Quantitative electron spectroscopy of $^{125}$I over an extended energy range

TL;DR

This study measures the ratio of Auger to conversion electrons emitted by $^{125}$I decay, providing data crucial for targeted cancer therapy, and compares results with Monte Carlo simulations to validate the modeling of atomic relaxation processes.

Contribution

It offers the first detailed quantitative measurement of Auger electron yield from $^{125}$I decay over an extended energy range, validated by simulation.

Findings

The measured electron spectra agree well with BrIccEmis simulations.

The study provides accurate Auger electron yield data for $^{125}$I.

Results support the use of Monte Carlo models for decay process predictions.

Abstract

Auger electrons emitted after nuclear decay have potential application in targeted cancer therapy. For this purpose it is important to know the Auger electron yield per nuclear decay. In this work we measure the ratio of the number of conversion electrons (emitted as part of the nuclear decay process) and the number of Auger electrons (emitted as part of the atomic relaxation process after the nuclear decay) for the case of $^{125}$I. Results are compared with Monte-Carlo type simulations of the relaxation cascade using the BrIccEmis code. With the appropriate choice of parameters this program describes the observed spectra quite well over the whole energy range.