Bridging microdosimetry and macrodosimetry; A Comparative review of computational approaches

Sato, Tatsuhiko   

The practical application of microdosimetry remains limited due to computational difficulties associated with evaluating these stochastic quantities in macroscopic contexts such as the human body. To bridge the gap between microdosimetry and macrodosimetry, three approaches have been proposed and implemented: (1) direct integration of track-structure and macroscopic radiation transport codes; (2) integration of a database containing dose-mean values of microdosimetric quantities into macroscopic radiation transport codes; and (3) integration of the analytical microdosimetric function for instantaneously calculating the probability densities of microdosimetric quantities within macroscopic radiation transport codes. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the conceptual and practical differences between LET and microdosimetric quantities, including their respective computational methodologies. The advantages and limitations of the three aforementioned approaches are discussed, followed by a summary of previous research efforts and suggestions for future research directions.