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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2013

Monte-Carlo Simulations of Heavy Ions Track Structures and Applications

In space, astronauts are exposed to protons, high ]energy heavy (HZE) ions that have a high charge (Z) and energy (E), and secondary radiation, including neutrons and recoil nuclei produced by nuclear reactions in spacecraft walls or in tissue. The astronauts can only be partly shielded from these particles. Therefore, on travelling to Mars, it is estimated that every cell nucleus in an astronaut fs body would be hit by a proton or secondary electron (e.g., electrons of the target atoms ionized by the HZE ion) every few days and by an HZE ion about once a month. The risks related to these heavy ions are not well known and of concern for long duration space exploration missions. Medical ion therapy is another situation where human beings can be irradiated by heavy ions, usually to treat cancer. Heavy ions have a peculiar track structure characterized by high levels of energy ]deposition clustering, especially in near the track ends in the so ]called eBragg peak f region. In radiotherapy, these features of heavy ions can provide an improved dose conformation with respect to photons, also considering that the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of therapeutic ions in the plateau region before the peak is sufficiently low. Therefore, several proton and carbon ion therapy facilities are under construction at this moment

Plante, Ianik↗
NASA NTRS1993

Effect Of Auger Recombination In An Ion Track

Report presents theoretical calculations of contribution of Auger recombination to depletion of charge carriers from ionization track left by passage of energetic heavy ion through silicon-based electronic device.

Edmonds, Larry D.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Monte-Carlo Simulation of Heavy Ion Track Structure Calculation of Local Dose and 3D Time Evolution of Radiolytic Species

Heavy ions have gained considerable importance in radiotherapy due to their advantageous dose distribution profile and high Relative Biological Effectiveness (RBE). Heavy ions are difficult to produce on Earth, but they are present in space and it is impossible at this moment to completely shield astronauts from them. The risk of these radiations is poorly understood, which is a concern for a 3-years Mars mission. The effects of radiation are mainly due to DNA damage such as DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), although non-targeted effects are also very important. DNA can be damaged by the direct interaction of radiation and by reactions with chemical species produced by the radiolysis of water. The energy deposition is of crucial importance to understand biological effects of radiation. Therefore, much effort has been done recently to improve models of radiation tracks.

Plante, Ianik↗
NASA NTRS1994

Cosmic heavy ion tracks in mesoscopic biological test objects

Since more than 20 years ago, when the National Academy of Sciences and the National Research Council of the U.S.A. released their report on 'HZE particle effects in manned spaced flight', it has been emphasized how difficult - if not even impossible - it is to assess their radiobiological impact on man from conventional studies where biological test organisms are stochastically exposed to 'large' fluences of heavy ions. An alternative, competing approach had been realized in the BIOSTACK experiments, where the effects of single cosmic as well as accelerator - heavy ions on individual biological test organisms could be investigated. Although presented from the beginning as the preferable approach for terrestrial investigations with accelerator heavy ions too ('The BIOSTACK as an approach to high LET radiation research'), only recently this insight is gaining more widespread recognition. In space flight experiments, additional constraints imposed by the infrastructure of the vehicle or satellite further impede such investigations. Restrictions concern the physical detector systems needed for the registration of the cosmic heavy ions' trajectories as well as the biological systems eligible as test organisms. Such optimized procedures and techniques were developed for the investigations on chromosome aberrations induced by cosmic heavy ions in cells of the stem meristem of lettuce seeds (Lactuca sativa) and for the investigation of the radiobiological response of Wolffia arriza, which is the smallest flowering (water) plant. The biological effects were studied by the coworkers of the Russian Institute of Biomedical Problems (IBMP) which in cooperation with the European Space Agency ESA organized the exposure in the Biosatellites of the Cosmos series. Since biological investigations and physical measurements of particle tracks had to be performed in laboratories widely separated, the preferred fixed contact between biological test objects and the particle detectors until the geometrical correlation between tracks and organisms has been established could not be maintained. This gave rise to half a dozen of coordinate systems for different measurements which finally had to be related to a single stack reference system.

Facius, R.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Soft-error generation due to heavy-ion tracks in bipolar integrated circuits

Both bipolar and MOS integrated circuits have been empirically demonstrated to be susceptible to single-particle soft-error generation, commonly referred to as single-event upset (SEU), which is manifested in a bit-flip in a latch-circuit construction. Here, the intrinsic characteristics of SEU in bipolar (static) RAM's are demonstrated through results obtained from the modeling of this effect using computer circuit-simulation techniques. It is shown that as the dimensions of the devices decrease, the critical charge required to cause SEU decreases in proportion to the device cross-section. The overall results of the simulations are applicable to most integrated circuit designs.

Zoutendyk, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Characteristics of tracks of ions of 14 less than or equal to Z less than or equal to 36 in common rock silicates.

Identification of heavy ion tracks in minerals by measurements of track etch rates and total etchable track lengths were irradiated with beams of Si, Cl, Ti, Fe, Zn, and Kr at energies up to 10.35 MeV/nucleon. Nine minerals commonly used to study fossil cosmic ray tracks in meteorites and lunar samples. From measurements of etched track length as a function of residual range, response curves for various minerals were determined as a function of ionization rate, using the expression previously derived by Price et al. (1968). These curves increase smoothly with ionization rate instead of rising abruptly at some critical value as was previously thought. It is shown that the track etch rate concept accounts qualitatively for total etchable track length distributions, but that the positions of the peaks of different elements in these histograms occur at shorter lengths for fossil tracks than for fresh tracks. Annealing data indicate that, at maximum lunar surface temperatures, tracks in olivine, orthopyroxenes, and feldspars may be significantly shortened, whereas tracks in clinopyroxenes will not be affected.

Price, P. B.↗
NASA NTRS2009

3D Visualization of Monte-Carlo Simulation's of HZE Track Structure and Initial Chemical Species

Heavy ions biophysics is important for space radiation risk assessment [1] and hadron-therapy [2]. The characteristic of heavy ions tracks include a very high energy deposition region close to the track (<20 nm) denoted as the track core, and an outer penumbra region consisting of individual secondary electrons (6-rays). A still open question is the radiobiological effects of 6- rays relative to the track core. Of importance is the induction of double-strand breaks (DSB) [3] and oxidative damage to the biomolecules and the tissue matrix, considered the most important lesions for acute and long term effects of radiation. In this work, we have simulated a 56Fe26+ ion track of 1 GeV/amu with our Monte-Carlo code RITRACKS [4]. The simulation results have been used to calculate the energy depiction and initial chemical species in a "voxelized" space, which is then visualized in 3D. Several voxels with dose >1000 Gy are found in the penumbra, some located ~0.1 mm from the track core. In computational models, the DSB induction probability is calculated with radial dose [6], which may not take into account the higher RBE of electron track ends for DSB induction. Therefore, these simulations should help improve models of DSB induction and our understanding of heavy ions biophysics.

Plante, Ianik↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Monte Carlo Study of the Formation of Chromosome Aberrations by Direct Ion Traversal vs. Delta-Electrons

Space radiation constitutes a major risk for the safety of space travel. Galactic Cosmic Rays (GCRs) are made of high energy protons (87%), high energy helium ions (12%) and high-charge and energy (HZE) ions [1]. At a cellular scale, HZE ions display a characteristic pattern of energy deposition, known as the ion track, that correlates with the ion linear energy transfer (LET). These energy deposition events (ionizations/excitations) create DNA breaks that, if misrepaired, lead to the formation of chromosome aberrations (CAs). Compared to low-LET terrestrial radiations (X-rays and γ-rays), high LET ions are known to create complex, clustered DNA breaks that are particularly efficient at forming CAs. Indeed, ion tracks are usually described as a dense ionization core, where clustered breaks are formed, and a penumbra, made of low-LET δ-electrons that have sufficient energy to travel across many cells and induce breaks that are more homogeneously distributed. In this work, we investigated the formation of CAs, and separated them into two contributions (direct ion traversal of the nucleus vs.δ-electrons), to elucidate to which extent δ-electrons contribute to CA formation.

Floriane Poignant↗
NASA NTRS2013

Development of the Code RITRACKS

A document discusses the code RITRACKS (Relativistic Ion Tracks), which was developed to simulate heavy ion track structure at the microscopic and nanoscopic scales. It is a Monte-Carlo code that simulates the production of radiolytic species in water, event-by-event, and which may be used to simulate tracks and also to calculate dose in targets and voxels of different sizes. The dose deposited by the radiation can be calculated in nanovolumes (voxels). RITRACKS allows simulation of radiation tracks without the need of extensive knowledge of computer programming or Monte-Carlo simulations. It is installed as a regular application on Windows systems. The main input parameters entered by the user are the type and energy of the ion, the length and size of the irradiated volume, the number of ions impacting the volume, and the number of histories. The simulation can be started after the input parameters are entered in the GUI. The number of each kind of interactions for each track is shown in the result details window. The tracks can be visualized in 3D after the simulation is complete. It is also possible to see the time evolution of the tracks and zoom on specific parts of the tracks. The software RITRACKS can be very useful for radiation scientists to investigate various problems in the fields of radiation physics, radiation chemistry, and radiation biology. For example, it can be used to simulate electron ejection experiments (radiation physics).

Plante, Ianik↗
NASA NTRS1984

Formation of ion damage tracks

A new model is proposed to explain both localized damage regions and preferential etching of damage tracks caused by the passage of energetic ions in insulators. The formation of each region of extended defects is initiated by the Auger decay of a vacancy produced in an inner electronic shell of an atom of the insulator by an incident ion. This decay produces an intense source of ionization within a small volume around the decaying atom, which causes decomposition of the material in a manner similar to that observed in pulsed laser irradiation. The resulting chemical or crystalline modification of the material is the latent track, which can be preferentially etched due to its changed structure.

Tombrello, T. A.↗
NASA NTRS2001

Raman and FTIR Studies of Silicon Carbide Surface Damage from Palladium Implantation in Presence of Hydrogen

The ion implantation in a crystal such as silicon carbide will cause both damage in the ion track and in the substrate at the end of the ion track. We used both keV, and MeV Pd ions in fabricating electronic chemical sensors in silicon carbide, which can operate at elevated temperatures. In order to study the feasibility of fabricating an optical chemical sensor (litmus sensor), we need to understand the optical behavior of the embedded damage in the presence of hydrogen, as well as the potential chemical interaction of silicon carbide broken lattice bonds with the hydrogen dissociated from gas by palladium. Implanted samples of silicon carbide were studied using both Raman spectroscopy and FTIR (Fourier Transform-Infrared). The results of this work will be presented during the meeting.

Muntele, I.↗
NASA NTRS1995

Heavy ion track-structure calculations for radial dose in arbitrary materials

The delta-ray theory of track structure is compared with experimental data for the radial dose from heavy ion irradiation. The effects of electron transmission and the angular dependence of secondary electron ejection are included in the calculations. Several empirical formulas for electron range and energy are compared in a wide variety of materials in order to extend the application of the track-structure theory. The model of Rudd for the secondary electron-spectrum in proton collisions, which is based on a modified classical kinematics binary encounter model at high energies and a molecular promotion model at low energies, is employed. For heavier projectiles, the secondary electron spectrum is found by scaling the effective charge. Radial dose calculations for carbon, water, silicon, and gold are discussed. The theoretical data agreed well with the experimental data.

Cucinotta, Francis A.↗
NASA NTRS1991

Multiple-Bit Errors Caused By Single Ions

Report describes experimental and computer-simulation study of multiple-bit errors caused by impingement of single energetic ions on 256-Kb dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) integrated circuit. Studies illustrate effects of different mechanisms for transport of charge from ion tracks to various elements of integrated circuits. Shows multiple-bit errors occur in two different types of clusters about ion tracks causing them.

Zoutendyk, John A.↗
NASA NTRS2014

RITRACKS: A Software for Simulation of Stochastic Radiation Track Structure, Micro and Nanodosimetry, Radiation Chemistry and DNA Damage for Heavy Ions

The code RITRACKS (Relativistic Ion Tracks) has been developed over the last few years at the NASA Johnson Space Center to simulate the effects of ionizing radiations at the microscopic scale, to understand the effects of space radiation at the biological level. The fundamental part of this code is the stochastic simulation of radiation track structure of heavy ions, an important component of space radiations. The code can calculate many relevant quantities such as the radial dose, voxel dose, and may also be used to calculate the dose in spherical and cylindrical targets of various sizes. Recently, we have incorporated DNA structure and damage simulations at the molecular scale in RITRACKS. The direct effect of radiations is simulated by introducing a slight modification of the existing particle transport algorithms, using the Binary‐Encounter‐Bethe model of ionization cross sections for each molecular orbitals of DNA. The simulation of radiation chemistry is done by a step‐by‐step diffusion‐reaction program based on the Green's functions of the diffusion equation]. This approach is also used to simulate the indirect effect of ionizing radiation on DNA. The software can be installed independently on PC and tablets using the Windows operating system and does not require any coding from the user. It includes a Graphic User Interface (GUI) and a 3D OpenGL visualization interface. The calculations are executed simultaneously (in parallel) on multiple CPUs. The main features of the software will be presented.

Plante, I↗
NASA NTRS2014

A Radiation Chemistry Code Based on the Green's Function of the Diffusion Equation

Stochastic radiation track structure codes are of great interest for space radiation studies and hadron therapy in medicine. These codes are used for a many purposes, notably for microdosimetry and DNA damage studies. In the last two decades, they were also used with the Independent Reaction Times (IRT) method in the simulation of chemical reactions, to calculate the yield of various radiolytic species produced during the radiolysis of water and in chemical dosimeters. Recently, we have developed a Green's function based code to simulate reversible chemical reactions with an intermediate state, which yielded results in excellent agreement with those obtained by using the IRT method. This code was also used to simulate and the interaction of particles with membrane receptors. We are in the process of including this program for use with the Monte‐Carlo track structure code Relativistic Ion Tracks (RITRACKS). This recent addition should greatly expand the capabilities of RITRACKS, notably to simulate DNA damage by both the direct and indirect effect.

Plante, Ianik↗
NASA NTRS1988

On the relationship between dynamics of the polar thermosphere and morphology of the aurora - Global-scale observations from Dynamics Explorers 1 and 2

The effect of the neutral-air circulation in the high-latitude F region on the spatial distribution of the aurora is investigated on the basis of simultaneous global-scale auroral images and neutral-wind vectors obtained over the northern polar cap by the DE 1 and DE 2 satellites in December 1981. The results are presented graphically, along with DE 2 data on the composition, ion densities, and cross-track ion drift of the neutral winds and ISEE-3 IMF measurements, and analyzed. It is found that the large-scale features of the neutral circulation follow the substorm-driven expansion and contraction of the auroral oval, and that the drag effect from ions convecting sunward extends to much lower latitudes and has a more complex morphology than that predicted by GCMs. A number of asymmetries in the flow patterns are considered in detail.

Killeen, T. L.↗
NASA NTRS2014

Simulations of DSB Yields and Radiation-induced Chromosomal Aberrations in Human Cells Based on the Stochastic Track Structure Induced by HZE Particles

The formation of double‐strand breaks (DSBs) and chromosomal aberrations (CAs) is of great importance in radiation research and, specifically, in space applications. We are presenting a new particle track and DNA damage model, in which the particle stochastic track structure is combined with the random walk (RW) structure of chromosomes in a cell nucleus. The motivation for this effort stems from the fact that the model with the RW chromosomes, NASARTI (NASA radiation track image) previously relied on amorphous track structure, while the stochastic track structure model RITRACKS (Relativistic Ion Tracks) was focused on more microscopic targets than the entire genome. We have combined chromosomes simulated by RWs with stochastic track structure, which uses nanoscopic dose calculations performed with the Monte‐Carlo simulation by RITRACKS in a voxelized space. The new simulations produce the number of DSBs as function of dose and particle fluence for high‐energy particles, including iron, carbon and protons, using voxels of 20 nm dimension. The combined model also calculates yields of radiation‐induced CAs and unrejoined chromosome breaks in normal and repair deficient cells. The joined computational model is calibrated using the relative frequencies and distributions of chromosomal aberrations reported in the literature. The model considers fractionated deposition of energy to approximate dose rates of the space flight environment. The joined model also predicts of the yields and sizes of translocations, dicentrics, rings, and more complex‐type aberrations formed in the G0/G1 cell cycle phase during the first cell division after irradiation. We found that the main advantage of the joined model is our ability to simulate small doses: 0.05‐0.5 Gy. At such low doses, the stochastic track structure proved to be indispensable, as the action of individual delta‐rays becomes more important.

Ponomarev, Artem↗