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ENGG 167

MEDICAL IMAGING
Lecture 1: Sept. 20 Radiation & -ray Interaction with Matter
References: The Essential Physics of Medical Imaging, Bushberg et al, 2nd ed. Radiation Detection and Measurement, Knoll, 2nd Ed. Intermediate physics for medicine and biology, Hobbie, 3rd ed.

Assigned Reading

Chapter 14 Intermediate Physics for Medicine and Biology R. K. Hobbie Chapters 2& 3 The Essential Physics of Medical Imaging, Bushberg

Ref: Bushberg

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Assigned Reading & LAB 1 report

The Essential Physics of Medical Imaging, Bushberg et al, Chapter 20 Radiation Detection & Measurement LAB 1 Thursday, Complete the online radiation training
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~ehs/training.shtml (click on the link to Radiation Safety Training (Annual Retraining))

Read the handout before going to the lab

Location Cesium Irradiator Level 2 in Borwell Research Building at DHMC. (take main elevator down to level 2, turn left, look for radiation sign, across from the snack machines) Lab director Auggie Ong TA Summer Gibbs
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Part 1 Radiation Review

(i) Atomic structure (ii) Nuclear particles (iii) Radiation decay (iv) Sources of Radiation

Ref: Bushberg

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(i) Atomic electronic energy levels

Typical nuclear diameter = 10-14 m Typical atomic diameter = 10-10 m Volume of the atom taken up by the nucleus is 10-12

(i.e. very small nucleus Most of the atom is electron cloud)

Ref: Bushberg

(i) Energy calculations

Units: Joule = kg m2/s2 (SI unit) Electron Volt = kinetic energy gained by an electron accelerated through 1Volt 1 eV = 1.6 x 10-19 J Energy calculations: E = h h = Planks constant, = photon frequency

h = 6.626x10-34 J s = 4.135 x 10-15 eV s Rest energy of a mass E = mc2 Energy conservation occurs in all decays and transitions Momentum conservation occurs in all elastic interactions

What is the rest mass energy of an electron ?

Ref: Knoll
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(i) Electronic energy levels and binding energies (Eb)

The energy required to remove an electron from the atom is called the binding energy, and increases with proximity to the nucleus. It also increases with increasing number of protons in the nucleus.

Why is the energy to the valence band so low (large negative number) for tungsten compared to hydrogen ?
Ref: Bushberg

(ii) Sub-atomic nuclear particles

1 amu = 1.6726 1027 kg or 938.3 MeV/c2

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Ref: Bushberg

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(ii) Nuclear structure

Ref: http://serc.carleton.edu/images/usingdata/nasaimages/periodic-table.gif

(ii) Nuclear families

Why are there more N than P in higher atomic number nuclei ?

Ref: Bushberg

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(iii) Nuclear decay production of radiation

The fundamental law of radioactive decay is that the rate is proportional to the number of nuclei present: dN/dt = - N Leading to the solution: N(t) = N0e-t The nuclear decay half-life can be estimated when N(t)/N0 = 0.5, leading to t1/2 = ln(2)/. This is the time for the radioactive source to decay by half. Fundamental units of radioactivity, in terms of disintegration rate: Definition abbreviation Curie = 3.7 x 1010 disintegrations/sec Ci (common unit) Becquerel = 2.703 x 10-11 Ci Bq (SI unit) Specific activity of a source is activity divided by mass: Specific activity = activity/mass

What is l ?

Ref: Knoll

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(iv) Sources of Radiation

(a) Electrons - Beta decay - Internal conversion - Auger electrons - Alpha decay - spontaneous fission - Gamma rays following Beta decay - Annihilation radiation - Bremsstrahlung - Characteristic x-rays - spontaneous fission - radioisotopes - photo-neutrons - reactions with accelerated charged particles
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(b) Heavy Particles (charged) (c) Electromagnetic (photons)

(d) Neutrons

Ref: Knoll

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(iv.a) Electron Sources - Beta decay

X and Y are initial and final nuclear species, radiation given off is an electron (betaminus) and anti-neutrino. Nucleus Y recoils, but with very little energy. Beta emitters are readily produced by neutron bombardment of stable materials. Pure Beta emitters decay to a ground state of Y, whereas other atoms which decay to excited state products also exist.

What is 14C dating ?

Ref: Knoll

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(iv.a) Electron Sources - Internal conversion

Internal conversion begins with an excited nuclear state, typically formed by a preceding process, often Beta decay. The nuclear state energy, Eex, is transferred directly to one of the orbital electrons, which has binding energy Eb. The electron then attains kinetic energy, Ee-, which tends to be narrow band. Typically multiple levels of electrons are given off, often superimposed on a Beta spectrum, leading to a complex energy spectrum in practice.

Ref: Knoll

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Assigned Reading
(i) The Essential Physics of Medical Imaging, Bushberg et al, Chapters 2&3 only. (ii) Intermediate Physics for Medical Imaging, 3rd Ed., Hobbie, Chapter 14 only. (handed out in class)

Ref: Bushberg

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Part 2 - Radiation Interaction with Matter

(i) Gamma ray photons (ii) Heavy charged particles (iii) Fast electrons (iv) Neutrons

Ref: Hobbie, Knoll, Bushberg

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(i) Gamma photons interaction with matter

(a) Rayleigh scattering (b) Compton scattering (c) Photoelectric absorption (d) Pair Production

(, )
(, e- ) (, e- ) (, e+ e- )

Ref: Knoll, Bushberg

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(i.a) Rayleigh Scattering (, )

notation for input and output products

Probability is low and decreases significantly with increasing energy

Ref: Bushberg

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(i.b) Compton Scattering

(, / e)

Ref: Bushberg

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(i.b) Compton scattering cross section - I

Ref: Hobbie

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(i.b) Compton scattering cross section - II

Ref: Hobbie

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(i.b) Compton scattering cross section - III

Ref: Hobbie

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(i.b) Compton scattering cross section IV

Ref: Hobbie

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(i.b) Compton scattering cross section V

Ref: Hobbie

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(i.c) Photoelectric Effect

A photon of energy h is absorbed and an electron of kinetic energy EKE = h - Eb is ejected. As the energy of the electron decreases below the binding energy of a shell, then the contribution to the overall cross section drops to zero from that shell.
Ref: Bushberg Hobbie

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(i.d) Pair Production (, e+ e-)

Ref: Bushberg

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(i) Physical interactions versus photon energy and Z number

Ref: Knoll

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(i) Relative contributions of physical interactions in Carbon

Note: barns/atom units

Ref: Hobbie

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(i) Relative contributions of physical interactions in tissue

Note: cm2/g units

Ref: Bushberg

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(i) Gamma ray attenuation The linear attenuation coefficient can be defined as: = (Rayleigh) + (Photoelectric) + (Compton) + (pair) Which is the total probability of interaction per unit length. The transmission of photons in a parallel beam through a thin medium is then: dI/dx = - I With general solution, I(x) = I0 e- x The mean free path is defined as lmfp = 1/ The mass attenuation coefficient is defined as / where is the density of the medium.

Ref: Knoll

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(i) Gamma ray attenuation Since Compton scattering processes dominate in many cases, there can be photons that scatter out of the beam being detected, and then later scatter back into the direction of the beam. The fraction of photons that contribute to this additional signal is called Build Up Factor, B(x,E). Simplistically, this could be included by the following equation: I(x) = I0 B(x,E) e- x

What is the relationship between cross section and attenuation coefficient? = NA tot /A, where A = atomic mass in g/mol
Ref: Knoll

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(i) Gamma ray attenuation example problem What is the transmission of 1 MeV photons through 10 cm of carbon, assuming only Compton Scattering was dominant ? from Figure 14.7 = 2 x 10-29 m2 per electron, Carbon has 6 electrons, so tot= 1.2 x 10-28 m2 per atom = 2000 kg/m3, NA = 6.022x1023 atom/mol, A=12 g/mol = NA tot /A = 12.7 m-1 I/I0 = exp(- x) = 0.28

Ref: Hobbie

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(i) Gamma ray attenuation example problem

What is the transmission of 100 keV photons (i.e. x-rays) through the same thickness ? from Figure 14.7 = 5 x 10-29 m2 per electron I/I0 = exp(- x) = 0.0017

Ref: Hobbie

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Assigned Reading & LAB 1 report

The Essential Physics of Medical Imaging, Bushberg et al, Chapter 20 Radiation Detection & Measurement LAB 1 Thursday Complete the online radiation training
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~ehs/training.shtml (click on the link to Radiation Safety Training (Annual Retraining))

Read the handout before going to the lab

Location Cesium Irradiator Level 2 in Borwell Research Building at DHMC. (take main elevator down to level 2, turn left, look for radiation sign, across from the snack machines) group 1 group 2 group 3 group 4
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9:00 - 10:30am 10:30-12:00 1:00 - 2:30pm 2:30 - 5:00pm

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