BME 6535 – RADIOLOGICAL PHYSICS, MEASUREMENTS, AND DOSIMETRY - SPRING 2014
Course Description(3 Credits)
Interactions and measurement techniques for x-rays, gamma rays, neutrons and charged particles with matter; radioactive decay processes, ion chamber measurements, scintillation detectors, and dosimetry techniques. Applications of cavity theory and dosimetry measurement in medical physics.
Course Prerequisites: Upper level college physics.
Course Objectives:
Develop an in-depth understanding of the physics of ionizing radiations and their interactions with matter. Students will explore methods of the generation and detection of photons, charged particles, electrons, positrons, and neutrons. Students will become proficient in measurement applications for a variety of radiation sources and the subsequent evaluation of radiation dose.
Instructor:
Dr. Wesley E. Bolch, 109A Medical Physics Building, (352) 273-0303,
Office Hours: WMF, 9:00 - 11:00 am
Meeting Times: EDGE
Meeting Location:EDGE
Textbook:Introduction to Radiological Physics and Radiation Dosimetry
Frank H. Attix
Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Company (2004)
ISBN-13: 978-0-471-01146-0
Radiation Detection & Measurement
Glenn F. Knoll
John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (2010) – 4th Edition
ISBN: 978-0-470-13148-0 (Hardback)
Attendance and Expectations:
Late homework is subject to a 20% per day penalty deduction. Professionalism standards will be enforced on the design project and home sets.
Grading Policy:
Class Attendance 5%
Homework Sets15%
Exam 120%February 17EDGE
Exam 220%March 24EDGE
Exam 320%April 28EDGE
Review Papers15%April 18Email by 9 pm
Review Paper Presentations 5%April 26Saturday – 10 am EST by GTM
Grading Scale:
93 -100 A90-92 A-
87-89 B+
83-86 B
80-82 B- / 77-79 C+
73-76 C
70-72 C-
67-69 D+
63-66 D
60-62 D-
<60 E / “In order to graduate, graduate students must have an overall GPA and an upper-division GPA of 3.0 or better (B or better). Note: a B- average is equivalent to a GPA of 2.67, and therefore, it does not satisfy this graduation requirement. For more information on grades and grading policies, please visit:
Make-Up Exam Policy:
No make-up exams or project presentations will be permitted. If an exam or project presentation is missed due to illness, and the instructor is notified prior to the start of the exam or presentation, a re-weighting of those portions of the final grade will be made on a case-by-case basis.
Course Policies
Honesty Policy:
All students admitted to the University of Florida have signed a statement of academic honesty committing themselves to be honest in all academic work and understanding that failure to comply with this commitment will result in disciplinary action. This statement is a reminder to uphold your obligation as a UF student and to be honest in all work submitted and exams taken in this course and all others.
Accommodation for Students with Disabilities:
Students Requesting classroom accommodation must first register with the Dean of Students Office. That office will provide the student with documentation that he/she must provide to the course instructor when requesting accommodation.
UF Counseling Services:
Resources are available on-campus for students having personal problems or lacking clear career and academic goals. The resources include:
UF Counseling & Wellness Center, 3190 Radio Rd, 392-1575, psychological and psychiatric services.
Career Resource Center, Reitz Union, 392-1601, career and job search services.
Software Use:
All faculty, staff and student of the University are required and expected to obey the laws and legal agreements governing software use. Failure to do so can lead to monetary damages and/or criminal penalties for the individual violator. Because such violations are also against University policies and rules, disciplinary action will be taken as appropriate. We, the members of the University of Florida community, pledge to uphold ourselves and our peers to the highest standards of honesty and integrity.
Course Schedule by Date – As per the Fall 2013 Course Offering
Date / Course Topic / Reading / LecturerAugust / 21 / Course Introduction / Bolch
23 / Overview of Radiation Types and Interactions / Notes / Bolch
26 / Photon Interactions in Matter / Attix – Ch 7 / Bolch
28 / Heavy Charged Particle Interactions in Matter / Attix – Ch 8 / Bolch
30 / Electron Interactions in Matter / Attix – Ch 8 / Bolch
September / 2 / No Class – Labor Day Holiday
4 / Radiation Fields – Quantities and Units / Attix – Ch 1 / Bolch
6 / Radiation Fields – Quantities and Units / Attix – Ch 1 / Bolch
9 / Energy Transfer and Dose – Quantities and Units / Attix – Ch 2 / Bolch
11 / Energy Transfer and Dose – Quantities and Units / Attix – Ch 2 / Bolch
13 / Exponential Attenuation / Attix – Ch 3 / Bolch
16 / Exponential Attenuation / Attix – Ch 3 / Bolch
18 / Charge-Particle and Radiation Equilibrium / Attix – Ch 4 / Bolch
20 / Charge-Particle and Radiation Equilibrium / Attix – Ch 4 / Bolch
23 / Absorbed Dose in Radioactive Media / Attix – Ch 5 / Bolch
25 / Absorbed Dose in Radioactive Media / Attix – Ch 5 / Bolch
27 / Radioactive Decay / Attix – Ch 6 / Bolch
30 / Radioactive Decay / Attix – Ch 6 / Bolch
October / 2 / X-Ray Production and Quality / Attix – Ch 9 / Bolch
4 / X-Ray Production and Quality / Attix – Ch 9 / Bolch
7 / Cavity Theory / Attix – Ch 10 / Bolch
9 / Cavity Theory / Attix – Ch 10 / Bolch
11 / General Properties of Radiation Detectors / Knoll – Ch 4 / Bolch
14 / General Properties of Radiation Detectors / Knoll – Ch 4 / Bolch
16 / Ionization Chambers / Knoll – Ch 5 / Bolch
18 / Ionization Chambers / Knoll – Ch 5 / Bolch
21 / Scintillation Detectors / Knoll – Ch 8-10 / Bolch
23 / Scintillation Detectors / Knoll – Ch 8-10 / Bolch
25 / Semiconductor Diode Detectors / Knoll – Ch 11 / Bolch
28 / Semiconductor Diode Detectors / Knoll – Ch 11 / Bolch
30 / Germanium and Solid-State Detectors / Knoll – Ch 12-13 / Bolch
November / 1 / Germanium and Solid-State Detectors / Knoll – Ch 12-13 / Bolch
4 / Luminescent Dosimeters / Knoll – Ch 19 / Bolch
6 / Luminescent Dosimeters / Knoll – Ch 19 / Bolch
8 / No Class – UF Homecoming
Date / Course Topic / Reading / Lecturer
11 / No Class – Veteran's Day
13 / Electronic Dosimeters / Knoll – Ch 19 / Bolch
15 / Electronic Dosimeters / Knoll – Ch 19 / Bolch
18 / Slow Neutron Detectors / Knoll – Ch 14 / Bolch
20 / Fast Neutron Detectors / Knoll – Ch 15 / Bolch
22 / No Class – Bolch Travel
25 / Review of Term Paper / PowerPoint Slides Formats
27 / No Class – Thanksgiving Holiday
29 / No Class – Thanksgiving Holiday
2 / No Class – RSNA Meeting
4 / No Class – RSNA Meeting
6 / No Class – Reading Day
Homework:Five to six problems will be assigned for each chapter covered in the course text. Problem sets will be due within one week. Grades will be reduced 20% per day late.
Exams: Three non-cumulative exams will be given during the semester on the following dates: February 17, March 24, and April 28. Make-up examswill only be considered for exceptional circumstances and will be implemented by the instructor on a case-by-case basis. Notice of the absence must be given to the instructor prior to the start of each exam.
Review Papers: Students are asked select a topic related to radiation detection or dosimetry, and perform a detailed literature review of that detection method and its applications to medical dosimetry, diagnostic imaging, and/or treatment planning. The review article will following the Instructions to Contributors for the journal Medical Physics. Grades for the final manuscripts will be based upon (1) technical content, (2) writing style, and (3) adherence to journal article submission guidelines.
Students are asked to follow the author instructions to the letter, except for the following:
- Limit your total number of pages of text (Abstract to Conclusions) to no more than 15 pages and no fewer than 10 pages.
- Submit only one copy of the Cover Letter, one copy of the Copyright Transfer Agreement, and one copy of the Manuscript (including all tables and figures) all in MS Word format
- Use the following file names: Cover Letter – Last Name.docx, Copyright Agreement – Last Name.docx, and Paper – Last Name.docx.
- Each paper must have at least two tables and two figures.
- Each paper must have at least 5 peer-reviewed journal article citations (beyond textbooks or conference proceedings).
Each manuscript will be submitted with a cover letter to the appropriate Editor-in-Chief noting why you think your work is worthy of publication. Final manuscripts are due by email onApril 18. Reviewed manuscripts will be returned later that week.
Review PaperPresentations: On Saturday Morning, April 26starting at 9 am, we will meetto hold oral presentations on your shielding design projects. Each presentation will be limited to 12 minutes with 3 minutes for questions. I will be available prior to your presentation date (schedule to be announced)to review your presentations and load them on my laptop. We will do these presentations using the software GoToMeeting.
Homework Policy
Wesley E. Bolch
1.Homework sets will be collected as completed via scanned copies sent by email.
2.Homework to be turned in must be neat, legible, stabled, and on one side of the paper only. As a general practice, work each homework problem on a scratch paper and recopy when thought to be correct and complete. All homework problems will be graded; however, the instructor reserves the right to give zero credit for any problem that does not appear neat, legible, and easy to follow.
3.For each problem...
a)Start each problemon a separate page.
b)Paraphrase the problem to be solved.
c)State all given and pertinent data, and specify the sources for each.
d)List all pertinent formulas or laws needed to solve the problem.
e)State clearly all assumptions made.
f)Solve the equations specified above with minimal calculation of intermediate values. When reporting intermediate values, carry 2-3 extra significant digits until the final answer is given.
g)Within each equation to be solved, show units for every numerical value substituted. Perform a unit analysis for both intermediate and final answers.
h)Label and box your final answer. Give no more than one significant digit beyond those of your input data.
i)The instructor reserves the right to give zero credit to a problem if any one of these steps are not followed.
4.Partial credit will be given for each worked problem.
5.Turn in each homework with the homework assignment as the first page.
BME 6535 – Radiation Detection, Measurement, and DosimetryPage 1
WE Bolch