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Division 6 Ionizing Radiation

In the recent past, radiation therapy with ion beams (e.g. protons or C-12 ions) has become of increasing importance. For this application, the ion beam is directed very precisely across the whole tumour volume by means of the so-called "raster scanning method". For carbon ions, this method has been developed at the Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung (GSI, Darmstadt) and is now used in therapy,...

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Within the scope of a technology transfer project (BMBF Project IND 08/10, January 2010 to December 2011), neutron dosimetry techniques relying on optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) were improved in cooperation with scientists from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC; Mumbai/India).

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As the first metrology institute worldwide, the Physikalisch-Technischen Bundesanstalt (PTB) aims at establishing a calibration chain for miniature X-ray tubes in the unit "absorbed dose to water".

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Since the beginning of the 1990s, PTB has carried out dosimetric investigations of the secondary cosmic radiation in the atmosphere. In the course of time, the measuring instruments became more and more compact but also considerably smaller. The measurements were, however, always performed at cruising altitudes between 8 km and 12 km. In July 2011, a measuring instrument developed in cooperation...

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The human eye is very sensitive to ionizing radiation. Scientists of the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) have carried out large-scale calculations to determine the dose of the eye lens in different radiation fields. The calculations are intended to contribute to the definition of concrete requirements for eye dosemeters, which will then have to be included in the respective standards....

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