A two-source model for electron beams: Calculation of relative output factors

A two-source model for the calculation of relative output factors (ROF) for clinical applications of electron beams has been developed. The model consists of (1) an effective extended source above the final field-defining aperture (cutout) plane and (2) a source due to scattering from the aperture. Calculations are based on Fermi-Eyges theory and a pencil beam algorithm with parameters determined independently for each major scattering component. The model predicts a modified inverse square law for determining the dose rate for the electron beams. It also generalizes the "square-root method" and "one-dimensional method" that are often used clinically for ROF calculations. A computer program based on the model has been developed to calculate ROF for irregular fields. The predictions of ROF values have been compared with measurements on a Varian CLINAC 2100C/D accelerator for different cutout size, energies, applicators, and SSDs for square fields, rectangular fields, circular fields, and irregular fields. The agreement between prediction and measurement of the ROF for these wide range of conditions is generally within 1% for energies from 6 to 20 MeV. This two-source model can be used for clinical applications and it requires a minimal set of measured input data. (C) 2001 American Association of Physicists in Medicine.