Response characterization of ammonium tartrate solid state pellets for ESRdosimetry with radiotherapeutic photon and electron beams

Solid state pellets (1 mm thick) for electron spin resonance (ESR) dosimetr y were made using ammonium tartrate as the radiation-sensitive substance. T heir behaviour was experimentally investigated as a function of dose with C o-60 gamma rays. The calibration function obtained permits measurements of absorbed dose in the 2-50 Gy range, with a combined uncertainty of +/-4%. T he lowest detectable dose was about 0.5 Gy, These properties are comparable with or even better than those of ESR dosimeters made from other materials . The time stability of the ESR signal of ammonium tartrate dosimeters at d ifferent storage conditions after irradiation was studied. A rather complex behaviour was observed, which suggests that more species of free radicals are produced by radiation and that migration processes may be effective. No dependence of the response on beam quality was found for high-energy photo n and electron beams produced by a linear accelerator used in radiotherapy, whereas dose was underestimated with low-energy x-rays.