Surdutovich Studies the Effects of Radiation on Tissue

High energy carbon ions are increasingly used to treat cancer. But what really happens when a carbon ion interacts with tissue? Visiting Assistant Professor Eugene Surdutovich, of the Department of Physics, has launched a wide-ranging, multi-scale study of the interaction of ions with tissue. In his recent publication, Temperature and Pressure Spikes in Ion-Beam Cancer Therapy (Physcial Review E, Volume 80, Article Number 031913, September, 2009), Surdutovich finds that the ion can cause a very large temperature increase very close to the ion track for a very brief time. This "thermal spike" can result in many thermal and mechanical effects, including brief pressure increases. The effect is just one piece of a fascinating puzzle of how radiation damages DNA.