I need to perform Monte Carlo simulations of a imaging device (dental) with static anode x-ray tube. Can you provide me one or point out a reference/paper/article? Thanks in advance!
Dear Lucas,
which material is the anode of your dental X-ray tube made of? Tungsten?
There is different software available that calculate X-ray spectra for different kVp ranges dependent on anode properties (material, angle) and additional filters (Al, Cu, air,...) based on MC calculation and/or analytic models, for example:
- SpekCalc (http://spekcalc.weebly.com/) -> only for tungsten anodes
- XOP (http://www.esrf.eu/Instrumentation/software/data-analysis/xop2.4)
You can also check the list of X-ray spectra calculation code in an older researchgate question: https://www.researchgate.net/post/What_is_the_best_way_to_simulate_an_X-ray_spectrum_from_an_X-ray_tube
Have fun, best regards
Thanks Falk Tillner for the answer. I am familiar with those kind of softwares. For instance, I have used IPEM Report 78 in previously MC simulations. I am looking for something more specific such measured spectra. It must be data from static anode x-ray tube.
I'm not sure, if someone can provide measured data as gamma (photon) spectroscopy for such X-ray tubes is hard to perform. Scintillator-based detectors mostly have a too rough energy resolution for this purpose. Semiconductor-based detectors are mostly too sensitive resulting in dead time problems. One can increase the distance to the X-ray tube or use collimation to decrease the photon flux photon, but then you will loose low energy photons which would otherwise contribute to your spectrum. In addition, low energy photons are also absorbed inside the cover of the detector (stainless steel cap for cooling).
But maybe you are lucky and someone solved these problems :-)
Dear Lucas,
my advice: please take the calculation programs you can get and you are familiar with.
Taking measured spectra is a dream because they depend on life time of the tube via steady progress in surface roughness of the anode and tungsten contamination of the tube window. However these parameters affect mainly the low energy part up to about 50 to 60 keV. In addition measured spectra have to be corrected carefully with respect to high countrate impinging onto the detector (dead time and pile up), its detective quantum efficieny (DQE) and escape photons. Furthermore it is not trivial to get high accuracy access to the solid angle of the radiation impinging onto the detector and the modification of the spectrum by the rims of the pinhole in front of the detector. Please see also the flux and distance experimental issues commented by Falk.
According to my experiences simulations and measurements match only within 30% in the low energy region. I have done a very lot of these experiments at a lot of different x-ray tubes.
So taking calculated spectra is the best and easiest choice to my opinion.
Good luck
Dear Lucas;
This subject seems quite difficult. To have a measure spectra is very difcult way
Thanks F. Tillner, G. Martens and H.O. Tekin for your answers! They were quite helpful!
Best regards!
Lucas
Dear Lucas,
It´s really dificult to measure X-ray spectra because the reasons pointed before, but it is possible. You can do direct measurements in laboratory with a semiconductor detector if you have available great distances (meters) between detector and tube; of course, you have to apply a kind of stripping procedure to the raw data to correct them. Otherwise, you can measure the spectrum of a scattered beam and obtain the primary incident beam using Compton and Klein-Nishina theories.
I can provide you, for example, with a paper I have published some years ago. References indicate some other previous papers about this issue.
I hope this can help you.
Nice work
Ricardo
Dear Ricardo Andrade Terini, thanks for you answer! I have figure out, based on previously answers, how to solve my problem. Thanks anyway!
Best regards!
Lucas
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