Charged particle interactions in water: cross-sections and simulation

Detailed knowledge of the microscopic distribution of interactions and espe cially of the energy deposited in irradiated matter is of prime interest in gaining an understanding of radiation action. Monte Carlo event-by-event s imulations are particularly suitable for such studies. The development of s uch codes necessitates accurate interaction cross-sections for all the impo rtant collision processes, most notably for inelastic collisions that resul t in energy transfer. A semi-theoretical formalism for constructing the rel evant cross-sections for the water medium is presented. (C) 2001 Elsevier S cience Ltd. All rights reserved.