Fundamental Data

Working Group 6.36 deals with the determination of fundamental data with regard to the interaction of ionizing radiation with matter including radiation transport calculations with the aid of different Monte Carlo methods. These data are important for dosimetry both in radiation protection and in radiation therapy. A further important focus is the radiation‑sensitizing effect of gold nanoparticles in theranostic applications.

For this purpose, our Working Group operates several apparatuses for measuring different electron interaction cross sections, a low‑energy proton accelerator and a time‑of‑flight mass spectrometer. The tasks are carried out in close cooperation with Division 8 as well as with different national and international institutions, for example UKE (University Medical Center Hamburg‑Eppendorf), the Heidelberg Ion‑Beam Therapy Center and MAASTRO clinics.

• Experimental and theoretical determination of total as well as of differential elastic electron cross sections and double‑differential ionization cross sections of dosimetrically relevant gases
• Double‑differential ionization and fragmentation cross sections of dosimetrically relevant gases upon proton impacts with energies in the Bragg peak range
• Measurement of the ion stopping cross sections and the I‑values of tissue
• Experimental determination of the electron emission spectra of gold nanoparticles upon the irradiation with electrons, protons and X‑rays
• Computational radiation dosimetry by means of Monte Carlo simulations (track structure calculations, numerical characterization of complex radiation fields, development of numerical phantoms)