Simple and universal model for electron-impact ionization of complex biomolecules

Area of Science:

• Physics
• Biophysics
• Radiochemistry

Background:

• Electron impact ionization is crucial for understanding DNA damage in radiobiology.
• Secondary electrons generated by particle therapy are the primary cause of DNA damage.
• Accurate total ionization cross section (TICS) data are vital for radiobiology simulations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a simple and universal approach for calculating TICS in condensed-phase biomaterials.
• To provide a predictive tool for situations with limited experimental TICS data.

Main Methods:

• The study extends the dielectric formalism to calculate TICS.
• The method requires only chemical composition, density, and mean binding energy.
• It is applicable to DNA bases and other complex biomolecules.

Main Results:

• Calculated TICS show good agreement with experimental data.
• The results compare favorably with other theoretical calculations.
• The method demonstrates effectiveness for complex biomolecules.

Conclusions:

• The presented method offers a simple and effective way to determine TICS for biomaterials.
• This approach can significantly aid radiobiology simulations in particle cancer therapy.
• It is particularly useful for estimating TICS where experimental data are scarce.