Caricamento in corso...
Biomedical and industrial applications of radiation
02OKIXY, 02OKIMV, 02OKIND, 02OKIXC
A.A. 2026/27
Course Language
Inglese
Degree programme(s)
Master of science-level of the Bologna process in Ingegneria Energetica E Nucleare - Torino
Master of science-level of the Bologna process in Ingegneria Biomedica - Torino
Master of science-level of the Bologna process in Ingegneria Energetica E Nucleare - Torino
Master of science-level of the Bologna process in Ingegneria Biomedica - Torino
Course structure
| Teaching | Hours |
|---|
Lecturers
| Teacher | Status | SSD | h.Les | h.Ex | h.Lab | h.Tut | Years teaching |
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Co-lectures
Context
| SSD | CFU | Activities | Area context | ING-IND/18 | 6 | D - A scelta dello studente | A scelta dello studente |
|---|
2025/26
The course intends to describe the physics and the working principles that are the basis of many devices for biomedical and industrial applications employing beams of particles or, more generally, peculiar properties of the elementary particles (in particular, nuclear spin).
The scope of the course is the illustration of the applications of ionizing radiation both in the medical (diagnosis and therapy) and in the industrial field (non-destructive analysis, industrial processes). At the beginning of the course, a few lectures are devoted to the description of the main physical phenomena characterizing the interaction of ionizing radiation with matter. Concerning the applications, the course can be divided in two parts: in the first one the medical applications of radiation are described, starting from the devices for the production and detection of radiation and treating the main techniques that use ionizing radiations; in the second portion of the course various applications in the industrial fields are presented, in order to highlight the common background and potential further developments of the use of radiation.
The topics covered during this course complement the pre-existing education on radiation protection provided to the students in the MS program in Energy and Nuclear Engineering, providing useful insights to the fields of professional development not necessarily related to energy production. The course is also organized in order to allow students coming from a different background, such as Biomedical Engineering students, to gain insight in the ionizing radiation application field, considering the various medicine-related applications and gaining the technical competences to critically understand and analyze the potentialities of radiation for biomedical and industrial use.
The student will acquire knowledge of the phenomena connected with the interaction between radiation and matter, and he/she will learn how they can be exploited in devices for diagnostic and therapy uses.
The student must acquire the knowledge of the main phenomena connected to the propagation of radiation in material media and the capability to use the mathematical and computational tools for the solution of direct and inverse problems of medical and industrial applications. The student should also become confident with the different industrial environments where radiations are adopted.
Courses of Physics (I and II) and Calculus.
Courses of Physics (I and II) and Calculus (especially numerical methods for the solution of differential problems). Knowledge of the physics of radiation and its interaction with matter is not necessarily requested, as the fundamental information are given at the beginning of the course.
1. Elements of physics of elementary particles and of nuclei
Short introduction to quantum mechanics;
Fundamental interactions and Standard Model;
Structure of nuclei.
2. Interaction between radiation and matter
Definition of cross section;
Compton scattering, photoelectic effect, pair formation, bremsstrahlung;
Spontaneous and stimulated emission, photon absorption;
Interaction of heavy particles (ions or protons) with matter; Bethe-Bloch formula and Bragg’s peak.
3. Sources
X-ray sources;
Particle accelerators;
Lasers.
4. Use of radiation and particle beams in medicine
X-ray computed tomography;
X-ray radiation therapy;
Hadron therapy.
5. Nuclear magnetic resonance
Spin of elementary particles and nuclear spin;
Spin dynamics in presence of magnetic field and radio frequency ;
Techniques for 1D and 2D imaging.
RADIOACTIVITY AND INTERACTION BETWEEN RADIATION AND MATTER (12h)
Law/types of radioactive decay
Natural and artificial radioactivity
Interaction of neutral and charged particles with matter
Biological effects of ionizing radiation
Use of radionuclides in medicine
Use of Fourier Transform for the problem of interest in the course
MEDICAL APPLICATIONS – DIAGNOSTIC (24h)
Characteristics of the problem of imaging
Properties of the radiographic image
Devices for production and detection of images
Monte Carlo modelling of radiation transport for biomedical applications
Algorithms for image reconstruction
MEDICAL APPLICATIONS – THERAPY (9h)
Radiation therapy fundamentals
Gamma therapy
Brachitherapy
Boron Neutron Capture Theraphy (BNCT)
Hadrontherapy
INDUSTRIAL APPLICATIONS (15h)
Treatment of flue gases
Sterilization processes
Non-destructive analysis
Radiotracer applications
The course consists in lessons on theory (45 hours) and lessons on applications and examples (15 hours).
The course consists in around 45h of theoretical lectures, complemented by session with applications and examples of the concepts illustrated.
F. Close, Particle Physics - a very short introduction, Oxford University Press, 2012.
M.H. Levitt, Spin dynamics: basis of nuclear magnetic resonance, Wiley, 2008.
U. Amaldi, Fisica delle radiazioni, Boringhieri, 1971.
S. Webb, The physics of radiation therapy, IOP, 1988.
C.-M. Charlie Ma, ed., Proton and Carbon ion therapy, CRC press, 2013.
S. Webb, The physics of medical imaging, IOP, Bristol, 1988.
E.B. Podgoršak, Radiation Physics for Medical Physicists, Third Edition, Springer, 2016.
R.K. Hobbie, B.J. Roth, Intermediate Physics for Medicine and Biology, Fourth Edition, Springer, 2007.
F.M. Khan, The physics of radiation therapy, Williams and Wilkins, Baltimore, 1994.
Techbooks and publications on specific subjects are provided by the professor.
Slides; Esercizi;
Lecture slides; Exercises;
E' possibile sostenere l’esame in anticipo rispetto all’acquisizione della frequenza
You can take this exam before attending the course
Modalità di esame: Prova scritta (in aula);
Exam: Written test;
...
Written exam (1.5 h) on the contents of the course. Typically, three essay questions are proposed and the student must give a detailed answer to two of them. Notes and texts cannot be used during the exam.
Gli studenti e le studentesse con disabilità o con Disturbi Specifici di Apprendimento (DSA), oltre alla segnalazione tramite procedura informatizzata, sono invitati a comunicare anche direttamente al/la docente titolare dell'insegnamento, con un preavviso non inferiore ad una settimana dall'avvio della sessione d'esame, gli strumenti compensativi concordati con l'Unità Special Needs, al fine di permettere al/la docente la declinazione più idonea in riferimento alla specifica tipologia di esame.
Exam: Written test;
Written exam (1.5 h) on the contents of the course. Typically, four essay questions are proposed and one practical exercise: the student must give a detailed answer to two of the questions and solve the exercise. Notes and texts cannot be used during the exam. The final mark of the exam is evaluated as the weighted average of the mark obtained for each of the two questions and the exercise solution (with equal relative weight).
In addition to the message sent by the online system, students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) are invited to directly inform the professor in charge of the course about the special arrangements for the exam that have been agreed with the Special Needs Unit. The professor has to be informed at least one week before the beginning of the examination session in order to provide students with the most suitable arrangements for each specific type of exam.