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Discussion Week4 Solutions

This document discusses interactions of radiation with matter from a discussion in MPHY 35000. It covers topics such as: 1) The relationship between mass energy absorption and transfer coefficients and how they relate to radiative and collisional interactions. 2) Descriptions of maximum energy transfer, Born approximation, polarization effect, and how stopping powers change with increasing atomic number or particle velocity. 3) Equations for calculating absorbed dose in thin and thick foils using parameters like mass thickness, fluence, and residual kinetic energy.

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Chisondi
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33 views4 pages

Discussion Week4 Solutions

This document discusses interactions of radiation with matter from a discussion in MPHY 35000. It covers topics such as: 1) The relationship between mass energy absorption and transfer coefficients and how they relate to radiative and collisional interactions. 2) Descriptions of maximum energy transfer, Born approximation, polarization effect, and how stopping powers change with increasing atomic number or particle velocity. 3) Equations for calculating absorbed dose in thin and thick foils using parameters like mass thickness, fluence, and residual kinetic energy.

Uploaded by

Chisondi
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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MPHY 35000

Interactions of Radiation with Matter


Discussion Week 4
(JP, Tabitha, & Sagada)

1. What is the relationship between the mass energy absorption coefficient and the mass energy
transfer coefficient? What is g? What is (1-g)?
!!" !
"
= "#$ (1 − 𝑔) where g is the average fraction of secondary electron energy that is lost in
radiative interactions (e.g., bremsstrahlung). (1-g) is then the remaining average fraction of
energy which is absorbed by the medium of interest through collisional interactions.

2. What is 𝑇′#$% ? What is it for an incident electron? What about for an incident positron?
𝑇′#$% is the maximum energy that can be transferred to an (unbound) atomic electron (clearly
the result of a head-on collision). For an incident electron, 𝑇′#$% = 𝑇/2. For an incident
positron, 𝑇′#$% = 𝑇 meaning annihilation does not occur.

3. Recalling the equation for mass collision stopping power, how does mass collision stopping
power change with increasing Z? With increasing Z/A? With increasing 𝛽? With increasing
z(number of charges in passing particles)? With increasing incident particle mass?
&' .*+,-./ % 1%
,"&%- = 01 %
.13.8373 + 𝑙𝑛 ,-21%- − 𝛽 3 − 𝑙𝑛 (𝐼) 8.
(
• Mass collision stopping power decreases as Z of the stopping medium increases.
• Mass collision stopping power increases with increasing Z/A.
• Mass collision stopping power decreases initially to a broad minimum plateau as 𝛽 increases
but then rises with further increase in 𝛽.
• Mass collision stopping power increases with incident particle charge z.
• Mass collision stopping power does not depend on incident particle mass.

4. Describe the Born assumption. When does it fail? How is it corrected?


The Born approximation assumes that the velocity of an incident particle is much greater than
the maximum Bohr-orbit velocity of the atomic electrons. This assumption fails when the
velocity of the incident particle ceases to be much greater than the atomic electron velocity.
When particle velocity decreases toward the velocity of K-shell electrons (the electrons with the
greatest velocity), these electrons decrease their participation in the collision processes (gradual
reduction in contribution to soft collision stopping power) meaning that the mass collision
stopping power formula must be reduced by some compensating term: -C/Z for heavy charged
particles and -2C/Z for electrons and positrons.

5. Describe the polarization effect. When is it significant? How is it corrected?


The polarization effect is a decrease of mass collision stopping power in condensed media due
to “shielding of soft collision interactions by dipole distortion of atoms close to the track of the
incident charged particle resulting in the weakening of the Coulomb force field experienced by
more distant atoms. This is not practically relevant for heavy charged particles as it is only
significant at energies above the incident particle’s rest mass (so only practically applies to
electrons and positrons). This is corrected for with the d term in the formula for mass collision
stopping power.
6. How do you calculate dose in thin foils (I’m asking for an equation and definition of terms
here)? How about in thicker foils?
Considering a fluence Φ of charged particles of kinetic energy 𝑇4 perpendicularly incident on a
thin foil of material Z of mass thickness 𝜌𝑡, the absorbed dose in the foil would be
'(
7( ) | "6
5& )'* + (, &'
𝐷 = "6 = "6
= Φ("&%)( | ', , where 𝐸$ is the energy lost in collision interactions per
unit area.

For thicker foils, we calculate the average absorbed dose 𝐷 ? which is the dose averaged over the
entire foil thickness, not dose in any specific infinitesimal layer because stopping power is
continuously changing:
? = 5& = 7(', 2'!* ), where𝐸$ is now the energy imparted in the foil per cross-sectional area of
𝐷 "6 "6
the heavy charged particle beam and 𝑇;% is the residual kinetic energy corresponding to the
particles residual RCSDA. Refer to Sam’s slides for the exact “recipe” for the calculation.

Presentation Question
What does restricted stopping power include? Why do we care about it?
Restricted stopping power includes all soft collisions and any hard collision that generates delta rays
with an energy less than a cutoff value (i.e., delta rays that will deposit their energy locally). We care
about restricted stopping power because it helps us keep track of energy thus absorbed locally.
We’re able to determine the amount of energy deposited locally within a medium by charged
particles traversing that medium.
MPHY 35000
Interactions of Radiation with Matter
Discussion Week 4
(Chris & Rayner)

1. What is mass radiative stopping power? What particles does it apply to?
Mass radiative stopping power expresses the rate of bremsstrahlung production. It applies for
electrons and positrons only.

2. What type of particle does the figure below correspond to? Which set of curves is collisional,
and which is radiative stopping power? What is the trend for increasing Z for each?

The figure corresponds to an electron. The upper curves are collisional stopping power
which slowly decreases for increasing Z. The lower curves are radiative stopping power
which increases with Z, particularly with high energies.

3. How are pathlength and projected range related?


Both pathlength and projected range are measures of the distance a particle travels before losing
all of its energy. The pathlength is the length of the path that the particle travels, which is greatly
dependent on how straight of a path the particle takes. In contrast, the projected range is the
expectation value of the farthest depth of penetration of the particle in its initial direction
(horizontal distance).

4. What is absorbed dose? What are its units?


The absorbed dose is the expectation value of the energy imparted to the material per unit mass
in units of J/kg or Gy.
5. What assumptions can be made for thin foils? How do they change for thicker foils?
For thin foils:
• Mass collision stopping power remains constant.
• Particles follow straight paths meaning scattering is negligible.
• The foil is thick enough so that negligible kinetic energy is carried out of the foil by delta
rays

For thicker foils:


• Mass collision stopping power does NOT remain constant.
• Particles will not follow straight paths
• Negligible kinetic energy is carried out of the foil from delta rays because the foil
thickness now exceeds delta ray range.

6. What is the equation for 𝑅<=>0 ? What are its units? Explain the limits of integration. How
do we view the value of 𝑅<=>0 compared to the value of the true range, R?
' &' 2-
𝑅<=>0 = ∫+ , ,"&%- 𝑑𝑇 is the CSDA range and it is the range of the electron as it comes to
rest (going from its initial kinetic energy 𝑇4 to a kinetic energy of 0.) It is in units g/cm2 and is
accepted as practically equivalent to the true range R.

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