Modeling the Impact of Container Material and Geometry on the Uniformity of Dose in Irradiation Calibration

Abstract

In order to calibrate radiation sources in instruments used by the Optically Stimulated Luminescence Laboratory at ECU, samples are sent in containers to an external gamma source to be irradiated with a known radiation dose. The type of material used for the container can have an effect on the uniformity of dose absorbed by the sample, which can introduce unforeseen sources of error in the calibration. In this study, simulations were performed using DosiVox (via Geant4) to approximate the dose absorbed throughout different sample-container setups. The goal is to quantify dose uniformity and determine which container materials may be used, while still maintaining feasible levels of uniformity. It was ascertained that the container materials which best maintain uniformity for ceramic samples are aluminum, silica, and ceramic. It was also ascertained that the container materials which best maintain uniformity for silica samples are borosilicate glass, silica, and ceramic. Teflon was found to be the container material that maintained uniformity the least for both sample types.