Influence of the soft X-ray plasma focus radiation on live microorganisms

¹ Faculty of Physics, Sofia University, 5 J. Bourchier Blvd., 1164 Sofia, Bulgaria
² Faculty of Biology, Sofia University, 8 D Tsankov Blvd., 1421 Sofia, Bulgaria
³ Institute of Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy, 72 Tzarigradsko Shossee Blvd., 1784 Sofia, Bulgaria

^a e-mail: blagoev@phys.uni-sofia.bg

Received: 16 August 2011
Revised: 31 January 2012
Accepted: 2 March 2012
Published online: 29 March 2012

Abstract

A 3 kJ plasma focus device was used to study the influence of the soft X-ray on live microorganisms. When Saccharomyces cerevisiae – (yeast) was treated with a dose of 65 mSv of the X-ray radiation (14 shots), no difference in the fertility activity between the control probe and the sample was observed. Also no change in the survival enzyme activity was found after irradiation through a 100 μm Al foil of another type of yeast – Kluyveromyces marxiamus. The irradiation of the Chlamydomonas reinhardtii samples by the PF-X-ray emission through 20 μm Al foil with a dose of 11 mSv produces a considerable change of the photosynthesis parameters. This result is similar to the results of previous studies with plasma focus radiation where strong effects were derived with low doses but with a high dose power.