Hydroxyl radical yields in the tracks of high energy 13C6+ and 36Ar18+ ions in liquid water

• Published in: Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section B, Beam interactions with materials and atoms Beam interactions with materials and atoms, 2006-04, Vol.245 (1), p.288-291
• Main Authors: Baldacchino, G., Vigneron, G., Renault, J.P., Le Caër, S., Pin, S., Mialocq, J.-C., Balanzat, E., Bouffard, S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Heavy ions; Hydroxyl radical; LET effect; Pulse radiolysis; Water radiolysis
• ISSN: 0168-583X; 1872-9584
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nimb.2005.11.116

This article reports the determination of the OH radiolytic yields in water irradiated by high energy C6+ and Ar18+ ions with LET values of 32±2 and 280±10eVnm−1. The time evolution of the yields between 9×10−11 and 9×10−8s was deduced using the scavenging method with SCN− and Br− and pulse radiolysis with pulses of 5 and 10μs. The thiocyanate chemical system is less affected with the local high dose rates specific to the high LET particles than the bromide system. At 32eVnm−1 with C6+ ions, G(OH) reaches a maximum of 1.5×10−7molJ−1 at 1ns and decreases at earlier times. With Ar18+ ions of 280eVnm−1G(OH) is always increasing at early times up to 1.6×10−7molJ−1 at 9×10−11s. In this case the evolution of the hydroxyl radical yields agrees with the high local concentrations obtained with Ar18+ and C6+ ions and depicted in recent literature with the yields of the hydrated electron in the ns range.