The Determination of LET Spectra from Energy-proportional Pulse-height Measurements II. A Monte Carlo Unfolding Procedure

Abstract

The mathematical problem of unfolding LET spectra from observed pulse-height measurements is formulated and analytic solutions for the sphere and infinite slab are discussed. An iterative Monte Carlo procedure is presented for unfolding LET spectra from pulse-height measurements from any energy-proportional device. The method, which utilizes track-length distributions obtained by the technique described in the preceding paper, Part I, places no restrictions on the geometrical shape of the device or on the geometry of the source of particles bombarding it. The procedure is applied to examples of charged-particle and neutron irradiation in which both spherical and cylindrical proportional counters are considered. While no exhaustive study is attempted, the results show that, even in its simplest form, the method could be adapted to routine health physics monitoring. Ways of improving the procedure and incorporating more elaborate programs are discussed.