Radiation Biology

Radiation biology is the scientific field that examines the effects of radiation, particularly ionizing radiation like X-rays and gamma rays, on living organisms. It explores how radiation energy is absorbed by biological tissues and the subsequent chemical and biological changes that occur at the molecular, cellular, and organismal levels. This discipline is fundamental to understanding the mechanisms of DNA damage, cell death, and carcinogenesis caused by radiation exposure, and it provides the scientific basis for applications such as cancer radiotherapy, medical imaging, and radiation protection standards.

1. Fundamentals of Radiation Physics
   1. The Atom and Radioactivity
      1. Atomic Structure
         1. Subatomic Particles
            1. Protons
            2. Neutrons
            3. Electrons
         2. Atomic Number and Mass Number
         3. Electron Shells and Energy Levels
         4. Nuclear Structure and Binding Energy
      2. Isotopes and Radionuclides
         1. Definition of Isotopes
         2. Stable vs. Unstable Isotopes
         3. Characteristics of Radionuclides
         4. Nuclear Stability and the Valley of Stability
      3. Radioactive Decay
         1. Principles of Radioactive Decay
         2. Decay Law and Exponential Decay
         3. Decay Constants and Activity
         4. Alpha Decay
            1. Emission of Alpha Particles
            2. Energy and Range of Alpha Particles
            3. Alpha Decay Energy Calculations
         5. Beta Decay
            1. Beta-minus Decay
            2. Beta-plus Decay
            3. Energy Spectrum of Beta Particles
            4. Neutrino Emission
         6. Gamma Emission
            1. Gamma Ray Characteristics
            2. Isomeric Transitions
            3. Internal Conversion
         7. Electron Capture
            1. Mechanism of Electron Capture
            2. Competing Decay Modes
            3. Characteristic X-ray Emission
         8. Spontaneous Fission
         9. Decay Chains and Secular Equilibrium
      4. Half-Life and Decay Statistics
         1. Definition and Calculation
         2. Physical Half-Life
         3. Biological Half-Life
         4. Effective Half-Life
         5. Mean Life and Decay Statistics
   2. Types of Radiation
      1. Classification of Radiation
         1. Ionizing vs. Non-ionizing Radiation
         2. Directly vs. Indirectly Ionizing Radiation
      2. Electromagnetic Radiation
         1. Properties of Electromagnetic Waves
         2. Energy-Frequency Relationship
         3. X-rays
            1. Production of X-rays
            2. Characteristic X-rays
            3. Bremsstrahlung X-rays
            4. X-ray Spectra
         4. Gamma Rays
            1. Origin of Gamma Rays
            2. Differences from X-rays
            3. Gamma Ray Energies
      3. Particulate Radiation
         1. Alpha Particles
            1. Mass and Charge
            2. Energy Characteristics
            3. Penetration and Range
            4. Biological Significance
         2. Beta Particles
            1. Electrons
            2. Positrons
            3. Energy Spectra
            4. Penetration and Range
         3. Neutrons
            1. Thermal Neutrons
            2. Fast Neutrons
            3. Neutron Sources
            4. Interactions with Matter
         4. Protons and Heavy Ions
            1. Mass and Charge Characteristics
            2. Energy Deposition Patterns
            3. Linear Energy Transfer
   3. Interaction of Radiation with Matter
      1. General Principles
         1. Energy Transfer Mechanisms
         2. Excitation
         3. Ionization
         4. Cross-Sections for Interactions
      2. Linear Energy Transfer
         1. Definition of LET
         2. Calculation Methods
         3. Low-LET Radiation
            1. Characteristics
            2. Biological Effects
         4. High-LET Radiation
            1. Characteristics
            2. Biological Effects
         5. LET and Radiation Quality
      3. Photon Interactions
         1. Photoelectric Effect
            1. Energy Dependence
            2. Atomic Number Dependence
            3. Photoelectron Production
         2. Compton Scattering
            1. Energy Transfer to Electrons
            2. Scattering Angle Relationships
            3. Compton Edge
         3. Pair Production
            1. Threshold Energy
            2. Annihilation Radiation
            3. Triplet Production
         4. Coherent Scattering
         5. Photodisintegration
      4. Charged Particle Interactions
         1. Stopping Power
            1. Electronic Stopping Power
            2. Nuclear Stopping Power
         2. Range in Matter
            1. Mean Range
            2. Extrapolated Range
         3. Bragg Peak Phenomenon
         4. Straggling Effects
      5. Neutron Interactions
         1. Elastic Scattering
         2. Inelastic Scattering
         3. Neutron Capture
         4. Nuclear Reactions
         5. Neutron Activation
   4. Radiation Dosimetry
      1. Fundamental Quantities and Units
         1. Activity
            1. Becquerel
            2. Curie
            3. Specific Activity
         2. Exposure
            1. Roentgen
            2. Exposure Rate
         3. Absorbed Dose
            1. Gray
            2. rad
            3. Dose Rate
         4. Equivalent Dose
            1. Sievert
            2. rem
            3. Radiation Weighting Factors
         5. Effective Dose
            1. Tissue Weighting Factors
            2. Calculation Methods
            3. Committed Effective Dose
      2. Dosimetric Concepts
         1. Kerma
         2. Dose Equivalent
         3. Collective Dose
         4. Dose-Length Product
      3. Dosimetry Instrumentation
         1. Gas-Filled Detectors
            1. Ionization Chambers
            2. Proportional Counters
            3. Geiger-Müller Counters
         2. Scintillation Detectors
            1. Organic Scintillators
            2. Inorganic Scintillators
         3. Semiconductor Detectors
         4. Thermoluminescent Dosimeters
         5. Optically Stimulated Luminescence Dosimeters
         6. Film Badges
         7. Electronic Personal Dosimeters
         8. Neutron Detection Methods