Three-dimensional spatial and dosimetric characterization of radiotherapy beams using laser read-out of TLDs

A fully automated thermoluminescent detector (TLD) read-out apparatus has been designed and constructed for the express purpose of extracting spatially resolved dosimetric information using localized IR laser phosphor stimulation. A composite TLD plate has been designed that withstands the thermal stresses developed during laser heating. This detector and unique read-out scheme may be used to spatially and dosimetrically characterize ionizing radiation fields. The thermal response of TL materials cannot be fully characterized experimentally due to the inability of modern measuring techniques to accurately record the rapidly changing temperatures. Two-dimensional, time transient models have been derived to determine radial and axial temperature profiles in a TL layer when a 4 W CO2 focused or unfocused Gaussian laser beam is used to heat a single or multiple spots. Numerically derived temperature profiles were then used in a first-order kinetic model for the thermoluminescent emission. The experimental laser heated TLD read-out apparatus was used to image a 60Co radiotherapy beam. A 2.2 cm by 3.3 cm LiF detector was used to image the penumbra of a 5 cm by 5 cm collimated field of a Theratron-80. Qualitative and quantitative results agreed well with accepted beam depth dose profiles measured with ionization chambers in water bath phantoms