Energy Deposition and DNA Damage Analysis of Protons and Alpha Particles simulated with FLUKA applied to a cellular model
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29384/rbfm.2025.v19.19849001796Keywords:
microdosimetry, simulation, DNAAbstract
Microdosimetry is a crucial research area in the development of radiotherapy that aims to understand dose variations at the subcellular level. This work addresses microdosimetry with proton and ion beams, focusing on energy deposition in a cellular geometric model implemented using the Monte Carlo method via FLUKA software. Scenarios were simulated where a proton beam or an alpha particle beam, with energies ranging from 1 to 20 keV, interacted with a simplified cellular model. Detectors were set up to record fluence and energy density in the medium during simulations. The results showed that more particles reached the nucleus as beam energy increased, especially for alpha particles. Energy density analysis revealed that the depth of maximum deposition increases with kinetic energy and was higher for alpha particles. Subsequently, using MCDS (Monte Carlo Damage Simulation) software, dose data from simulations were used to calculate the probability of various DNA damage types—base lesions (BD), single-strand breaks (SSB), and more complex breaks. This study confirmed the effectiveness of the model in simulating microdosimetric effects, highlighting differences in energy deposition and DNA damage between protons and alpha particles. These findings contribute to a better understanding of radiation interactions and the improvement of radiotherapy.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Victória Raposo, Joel Mesa Hormaza
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