Characteristics and highlights

Key advantages of PSDs for medical physicists include:
‍Ultra-fast response time (nanoseconds): Enables accurate dosimetry for high-dose-rate and ultra-high-dose-rate therapies like FLASH and Protons. 
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Water-equivalence:
Ensures the detector accurately measures dose delivered to the patient, eliminating the need for complex correction factors.
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MR-Linac compatibility:
‍Functions reliably within strong magnetic fields, facilitating real-time dosimetry during MR-guided radiotherapy.
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Cost-effective and user-friendly implementation.
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Blue Physics PSD Technology:
Blue Physics PSDs utilize a specialized plastic doped with a fluorescent dye.  When irradiated, the dye converts absorbed energy into light. This light is collected by a photomultiplier tube (PMT), which transforms light signals into electrical signals. An electronic readout system amplifies, digitizes, and processes the signals, enabling precise dose calculations.

Applications:

• Time Saving: Enables very fast beam measurements for commissioning and QA times.
• High and ultra-high-dose-rate therapies: Ensure accurate dosimetry in FLASH and other advanced treatment modalities.
• MR-Linacs: Overcome dosimetry challenges in MR-guided radiotherapy environments.
• Patient-specific QA: Verify dose distributions during treatment and compare them to treatment plans.
• Machine QA: Routinely assess linac performance for treatment delivery accuracy and consistency.