Filter/moderator system for a BNCT beam of epithermal neutrons at nuclear reactor MARIA

Boron Neutron Capture Therapy is a very promising form of cancer therapy, consisting in irradiating a stable isotope of boron (¹⁰B) concentrated in tumor cells with a low energy neutron beam. This technique makes it possible to destroy tumor cells, leaving healthy tissues practically unaffected. In order to carry out the therapy in the proper way, the proper range of the neutron beam energy has to be chosen.

In this paper we present a filter/moderator system modeled with MCNP code in order to obtain an epithermal neutron beam for BNCT post at MARIA reactor in Swierk.