BIOPHYSICAL STUDIES WITH SPATIALLY CORRELATED IONS .2. MULTIPLE-SCATTERING, EXPERIMENTAL FACILITY, AND DOSIMETRY

Experiments examining the role of interaction distance in radiobiology have been undertaken using molecular beams which dissociate in thin Mylar cell substrates. The separate particles diverge because of multiple scattering but remain correlated. The separation between the particles follows a distribution with a characteristic separation determined by the material thickness. The relative effects of irradiation with correlated and uncorrelated particles measure an effect of interaction between the two separate tracks of the pair of particles. This paper describes the experimental facilities and dosimetry for this family of experiments. Multiple-scattering measurements are described and the shape and width of the distribution is consistent with published works. The calculations of characteristic separations between correlated pairs as they proceed through the Mylar substrate into the cell at various depths are discussed. The associated radiobiology experiments described in subsequent articles were conducted using 33 keV/μm deuterons or protons with characteristic separations between 100 and 400 nm.