Shielding ability of sandwich configuration for high-energy electrons in magnetic field

Given the aerospace equipment failure and radiation damage of astronauts caused by spatial high-energy electron, a metal/vacuum sandwich configuration was proposed based on electron return effects induced by magnetic field. The continuous energy spectrum of spatial high-energy electron was simulated and shielding ability of sandwich configuration in magnetic field was investigated by using the Monte Carlo method. Moreover, the influences of magnetic flux density and layer of metal on the shielding property of sandwich systems were investigated by using a female Chinese hybrid reference phantom based on cumulative dose. Results show that the sandwich systems presented have improved shielding ability to electrons and less secondary X-ray transmissions than the conventional systems. The cumulative dose decreased and shielding ability increased with increasing magnetic flux intensity. The Ti/Ti sandwich configuration exhibited superior high-energy shielding performance. Due to its effective high-energy electron shielding ability, this type of shielding system might be used for further space radiation protection in a high-energy electron environment.