Quantum Generalized Equivalent Uniform Dose (QgEUD): A Simulation Method for Phase-Dependent Radiobiological Dose Effects

Abstract

The generalized equivalent uniform dose (gEUD) provides a biologically interpretable measure of heterogeneous dose distributions and is widely used in radiobiological modeling. However, because gEUD depends solely on dose magnitude, it does not explicitly account for collective cellular interactions or phase-dependent biological responses. Here, we propose a quantum generalized equivalent uniform dose (QgEUD), which extends the conventional gEUD kernel into the complex domain by introducing a phase variable while preserving the original dose-weighting formalism. This formulation yields a two-dimensional response surface that recovers conventional gEUD on the real axis and incorporates interaction-dependent radiobiological effects through phase modulation. The local response of the surface is characterized by a Kähler metric, providing an intrinsic measure of sensitivity to dose weighting and phase perturbations. To demonstrate the framework, local dose elements are modeled by an Ising Hamiltonian with dose- and phase-dependent interactions, and equilibrium response maps are obtained using Metropolis Monte Carlo simulations. Simulations in a virtual radiotherapy phantom preserve the overall dose distribution while producing spatially modulated biological-effect maps governed by collective interactions. The corresponding Kähler response identifies regions exhibiting enhanced sensitivity beyond dose magnitude alone, and parameter sensitivity analysis confirms stable convergence under practical simulation conditions. These results establish QgEUD as a quantum-inspired extension of gEUD that integrates heterogeneous dose aggregation, phase-dependent interactions, and geometric response within a unified mathematical framework, providing a basis for interaction-aware radiobiological modeling and future quantum-compatible optimization.