Speaker
Description
This work benchmarks the PENELOPE/PENH (2021 version) and PHITS Monte Carlo codes for calculating beam quality correction factors (kQ) in therapeutic proton beams. The latest PENH extension to PENELOPE enables proton transport simulation, including an approximate description of nuclear reactions and neutron production. PHITS, conversely, is an established multi-particle transport code covering protons, neutrons, and electron-gamma showers. The study compares simulated absorbed doses and kQ factors by modeling three configurations: a thin reference water cavity, a plane-parallel air cavity, and a cylindrical air cavity (representing typical ionization chambers). To determine the kQ factors, simulations involve a 1.25 MeV photon reference beam (Cobalt-60) and a 150 MeV monoenergetic proton beam. The computed results are validated against equivalent simulations published in the literature and obtained using FLUKA and GEANT4/TOPAS. This comparison assesses the suitability and consistency of the PENELOPE/PENH and PHITS codes for accurate clinical proton beam dosimetry.
| Paper status | Proceeding files received |
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