The primary objective of this research work package is to characterize the alterations in a particle beam when subjected to an external magnetic field. The two crucial parameters under investigation are the local dose variation and the local change in biological efficiency induced by the application of an external magnetic field. Furthermore, the validity of clinical beam quality specifiers, particularly the residual range, will be examined in the context of magnetic field conditions.
These investigations will be conducted using Monte Carlo simulations in Geant4/TOPAS. Within this simulation study, parameters such as the size and shape of both the incoming particle beam and the external magnetic field, the energy of the beam particles, the strength of the magnetic field, and the relative direction of the magnetic field and the particle beam will be varied. Furthermore, the effects on clinically relevant fields such as QA plans and treatment plans will be analyzed.
Fynn Joris Güldenhaupt, the PhD student employed in this project, collaborates with the University of Applied Sciences in Gießen and the TU Dortmund University.
