2019/2020

2020/2021

DM270

FIS/07 (APPLIED PHYSICS (CULTURAL HERITAGE, ENVIRONMENT, BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE))

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS

Fisica biosanitaria

2°

1st semester (05/10/2020 - 20/01/2021)

6

48 lesson hours

Italian

WRITTEN AND ORAL TEST

BORTOLUSSI SILVA (titolare) - 5 ECTS
BALLARINI FRANCESCA - 1 ECTS

The student is required to have or to acquire knowledge about the fundamentals of Monte Carlo method and statistics. Basic notions of nuclear physics and interaction radiation-matter are required.

Learning of the fundamental concepts and methods of the techniques to simulate the interaction of the radiation with matter. Learning of the basics of a transport code. Learning of the main aspects of modelling radiation-induced biological effects.

The first part of the course is dedicated to a simulation code which transports neutrons, photons and electrons, as well as charged particles. There will be a series of practical lessons, after a brief theoretical introduction, in which the students will learn to create an input file and to simulate transport problems. At the end of this first part, the students will be able to create geometries, to set the physics, to make requests to the program and to analyze the results from a statistical point of view. The second part of the course is dedicated to the modelization and simulation of radiation-induced biological effects at the sub-cellular/cellular level and at the level of tissues and organs. The attention will be focused on chromosome aberrations and their consequences in terms of cell death or cell conversion to malignancy, as well as the modelization of such effects at the tissue/organ level, with examples of applications in hadrontherapy and space radiation protection. Seminars will also be offered to the students as a general introduction to the simulation codes FLUKA and GEANT-4, and their applications in the field of bio-sanitary physics.

A part of the course is made up of theoretical lessons, to introduce the topics and the resolution of the practical exercises. The major part of the course is dedicated to practical exercises using the PC.

Lecture notes
Manuals of the transport codes
E. Alpen, Radiation Biophysics, Elsevier

Practical and oral examination. The practical part consists in the resolution of an exercise of simulation. This part has the goal to verify if the student has acquired a suitable autonomy in facing a typical transport problem in the field of biomedical physics, applying the tools learned during lessons and completing the input preparation, the debugging and the run that produces results. The student must be able to comment the exercise in its parts, answering technical questions, and to analyze the output. The oral part is related to the modelization of radiation-induced biological damage.

Practical and oral examination. The practical part consists in the resolution of an exercise of simulation. This part has the goal to verify if the student has acquired a suitable autonomy in facing a typical transport problem in the field of biomedical physics, applying the tools learned during lessons and completing the input preparation, the debugging and the run that produces results. The student must be able to comment the exercise in its parts, answering technical questions, and to analyze the output. The oral part is related to the modelization of radiation-induced biological damage.