A water calorimeter based on radiation-induced conductivity

Abstract

A calorimeter is described that measures the delivered dosage of radiation by the induced electrical conductivity in water through the production of long-lived ions. The device is being developed for use in providing real-time measurements of beam losses in particle accelerators. It promises to be a simple, reliable and accurate device with a linear response from a few Grays up to a MegaGray with potential application in industry and medical clinics. A model of the physical processes that produce the long-lived ions; is presented in this paper and compared with the existing data. These ions have been implicated in the radiation lethality to living cells such that the water calorimeter might measure direct biological-equivalent dosage without recourse to intermediate protocols.