Contribution Of Secondary Particles Research Articles

LET-based approximation of the microdosimetric kinetic model for proton radiotherapy.

Phenomenological relative biological effectiveness (RBE) models for proton therapy, based on the dose-averaged linear energy transfer (LET), have been developed to address the apparent RBE increase towards the end of the proton range. The results of these phenomenological models substantially differ due to varying empirical assumptions and fitting functions. In contrast, more theory-based approaches are used in carbon ion radiotherapy, such as the microdosimetric kinetic model (MKM). However, implementing microdosimetry-based models in LET-based proton therapy treatment planning systems poses challenges. This work presents a LET-based version of the MKM that is practical for clinical use in proton radiotherapy. At first, we derived an approximation of the Mayo Clinic Florida (MCF) MKM for relatively-sparsely ionizing radiation such as protons. The mathematical formalism of the proposed model is equivalent to the original MKM, but it maintains some key features of the MCF MKM, such as the determination of model parameters from measurable cell characteristics. Subsequently, we carried out Monte Carlo calculations with PHITS in different simulated scenarios to establish a heuristic correlation between microdosimetric quantities and the dose averaged LET of protons. A simple allometric function was found able to describe the relationship between the dose-averaged LET of protons and the dose-mean lineal energy, which includes the contributions of secondary particles. The LET-based MKM was used to model the in vitro clonogenic survival RBE of five human and rodent cell lines (A549, AG01522, CHO, T98G, and U87) exposed to pristine and spread-out Bragg peak (SOBP) proton beams. The results of the LET-based MKM agree well with the biological data in a comparable or better way with respect to the other models included in the study. A sensitivity analysis on the model results was also performed. The LET-based MKM integrates the predictive theoretical framework of the MCF MKM with a straightforward mathematical description of the RBE based on the dose-averaged LET, a physical quantity readily available in modern treatment planning systems for proton therapy.

The Contribution of Secondary Particles Following Carbon Ion Radiotherapy to Soft Errors in CIEDs.

Introduction: While carbon ion radiotherapy is highly effective in cancer treatment, it has a high risk of causing soft error, which leads to malfunctions in cardiac implantable electrical devices (CIEDs). To predict the risk of malfunction prior to treatment, it is necessary to measure the reaction cross-sections and contributions to the soft error of secondary particles generated during treatments. Methods: A field-programmable gate array was used instead of CIEDs to measure soft errors by varying the energy spectrum of secondary particles. Results and discussion: The reaction cross-sections measured for each secondary particle were 3.0 × 10-9, 2.0 × 10-9, 1.3 × 10-8, and 1.5 × 10-8 [cm2/Mb] for thermal neutrons, intermediate-energy neutrons, high-energy neutrons above 10 MeV, and protons, respectively. The contribution of high-energy neutrons was the largest among them. Our study indicates that to reduce the risk of soft errors, secure distance and appropriate irradiation directions are necessary.

Physical aspects of Bragg curve of therapeutic oxygen-ion beam: Monte Carlo simulation

Abstract Introduction: Oxygen (16O) ion beams have been recommended for cancer treatment due to its physical Bragg curve feature and biological property. The goal of this research is to use Monte Carlo simulation to analyze the physical features of the 16O Bragg curve in water and tissue. Material and methods: In order to determine the benefits and drawbacks of ion beam therapy, Monte Carlo simulation (PHITS code) was used to investigate the interaction and dose deposition properties of oxygen ions beam in water and human tissue medium. A benchmark study for the depth–dose distribution of a 16O ion beam in a water phantom was established using the PHITS code. Bragg’s peak location of 16O ions in water was simulated using the effect of water’s mean ionization potential. The contribution of secondary particles produced by nuclear fragmentation to the total dose has been calculated. The depth and radial dose profiles of 16O, 12C, 4He, and 1H beams were compared. Results: It was shown that PHITS accurately reproduces the measured Bragg curves. The mean ionization potential of water was estimated. It has been found that secondary particles contribute 10% behind the Bragg peak for 16O energy of 300 MeV/u. The comparison of the depth and radial dose profiles of 16O, 12C, 4He, and 1H beams, shows clearly, that the oxygen beam has the greater deposited dose at Bragg peak and the minor lateral deflection. Conclusions: The combination of these physical characteristics with radio-biological ones in the case of resistant organs located behind the tumor volume, leads to the conclusion that the 16O ion beams can be used to treat deep-seated hypoxic tumors.

The Effect of Proton and Helium Ions on Secondary Neutron Production in the Slab Head Phantom

Particle therapy (PT) usually uses protons and carbon ions. In addition, the use of low-Z ions (such as He, O, Ne) with higher relative biological effects than protons is also being investigated. Although in PT the majority of the dose is delivered to the tumor volume by the primary particle, a negligible additional dose is left due to the contribution of secondary particles produced by the interaction between the therapeutic beam and the patient's tissues. In particular, neutrons can increase the risk of secondary cancer by transferring energy far away from the treated area. To use charged particles in radiation therapy, it is crucial to characterize secondary neutrons produced (SNP) as a result of primary particle interactions with human tissue. The SNP can be detected with the detector or by methods such as Monte Carlo (MC) simulation. In our study, the total number of neutrons produced in the slab head phantom by proton and He ion beams with an energy of 50-100 MeV/u, the doses stored by neutrons and all other particles were calculated with the Particle and Heavy Ion Transport Code System (PHITS) MC code. The number of SNP by He ion beam increased 7-14 times compared to proton beams. It was calculated that the doses of the SNP by protons were between 11.5% - 16.4% of those in the He ion beams.

Thin cathode glass gas electron multiplier detector for carbon beam dose imaging

ABSTRACT An optically read-out glass gas electron multiplier (G-GEM) detector is expected to simplify complicated quality assurance measurements for hadron therapies by imaging the dose distribution of the incident beam. However, the effect of secondary particles from the detector itself has not been well studied. In this paper, we evaluate a design that reduces the secondary particles from the cathode of a G-GEM detector. Specifically, we assembled detectors with thin cathodes and assessed their effect on the secondary particle production in simulations and experiments. The experiments were carried out under 290 MeV/u 12C ion bombardment at the Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba. The clinical intensity of the thin cathode detector was compared with that of a conventional thick cathode G-GEM detector. The improved chamber design reduced the dose contributions of secondary particles from the cathode without degrading the dose imaging performance.

Evolution of the tempered lath structure of the 12%Cr steels with low N and high B contents during creep

9-12%Cr martensitic steels are promising materials for elements of boilers, tubes, pipes, heaters and steam blades for fossil power plants, which are able to operate at ultra-supercritical parameters of steam. Creep tests were carried out for two 12%Cr and 9%Cr steels at 650°C. After tempering at 750-770°C, a tempered lath structure was revealed in all the steels studied. The 12%Cr-Ta steel had the smallest lath width among the steels studied that provided the longest creep rupture time after creep test at 650°C/120 MPa. During creep, the applied stress causes the lath growth and the formation of subgrains instead of martensitic laths. The experimental sizes of subgrains and equilibrium subgrains, calculated on balance of driving and retarding forces and using the dependence of the size of subgrains on the applied stress during creep, were compared to estimate the contributions of secondary particles and applied stress to the growth of subgrains during tempering and creep in the different steels.

Monte Carlo implementation of new algorithms for the evaluation of averaged-dose and -track linear energy transfers in 62 MeV clinical proton beams

We exploited the power of the Geant4 Monte Carlo toolkit to study and validate new approaches for the averaged linear energy transfer (LET) calculation in 62 MeV clinical proton beams. The definitions of the averaged LET dose and LET track were extended, so as to fully account for the contribution of secondary particles generated by target fragmentation, thereby leading to a more general formulation of the LET total. Moreover, in the proposed new strategies for the LET calculation, we minimised the dependencies in respect to the transport parameters adopted during the Monte Carlo simulations (such as the production cut of secondary particles, voxel size and the maximum steplength). The new proposed approach was compared against microdosimetric experimental spectra of clinical proton beams, acquired at the Italian eye proton therapy facility of the Laboratori Nazionali del Sud, Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN-LNS, Catania, I) from two different detectors: a mini-tissue equivalent proportional chamber (TEPC), developed at the Legnaro National Laboratories of the National Institute for Nuclear Physics (LNL-INFN) and a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) microdosimeter with 3D sensitive volumes developed by the Centre for Medical Radiation Physics of Wollongong University (CMRP-UoW). A significant increase of the LET in the entrance region of the spread out Bragg peak (SOBP) was observed, when the contribution of the generated secondary particles was included in the calculation. This was consistent with the experimental results obtained.

Source apportionment of PM2.5 and visibility in Jinan, China

Atmospheric extinction is impacted by the chemical composition of particles. To better understand the chemical composition of PM2.5 (particles with diameters of less than 2.5 μm) and its relationship with extinction, one-month sampling campaigns were carried out in four different seasons from 2013 to 2014 in Jinan, China. The seasonal average concentrations of PM2.5 were 120.9 (autumn), 156.6 (winter), 102.5 (spring), and 111.8 μg/m3 (summer). The reconstructed PM2.5 chemical composition showed that sulfate, nitrate, chlorine salt, organic matter (OM), mineral dust, elemental carbon (EC) and others accounted for 25%, 14%, 2%, 24%, 22%, 3% and 10%, respectively. The relationship between the chemical composition of PM2.5 and visibility was reconstructed by the IMPROVE method, and ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, OM and EC dominated the visibility. Seven main sources were resolved for PM2.5, including secondary particles, coal combustion, biomass burning, industry, motor vehicle exhaust, soil dust and cooking, which accounted for 37%, 21%, 13%, 13%, 12%, 3% and 1%, respectively. The contributions of different sources to visibility were similar to those to PM2.5. With increasing severity of air pollution, the contributions of secondary particles and coal combustion increased, while the contribution of motor vehicle exhaust decreased. The results showed that coal combustion and biomass burning were still the main sources of air pollution in Jinan.

The Change in the Linear Energy Transfer of a Clinical Proton Beam in the Presence of Gold Nanoparticles

Gold nanoparticles are promising radiosensitizers for proton radiotherapy. However, the physical mechanisms of gold nanoparticles radiosensitization remain unclear. In the present study, the Geant4 toolkit was used to estimate by the Monte-Carlo simulation the changes (1) in the contribution of primary and secondary particles to the absorbed dose, (2) in the dose-averaged linear energy transfer, and (3) in the relative biological effectiveness of a 150 MeV proton beam caused by the addition of 50 mg/mL of gold nanoparticles to the irradiated water phantom. In the presence of gold nanoparticles no significant changes in the absorbed dose and the Bragg peak position were found, at the same time a redistribution of the contribution of secondary particles to the absorbed dose was recorded. An increase in the contributions from protons (~16%), recoil nuclei (~58%), α-particles (~400%), deuterons (~900%), tritons (~3000%), and photons (~7000%) was observed ~10 mm beyond the Bragg peak. The contribution of the secondary electrons decreased by ~35%. This redistribution led to ~5-fold increase in the dose-averaged linear energy transfer at the distal edge of the Bragg curve; this, in turn, may cause the ~1.4−2.2-fold increase in the relative biological effectiveness within this region. Thus, it is critically important to take into account the presence of gold nanoparticles when dosimetric planning proton radiotherapy in order to avoid unwanted damage to the normal tissues around the tumor.

Contribution of Secondary Particles to Wintertime PM2.5 During 2015–2018 in a Major Urban Area of the Sichuan Basin, Southwest China

AbstractA novel method, noted as approximate envelope method (AEM), was developed to estimate the secondary PM2.5 concentrations based on the air quality monitoring data. This approach made it possible to obtain the long‐term characteristics of the secondary PM2.5 using only conventional observations. The secondary PM2.5 concentrations and their variation characteristics under different PM2.5 pollution levels during wintertime of 2015 to 2018 in Chengdu, a major urban area of Sichuan Basin over Southwest China, were analyzed. The results showed that the secondary PM2.5 concentrations ranged from 52.3 to 122.8 μg·m−3 and accounted for 56.3%, 63.6%, and 67.4% of the total PM2.5 in slight, moderate, and heavy pollution status, respectively. Additionally, the concentrations of secondary PM2.5 increased year by year, while the concentrations of primary PM2.5 performed significant decreasing trends from 2015 to 2018. The diurnal variations of primary and secondary PM2.5 presented a significantly unimodal patterns but with maximum at morning and noon, respectively. Specific meteorological conditions such as high (low) relative humidity and temperature (wind speed and air pressure) aggravated the secondary particulate pollution in wintertime of Chengdu, reflecting an influence of regional climate change over the Sichuan Basin of Southwest China on the urban air pollution.

An experimental and GEANT4 simulation study on design of a broad energy-range magnetic spectrograph for laser plasma accelerator

The design and development of a magnetic spectrograph covering a broad electron energy range (few MeV to 1 GeV) for laser plasma accelerators are presented. Two phosphor screens, one in the forward and other in the side direction, were used to record electrons spectra after the dispersion from the magnet. The third phosphor screen was kept in front of the magnet to simultaneously record the electron beam profile. GEANT4 simulations were performed to estimate extra divergence in the electron beam introduced by the phosphor screen kept in front of the magnet. In the magnetic spectrograph setup, the electron beam was transported through a Ti foil of thickness 54 μm from the vacuum chamber, therefore, GEANT4 simulation was performed to estimate the contribution of secondary particles emitted in the front phosphor signal to correctly measure the beam charge. Next, it was used to simulate and design a suitable electron beam dump. Finally, the spectrograph was used to characterize electron beams generated in laser plasma accelerator driven by 120 fs Ti: Sapphire laser pulse and He and Ar gas jet targets.

New particle formation in the volcanic eruption plume of the Piton de la Fournaise: specific features from a long-term dataset

Abstract. New particle formation (NPF) is a key atmospheric process which may be responsible for a major fraction of the total aerosol number burden at the global scale, including in particular cloud condensation nuclei (CCN). NPF has been observed in various environments around the world, but some specific conditions, such as those encountered in volcanic plumes, remain poorly documented in the literature. Yet, understanding such natural processes is essential to better define pre-industrial conditions and their variability in climate model simulations. Here we report observations of NPF performed at the high-altitude observatory of Maïdo (2165 m a.s.l., La Réunion Island) between 1 January and 31 December 2015. During this time period, three effusive eruptions of the Piton de la Fournaise, located ∼39 km away from the station, were observed and documented, resulting in 29 d of measurement in volcanic plume conditions to be compared with 250 “non-plume days”. This dataset is, to our knowledge, the largest ever reported for the investigation of NPF in tropospheric volcanic plume conditions, and it allowed for the first time a statistical approach to characterize the process and also assessment of its relevance with respect to non-plume conditions. NPF was observed on 90 % of the plume days vs. 71 % of the non-plume days during the 4 months when the eruptions occurred. The events were on average detected earlier on plume days, most likely benefiting from larger amounts of precursors available at the site prior to nucleation hours. The overall effect of the plume conditions on the particle growth rate was limited. However, with the exception of September, particle formation rates were significantly higher on plume days. The signature of the volcanic plume on the aerosol spectra up to dp=600 nm was further investigated based on the analysis and fitting of the particle size distributions recorded under in-plume and off-plume conditions. The spectra recorded prior to nucleation hours, in the absence of freshly formed particles, featured a significant contribution of particles likely formed via heterogeneous processes at the vent of the volcano (and assimilated to volcanic primary particles) to the concentrations of the two accumulation modes on plume days. Later on in the morning, the concentrations of the nucleation and Aitken modes showed important variations on plume days compared to event days outside of plume conditions. The spectra recorded on event days, under in-plume and off-plume conditions, were further used to provide an average size distribution of the particles of volcanic origin, which clearly highlighted the dominant contribution of secondary over primary particles (93 %) to the total concentration measured on NPF event days within a volcanic plume. In a next step, particular attention was paid to the concentration of particles with dp>50 nm (N50), used as a proxy for potential CCN population. The contribution of secondary particles to the increase in N50 was the most frequent in plume conditions, and the magnitude of the increase was also more important on plume days compared to non-plume days. Finally, in order to further evaluate the effect of volcanic plume conditions on the occurrence of NPF, we analysed the variations of the condensation sink (CS) and [H2SO4], previously reported to play a key role in the process. Over the investigated months, higher CS (calculated prior to nucleation hours) were observed in plume conditions and coincided with high SO2 mixing ratios. Those most likely compensated for the strengthened loss rate of the vapours and favoured the occurrence of NPF, suggesting at the same time a key role of H2SO4 in the process. This last hypothesis was further supported by the correlation between the formation rate of 2 nm particles (J2) and [H2SO4], and by the fair approximation of J2 that was obtained by means of a recent parameterization of the binary nucleation of H2SO4–H2O. This last result demonstrates that in the absence of direct measurements of [H2SO4] and sub-3 nm particle concentrations, estimates of J2 could be fairly estimated from the knowledge of SO2 mixing ratios only. Finally, the use of the parameterization for ion-induced binary nucleation also highlighted the likely significant contribution of ion-induced nucleation for [H2SO4] below ∼8×108 cm−3.

The microdosimetric extension in TOPAS: development and comparison with published data

Microdosimetric energy depositions have been suggested as a key variable for the modeling of the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) in proton and ion radiation therapy. However, microdosimetry has been underutilized in radiation therapy. Recent advances in detector technology allow the design of new mico- and nano-dosimeters. At the same time Monte Carlo (MC) simulations have become more widely used in radiation therapy. In order to address the growing interest in the field, a microdosimetric extension was developed in TOPAS. The extension provides users with the functionality to simulate microdosimetric spectra as well as the contribution of secondary particles to the spectra, calculate microdosimetric parameters, and determine RBE with a biological weighting function approach or with the microdosimetric kinetic (MK) model. Simulations were conducted with the extension and the results were compared with published experimental data and other simulation results for three types of microdosimeters, a spherical tissue equivalent proportional counter (TEPC), a cylindrical TEPC and a solid state microdosimeter. The corresponding microdosimetric spectra obtained with TOPAS from the plateau region to the distal tail of the Bragg curve generally show good agreement with the published data.

Calculation of gamma and neutron emission characteristics emitted from fuel debris of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station

ABSTRACT Determination of fuel debris location and distribution inside the primary containment vessel of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station is important to decide further decommissioning step and strategy. We calculate neutron and photon spectra including the contribution of secondary particles in the primary containment vessel of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. The Calculated Neutron and photon spectra can be used as the base for determination suitable spectrometer system or detector for searching, localizing and treatment of fuel debris.

Source Apportionment and Pollution Characteristics of PM2.5 During the Two Heavy Pollution Episodes in the Winter of 2016 in a Typical Logistics City

To characterize the chemical composition of PM2.5 and the formation of pollution during a heavy pollution episode in the winter in a typical logistics city, PM2.5 samples were collected from December 2016 to January 2017 at six sampling sites, and the water-soluble ions, elements, and carbon components were determined. The results showed that the average concentration of PM2.5 was (145.2±87.8) μg·m-3 during the whole sampling period, of which 82% of daily average concentrations were above class Ⅱ of the national standards. The average concentrations of PM2.5 during the two heavy pollution episodes were (187.3±79.8) and (205.3±92.0) μg·m-3, which were 5.4 and 5.9 times, respectively, as high as class Ⅱ of the national standard. The results of the chemical composition of the PM2.5 showed that secondary water-soluble inorganic ions (SO42-, NO3-, and NH4+) were the main components of PM2.5 in winter (51.2% of PM2.5 mass concentration), followed by organic matter (OM, 23.8%), and mineral dust (12.7%). Combined with the change trend and accumulation rate of chemical components during the pollution episode, we discovered that the increasing of SNA and OM led to PM2.5 pollution in the first episode, while the growth of SNA caused the second pollution episode. This was further verified by the synchronous change of SOR, NOR, and the OC/EC ratio. PMF analysis indicated that mixed sources of secondary particulate matter and biomass combustion (50.0%), coal combustion (16.8%), vehicles (12.9%), fugitive dust (10.0%), industry (5.3%) and soil dust (5.0%), were the main sources of PM2.5 of Linyi city in the winter. Compared with the average concentration over the whole sampling period, the contribution of secondary particles during the two pollution episodes was significantly increased. This indicates that the formation and accumulation of secondary particulate matter under static and humid meteorological conditions were the main influencing factors during the heavy pollution episodes.

A novel pencil beam model for carbon-ion dose calculation derived from Monte Carlo simulations

An accurate kernel model is of vital importance for pencil-beam dose algorithm in charged particle therapy using precise spot-scanning beam delivery, in which an accurate depiction of the low dose envelope is especially crucial. Based on the Monte Carlo method, we investigated the dose contribution of secondary particles to the total dose and proposed a novel beam model to depict the lateral dose distribution of carbon-ion pencil beam in water. We demonstrated that the low dose envelope in single-spot profiles in water could be adequately modelled with the addition of a logistic distribution to a double Gaussian one, which was verified in both single carbon-ion pencil beam and superposed fields of different sizes with multiple pencil beams. Its superiority was mainly manifested at medium depths especially for high-energy beams with small fields compared with single, double and triple Gaussian models, where the secondary particles influenced the total dose considerably. The double Gaussian-logistic model could reduce the deviations from 4.1%, 1.7% to 0.3% in the plateau and peak regions, and from 19.2%, 4.9% to 1.2% in the tail region compared for the field size factor (FSF) calculations of 344 MeV/u carbon-ion pencil beam with the single and double Gaussian models. Compared with the triple Gaussian one, our newly-proposed model was on a par with it, even better than it in the plateau and peak regions. Thus our work will be helpful for improving the dose calculation accuracy for carbon-ion therapy.

A Novel Configuration for Superconducting Space Radiation Shields

Long-time exposure to galactic cosmic rays is one of the most problematic threats for a manned mission in the deep space. In the last decades, several studies of active superconducting magnetic shields were performed leading to the proposals of apparently promising magnetic configurations. However, as the interaction of energetic particles with the materials composing the magnets was not taken into account, the contribution of secondary particles to the astronauts’ radiation dose was neglected, and, consequently, the actual effectiveness of the shields was overestimated. In the frame of the EU-FP7-SR2S project, a study of superconducting space radiation shield was performed associating the optimization of the magnetic configuration with Monte–Carlo simulation of the dose reduction. It was found that most of the magnetic shields proposed in previous works are not adequate, and a novel configuration, transparent to radiation, was proposed based on toroids arranged with their axes perpendicular to the spacecraft axis. Compared to other shields with the same shielding power, such a configuration results in lower magnetic field at the superconductor and very light design.

Atmospheric aerosols in Rome, Italy: sources, dynamics and spatial variations during two seasons

Abstract. Investigations on atmospheric aerosols and their sources were carried out in October/November 2013 and May/June 2014 consecutively in a suburban area of Rome (Tor Vergata) and in central Rome (near St Peter's Basilica). During both years a Saharan dust advection event temporarily increased PM10 concentrations at ground level by about 12–17 µg m−3. Generally, in October/November the ambient aerosol was more strongly influenced by primary emissions, whereas higher relative contributions of secondary particles (sulfate, aged organic aerosol) were found in May/June. Absolute concentrations of anthropogenic emission tracers (e.g. NOx, CO2, particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, traffic-related organic aerosol) were generally higher at the urban location. Positive matrix factorization was applied to the PM1 organic aerosol (OA) fraction of aerosol mass spectrometer (HR-ToF-AMS) data to identify different sources of primary OA (POA): traffic, cooking, biomass burning and (local) cigarette smoking. While biomass burning OA was only found at the suburban site, where it accounted for the major fraction of POA (18–24 % of total OA), traffic and cooking were more dominant sources at the urban site. A particle type associated with cigarette smoke emissions, which is associated with a potential characteristic marker peak (m∕z 84, C5H10N+, a nicotine fragment) in the mass spectrum, was only found in central Rome, where it was emitted in close vicinity to the measurement location. Regarding secondary OA, in October/November, only a very aged, regionally advected oxygenated OA was found, which contributed 42–53 % to the total OA. In May/June total oxygenated OA accounted for 56–76 % of the OA. Here a fraction (18–26 % of total OA) of a fresher, less oxygenated OA of more local origin was also observed. New particle formation events were identified from measured particle number concentrations and size distributions in May/June 2014 at both sites. While they were observed every day at the urban location, at the suburban location they were only found under favourable meteorological conditions, but were independent of advection of the Rome emission plume. Particles from sources in the metropolitan area of Rome and particles advected from outside Rome contributed 42–70 and 30–58 % to the total measured PM1, respectively. Apart from the general aerosol characteristics, in this study the properties (e.g. emission strength) and dynamics (e.g. temporal behaviour) of each identified aerosol type is investigated in detail to provide a better understanding of the observed seasonal and spatial differences.

Limits on dark matter from AMS-02 antiproton and positron fraction data

We derive limits on the dark matter annihilation cross section and lifetime using measurements of the AMS-02 antiproton ratio and positron fraction data. In deriving the limits, we consider the scenario of secondary particles accelerated in supernova remnants (SNRs) which has been argued to be able to reasonably account for the AMS-02 high energy positron/antiproton fraction data. We parameterize the contribution of secondary particles accelerated in SNRs and then fit the observational data within the conventional cosmic ray propagation model by adopting the GALPROP code. We use the likelihood ratio test to determine the 95$\%$ confidence level upper limits of the possible dark matter (DM) contribution to the antiproton/positron fractions measured by AMS-02. Our limits are stronger than that set by the Fermi-LAT gamma-ray Pass 8 data of the dwarf spheroidal satellite galaxies. We also show that the solar modulation (cosmic ray propagation) parameters can play a non-negligible role in modifying the constraints on the dark matter annihilation cross section and lifetime for $m_\chi<100$ GeV ($m_\chi>100$ GeV), where $m_\chi$ is the rest mass of the dark matter particles. Using this results, we also put limits on the effective field theory of dark matter.

Analytical linear energy transfer model including secondary particles: calculations along the central axis of the proton pencil beam

In proton therapy, the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) depends on various types of parameters such as linear energy transfer (LET). An analytical model for LET calculation exists (Wilkens’ model), but secondary particles are not included in this model. In the present study, we propose a correction factor, Lsec, for Wilkens’ model in order to take into account the LET contributions of certain secondary particles. This study includes secondary protons and deuterons, since the effects of these two types of particles can be described by the same RBE-LET relationship. Lsec was evaluated by Monte Carlo (MC) simulations using the GATE/GEANT4 platform and was defined by the ratio of the LETd distributions of all protons and deuterons and only primary protons. This method was applied to the innovative Pencil Beam Scanning (PBS) delivery systems and Lsec was evaluated along the beam axis. This correction factor indicates the high contribution of secondary particles in the entrance region, with Lsec values higher than 1.6 for a 220 MeV clinical pencil beam. MC simulations showed the impact of pencil beam parameters, such as mean initial energy, spot size, and depth in water, on Lsec. The variation of Lsec with these different parameters was integrated in a polynomial function of the Lsec factor in order to obtain a model universally applicable to all PBS delivery systems. The validity of this correction factor applied to Wilkens’ model was verified along the beam axis of various pencil beams in comparison with MC simulations. A good agreement was obtained between the corrected analytical model and the MC calculations, with mean-LET deviations along the beam axis less than 0.05 keV μm−1. These results demonstrate the efficacy of our new correction of the existing LET model in order to take into account secondary protons and deuterons along the pencil beam axis.