Individual Pulse Monitoring and Dose Control System for Pre-Clinical Implementation of FLASH-RT

Abstract: Ultra-high dose rate electron sources require dose rate independent dosimeters and a calibrated dose control system for accurate delivery. In this study, we developed a single-pulse dose monitoring and a real-time dose-based control system for a converted clinical linear accelerator (LINAC). A point scintillator detector was coupled to a gated amplifier and a real-time controller for dose monitoring and feedback control loop. The controller was programmed to integrate dose and measure pulse width of each radiation pulse and gate the LINAC beam when the prescribed dose was delivered. The scintillator was mounted in solid water phantom and placed underneath mice skin for in vivo dose monitoring. Additionally, the scintillator was characterized in terms of its radiation stability, mean dose-rate, and dose per pulse dependence. Dose integration was performed for each radiation pulse and displayed in real-time. The scintillator was shown to be linear with mean dose-rate (40-380 Gy/s) and dose per pulse (0.3-1.3 Gy/Pulse) to within +/- 3%. However, the plastic scintillator was subject to significant radiation damage (16%/kGy) and would need to be calibrated frequently. Pulse-counting control was accurately implemented with direct correspondence between the intended and the actual delivered pulses. The dose-based control was sufficient to gate on any pulse of the LINAC. In-vivo dosimetry monitoring with a 1 cm circular cut-out revealed that a ramp-up of 4-5 pulses was present during which the average dose per pulse was ~0.045 +/- 0.004 Gy/Pulse, whereas after the ramp-up it stabilized at 0.65 +/- 0.01 Gy/Pulse. The tools presented in this study can be used to determine the beam parameter space pertinent to the FLASH effect. Additionally, this study is the first instance of real-time dose-based control for a modified LINAC at ultra-high dose rates.