EPR and UV spectroscopic study of table sugar as a high-dose dosimeter

The possibilities for the estimation of the absorbed dose for high-energy radiation with a new self-calibrated dosimeter containing table sugar as a radiation-sensitive material and Mn2+/MgO as an internal standard by the method of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) is reported. The dose response of this dosimeter is represented as the ratio between the EPR signal intensities of sugar and Mn2+ versus absorbed dose. Because the EPR spectra of both substances are simultaneously recorded, the influence of some related instrumental setting parameters were investigated. UV spectral studies on water solutions of irradiated solid sugar were also performed. In all solutions of irradiated sugar samples a band at 267 nm was recorded as linearly increasing intensity with the absorbed dose. The minimum detectable dose using the UV spectrum of water solutions of irradiated sugar is 100 Gy. Combination of EPR and UV spectral data is possible to use for independent internal or international calibration and control of dose estimations. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.