Spectral differences in 6 MV beams with matched PDDs and the effect on chamber response.

The Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (ARPANSA) has installed an Elekta Synergy platform linac to establish a direct megavoltage primary standard calibration service, instead of relying on calibrations derived from (60)Co. One of the 6 MV beams of the ARPANSA linac has been approximately matched to the Varian high energy platform 6 MV photon beam. The electron beam energy was adjusted to match the percentage depth dose (PDD) curve and TPR(20,10). This work calculates the error introduced when using a calibration factor from this Elekta Synergy Platform linac on a Varian high-energy platform beam at 6 MV. Monte Carlo models of the Varian and matched Elekta accelerator accurately predict the measured PDDs and profiles, but show significantly different energy spectra, resulting mainly from differences in target thickness between the two accelerators. Monte Carlo modelling of the energy correction factor k(Q) of a secondary standard NE2561 chamber shows a difference of 0.4% between the Varian and the Varian-matched Elekta beams. Although small, this is a significant discrepancy for primary standard calibrations. Similar variations are expected for chambers of similar construction, and additional variations may occur with other linac manufacturers. The work has also investigated the design of a custom flattening filter to precisely match the energy spectrum of the Varian beam on the Elekta platform.