Determination of Endpoint Energy and Bremsstrahlung Spectra for High-Energy Radiation-Therapy Beams

Few attempts have been made to experimentally determine thick-target bremsstrahlung spectra of megavoltage therapy beams. For spectral studies using the Compton scattering technique, sodium iodine (NaI) detectors with relatively poor energy resolution have been used. Other experimental techniques for determining spectra are generally not suited for a clinical environment with the inherent time and space constraints. To gather more spectral information than previously obtained in the region near the endpoint energy, the use of a high-resolution intrinsic-germanium (Ge) detector was proposed. A response function matrix was determined from experimentally obtained pulse height distributions on the multichannel analyzer. The distributions were for nine various monoenergetic sources between 280 adn 1525 keV. The response function was used to convert the measured pulse height distributions to photon flux spectra using an iterative approximation technique with a computer. Photon flux spectra from the Sagittaire Linear Accelerator were obtained at average-electron endpoint energies of 15, 20, and 25 MeV. Two spectra were measured at the 25 MeV setting; one spectrum was measured along the central axis and one spectrum at 4(DEGREES) off axis. Photon spectra were also obtained for a Van de Graaff generator at the nominal endpoint energies of 2.2, 2.35, and 2.5 MeV. The results for both the linac and the Van de Graaff generator were compared with theoretical spectra and previously measured spectra where available. Also, photon spectra from a Theratron-80 (('60)Co) unit were determined for three field sizes and for a 10 x 10 cm. field with a lucite tray or a 45(DEGREES) wedge in the beam. The resulting spectra were compared to previously measured ('60)Co spectra.