A Monte-Carlo code for the detailed simulation of electron and light-ion tracks in condensed matter

Abstract

In an effort to understand the basic mechanism of the action of charged particles in solid radiation dosimeters, we extend our Monte-Carlo code (MC4) to condensed media (liquids/solids) and present new track-structure calculations for electrons and protons. Modeling the energy dissipation process is based on a model dielectric function, which accounts in a semi-empirical and self-consistent way for condensed-phase effects which are computationally intractable. Importantly, these effects mostly influence track-structure characteristics at the nanometer scale, which is the focus of radiation action models. Since the event-by-event scheme for electron transport is impractical above several kilo-electron volts, a condensed-history random-walk scheme has been implemented to transport the energetic delta rays produced by energetic ions. Based on the above developments, new track-structure calculations are presented for two representative dosimetric materials, namely, liquid water and silicon. Results include radial dose distributions in cylindrical and spherical geometries, as well as, clustering distributions, which, among other things, are important in predicting irreparable damage in biological systems and prompt electric-fields in microelectronics.