Theoretical Dosimetry and Radiation-Transport Calculations

The radiation transport methods pioneered and developed at NIST to calculate the penetration of electrons and photons in matter are used in most of the major Monte Carlo simulation codes today.

Monte Carlo simulation is increasingly applied to problems in radiation metrology, protection, therapy and processing as an accurate tool for design, optimization and insight often inaccessible to measurement. Our programs continue to develop and use Monte Carlo calculations for the understanding and refinement of our measurement standards, and for the many applications of ionizing radiation with which we are involved. Some examples of the application of Monte Carlo simulation to current problems in theoretical dosimetry or applications involving radiation include the development of a computational model of the NIST’s Clinac 2100C medical accelerator for an international intercomparison of absorbed dose to water standards and the computation of wall corrections for an ionization chamber developed for direct realization of air kerma in high energy photon fields used in non-intrusive cargo inspection systems.