Phy-X/ZeXTRa: a software for robust calculation of effective atomic numbers for photon, electron, proton, alpha particle, and carbon ion interactions.

Phy-X/ZeXTRa: a software for robust calculation of effective atomic numbers for photon, electron, proton, alpha particle, and carbon ion interactions. Radiat Environ Biophys. 2020 Jan 20;: Authors: Özpolat ÖF, Alım B, Şakar E, Büyükyıldız M, Kurudirek M Abstract The purpose of the present work is robust calculation of effective atomic numbers ([Formula: see text]s) for photon, electron, proton, alpha particle and carbon ion interactions through the newly developed software, Phy-X/ZeXTRa (Zeff of materials for X-Type Radiation attenuation). A pool of total mass attenuation and energy absorption coefficients (for photons) and total mass stopping powers (for charged particles) for elements was constructed first. Then, a matrix of interaction cross sections for elements Z = 1-92 was constructed. Finally, effective atomic numbers were calculated for any material by interpolating adjacent cross sections through a linear logarithmic interpolation formula. The results for [Formula: see text] for photon interaction were compared with those calculated through Mayneord's formula, which suggests a single-valued [Formula: see text] for any material for low-energy photons for which photoelectric absorption is the dominant interaction process. The single-valued [Formula: see text] was found to agree well with that obtained by other methods, in the low-energy region. In addition, [Formula: see text] values of various materials of biologi...
Source: Radiation and Environmental Biophysics - Category: Physics Authors: Tags: Radiat Environ Biophys Source Type: research