Overview
This well-received textbook and reference summarizes the basic knowledge of atomic, nuclear, and radiation physics that professionals working in medical physics and biomedical engineering need for efficient and safe use of ionizing radiation. Concentrating on the underlying principles of radiation physics, it covers the prerequisite knowledge for medical physics courses on the graduate and post-graduate levels in radiotherapy physics, radiation dosimetry, imaging physics, and health physics, thus providing the link between elementary physics on the one hand and the intricacies of the medical physics specialties on the other hand. This expanded and revised second edition offers reorganized and expanded coverage. Several of the original chapters have been split into two with new sections added for completeness and better flow. New chapters on Coulomb scattering; on energy transfer and energy absorption in photon interactions; and on waveguide theory have been added in recognition of their importance. Others training for professions that deal with ionizing radiation in diagnosis and treatment as well as medical residents, students of technology and dosimetry,and biomedical engineering will find many sections interesting and useful for their studies. It also serves as excellent preparatory materials for candidates taking professional certification examinations in medical physics, medical dosimetry, and in medical specialties such as radiotherapy, diagnostic radiology, and nuclear medicine.
From reviews of the first edition:
"Any instructor teaching an introductory graduate-level course on the principles of medical physics should consider this book for adoption as a text… cover[s] the principles themselves, and it covers them very well." (Medical Physics, January 2006)
"… a delight and ready-reference also to seasoned practitioners… This textbook, based on notes the author ‘developed over the past 25 years of teaching radiation physics to MSc and PhD students in medical physics at McGill University’ is a real gem for the bookshelf of anyone already professional working in the radiation sciences…" (John H. Hubbell, Radiation Physics and Chemistry)
"...for the theory of radiation physics at a fundamental level, Podgorsak's book provides a wonderful resource presented in a well organized and easy to learn manner, in a way not found in any other text... " (Jake van Dyk, London Regional Cancer Program, Can. Med Phys Newsletter (July 2006)
Synopsis
This book summarizes the radiation physics knowledge that professionals working in medical physics need to master for efficient and safe dealings with ionizing radiation. It contains eight chapters, each chapter covering a specific group of subjects related to radiation physics and is intended as a textbook for a course in radiation physics in medical-physics graduate programs. However, the book may also be of interest to the large number of professionals, not only medical physicists, who in their daily occupations deal with various aspects of medical physics and find a need to improve their understanding of radiation physics.
The main target audience for this book is graduate students studying for M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in medical physics, who haveto possess the necessary physics and mathematics background knowledge to be able to follow and master the complete textbook. Medical residents, technology students and biomedical engineering students may find certain sections too challenging or esoteric, yet they will find many sections interesting and useful in their studies.
Candidates preparing for professional certification exams in any of the medical physics subspecialties should find the material useful, and some of the material would also help candidates preparing for certification examinations in medical dosimetry or radiation-related medical specialties.
Numerous textbooks are available covering the various subspecialties of medical physics but they generally make a transition from the elementary basic physics directly into the intricacies of the given medical physics subspecialty. The intent of this textbook is to provide the missing link between the elementary physics on the one hand and the physics of the subspecialties on the other hand.