A study of detector size effect using Monte Carlo simulation

The detector size effect due to the spatial response of defectors is one critical source of inaccuracy in clinical dosimetry and has been a subject of numerous studies. Conventionally, the detector response kernel contains all of the influence that the detector size has on the measured beam profile. Various analytic models for this kernel have been proposed and studied in theoretical and experimental works. Here, we use a method to determine detector response kernel simply by using Monte Carlo simulation and convolution theory. Based on this numerical method and DOSIMETER, an EGS4 Monte Carlo code, the detector response for a Farmer type ion chamber embedded in water phantom is obtained. There exists characteristic difference in the simulated chamber readings between one with carbon graphite wall and the other with Acrylic wail. Using the obtained response and the convolution theory, we are planning to derive the detector response kernel numerically and remove detector size effect from measurements for 6MV, 10${\times}$l0cm2 and 0.5${\times}$10 cm2 photon beam.