Appendix

Abstract

It is the total kinetic energy (dE t,r ) released by radiation of type r in a volume of mass dm. The units are also J·kg = Gy. Its distinction from absorbed dose is that kerma is the total energy released within a specific volume, whereas absorbed dose is the total energy absorbed in that volume. It is a useful quantity when assessing the dose to air in a location wherein individuals may have been located when absorbed doses to those individuals are not available or cannot be obtained, or when electronic equilibrium is not possible. It is often used for calibration of reference photon radiation fields.