Open AccessSimulation of Proton Neutralization Effect for Neutron Dosimetry
Author(s) -
Satoru Endo
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of radiation research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.643
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1349-9157
pISSN - 0449-3060
DOI - 10.1269/jrr.45.351
Subject(s) - proton , atomic physics , neutron , hydrogen atom , stopping power , hydrogen , electron , ionization , atom (system on chip) , recoil , nuclear physics , physics , ion , quantum mechanics , computer science , group (periodic table) , embedded system
Neutron dose is transferred to biological materials through the recoil protons produced by elastic scattering. When a low-velocity proton collides with the atoms or molecules of a target, it changes to a hydrogen atom by electron capture; this hydrogen atom then changes to a proton by losing the electron. Because the hydrogen atom has a different ionization cross section from that of a proton, the charge exchange processes need to be considered to calculate stopping power for low energy protons. The proton neutralization effect has been simulated by using a proton track structure code developed by taking into account charge exchange processes. The microdosimetric spectrum for 1 MeV neutrons was calculated by assuming a continuous slowing down approximation (csda) and the results of the proton track code. It was found that hydrogen atoms after proton neutralized by electron capture contribute about 24% to neutron dose.