Author Type

Graduate Student

Date of Award

2023

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

October 2026

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Muhammad, Wazir

Abstract

Proton Therapy, an effective cancer treatment, poses unintended consequences for patients and personnel due to secondary neutron production. This study investigates neutron attenuation in shielding materials like concrete using Monte Carlo (MC) simulations to optimize shielding requirements. Experimental limitations, such as detector sensitivity, energy range response, and spatial resolution, lead to inaccurate evaluations. MC simulations address that by modeling radiation transport and neutron interactions with shielding materials. The TOPAS-MC code simulated secondary neutrons generated by a 226.5 MeV energy proton beam on a 30 cm diameter tissue-equivalent target. The target was placed in a 200 cm spherical concrete shell with a 100 cm inner radius and 2.3 g/cm3 density. Energy deposition and particle fluence were scored in 20 radial points across 18 angular positions, and the mean value per particle was estimated. Neutron fluence to ambient dose equivalent conversion coefficients from ICRU Report No. 95 were used to calculate the total dose equivalent values, which were scaled based on distance and concrete shield thickness.

Extent

78 p.

Comments

Includes bibliography.|Thesis (PSM)--Florida Atlantic University, 2021.|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Includes bibliography.

Identifier

FA00014213

Format

pdf

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