Investigation of ionization chamber perturbation factors using proton beam and Fano cavity test for the Monte Carlo simulation code PHITS

Abstract

The reference dose for clinical proton beam therapy is based on ionization chamber dosimetry. However, data on uncertainties in proton dosimetry are lacking, and multifaceted studies are required. Monte Carlo simulations are useful tools for calculating ionization chamber dosimetry in radiation fields and are sensitive to the transport algorithm parameters when particles are transported in a heterogeneous region. We aimed to evaluate the proton transport algorithm of the Particle and Heavy Ion Transport Code System (PHITS) using the Fano test. The response of the ionization chamber $f_{\text{Q}}$ and beam quality correction factors $k_{\text{Q}}$ were calculated using the same parameters as those in the Fano test and compared with those of other Monte Carlo codes for verification. The geometry of the Fano test consisted of a cylindrical gas-filled cavity sandwiched between two cylindrical walls. $f_{\text{Q}}$ was calculated as the ratio of the absorbed dose in water to the dose in the cavity in the chamber. We compared the $f_{\text{Q}}$ calculated using PHITS with that of a previous study, which was calculated using other Monte Carlo codes (Geant4, FULKA, and PENH) under similar conditions. The flight mesh, a parameter for charged particle transport, passed the Fano test within 0.15%. This was shown to be sufficiently accurate compared with that observed in previous studies. The $f_{\text{Q}}$ calculated using PHITS were 1.116 ± 0.002 and 1.124 ± 0.003 for NACP-02 and PTW-30013, respectively, and the $k_{\text{Q}}$ were 0.981 ± 0.008 and 1.027 ± 0.008, respectively, at 150 MeV. Our results indicate that PHITS can calculate the $f_{\text{Q}}$ and $k_{\text{Q}}$ with high precision.

Keywords: Fano test; Ionization chamber; Monte Carlo simulation; PHITS; Proton dosimetry.