Measurements of G values for DNA damage induced by low-energy electrons

We address the problem of measuring G values (damage per unit of deposited energy) for low-energy electrons (LEEs) below 30 eV. Such values (G(LEE)) usually have to be derived from damage yields in nanometer- (~10-nm-) thick films, which are too thin to allow complete absorption of the energy of LEEs. In this work, we determine optimum corrections to obtain reliable G(LEE) values in 2-80-nm-thick films of plasmid DNA that are not uniform. G(LEE) was found to increase with average film thickness and reach a plateau at 260 ± 50 nmol/J around 20 nm, which corresponds to the most reliable value. The previously measured G(LEE) values for films thinner than 20 nm that were underestimated can be corrected using a factor derived from the present results. This method could be used to obtain reliable G(LEE) values for other biomolecules so as to enable the comparison of LEE-induced damage to that produced by other types of radiation under various experimental conditions.