Neutron insensitive depolymerization of polyacrylamide for californium-252 photon dosimetry.

A photon dosimeter based on degradation of polyacrylamide (PAA) in dilute aqueous solution has been found to be insensitive to neutrons from Cf-252, independent of photon energy from 34 keVeff to 1.33 MeV, and useful over a dose range of 1 to 100 Gy. Because this dilute polymer solution is virtually 100% water, it is nearly tissue equivalent for photon absorption as well as neutron scatter and attenuation. Radiation response was determined by measuring decreases in viscosity three days after irradiation. The measured response is dose rate independent from 10 to over 300 Gy/h but increases rapidly at lower dose rates. Long-term, radiation-induced viscosity changes were also observed. The many advantages of this tissue equivalent system for photon/neutron dosimetry suggest the need for further studies of the observed over-response at low dose rates.