Fourier analysis of ionization data obtained by simulating 500-keV proton in water

Monte Carlo transport codes for ionizing radiation are used to model radiation effects in biological systems. For this purpose, data generated by Monte Carlo simulation are often summarized by visual display or by cluster analysis. This report introduces Fourier analysis to summarize a set of data obtained by Monte Carlo simulation of a 500-keV proton traversing water. The analytical results suggest general applicability to Monte Carlo simulation data for any type of ionizing radiation. Radiobiological implications of this new perspective on radiation track data will be reported elsewhere.