Radiation Sciences
Code
11261
Academic unit
Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia
Department
Departamento de Física
Credits
3.0
Teacher in charge
Filipe Ribeiro Ferreira da Silva
Weekly hours
2
Teaching language
Português
Objectives
At the end of the curricular unit the students should have achieved knowledge, skills and competences that will allow to:
- Understand differences between ionizing radiation and non-ionizing radiation; understand the radiation interaction with
matter; understand the effects of ionizing and non-ionizing radiation with the human body.
- Identify differences in medical applications of radiation, namely in diagnostic and therapeutic processes.
- To know different diagnostic and therapeutic processes that use radiation.
- To have basic concepts in radiation protection.
Subject matter
Curricular unit of Radiation Sciences is divided in 5 blocks:
Block 1 – Introduction: general concepts and units; ionizing and non-ionizing; the electromagnetic spectrum; (2 h)
Block 2 – Radiation interaction with matter: excitation and ionization processes; attenuation effects; Electromagnetic
radiation (X and γ rays); electrical charged particles (α and β particles), Auger electrons, electron beams, positrons,
protons and ions; Neutral particles (8 h)Block 3 – Radiation effect in the human body, non-ionizing radiation sources and biological effects of non-ionizing
radiation. Low energy electrons and its interaction with biological components. Ionizing radiation: applications in medicine
(8 h)
Block 4 – Radiation protection: dose concept and security rules (2 h)
Block 5 – Seminar in Research topic (4 h) and clinical visit (4 h)
Bibliography
Radiation Biophysics
Edward L. Alpen
Academic Press, 1998, 2nd Ed.
ISBN: 0-12-053085-6
Electromagnetic Fields and Radiation
Riahd W. Y. Habash
NY 2002
ISBN: 0-8247-0677-3