Radiological Physics and Dosimetry

3 units

This class is designed to construct a theoretical foundation for ionizing radiation dose calculations and measurements in a medical context and prepare graduate students for proper scientific presentations of in the field of x-ray imaging and radiation therapy. This course will cover the fundamental concepts of radiation physics, how ionizing radiation interact with matter, and how the energy that is deposited in the matter can be measured in theory and practice. Specifically, a student completing this course will be able to do the following: 1. Understand and apply key concepts specific to energy deposition for both ionizing photon interactions and transport in matter and for energetic charged particle interactions and transport in matter. Radiation sources include radioactivity, x-ray tubes, and linear accelerators. 2. Understand the theoretical details of ion-chamber based dosimetry and of cavity-theories based clinical dose measurement protocols. 3. Perform and present real world style research projects as a group, and present these projects in a typical professional scientific format and style. 4. Achieve an appreciation of the history and potential future developments in ionizing radiation detection and dosimetry.