Water equivalence of various materials for clinical proton dosimetry by experiment and Monte Carlo simulation

The accurate conversion of dose to various materials used in clinical proton dosimetry to dose-to-water is based on fluence correction factors, accounting for attenuation of primary protons and production of secondary particles due to non-elastic nuclear interactions. This work aims to investigate the depth dose distribution and the fluence correction with respect to water or graphite at water equivalent depths (WED) in different target materials relevant for dosimetry such as polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), graphite, A-150, aluminium and copper at 60 and 200 MeV. This was done through a comparison between Monte Carlo simulation using MCNPX 2.5.0, analytical model calculations and experimental measurements at Clatterbridge Centre of Oncology (CCO) in a 60 MeV modulated and un-modulated proton beam. MCNPX simulations indicated small fluence corrections for all materials with respect to graphite and water in 60 and 200 MeV except for aluminium. The analytical calculations showed an increase in the fluence correction factor to a few percent for all materials with respect to water at 200 MeV. The experimental measurements for 60 MeV un-modulated beam indicated a good agreement with MCNPX. For the modulated beam the fluence correction factor was found to be decreasing below unity by up to few percent with depth for aluminium and copper but almost constant and unity for A-150.