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In this work, the neutron radiation field at Heavy Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou (HIRFL) was investigated. Total neutron yields, spectra and angular distributions in the bombardment of various thick targets by C-12 and O-18 ions with energies up to 75 MeV/u were obtained using the activation method. The neutron dose equivalent rates of 60 MeV/u O-18 on various thick targets at different angles were measured with a modified A-B remmeter. Our results are compared with those of other reports.

The secondary neutron fields at the deep tumor therapy terminal at HIRFL (Heavy Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou) were investigated. The distributions of neutron ambient dose equivalent were measured with a FHT762 Wendi-II neutron ambient dose equivalent meter as the 12C ions with energies of 165, 207, 270, and 350 MeV/u bombarded on thick tissue-like targets. The thickness of targets used in experiments is larger than the range of the carbon ions. The neutron spectra and dose equivalent is simulated by using FLUKA code, and the results agree well with the experimental data. The experiment results showed that the neutron dose produced by fragmentation reactions in tissue can be neglected in carbon-ion therapy, even considering their enhanced biological effectiveness. These results are also valuable for radiation protection, especially in the shielding design of high energy heavy ion medical machines.

Carbon ions have significant advantages in tumor therapy because of their physical and biological properties. In view of the radiation protection, the safety of patients is the most important issue in therapy processes. Therefore, the effects of the secondary particles produced by the carbon ions in the tumor therapy should be carefully considered, especially for the neutrons. In the present work, the neutron radiation field induced by carbon ions was evaluated by using the FLUKA code. The simulated results of neutron energy spectra and neutron dose was found to be in good agreement with the experiment data. In addition, energy deposition of carbon ions and neutrons in tissue-like media was studied, it is found that the secondary neutron energy deposition is not expected to exceed 1% of the carbon ion energy deposition in a typical treatment.

The radioactivity induced by carbon ions of the Heavy Ion Medical Machine (HIMM) was studied to asses its radiation protection and environmental impact. Radionuclides in the accelerator component, and in the cooling water and air at the target area, which are induced from primary beam and secondary particles, are simulated by FLUKA Monte Carlo code. It is found that radioactivity in the cooling water and air is not very important at the required beam intensity and energy that is needed for treatment, while radionuclides in the accelerator component may cause some problems for maintenance work and, therefore, a suitable cooling time is needed after the machine is shut down.