ID:
510308
Duration (hours):
48
CFU:
6
SSD:
FISICA NUCLEARE E SUBNUCLEARE
Year:
2025
Overview
Date/time interval
Primo Semestre (22/09/2025 - 09/01/2026)
Syllabus
Course Objectives
At the end of the course the students will have acquired skills regarding the interaction of radiation with biological tissues and with detectors used in medical physics. They will be able to recognize the specificity of the effects (and uses) of radiation depending on the type and energy of the field. They will learn how radiation is used in medical applications, especially for the purpose of therapy, and how it is shielded depending on the type and energy. They will have acquired skills in dosimetry and how it is applied in medical physics. They will be able to answer questions about the use of radiation and dose measurement instruments. The long-term goal is to provide students with the necessary skills to deal with the study of specific protocols dedicated to clinical dosimetry and the related measurements typical of the profession of medical physicists. Learning outcomes: DdD1 Knowledge and understanding – Students will acquire an in-depth knowledge of the mechanisms of radiation-matter interaction, including the mathematical tools necessary for the description of the topics covered DdD2 Ability to apply knowledge and understanding – Students will be able to find strategies to solve practical dosimetry problems using the theoretical knowledge and practical examples learned. DdD3 Making judgements – Through the presentation of case studies taken from research or clinical practice, students will be able to choose the most suitable tools depending on the field of application in the frame of biomedical physics DdD5 Learning skills - The course includes moments of interactive teaching that require students to be able to get involved and self-evaluate with the aim of preparing for the oral exam and answering questions of a more applicative nature.
Course Prerequisites
Basic notions of nuclear physics
Teaching Methods
Lectures carried out through slides presentations and in-depth analysis on the blackboard; possibility of interventions by students for clarifications and/or discussion of the topics. Visits to laboratories. Lessons with interactive teaching, based on the production of concept maps in the classroom and moments of self-evaluation.
Assessment Methods
Oral exam aimed at verifying the skills acquired and the ability to rework the course contents. The test will privilege the discussion of the physical aspects of the topics covered and the applications in the field of medical physics and will give less importance to the detail of mathematical derivations. The student will be encouraged to reflect on realistic examples of radiation use in medicine and to critically discuss the motivations and specificities of the different cases treated (external and internal radiotherapy, diagnostics, radiation protection, dosimetry, etc.).
Texts
Materials (texts and slides) by the lecturer. Books: Pedro Andreo, David T. Burns, Alan E. Nahum, Jan Seuntjens, Frank Herbert Attix -Fundamentals of Ionizing Radiation Dosimetry ISBN: 978-3-527-80824-3 F. H. Attix, Introduction to radiological Physics and Dosimetry. WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim W. R. Leo, Techniques for Nuclear and Particle Physics Experiment. Springer-Verlag Berlin J. R. Lamarsh, Introduction to nuclear reactor theory. Addison-Wesley Publishing Company P. Mayles, A. Nahum, J.C. Rosenwald - Handbook of Radiotherapy H. Cember - Introduction to Health Physics, McGraw Hill F. Kahn, J. Gibbons, P. Sperduto - Treatment Planning in Radiation Oncology, Wolters Kluwer
Contents
The program includes an initial part in which the interaction of heavy charged particles and electrons, photons and neutrons with matter is described, with particular reference to the deposition of energy in biological matter. The second part concerns the quantities for the description of the radiation field and the interaction of radiation with matter as: flux, fluence, kerma, exposure and absorbed dose; attenuation, transfer and absorption coefficients for photons and kerma factors for neutrons. The concepts learned are then deepened in the explanation of clinical dosimetry in nuclear medicine (diagnostics and therapy with radiopharmaceuticals) and of the treatment plan for radiotherapy with external beams. Finally, the study of cavity theory for small (Bragg-Gray), intermediate (Spencer) and large (Burlin) cavities is introduced, as well as the problems related to radiation equilibrium and coupling of dosimetric materials. The program includes basics of microdosimetry with the introduction of the concepts of linear energy and specific energy and their distributions with reference to biological sites. The course closes with a lesson on detectors for microdosimetry.
Course Language
English
More information
The lecturer is available to receive students to further discuss the course topics upon request, in presence or on-line. For students who can certificate the impossibility to be present in class, the lecturer will provide additional materials for the exam preparation.
Degrees
Degrees (3)
PHYSICS
Bachelor’s Degree
3 years
PHYSICAL SCIENCES
Master’s Degree
2 years
SCIENZE FISICHE
Master’s Degree
2 years
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