R.E. Faw and J.K. Shultis "Photon and Neutron Dose Conversion Functions," Ch. 18 in Applications of New Technology: External Dosimetry, J. Higginbotham (ed.), Medical Physics Publ., Madison, WI, 1996.

The main purpose of this chapter is to provide the links between the physical description of a radiation field, namely the fluence or flux density, and the various measures of radiation dose or radiation sensor response. First, quantities and units for radiation-protection measurement and calculations are defined. These include the basic dosimetric quantities of absorbed dose and kerma. Then, basic differences in biological effects of various types of radiation are taken into account in the definition of dose equivalent quantities. The dose conversion coefficient, or fluence-to-dose conversion function, is the dose or response, of whatever type, per unit fluence. It is introduced to provide an analytical connection between fluence and dose. Specific methods are developed to allow the analyst to compute, from cross-section data, conversion coefficients for the more basic point measures of radiation dose. The chapter concludes with a discussion and illustration of conversion coefficients that connect the radiation fluence with various types of average or effective doses for the human body and for irradiation of the body by radiation incident in varying directions. These dosimetric quantities are used for dose limitation purposes in radiation protection programs. This chapter draws heavily from the work of A.B. Chilton (Chilton, Shultis and Faw, 1984; Shultis and Faw, 1996), and from ICRP Report 51 (1987).

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