Model for electron emission of high-Z radio-sensitizing nanoparticle irradiated by X-rays

Abstract

In this paper we develop a new model for the electron emission of high-Z nanoparticle irradiated by X-rays. This study is motivated by the recent advances about the nanoparticle enhancement of cancer treatment by radiotherapy. Our original approach combines a pure probabilistic analytical model for the photon trajectories inside the nanoparticle and subsequent electron cascade trajectories based here on a Monte-Carlo simulation provided by the Livermore model implemented in Geant4. To compare the nanoparticle and the plane surface electron emissions, we also develop our model for a plane surface. Our model highlights and explains the existence of a nanoparticle optimal radius corresponding to a maximum of nanoparticle electron emission. It allows us to study precisely the nanoparticle photon absorption and electron cascade production depth in the nanoparticle.