Efficient calculation of local dose distributions for response modeling in proton and heavier ion beams

We present an algorithm for fast and accurate computation of the local dose distribution in MeV beams of protons, carbon ions or other heavy charged particles. It uses compound Poisson modeling of track interaction and successive convolutions for fast computation. It can handle arbitrary complex mixed particle fields over a wide range of fluences. Since the local dose distribution is the essential part of several approaches to model detector efficiency and cellular response it has potential use in ion-beam dosimetry, radiotherapy, and radiobiology.