Atomic radiation in nuclear decay

Abstract

Auger electrons emitted in nuclear decay offer a unique tool to kill cancer cells at the scale of a DNA molecule. Over the last forty years many aspects of this promising therapeutic tool have been explored, however it is still not in the phase of large scale clinical trials. In this paper we review the physical processes of Auger emission in nuclear decay and present a new model being developed to evaluate the energy spectrum of Auger electrons, and hence overcome the limitations of existing computations.