title: Monte Carlo simulation of energy-deposit clustering for ions of the same LET in liquid water.
abstract: This work presents a Monte Carlo study of energy depositions due to protons, alpha particles and carbon ions of the same linear-energy-transfer (LET) in liquid water. The corresponding track structures were generated using the Geant4-DNA toolkit, and the energy deposition spatial distributions were analyzed using an adapted version of the DBSCAN clustering algorithm. Combining the Geant4 simulations and the clustering algorithm it was possible to compare the quality of the different radiation types. The ratios of clustered and single energy depositions are shown versus particle LET and frequency-mean lineal energies. The estimated effect of these types of radiation on biological tissues is then discussed by comparing the results obtained for different particles with the same LET.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Science Faculty, Université Saint Joseph, Beirut, Lebanon. ziad.francis@gmail.com
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Francis
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Incerti
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ivanchenko
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Champion
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Karamitros
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Bernal
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: El Bitar
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D000512:Alpha Particles; D002244:Carbon; D018499:Linear Energy Transfer; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D011522:Protons; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D011522:Protons; D014867:Water; D002244:Carbon