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An accurate modeling of radial energy deposition around ion tracks is a key requirement of radiation transport software used for simulations in radiobiology at the sub-cellular scale. The work presented in this paper is part of the on-going benchmarking of the Geant4-DNA physics processes and models, which are available in the Geant4 Monte Carlo simulation toolkit for the low energy transport of particles in liquid water. We present for the first time radial dose distributions of incident ion tracks simulated with Geant4-DNA. Simulation results are compared to other results available in the literature, obtained from analytical calculations, step-by-step Monte Carlo simulations and measurements. They show a reasonable agreement with reference data. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The use of ion microbeams as probes for computed tomography has proven to be a powerful tool for the three-dimensional characterization of specimens a few tens of micrometers in size. Compared to other types of probes, the main advantage is that quantitative information about mass density and composition can be obtained directly, using specific reconstruction codes. At the Centre d'Etudes Nucléaires de Bordeaux Gradignan (CENBG), this technique was initially developed for applications in cellular biology. However, the observation of the cell ultrastructure requires a sub-micron resolution. The construction of the nanobeam line at the Applications Interdisciplinaires des Faisceaux d'Ions en Region Aquitaine (AIFIRA) irradiation facility has opened new perspectives for such applications. The implementation of computed tomography on the nanobeam line of CENBG has required a careful design of the analysis chamber, especially microscopes for precise sample visualization, and detectors for scanning transmission ion microscopy (STIM) and for particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE). The sample can be precisely positioned in the three directions X, Y, Z and a stepper motor coupled to a goniometer ensures the rotational motion. First images of 3D tomography were obtained on a reference sample containing microspheres of certified diameter, showing the good stability of the beam and the sample stage, and the precision of the motion.

The use of ion microbeams as probes for computedtomography has proven to be a powerful tool for the three-dimensional characterization of specimens a few tens of micrometers in size. Compared to other types of probes, the main advantage is that quantitative information about mass density and composition can be obtained directly, using specific reconstruction codes. At the Centre d’Etudes Nucléaires de Bordeaux Gradignan (CENBG), this technique was initially developed for applications in cellular biology. However, the observation of the cell ultrastructure requires a sub-micron resolution. The construction of the nanobeamline at the Applications Interdisciplinaires des Faisceaux d’Ions en Region Aquitaine (AIFIRA) irradiation facility has opened new perspectives for such applications. The implementation of computedtomography on the nanobeamline of CENBG has required a careful design of the analysis chamber, especially microscopes for precise sample visualization, and detectors for scanning transmission ion microscopy (STIM) and for particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE). The sample can be precisely positioned in the three directions X, Y, Z and a stepper motor coupled to a goniometer ensures the rotational motion. First images of 3D tomography were obtained on a reference sample containing microspheres of certified diameter, showing the good stability of the beam and the sample stage, and the precision of the motion.

The DISRA (Discrete Image Space Reconstruction Algorithm) reconstruction code, created by A. Sakellariou, was conceived for the ideal case of complete three-dimensional (3D) PIXET (Particle Induced X-ray Emission Tomography) data. This implies two major difficulties for biological samples: first, the long duration of such experiments and second, the subsequent damage that occurs on such fragile specimens. For this reason, the DISRA code was extended at CENBG in order to probe isolated PIXET slices, taking into account the sample structure and mass density provided by 3D STIMT (Scanning Transmission Ion Microscopy Tomography) in the volume of interest. This modified version was tested on a phantom sample and first results on human cancer cells are also presented.