The radiation protection of astronauts during space missions

seminario_logo
Il giorno 1 luglio 2019, ore 14.30, nelle aule 2G26 e 2G27, la dottoressa Filomena Loffredo -assegnista di tipologia A- terrà un seminario sull'attività svolta a conclusione della sua annualità.
 
 
 
"Dosimetry in the Space: The radiation protection of astronauts during space missions"
 
 
Abstract
The risks related to space radiation exposure can be acute and deferred because of the complex nature of the space radiation environment. The study of materials suitable for radiation protection of astronauts in space missions is always a topic of fundamental importance. This work shows the results of the comparison of the effectiveness of different materials in cutting down the radiation dose and is intended as a contribution to the search of the most appropriate material for radiation protection against the Solar Particle Events. The physics case deals with the interaction of a 1 GeV proton beam with slabs of different materials having a thickness of 20 g cm−2. The study was conducted with a simulation tool based on the well-known simulation package Geant4. We focus in this work only on impinging protons with the energy of 1 GeV, and not on the whole energy spectrum of Solar Particle Events, because the simulated dose can be easily verified under strict experimental conditions thus providing the benefit of the validation of the prediction capabilities of the simulation tool developed. We conclude that the Nomex material, with the inclusion of a percentage of air, is more efficient than aluminum for what it concerns the shielding of the 1 GeV proton component of the Solar Particle Events.
 
 
 
References
1. Loffredo F et al. 2015, Validation of the electromagnetic physical processes with software Spenvis, American Journal of Environmental Protection 4 275–8
2. Loffredo F et al. 2017, Validation of electromagnetic and hadronic physical processes in the interaction of a proton beam with matter: a solar particle events case study with an Al slab, Adv. Space Res. 59 393–400
3. Loffredo F et al. 2018, Nomex with boron as a neutron shielding in space: Preliminary study, Nuovo Cimento della Società Italiana di Volume 41, Issue 6, November 2018, Article number 220
4. Loffredo F et al. 2019, Space missions: comparison of shielding effectiveness among different materials using 1GeV protons, Mater. Res. Express 6 (2019) 016544
Data: 01/07/2019