Ponente
Descripción
Neutrons, as a form of radiation, possess high penetrating capabilities, contributing significantly to
the total absorbed dose within the human body. Consequently, the monitoring of neutron dose rates
is paramount for assessing the potential risks to workers, patients, and the public. Typically,
commercial portable neutron detectors, known as ambient neutron dosimeters, fulfill this purpose.
However, concerns have arisen regarding the reliability of these detectors, especially in modern
facilities generating radiation fields with high-energy components (E>20MeV) or intricate time
structures (such as pulsed or quasi-pulsed neutron fields). This concern becomes particularly
pronounced in medical facilities like proton therapy centers, where secondary stray radiation
includes high-energy neutrons reaching up to 250 MeV. Additionally, the International Commission
on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU) has recently proposed alternative definitions for
operational quantities employed in radiation protection. This has consequences for the performance
of neutron dosimeters, especially in energy ranges surpassing 50 MeV. This range is particularly
pertinent to proton therapy centers. This work reviews the technical challenges associated with
active and time-resolved neutron dosimetry in particle therapy. It also presents the current status of
the LINrem dosimeters, encompassing the validation of prototypes and our latest experimental
findings in proton therapy. Finally, we discuss the future of the LINrem project and the impact of
the new ICRU recommendation for radioprotection in proton therapy centers.
