Alpha Particles Research Articles

Improved calculation of alpha decay half-life by incorporating nuclei deformation shape and proximity potential

Accurate evaluation of alpha decay half-life is essential for understanding nuclear stability, ensuring nuclear safety, optimizing medical treatments, and studying astrophysical processes. Considering the deformed shape of nuclei, we calculated the alpha-decay half-life of 359 nuclei using the proximity potential. In addition, we employed the Wentzel–Kramers–Brillouin approximation to compute the penetration probability through the potential barrier comprising nuclear, Coulomb, and centrifugal potentials. Our calculations revealed that the penetration probability, and hence the alpha-decay half-life, depend on the direction of alpha particle emission relative to the axial symmetry of the nucleus. Furthermore, our results suggested that the dependence of alpha-decay on parent nuclei temperature needs to be reassessed. We tabulated the alpha-decay half-life for various nuclei, and our results showed better agreement with experimental data compared to theoretical data in the literature.

Numerical study of alpha particle loss with toroidal field ripple based on CFETR steady-state scenario

Abstract Effects of plasma equilibrium parameters on the alpha particle loss with the toroidal field ripple based on the CFETR steady-state scenario have been numerically investigated by the orbit-following code GYCAVA. It is found that alpha particle losses decrease and loss regions become narrower with the plasma current increasing or with the magnetic field decreasing. It is because the ripple stochastic transport and the ripple well loss of alpha particle are reduced with the safety factor decreasing. Decrease of the plasma density and temperature can reduce alpha particle losses due to enhancement of the slowing-down effect. The direction of the toroidal magnetic field can significantly affect heat loads induced by lost alpha particle. The vertical asymmetry of heat loads induced by the clockwise and counter-clockwise toroidal magnetic fields are due to the fact that the ripple distribution is asymmetric about the mid-plane, which can be explained by the typical orbits of alpha particle. The maximal heat load of alpha particle for the clockwise toroidal magnetic field is much smaller than that for the counter-clockwise one.

Vertically Well-Aligned ZnO Nanoscintillator Arrays with Improved Photoluminescence and Scintillation Properties.

ZnO nanoarrays were grown via a low-temperature hydrothermal method. Solutions, each with different additive combinations, were prepared and evaluated. The effects of the additives involved in the growth procedure, i.e., ammonium hydroxide and sodium citrate, were studied in terms of the morphological, optical and scintillation properties of the ZnO nanostructures. Measurement of the nanorod (NR) length, corresponding photoluminescence (PL) and scintillation spectra and their dependence on the additives present in the solution are discussed. ZnO NRs grown on a silica substrate, whose UV transmission was found to be better than glass, showed high-quality structural and optical properties. It was found that the addition of sodium citrate significantly reduced defects and correspondingly increased the intrinsic near-band-edge (NBE) UV emission intensity at ~380 nm. To obtain high-quality nanostructures, samples were annealed in a 10% H2 + 90% N2 atmosphere. The anneal in the forming gas atmosphere enhanced the emission of the UV peak by reducing defects in the nanostructure. NRs are highly tapered towards the end of the structure. The tapering process was monitored using time growth studies, and its effect on PL and reflectance spectra are discussed. A good alpha particle response was obtained for the grown ZnO NRs, confirming its potential to be used as an alpha particle scintillator. After optimizing the reaction parameters, it was concluded that when ammonium hydroxide and sodium citrate were used, vertically well-aligned and long ZnO nanoarrays with highly improved optical and scintillation properties were obtained.

Alpha Particle-Emitting Radiopharmaceuticals as Cancer Therapy: Biological Basis, Current Status, and Future Outlook for Therapeutics Discovery.

Critical advances in radionuclide therapy have led to encouraging new options for cancer treatment through the pairing of clinically useful radiation-emitting radionuclides and innovative pharmaceutical discovery. Of the various subatomic particles used in therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals, alpha (α) particles show great promise owing to their relatively large size, delivered energy, finite pathlength, and resulting ionization density. This review discusses the therapeutic benefits of α-emitting radiopharmaceuticals and their pairing with appropriate diagnostics, resulting in innovative "theranostic" platforms. Herein, the current landscape of α particle-emitting radionuclides is described with an emphasis on their use in theranostic development for cancer treatment. Commonly studied radionuclides are introduced and recent efforts towards their production for research and clinical use are described. The growing popularity of these radionuclides is explained through summarizing the biological effects of α radiation on cancer cells, which include DNA damage, activation of discrete cell death programs, and downstream immune responses. Examples of efficient α-theranostic design are described with an emphasis on strategies that lead to cellular internalization and the targeting of proteins involved in therapeutic resistance. Historical barriers to the clinical deployment of α-theranostic radiopharmaceuticals are also discussed. Recent progress towards addressing these challenges is presented along with examples of incorporating α-particle therapy in pharmaceutical platforms that can be easily converted into diagnostic counterparts.

Alpha particle detection based on a NiO/β-Ga2O3 heterojunction diode

Alpha particle detection has been achieved using a NiO/β-Ga2O3 heterojunction diode (HJD) detector, demonstrating the great potential of β-Ga2O3 devices for ionizing particle detection. Featuring a large area (700 × 700 μm2) and a low reverse leakage current (10−10 A), the HJD detector exhibited apparent energy spectra of 239Pu-generated alpha particles with an energy of 5.155 MeV at various bias voltages from −20 to −150 V. The peak energy of the energy spectra increased with the bias voltages. In contrast, the full width at half-maximum of the spectra was almost unchanged at high bias voltages, leading to an increased energy resolution with the increase in the bias voltages. The detector's charge collection efficiency (CCE) and energy resolution reached 14.82% and 17.54% at −150 V, respectively. The compromised CCE and energy resolution were revealed to be limited by the insufficient depletion width of the NiO/β-Ga2O3 HJD.

Stability analysis of alpha driven toroidal Alfvén eigenmodes observed in JET deuterium-tritium internal transport barrier plasmas

A toroidal Alfvén eigenmode (TAE) has been observed to be driven by alpha particles in a JET deuterium-tritium internal transport barrier plasma. The observation occurred 50 ms after the removal of neutral beam heating (NBI). The mode is observed on magnetics, soft-xray, interferometry and reflectometry measurements. We present detailed stability calculations using a similar tool set validated during deuterium only discharges. These calculations strongly support the conclusion that the observed mode is a TAE, and that this mode was destabilized by alpha particles. Non-ideal effects from the bulk plasma are interpreted as responsible for suppressing the majority of TAEs which were also driven by alpha particles, but the modes that match the observations are predicted to be particularly weak for these non-ideal effects. This mode located far from the core on the outboard midplane is found to be driven by both trapped and passing particles despite alpha particles originating in the core.

Toroidal Alfvén eigenmodes observed in low power JET deuterium–tritium plasmas

The Joint European Torus recently carried out an experimental campaign using a plasma consisting of both deuterium (D) and tritium (T). We observed a high-frequency mode using a reflectometer and an interferometer in a D-T plasma heated with low power neutral beam injection, . This mode was observed at a frequency and was located at major radii . The observed mode was identified as a toroidal Alfvén eigenmode (TAE) using the linear MHD code, MISHKA. Beam ions and fusion-born alpha particles were modelled using the full orbit particle tracking code LOCUST, which produces smooth distribution functions suitable for stability calculations without analytical fits or the use of moments. We calculated the stability of the 21 candidate modes using the HALO code. These calculations revealed that beam ions can drive TAEs with toroidal mode numbers with linear growth rates , while TAEs with n < 8 are damped by the beam ion population. Alpha particles drive modes with significantly smaller linear growth rates, due to the low alpha power generated almost exclusively by beam-thermal fusion reactions. Non-ideal effects were calculated using complex resistivity in the CASTOR code, leading to an assessment of radiative, collisional, and continuum damping for all 21 candidate modes. Ion Landau damping was modelled using Maxwellian distribution functions for bulk D and T ions in HALO. Radiative damping, the dominant bulk damping mechanism, suppresses modes with high toroidal mode numbers. Comparing the drive from energetic particles with damping from thermal particles, we find all but one of the candidate modes are damped. The single net-driven n = 9 TAE with a net growth rate matches experimental observations with a lab frequency and location . The TAE was driven by co-passing particles through the resonance. Both co- and counter-passing alpha particles drive the TAE through the resonance. Additional sideband resonances contribute significant drive for both beam and alpha particles.

The JET hybrid scenario in Deuterium, Tritium and Deuterium-Tritium

The JET hybrid scenario has been developed from low plasma current carbon wall discharges to the record-breaking Deuterium-Tritium plasmas obtained in 2021 with the ITER-like Be/W wall. The development started in pure Deuterium with refinement of the plasma current, and toroidal magnetic field choices and succeeded in solving the heat load challenges arising from 37 MW of injected power in the ITER like wall environment, keeping the radiation in the edge and core controlled, avoiding MHD instabilities and reaching high neutron rates. The Deuterium hybrid plasmas have been re-run in Tritium and methods have been found to keep the radiation controlled but not at high fusion performance probably due to time constraints. For the first time this scenario has been run in Deuterium-Tritium (50:50). These plasmas were re-optimised to have a radiation-stable H-mode entry phase, good impurity control through edge Ti gradient screening and optimised performance with fusion power exceeding 10 MW for longer than three alpha particle slow down times, 8.3 MW averaged over 5 s and fusion energy of 45.8 MJ.

Tritium neutral beam injection on JET: calibration and plasma measurements of stored energy

Neutral beam injection (NBI) is a flexible auxiliary heating method for tokamak plasmas, capable of being efficiently coupled to the various plasma configurations required in the Tritium and mixed deuterium-tritium experimental campaign on the Joint European Torus (JET) device. High NBI power was required for high fusion yield and alpha particle studies and to provide mixed deuterium-tritium (D-T) fuelling in the plasma core, it was necessary to operate the JET NBI systems in both deuterium and tritium. Further, the pure tritium experiments performed required T NBI for high isotopic purity and reduced 14 MeV neutron yield. Accurate power calibrations are also essential to machine safety. Previously on JET there have been a number of questions raised on the NBI power calibration, in particular following the Trace Tritium Experiments (TTEs). Operator activities on the tokamak NBI system, including calibrations, were performed in 2020. Following these activities, a series of plasma experiments were devised to further corroborate the T NBI power by comparing the plasma response to the D NBI power. A series of stationary, L-mode plasmas were performed on JET with different beam combinations used in different phases of the same pulse. By comparing the plasma response for D and T NBI it was possible to corroborate the T NBI power calibration using the D NBI power calibration. The stored energy as measured by magnetic diagnostics, corrected for fast particle stored energy, show that the uncertainty in NBI power calibration in T is comparable to that in D.

Micro-tensile and TEM analysis of thermally aged Ni-Mo-Cr alloy before and after alpha particle irradiation

GH3535, a candidate Ni-Mo-Cr alloy for GEN IV molten salt reactors, is thermally aged at 650 °C for 2000 h and exposed to low density so they ion irradiation. The ion energy is attenuated via means of a degrader wheel to vary between 0.1 to 5MeV, resulting in a near -uniform level of radiation damage over a 10 µm depth to a dose of 0.25 dpa and helium concentration 1250 appm at room temperature. A focused ion beam (FIB) milling machine was used to fabricate micro-tensile samples (5 × 5 µm in cross sectional area and 17 µm in length) from pre- and post- irradiated GH3535 samples. Some of the micro-tensile samples feature a single crystal whilst others feature a grain boundary. Both single crystal and grain boundary micro-tensile results showed helium irradiation had a negligible effect on tensile strength and elongation illustrating the radiation damage resistance of thermally aged GH3535. Additionally, the grain-boundary micro-tensile samples did not fail along the grain boundary before irradiation nor after irradiation which suggests GH3535 continues to fail trans - granularly even after helium ion irradiation. TEM and EBSD analysis were performed on the unirradiated and irradiated aged GH3535 samples and the results of the analysis are discussed here in relation to the micro-tensile results.

Initial approach to application of gamma spectroscopy to alpha particles dosimetry in BNCT.

The aim of the study is to show a method of real-time determination of the dose deposited in a tissue-like medium by α-particles emitted from the 10B(n,α)7Li reaction. The applied research method is to determine the correlation between the measured density of α-particle traces and measured in real time the 478keV prompt-gamma rays derived from the 10B(n,α)7Li reaction. To achieve this aim, an appropriate construction of an experimental set-up is needed. The experimental set-up built for the purpose of the measurements carried out in the MARIA Reactor at the National Centre for Nuclear Research in Świerk, Poland, is presented. The main challenges related to obtaining optimal conditions for the measurement of the 478keV gamma photons; the preliminary results of spectrometric measurements and further studies are also discussed.

Development of A 14.8-MEV Mono-Energetic Neutron Field in Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science.

A standard irradiation field for 14.8-MeV neutrons is under development for mono-energetic neutron standards research in the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science, Republic of Korea. We developed a target chamber with the associated alpha particle (AAP) system for 14.8-MeV mono-energetic neutrons by a T(d,n)4He reaction. We designed the target chamber and the AAP detector system using a two-body kinematic calculation. We conducted simulations of the T(d,n)4He reaction on a tritiated target to determine a specification of the target and the AAP detector. This paper will discuss the simulation and calculation results for the associated particle system design.

Using femtosecond laser pulses to explore the nonlinear optical properties of a CR-39 polymer after being exposed to alpha particles

The effect of alpha particle radiation on nonlinear optical properties of poly(allyl diglycol carbonate) (CR-39) polymer has been investigated using the Z-scan technique. CR-39 polymers were exposed to alpha particles at different doses: 23.7 and 47.5 Gy. Alpha particles cause significant optical and chemical changes in the polymer CR-39. Data from UV-visible spectrometers revealed that when alpha particle doses increased, the absorption edge of polymer redshifted and the energy band gap decreased. Fourier transform infrared absorption spectra of alpha irradiation samples show a change in intensity and bond breakage in the chemical groups constituting the CR-39 polymer compared to the pristine one. With 100 fs laser pulses and 80 MHz repetition rate, the nonlinear absorption coefficient and nonlinear refractive index are measured for a pristine and irradiated polymer with different alpha doses at different excitation wavelengths and laser peak power. The samples displayed a negative nonlinear refractive index and reverse saturable absorption behavior with three photons absorption. The results reveal that the nonlinear optical properties of CR-39 were enhanced by alpha particle radiation.

Neutronic Chain Reactions for Polonium-210 Production

The production of the industrially significant radionuclide polonium-210 from the neutron irradiation of bismuth metal and the subsequent beta decay of bismuth-210 is highly inefficient due to the small neutron capture cross section of bismuth-209. In this paper, we report a previously undescribed self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction involving self-propagating neutron multiplication in bismuth salts that allow for rapid and cost-effective production of polonium-210. The reaction proceeds in a cycle of three alternating elementary steps – the capture of neutrons by bismuth-209 and the subsequent formation of polonium-210, the emission of high-energy alpha particles by polonium-210, and the production of more neutrons from (α, n) and (n,2n) reactions on light element and bismuth-209 nuclei respectively. Furthermore, the high hydrogen density of the compound also confers it intrinsic neutron moderation properties, increasing the neutron capture cross section of bismuth-209 at thermal neutron energies. The chain reaction was proven to have successfully occurred by irradiating a sample of the bismuth salt with a 80 μCi neutron source and monitoring the activity levels of the reaction. It was found that the activity of the reaction increased exponentially after an initial stable period following a derived formula for polonium production trends for the reaction, thus validating the occurrence of the reaction. Furthermore, alpha spectroscopy confirmed that polonium-210 had been produced by characterising the 5.30 MeV alpha emission peak of the reaction in addition to using beta spectroscopy to identify the parent nuclide bismuth-210, further proving that the reaction was successful. Hence, this paper reports the successful initiation and characterisation of a novel nuclear chain reaction, and its potential applications offered by a method of rapidly producing large quantities of polonium-210.

Pre-equilibrium Effects on Alpha Particle Induced Reactions on Niobium Isotope from Threshold upto 100MeV using the Computer Code COMPLET

Excitation functions (EF) for four reactions of the type 93Nb (α, xn); x = 1-4 were studied. This study provides current evidences about the dominance of pre-equilibrium processes at high energies followed by compound nucleus equilibration at low energies. The main objective of the work is to look pre-equilibrium emission induced by alpha particle energies up to 100 MeV on Niobium through describing, analyzing and interpreting the theoretical results of cross sections obtained from computer code COMPLET by comparing with experimental data obtained from EXFOR library. COMPLET code has been used for the analysis using the initial exciton number n0 = 4(4p+oh) and level density parameter ACN/10. A general agreement was found for all reactions.

A nuclear-reaction-based method for probing the nonthermal ion energy spectrum in high energy density laboratory plasmas

The nuclear reactions in a plasma system with particle distributions deviated from the Maxwellian are proved to have some unique characteristics, in particular, in their reaction product energy spectra. Based on this, a new nuclear-reaction-based method for probing the nonthermal ion energy spectrum in high-energy-density (HED) laboratory plasmas is proposed, where the energy spectrum of the nonthermal ion high-energy tails can be accurately evaluated through analysis from the spread and peak of the product energy spectrum. The principle of this diagnostic method is theoretically derived and verified by two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations that self-consistently includes the nuclear reaction calculations. As an example, our simulations demonstrate clearly how this method is applied for probing the nonthermal high-energy protons produced in the HED magnetic reconnection experiment, where a small ratio of boron element is dopped in the laser-ablated hydrocarbon target and the proton-boron (pB) reaction is chosen as the referenced nuclear reaction. The simulations also show that the pB reaction rate is increased by four orders of magnitude and the peak of the energy spectrum of the generated alpha particles shift significantly towards the high-energy range due to the nonthermal protons accelerated from the reconnections.

Development and evaluation of a standard for absorbed dose to water from alpha-particle-emitting radionuclides

Targeted radionuclide therapy and brachytherapy with alpha particles has gained significant clinical relevance recently. Absorbed dose traceability to a standard is currently lacking in the dosimetry chain. The short range of alpha particles in water of <100 μm complicates the absorbed dose measurements in the form of significant attenuation and perturbation effects. The aim of this work was to develop and validate a standard for absorbed dose to water from alpha-particle-emitting radionuclides. A dosimetric formalism to realize surface absorbed dose to water per unit activity using a windowless cylindrical parallel-plate ion chamber (IC) was introduced. IC-based and Monte Carlo (MC)-based correction factors were calculated for a planar circular 210Po alpha-particle emitter. The measured absorbed dose to air was compared to the MC-calculated absorbed dose. A parallel-plate IC with a nominal 4 mm collector diameter composed of polystyrene-equivalent material was utilized as a standard. MC simulations were performed using the TOPAS MC code and finite source size, backscatter, and emission angle divergence correction factors were calculated by modeling the IC and the source. Multiple measurement trials were performed to measure ionization current at air gaps in the 0.3 mm to 0.525 mm range. The proposed dosimetric formalism was employed to calculate the surface absorbed dose to water from a point-like 210Po source. The recombination and polarity correction factors were measured to be <0.50% when a 150 V mm−1 electric field strength was applied. The MC-calculated and measured absorbed dose to air agreed within 2.05%. The finite source size and backscatter corrections were <10% with the emission angle divergence correction being in the 93%–239% range. The surface absorbed dose to water was measured to be 2.8913 × 10−6 Gy s−1 Bq−1 with a combined uncertainty of 4.23% at k = 1. This work demonstrated the ability of a windowless parallel-plate IC as a standard for absorbed dose from alpha-particle-emitting radionuclides.

The probability of escape of the products of charged particles resulting from thermonuclear fusion of advanced fuels in the hotspot

Establishing fuel ignition conditions depends on the stability of hotspot ignition. Excessive energy escape from the plasma leads to its cooling and shutdown. In this research, the escape probability of charged particles due to the p/11B fuel fusion has been investigated. First, the contribution of p/11B fuel plasma electrons in the Alpha particle energy loss based on the Krokhin and Rozanov (KR) model and then the auxiliary contribution of plasma ions in the Alpha particle energy loss produced in the hotspot of p/11B fuel, based on Li–Petrasso (LP) calculations were analyzed numerically. By calculating the escape fraction of Alpha particles, it has been shown that the contribution of the stopping power of the electrons of the plasma is dominant at both 70 and 170 keV temperatures, which are the starting temperature of the p/11B fuel reaction and the proper ignition temperature, respectively. By increasing the density of p/11B fuel from 300 to 400 g/cc, it can be seen that at a temperature of 70 keV, the penetration depth of Alpha particles decreases from 1200 to 900 μm based on the KR model. It has also been shown that by reducing the number density ratio of boron to protons from 0.3 to 0.2 and 0.1, due to the reduction of the coupling of electrons and ions, which leads to the reduction of collisions with Alpha particles, the stopping length of Alpha particles increases.

Ultrahigh resolution real-time trajectory imaging of neutron induced particles in a scintillator from lithium-6 plate

It is known that a lithium-6 (6Li) absorbs a neutron and is divided into a triton and an alpha particle. However, the trajectories of the produced tritons have not yet been imaged in real time and high resolution. We developed an ultrahigh-resolution imaging system that can clearly observe the trajectories of neutron induced particles in real time. The developed system is based on a magnifying unit and a cooled electron multiplying charge-coupled device (EM-CCD) camera combined with a 6Li plate and a Ce-doped Gd3Al2Ga3O12(GAGG) scintillator plate. Neutrons from a californium-252 (252Cf) source were irradiated to the 6Li plate, which produced tritons and alpha particles. The produced tritons or alpha particles entered the GAGG plate and produced scintillation light along the trajectories. The scintillation trajectories were magnified by the unit, light intensified, and imaged by the EM-CCD camera. Using our system, we could measure the elongated trajectory images of the particles in real time. Most of these trajectories had Bragg peak like shapes in the images. The average range was 15 μm and the width was 4.6 μm FWHM. From the ranges we estimated, we found that these trajectories could be attributed to the induced tritons. Consequently, the developed real time imaging system is promising for research on the ultrahigh resolution imaging of neutron produced particles.

ESI-IM-MS characterization of cyclodextrin complexes and their chemically cross-linked alpha (α-), beta (β-) and gamma (γ-) cyclodextrin particles as promising drug delivery materials with improved bioavailability.

Cyclodextrins (CDs) are natural cyclic oligosaccharides with a relatively hydrophobic cavity and a hydrophilic outer surface. In this study, alpha (α-), beta (β-) and gamma (γ-) CD particles were prepared by directly using α-, β-, and γ-CDs as monomeric units and divinyl sulfone (DVS) as a crosslinker in a single-step via reverse micelle microemulsion crosslinking technique. Particles of p(α-CD), p(β-CD), and p(γ-CD) were perfectly spherical in sub- 10µm size ranges. The prepared p(CD) particles at 1.0mg/mL concentrations were found biocompatible with >95 % cell viability against L929 fibroblasts. Furthermore, p(α-CD) and p(β-CD) particles were found non-hemolytic with <2 % hemolysis ratios, whereas p(γ-CD) particles were found to be slightly hemolytic with its 2.1±0.4 % hemolysis ratio at 1.0mg/mL concentration. Furthermore, a toxic compound, Bisphenol A (BPA) and a highly antioxidant polyphenol, curcumin (CUR) complexation with α-, β-, and γ-CD molecules was investigated via Electrospray-Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometry (ESI-IM-MS) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) analysis. It was determined that the most stable noncovalent complex was in the case of β-CD, but the complex stoichiometry was changed by the hydrophobic nature of the guest molecules. In addition, BPA and CUR were separately loaded into prepared p(CD) particles as active agents. The drug loading and release studies showed that p(CD) particles possess governable loading and releasing profiles.