Simulation of the primary stage of liquid water radiolysis

Abstract

The computer simulation of the primary stage of liquid water radiolysis have been made for irradiation by fast electrons with E 0= 1, 5 and 10 keV. The specific features of the liquid phase in comparison with gas phase are taken into account, such as the essential lowering of ionization potential and plasmon-type collective excitations. These factors result in high ionization yield in liquid water g i=6.57, that is more than 4 times greater than the total excitation yield g ex=1.43. The evolutions of excited and ionized states have been considered from which it follows that the electron-ion recombination must be taken into account. The water molecules resulting after recombination are created in highly excited vibrational states with yield g vib=1.75. The results of our computer simulation have been used for estimation of the yields of the intermediate radiolysis products on the basis of the radiolysis scheme with allowance made for the decay of super-excited states and for the “cage effect”.