On the validity of the independent reaction times approximation for the description of the nonhomogeneous kinetics of liquid water radiolysis

The validity of using the independent reaction times (IRT) method to describe the nonhomogeneous reaction kinetics of complex and spatially correlated systems, such as ionising radiation track segments in liquid water, is tested. The time-dependent yields of various radiolytic species obtained with the IRT method are shown to compare well to those of a full step-by-step Monte Carlo simulation code. The good agreement between the two methods still holds as the linear energy transfer of the radiation is increased from 0.3 to 45 keV μm-1