title: The use of a syncytium model of the crystalline lens of the eye as a new tool to study the light flashes phenomenon seen by astronauts.
abstract: A syncytium model to study some electrical properties of the eye is proposed to study the phenomenon of anomalous light flashes (LF) perceived by astronauts in orbit. The crystalline lens is modelled as an ellipsoidal syncytium with a variable relative dielectric constant. The corresponding mathematical model is a boundary value problem for a system of two coupled elliptic partial differential equations in the two unknown syncytial electrical potentials. A numerical method to compute an approximate solution of this mathematical model is used, and some numerical results are shown. The model can be regarded as a new tool to study the LF phenomenon. In particular, the energy lost in the syncytium by a transversing cosmic charged particle is calculated and the results obtained with the syncytium model are compared with those obtained using the previously available Geant 3.21 simulation program. In addition, the interaction of antimatter-syncytium is studied, and the Creme96 computer program is used to evaluate the cosmic ray fluxes encountered by the International Space Station in its standard mission.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Fisica, Università de L'Aquila Via Vetoio (Coppito 1), 67010, Coppito, L'Aquila, Italy. giampietro.nurzia@aquila.infn.it
authors.forename: Giampietro
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Nurzia
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Scrimaglio
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Spataro
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zirilli
mesh_terms: D000337:Aerospace Medicine; D018480:Astronauts; D003359:Cosmic Radiation; D015726:Giant Cells; D006801:Humans; D007908:Lens, Crystalline / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D008027:Light; D008954:Models, Biological; D013026:Space Flight; D014796:Visual Perception / Q000528:radiation effects*