ANS is committed to advancing, fostering, and promoting the development and application of nuclear sciences and technologies to benefit society.
Explore the many uses for nuclear science and its impact on energy, the environment, healthcare, food, and more.
Division Spotlight
Reactor Physics
The division's objectives are to promote the advancement of knowledge and understanding of the fundamental physical phenomena characterizing nuclear reactors and other nuclear systems. The division encourages research and disseminates information through meetings and publications. Areas of technical interest include nuclear data, particle interactions and transport, reactor and nuclear systems analysis, methods, design, validation and operating experience and standards. The Wigner Award heads the awards program.
Meeting Spotlight
2025 ANS Annual Conference
June 15–18, 2025
Chicago, IL|Chicago Marriott Downtown
Standards Program
The Standards Committee is responsible for the development and maintenance of voluntary consensus standards that address the design, analysis, and operation of components, systems, and facilities related to the application of nuclear science and technology. Find out What’s New, check out the Standards Store, or Get Involved today!
Latest Magazine Issues
Jun 2025
Jan 2025
Latest Journal Issues
Nuclear Science and Engineering
August 2025
Nuclear Technology
July 2025
Fusion Science and Technology
Latest News
Hanford proposes “decoupled” approach to remediating former chem lab
Working with the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy has revised its planned approach to remediating contaminated soil underneath the Chemical Materials Engineering Laboratory (commonly known as the 324 Building) at the Hanford Site in Washington state. The soil, which has been designated the 300-296 waste site, became contaminated as the result of a spill of highly radioactive material in the mid-1980s.
Duong Thanh Tai, Hoang Duc Tuan, Nguyen Xuan Hai, Nguyen Ngoc Anh, David Bradley, Peter Sandwall, James C. L. Chow
Nuclear Science and Engineering | Volume 199 | Number 2 | February 2025 | Pages 314-324
Research Article | doi.org/10.1080/00295639.2024.2366733
Articles are hosted by Taylor and Francis Online.
This study aims to describe the steps needed to be made in developing a commissioning report of a Halcyon linear accelerator utilizing the manufacturer’s golden beam data (GBD) as a reference in making the evaluation. The platform herein has determined the performance alignment of our local machine with the GBD obtained through comprehensive analyses. This made use of the gamma index and relative dose difference. This paper details the methodologies and outcomes of comparing local measurements against GBD during commissioning.
For the Halcyon linear accelerator, dosimetric data, including percentage depth doses, dose profiles, and output factors, were acquired using a three-dimensional scanning water tank and various ionization chambers. The GBD were exported from the treatment planning system and compared to the measurements. To evaluate the agreement between the GBD and measurements, gamma index and relative dose difference analyses were conducted.
For field sizes greater than 4 × 4 cm2, percentage depth doses and beam profiles, the gamma indices between GBD and measurements were less than 1%/1 mm. The gamma indices were found to be slightly greater for field sizes 2 × 2 cm2 and 4 × 4 cm2, remaining within 2%/2 mm, satisfying the American Association of Physicists in Medicine Medical Physics Practice Guideline 5 for commissioning and quality assurance of mega-volt photon beams. Deviations in the output factor between the GBD and measurements were not significant, remaining within 1%.
The GBD data were evaluated in the commissioning of a Halcyon linear accelerator, with analyses being made of the gamma index and relative dose difference. The gamma index analysis is shown to be an effective method for comprehensively evaluating deviations between the GBD and measurements in the beam matching process.