Dose and dose rate measurements in proton beams using the luminescence of beryllium oxide

The present work investigates methods for dose and dose rate measurements in proton beams using the luminescence of beryllium oxide (BeO). Experiments are carried out to determine the response of the optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) of BeO aswell as the radioluminescence (RL) of BeO within the depth dose profile of a 190 MeV scattered proton beam. The acquired data is compared to an ionization chamber reference and a Monte Carlo simulation. Both dose readings from the RL and OSL measurements show accurate values in the entrance path with an increasing underestimation in the high LET region of the Bragg peak. The amount of this quenching is different for RL and OSL so that the ratio of RL to OSL dose measurements opens venues to correct the measurements to the accurate dose.