Calculations of heavy-ion track structure.
A Monte Carlo model is presented to study details of the energy deposition inside tracks of heavy charged particles in water vapor. The input data for most of the calculations based on the binary encounter approximation are double-differential cross sections for electron emission after heavy-ion impact. The paths of the liberated electrons are simulated, taking into account elastic scattering, ionization, and excitation. Each basic interaction of an electron or heavy ion is treated individually. Radial dose distributions and specific energy deposition are calculated for projectiles from protons to uranium in the energy range from one to several hundred mega-electron volts per unified atomic mass unit. Good agreement with measurements in tissue-equivalent gas and propane is obtained for light and medium-heavy projectiles, whereas for heavy projectiles such as uranium, deviations around a factor of 2-3 are observed.
Carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance studies were made on mouse hemoglobin specifically labeled at the C-2 histidine position. Measurement of the spin lattice relaxation times of the label before and after hemolysis of the erythrocytes provides information on the intracellular fluid viscosities.