An analytical formalism of the terahertz (THz) radiation generation by beating of two lasers in a plasma with the density hill is investigated. The lasers propagate obliquely to the density gradient, and the nonlinearity arises through the ponderomotive force. The density gradient renders the ponderomotive force driven beat frequency nonlinear current density ${\overrightarrow{J}}^{\mathit{N}\mathit{L}}$ to possess a nonzero curl ($\nabla \times {\overrightarrow{J}}^{\mathit{N}\mathit{L}}\ne 0$ ) when θ is finite, giving rise to the THz radiation generation. The plasma frequency peak ${\omega }_{\mathit{p}\mathit{max}}$ is below the frequency difference of the lasers (${\omega }_{\mathit{p}\mathit{max}}<({\omega }_1-{\omega }_2)\hspace{0.17em}\text{cos}\hspace{0.17em}\theta$ , where ${\omega }_1$ and ${\omega }_2$ are the frequencies of the laser, and θ is the angle that is arrived by their propagation vectors with the density gradient) to avoid THz reflection. The THz power conversion efficiency decreases with the THz frequency, increases with the plasma frequency and electron temperature, and maximizes at an optimum angle of incidence. For our set of parameters, the radiated THz power is about 0.15 GW.

In Korea, when replacing or discarding parts of a medical linear accelerator (linac), self-disposal is required in the consideration of the activity, but there is no standard regulation to manage radioactive waste. The aim of this study is to check the activity of each part to determine the disposal time according to the clearance level for self-disposal. The results of measuring the components of the linac head parts of the disposed Varian, Elekta, and Siemens equipment were reflected in the Monte Carlo simulation to confirm the radionuclide change according to the presence or absence of impurities. To confirm the degree of activation of the linac, the main radionuclides according to the time after the linac shutdown, considering the workloads of 40/80 Gy/day of 10/15 MV linac irradiated with beams for 10 years in the results of the simulation of the linac parts, and the radionuclide concentration was confirmed. As a result of applying the clearance level for self-disposal in the notice of the Korean Nuclear Safety (KINS) to each linac head part, most parts of the 10 MV linac could be dismantled after 1 month, and 15 MV target and primary collimators were stored after a long period of time before being dismantled. Although additional radionuclides were identified according to the presence or absence of impurities, the disposal timing for each part did not change significantly. In this study, the clearance level for self-disposal for each radionuclide was applied to activated parts by three manufacturers to confirm the self-disposal timing and predict the timing at which workers are not exposed to radiation during dismantling/disposal.

Although research into ultrahigh dose-rate (UHDR) radiation therapy is ongoing, there is a significant lack of experimental measurements for two-dimensional (2D) dose-rate distributions. Additionally, conventional pixel-type detectors result in significant beam loss. In this study, we developed a pixel array-type detector with adjustable gaps and a data acquisition system to evaluate its effectiveness in measuring UHDR proton beams in real time. We measured a UHDR beam at the Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences using an MC-50 cyclotron, which produced a 45-MeV energy beam with a current range of 10–70 nA, to confirm the UHDR beam conditions. To minimize beam loss during measurement, we adjusted the gap and high voltage on the detector and determined the collection efficiency of the developed detector through Monte Carlo simulation and experimental measurements of the 2D dose-rate distribution. We also verified the accuracy of the real-time position measurement using the developed detector with a 226.29-MeV PBS beam at the National Cancer Center of the Republic of Korea. Our results indicate that, for a current of 70 nA with an energy beam of 45 MeV generated using the MC-50 cyclotron, the dose rate exceeded 300 Gy/s at the center of the beam, indicating UHDR conditions. Simulation and experimental measurements show that fixing the gap at 2 mm and the high voltage at 1000 V resulted in a less than 1% loss of collection efficiency when measuring UHDR beams. Furthermore, we achieved real-time measurements of the beam position with an accuracy of within 2% at five reference points. In conclusion, our study developed a beam monitoring system that can measure UHDR proton beams and confirmed the accuracy of the beam position and profile through real-time data transmission.