BNCT dosimetry performed with a mini twin tissue-equivalent proportional counters (TEPC)

The BNCT radiation field is complex because different beam components are mixed, each one having different relative biological effectiveness (RBE). Microdosimetry with tissue-equivalent proportional counters (TEPC) has proven to be an ideal dosimetric technique for mixed radiation fields, because it is able both to measure the absorbed dose and to assess the radiation field relative biological effectiveness with good accuracy. An ideal detector for BNCT should contain two TEPCs, one detector loaded with, while the other one without B-10 in order to record all beam components with a unique measurement. Moreover, Such a detector should be of tiny size in order to be able to measure in the intense BNCT radiation fields without significant pile-up effects. TEPCs have been shown to be pretty good dosimeters for mixed radiation fields. In this paper the first mini twin TEPC counter for BNCT is presented, as well as first measurement at the new HYTHOR thermal irradiation facility at TAPIRO nuclear reactor and comparison with related Monte Carlo calculations. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.