Microscopic track structure of equal-LET heavy ions

The spatial distributions of ionization and energy deposition produced by heavy (HZE) ions are crucial to an understanding of their radiation quality as exhibited eg., in track segment experiments of cell survival and chromosome aberrations of mammalian cells. The stopping power (or LET) of a high velocity ion is proportional to the ratio Z**2/v**2, apart from a slowly varying logarithmic factor. The maximum delta-ray energy that an ion can produce is proportional to v**2 (non-relativistically). Therefore, two HZE ions having the same LET, but in general differing Z and v will have different maximum delta-ray energies and consequently will produce different spatial patterns of energy deposition along their paths. To begin to explore the implications of this fact for the microscopic dosimetry of heavy ions, we have calculated radial distributions in energy imparted and ionization for iron and neon ions of approximately equal LET in order to make a direct comparison of their delta-ray track structure. Monte Carlo techniques are used for the charged particle radiation transport simulation. 10 refs., 8 figs