Absorbed-dose/dose-rate dependence studies for the alanine-EPR dosimetry system

Over the course of the last decade, routine monitoring of the alanine dosimetry system revealed a small but significant observation that, after examination, led to the characterization of a previously unknown absorbed-dose-dependent, dose-rate effect for the alanine system. The newly discovered rate effect is of potential concern for electron-beam dosimetry, since electron-beam dosimetry typically derives its traceability to national standards through comparisons to gamma-ray calibrations of the dosimetry system. The largest discrepancy in source dose rates is between gamma-ray sources and electron-beam accelerators. Investigating the influence of temperature on the alanine rate effect is an important first step in preparation for a comparison study between electron-beam and gamma-ray dosimetry. Here, new data is presented on the influence of irradiation temperature (from −40 to +50 °C) on the dose-rate effect measured at 50 kGy.