Nanodosimetry, from radiation physics to radiation biology

In view of the fact that early damage to genes and cells by ionising radiation starts with the early damage to segments of the DNA, it is a great challenge to radiation research to describe the general behaviour of ionising radiation in nanometric target volumes (nanodosimetry). After summarising basic aspects of nanodosimetry, an overview is given about its present state. As far as experimental procedures are concerned, main emphasis is laid on single-ion counting and single-electron counting methods, which use millimetric target volumes filled with a low-pressure gas to simulate nanometric target volumes at unit density. Afterwards, physical principles are discussed, which can be used to convert experimental ionisation cluster-size distributions into those caused by ionising radiation in liquid water. In the final section, possibilities are analysed of how to relate parameters derived from the probability of cluster-size formation in liquid water to parameters derived from radiobiological experiments.