Proton inelastic mean free path in a group of bioorganic compounds and water in 0.05–10 MeV range – Including higher-order corrections

Abstract

The systematic calculations of the inelastic mean free paths (MFP) of 0.05–10 MeV protons in a group of eleven important bioorganic compounds, i.e. DNA, five bases, three fatty acids, cellulose and β -carotene, have been performed. The expressions for the calculations are derived from the Ashley’s optical-data model and from the higher-order correction terms in stopping power calculations. Especially, the Bloch correction for the inelastic MFP is proposed empirically in this work. The inelastic MFPs for energetic protons in water are also evaluated and compared with other theoretical calculations. The proton inelastic MFPs for these 11 bioorganic compounds in the energy range from 0.05 to 10 MeV are presented here for the first time, and might be useful for studies of various radiation effects in these materials.