The abilities of LiF thermoluminescent detectors for dosimetry at boron neutron capture therapy beams

Thermoluminescent detectors based on natural LiF are sensitive to epithermal and thermal neutrons of BNCT beams. A sensitivity reduction by a factor of 10-20 is necessary to keep the response of LiF:Mg,Ti detectors in the linear dose range. This reduction does not increase significantly the random uncertainties of gamma and neutron dose measurements (standard deviation ∼3.5 and 7%, respectively) when using LiF:Mg,Cu,P and LiF:Mg,Ti detector pairs. The alternative dosimetry method based on a single LiF:Mg,Ti detector of natural LiF and separation of the 210 and 260 deg. C glow peaks is nearly as accurate as the two-detector method in neutron dosimetry but worse in gamma radiation dosimetry