Characterization of Al2O3 sintered pellets for dosimetric applications in radiotherapy.

Al2O3 sintered pellets were tested in relation to their thermoluminescent properties, to investigate the possibility of their use for dosimetry in the radiotherapy cases of 60Co and x-radiation. The material is inexpensive and has a glow peak at about 280 degrees C, a linear dose response between 0.1 and 100 Gy, suitable reproducibility and a low detection limit. The thermoluminescent response can easily be corrected for fading and the energy dependence, when necessary.