produce signals of pulse height between 0 and 10 volts. These signals with various amplitudes, which are proportional to the channel number, were then recorded by the MCA and stored in a computer. FORTRAN programs written in this study then calculated the average dose and the average dose variance from the stored data.; Benchmarks of different brand's ICs were conducted to select a component with the best performance versus cost. The specialized amplifier showed the following characteristics: low input capacitance, low output impedance, adjustable integration time for controlling the amount of charge collected from the detector, linearity of system response to input currents, adjustable gain control, and low background noise. Standardized procedures of constructing a functional device (the specialized amplifier) were established, including arrangements of circuit diagram, processing of a printed circuit board, and construction of an aluminum-shielding box that served as a united ground point. In addition, procedures for determining the inner dimensions of the detector using radiography are also presented along with procedures for calibration and measurement. Measurements of the radiation dose and quality of x-ray, gamma and mixed neutron-gamma radiation fields with various geometries were taken. The dose rates ranged from 4 to 60 Gy/hr. Results showed the specialized amplifier is capable of distinguishing differences of radiation quality in various high dose rate radiation fields. |
