Experimental study of nuclear fragmentation of 200 and 400 MeV/u ¹²C ions in water for applications in particle therapy

Carbon ion beams in the energy range of about 100–450 MeV/u offer excellent conditions for tumour therapy, in particular for the treatment of deep-seated radio-resistant tumours. Their depth-dose distribution is characterized by a low dose in the entrance channel, small lateral beam spread and an elevated biological effectiveness in the Bragg peak region. In comparison to protons the radiation field of heavier ions stopping in tissue is however more complex due to nuclear fragmentation reactions occurring along their stopping path. This results in an attenuation of the primary beam flux and a build-up of lower-Z fragments with longer ranges causing the characteristic dose tail beyond the Bragg peak. In the present work the characteristics of secondary charged particles at various depths of water were investigated experimentally using ¹²C ion beams of 200 and 400 MeV/u delivered by the heavy-ion synchrotron SIS-18 at GSI Darmstadt. The nuclear charge Z_f of secondary fragments was identified by combining energy loss and time-of-flight (TOF) measurements. Energy spectra and yields were recorded at lab angles of 0° – 10° and at seven different water depths corresponding to the entrance channel, the Bragg peak region and the tail of the Bragg curve. (paper)