High-energy Radiation Fields Research Articles

Thermographic properties of a Eu3+-doped (Y0.75Gd0.25)2O3 nanophosphor under UV and x-ray excitation

Phosphors are thermographic if their emission characteristics change with temperature. In this paper, we investigated the potential use of a europium-doped (1, 3 and 6 at.% Eu3+) yttrium–gadolinium oxide (Y0.75Gd0.25)2O3 nanostructured matrix for phosphor thermometry and thermometry in high-energy radiation fields. Photoluminescence emission measurements were recorded in the temperature range from room temperature to 873 K, observing temperature changes in trivalent europium ion transitions from 5D1 and 5D0 energy levels. The results show that Eu3+-doped (Y0.75Gd0.25)2O3 is a new promising high-temperature thermometric phosphor with a very good sensitivity of approximately 4.9 × 10−3 K−1 at 823 K for a sample doped with 1 at.% Eu3+. It is shown that with this material the fluorescence intensity ratio method can be used for temperature measurements in high-energy radiation fields without the use of an optical excitation source. In this case a maximal sensitivity of 2.35 × 10−3 K−1 is obtained.

The high-energy environment in the super-Earth system CoRoT-7

High-energy irradiation of exoplanets has been identified to be a key influence on the stability of these planets' atmospheres. So far, irradiation-driven mass-loss has been observed only in two Hot Jupiters, and the observational data remain even more sparse in the super-earth regime. We present an investigation of the high-energy emission in the CoRoT-7 system, which hosts the first known transiting super-earth. To characterize the high-energy XUV radiation field into which the rocky planets CoRoT-7b and CoRoT-7c are immersed, we analyzed a 25 ks XMM-Newton observation of the host star. Our analysis yields the first clear (3.5 sigma) X-ray detection of CoRoT-7. We determine a coronal temperature of ca. 3 MK and an X-ray luminosity of 3*10^28 erg/s. The level of XUV irradiation on CoRoT-7b amounts to ca. 37000 erg/cm^2/s. Current theories for planetary evaporation can only provide an order-of-magnitude estimate for the planetary mass loss; assuming that CoRoT-7b has formed as a rocky planet, we estimate that CoRoT-7b evaporates at a rate of about 1.3*10^11 g/s and has lost ca. 4-10 earth masses in total.

Measurement of peak fluence of neutron beams using Bi-fission detectors

Fission fragments and other charged particles leave tracks of permanent damage in most of the insulating solids. Damage track detectors are useful for personal dosimeters and for flux/dose determination of high-energy particles from accelerators or cosmic rays. A detector that has its principal response at nucleon energy above 50 MeV is provided by the fission of Bi-209. Neutrons produce the largest percentage of hadron dose in most high-energy radiation fields. In these fields, the neutron spectrum is typically formed by low-energy neutrons (evaporation spectrum) and high-energy neutrons (knock-on spectrum). We used Bi-fission detectors to measure neutron peak fluence and compared the result with the calculated value of neutron peak fluence. For the exposure to 100 MeV we have used the iThemba Facility in South Africa.

CHEMISTRY OF A PROTOPLANETARY DISK WITH GRAIN SETTLING AND Lyα RADIATION

We present results from a model of the chemical evolution of protoplanetary disks. In our models we directly calculate the changing propagation and penetration of a high energy radiation field with Lyman alpha radiation included. We also explore the effect on our models of including dust grain settling. We find that, in agreement with earlier studies, the evolution of dust grains plays a large role in determining how deep the UV radiation penetrates into the disk. Significant grain settling at the midplane leads to much smaller freeze-out regions and a correspondingly larger molecular layer, which leads to an increase in column density for molecular species such as CO, CN and SO. The inclusion of Lyman alpha radiation impacts the disk chemistry through specific species that have large photodissociation cross sections at 1216 A. These include HCN, NH3 and CH4, for which the column densities are decreased by an order of magnitude or more due to the presence of Lyman alpha radiation in the UV spectrum. A few species, such as CO2 and SO, are enhanced by the presence of Lyman alpha radiation, but rarely by more than a factor of a few.

Characterization of Radiation Instruments at the Summit of Mt. Fuji

The opportunity of exposure to high-energy radiation up to GeV is increasing as in civilian aircrafts and at particle accelerators. The transport of such energetic particle is still difficult to describe precisely and thus verification by measurement using a well characterized instrument is indispensable for reliable dosimetry. However, no reference calibration field has been established for the high-energy range. We thus propose to use a facility at the summit of Mt. Fuji (3776 m in altitude; N35.36°, E138.73°), the highest place in Japan, for characterization of radiation instruments that are possibly used in high-energy radiation fields. For demonstration of the effectiveness, two moderator-type neutron monitors (NCN1 and WENDI-II) having different energy response functions were employed for cosmic-ray neutron measurements in the summer of 2009. In comparison with numerically simulated values, it was found that the extended energy neutron monitor (WENDI-II) has a good property suitable for measurement of the cosmic-ray neutrons with the broad range of energy. The unexpected response of NCN1 is to be investigated in ongoing studies.

Detailed characterization of stellar high energy (FUV/EUV/X-ray) radiation fields during protoplanetary system formation

AbstractYoung stars undergoing the conversion of pre-main-sequence circumstellar disks into protoplanetary systems are strong sources of high energy (FUV/EUV/X-ray) radiation that controls the physical and chemical processes in their circumstellar environment out to hundreds of AU from the star. The high energy radiation resulting from magnetic activity and accretion onto the central star controls the thermal structure of disks, the formation process of planetesimals, and the photoexcitation and photoionization of protoplanets and young planetary atmospheres. Modeling of the dust and gas evolution requires an accurate understanding of the local radiation field throughout the ultraviolet (UV) and X-ray spectral regions, even those parts of the spectrum that are impossible to observe from Earth.Our current research efforts are directed towards developing a better understanding of UV (using HST and FUSE) and X-ray (using Chandra, XMM-Newton, and Swift) stellar activity and the resulting radiation fields during pre-main-sequence evolution from ages of a few to several hundred million years. These studies include extensive UV and X-ray spectral sampling of individual stars in nearby star formation regions and the various moving groups of the Local Association, including our HST Cycle 17 Large Project (GO-11616), which is using 111 HST orbits to observe 32 T Tauri stars with the COS UV spectrograph. Most young stars are well over 100 pc from the Sun and are consequently hard to observe in the UV and X-ray regions at even moderate spectral resolution. However, members of the Local Association, whose ages range from 7 Myr to a few hundred Myr, surround the Sun at distances of 50 pc or less and permit the detailed study of the later stages of the early evolution of stellar activity when gas giant and terrestrial protoplanets are forming. We illustrate our methodology using the 12 Myr old early-M dwarf AU Mic, which possesses a striking dust debris disk, as an example.

IR OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF As32Sb8 S60 CHALCOGENIDE GLASS AND EFFECT OF γ-IRRADIATION

In this paper, impact of γ-irradiation on the transmittance of As32Sb8 S60 chalcogenide glass in the near and mid IR spectral range is investigated. The radiation-induced changes in the main IR impurity absorption bands are discussed to be taken into account in IR optical devices based on the glass composition studied to work in the conditions of high energy radiation fields.

Characterisation of three high-energy photon and fast neutron reference radiation fields

Three reference radiation fields for the purpose of radiation protection were characterised: (1) radiation field R-F, consisting of photons in the energy range of about 6 and 7 MeV and a small neutron contamination; (2) radiation field R-C, consisting of photons with energies of about 4.4 MeV and neutrons with energies up to 2.65 MeV; (3) radiation field R-CF, consisting of photons in the energy range of about 1 and 7 MeV and neutrons with energies about 1.5 MeV. The radiation fields R-F and R-C have previously been defined in the ISO standard 4037. Their neutron components, however, have never been described accurately in the past. The new radiation field R-CF is proposed for the first time. This radiation field can, e.g., be used to calibrate tissue-equivalent proportional counters instruments for measurements at flight altitudes.

LET spectrometry with track etch detectors—Use in high-energy radiation fields

For assessing the risk from ionizing radiation it is necessary to know not only the absorbed dose but also the quality of the radiation; radiation quality is connected with the physical quantity linear energy transfer (LET). One of the methods of determination of LET is based on chemically etched track detectors. This contribution concerns with a spectrometer of LET based on the track detectors and discusses some results obtained at: • high-energy radiation reference field created at the SPS accelerator at CERN; and • onboard of International Space Station where track-etch based LET spectrometer has been exposed 273 days during “Matrjoshka – R” experiment. Results obtained are compared with the results of studies at some lower-energy neutron sources; some conclusions on the registrability of neutrons and the ability of this spectrometer to determine dose equivalent in high-energy radiation fields are formulated.

Dependence of thermoluminescent detectors relative response on the linear energy transfer; some examples of use

The relative response (RR) of the most thermoluminescent detectors (TLDs) decreases with increasing linear energy transfer (LET) of particles depositing energy in a TLD. Three TLDs have been mostly studied: Al–P glasses, Al 2 O 3 : C , and CaSO 4 : Dy . They have been exposed, since several years, to high energy charged particles with energies up to 1 GeV/amu, and LET up to 600 keV / μ m in water. The RR of TLDs as a function of LET is presented. In two cases, the sets of obtained data permitted us to regress them and obtain general LET dependences of RRs for Al–P glasses and Al 2 O 3 : C and for their ratios. These functions, in combination with LET spectra established by means of track etch based LET spectrometer were also used to appreciate their ability to establish total dosimetric characteristics in some high-energy radiation beams and fields, also those usable for hadron therapy.

The response of different types of TL lithium fluoride detectors to high-energy mixed radiation fields

Thermoluminescent (TL) dosimeters are routinely used to monitor absorbed doses in many kinds of radiation fields which contain photons, electrons and neutrons. However, TLDs are mainly calibrated to photon sources. We studied the response of TLDs to complex secondary fields arising during the operation of high-energy accelerators (e.g. the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN). The experiments were conducted at the CERN–EU high-energy reference field facility (CERF). Six different LiF-based TLDs (MTS-N, MTS-7, MTS-6, MCP-N, MCP-7, MCP-6) were exposed to various secondary CERF's fields (both for high and low doses), by placing them at various positions: at the target and concrete top and side positions. For the experiment at the target the corresponding Monte Carlo calculations were also carried out using the FLUKA transport code and compared with experimental results. In addition, alanine dosimeters were used as an independent reference. The results show that TLDs are well suited for monitoring radiation fields around the LHC. Nevertheless, further investigations are required, some of which are in progress.

Response study of fission track detectors using two different moderator designs in a high-energy radiation field

Fission track detectors in the center of moderating spheres are routinely used to measure the ambient dose equivalent due to neutrons in the environmental dosimetry at Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI). Originally, the system was designed to cope with neutrons from skyshine effects. Later, the system was also adapted behind the shielding of PSI's accelerators. Nowadays, as a consequence of continuously upgrading accelerator energies and intensities, the neutron energy behind thick shielding can range from fractions of eV to about 1 GeV (e.g. at CERN). For this reason a measurement campaign in a high-energy stray radiation field at CERN's High-Energy Reference Field Facility (CERF) was initiated to study and compare the response of the already existing detector-moderator configuration and a new design, the “GSI ball”. Employing an additional lead layer in a moderator sphere of 32.5 cm diameter, the GSI ball was primarily designed for the use with thermoluminescent based dosimeters in its center in order to optimize the response for the measurement of H * ( 10 ) to higher neutron energies. In this work, the measurement results for fission track detectors using two different radiator materials in the PSI and the GSI moderator are presented. Based on these studies, on the one hand, field calibration factors for the use in presumably similar high-energy fields around accelerators could be deduced. On the other hand, it could be shown that there is no need to replace the established PSI moderator by the GSI moderator since the combination of fission track detector and GSI moderator does not result in a significant sensitivity improvement.

The influence of the type of filling gas on the response of ionisation chambers to a mixed high-energy radiation field

Radiation protection dosimetry in radiation fields behind the shielding of high-energy accelerators such as CERN is a challenging task and the quantitative understanding of the detector response used for dosimetry is essential. Measurements with ionisation chambers are a standard method to determine absorbed dose (in the detector material). For applications in mixed radiation fields, ionisation chambers are often also calibrated in terms of ambient dose equivalent at conventional reference radiation fields. The response of a given ionisation chamber to the various particle types of a complex high-energy radiation field in terms of ambient dose equivalent depends of course on the materials used for the construction and the chamber gas used. This paper will present results of computational studies simulating the exposure of high-pressure ionisation chambers filled with different types of gases to the radiation field at CERN's CERN-EU high-energy reference field facility. At this facility complex high-energy radiation fields, similar to those produced by cosmic rays at flight altitudes, are produced. The particle fluence and spectra calculated with FLUKA Monte Carlo simulations have been benchmarked in several measurements. The results can be used to optimise the response of ionisation chambers for the measurement of ambient dose equivalent in high-energy mixed radiation fields.

Field calibration studies for ionisation chambers in mixed high-energy radiation fields

The monitoring of ambient doses at work places around high-energy accelerators is a challenging task due the complexity of the mixed stray radiation fields encountered. At CERN, mainly Centronics IG5 high-pressure ionisation chambers are used to monitor radiation exposure in mixed fields. The monitors are calibrated in the operational quantity ambient dose equivalent H*(10) using standard, source-generated photon- and neutron fields. However, the relationship between ionisation chamber reading and ambient dose equivalent in a mixed high-energy radiation field can only be assessed if the spectral response to every component and the field composition is known. Therefore, comprehensive studies were performed at the CERN-EU high-energy reference field facility where the spectral fluence for each particle type has been assessed with Monte Carlo simulations. Moreover, studies have been performed in an accessible controlled radiation area in the vicinity of a beam loss point of CERN's proton synchrotron. The comparison of measurements and calculations has shown reasonable agreement for most exposure conditions. The results indicate that conventionally calibrated ionisation chambers can give satisfactory response in terms of ambient dose equivalent in stray radiation fields at high-energy accelerators in many cases. These studies are one step towards establishing a method of 'field calibration' of radiation protection instruments in which Monte Carlo simulations will be used to establish a correct correlation between the response of specific detectors to a given high-energy radiation field.

On the neutron contribution to the exposure level onboard space vehicles

The neutron contribution to the spacecraft crew exposure could represent an important part of the total dose equivalent value. The determination of this contribution represents a rather complex and difficult task, both through experimental and theoretical estimation. This paper will present an attempt to determine the neutron contribution onboard the International Space Station and Foton capsule using the data measured by means of a Si-diode based energy deposition spectrometer. As such a spectrometer, the MDU-Liulin equipment, developed in one of our laboratories was used. The equipment allows the data accumulated during the passage in or out of the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA). In this paper, only the data obtained out of the SAA were analysed, assuming that the neutron spectra are similar to those onboard aircraft and/or at the CERF high-energy radiation field. The excess of deposited energy in the region above 1 MeV, when comparing with the aircraft field, was expected to represent the primary high-energy charged particles. Total dosimetry characteristics obtained in this way are in reasonable agreement with other data, neutron contribution representing approximately 40% of the total dose equivalent for the flight duration outside of the SAA.

Response of neutron detectors to high-energy mixed radiation fields

Radiation protection around CERN's high-energy accelerators represents a major challenge due to the presence of complex, mixed radiation fields. Behind thick shielding neutrons dominate and their energy ranges from fractions of eV to about 1 GeV. In this work the response of various portable detectors sensitive to neutrons was studied at CERN's High-Energy Reference Field Facility (CERF). The measurements were carried out with conventional rem counters, which usually cover neutron energies up to 20 MeV, the Thermo WENDI-2, which is specified to measure neutrons up to several GeV, and a tissue-equivalent proportional counter. The experimentally determined neutron dose equivalent results were compared with Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. Based on these studies field calibration factors can be determined, which result in a more reliable estimate of H*(10) in an unknown, but presumably similar high-energy field around an accelerator than a calibration factor determined in a radiation field of a reference neutron source.

Response of alanine and radio-photo-luminescence dosemeters to mixed high-energy radiation fields

Alanine and Radio-Photo-Luminescence (RPL) dosemeters are passive dosemeters used to monitor absorbed dose in all kind of radiation fields. However, up to now both dosemeter types are calibrated to photon sources only. In order to study the response of RPL and alanine dosemeters to mixed high-energy particle fields like those occurring at CERN's accelerators, an irradiation campaign at the CERN-EC High-Energy Reference field Facility (CERF-field) was performed. In this facility a copper target is irradiated by hadrons with a momentum of 120 GeV/c. Dosemeters were exposed to various mixed radiation fields by placing them at various positions on the surface of the target. In addition to the experiment FLUKA Monte Carlo simulations were carried out, which provide information concerning the energy deposition at the dosemeter locations. This paper compares the measurements with the simulation results and discusses the radiation field compositions present at the various dosemeter positions on the target.

Secondary exposure for 73 and 200 MeV proton therapy

Following modifications on the beam line at the Orsay Protontherapy Center, dose measurements were performed in order to make a dose map in the treatment rooms and in the delimited radiation-controlled area around beam line. Measurements were performed using tissue-equivalent proportional counters and rem-counters. Analysis of TEPC single event measurements showed that high LET components (>10 keV.microm(-1)) represent 90 to 99% of total dose equivalent in the treatment rooms and 50 to 90% in the controlled area and quality factors range, respectively between 2 and 15. A fast neutron component was identified in the treatment rooms, where dose equivalent rate varied between few microSv.h(-1) to some dozen of mSv.h(-1). In high-energy radiation field rem-counters underestimated TEPC values for neutron component. The variation between instruments response according to the location is linked to energetic spectrum variations and instrument characteristics.

Aircrew dosimetry by means of experimental measurements and calculations: results obtained during the year 2003

The results of measurements performed during the year 2003 onboard aircraft, mostly during regular commercial flights of the Czech Airlines (CSA) are presented. The studies were performed during more than 30 individual flights, several dosemeters and equipments were used for both neutron and non-neutron components of the onboard radiation field. CSA colleagues submitted us for all flights with navigation data necessary for the calculation of onboard aircraft crew exposure with transport codes EPCARD and CARI. Direct readings of experimental equipments were corrected on the base of the calibration in CERN high-energy radiation fields. A reasonable agreement of measured and calculated data was observed. During one of the flights, a very deep Forbush decrease occurred. The experimental results confronted with calculation permitted to obtain new view on the influence of such events on aircraft crew exposure.

Simulation and measurements of the response of an air ionisation chamber exposed to a mixed high-energy radiation field

CERN's radiation protection group operates a network of simple and robust ionisation chambers that are installed inside CERN's accelerator tunnels. These ionisation chambers are used for the remote reading of ambient dose rate equivalents inside the machines during beam-off periods. This Radiation Protection Monitor for dose rates due to Induced Radioactivity ('PMI', trade name: PTW, Type 34031) is a non-confined air ionisation plastic chamber which is operated under atmospheric pressure. Besides its current field of operation it is planned to extend the use of this detector in the Large Hadron Collider to measure radiation under beam operation conditions to obtain an indication of the machine performance. Until now, studies of the PMI detector have been limited to the response to photons. In order to evaluate its response to other radiation components, this chamber type was tested at CERF, the high-energy reference field facility at CERN. Six PMI detectors were installed around a copper target being irradiated by a mixed hadron beam with a momentum of 120 GeV c(-1). Each of the chosen detector positions was defined by a different radiation field, varying in type and energy of the incident particles. For all positions, detailed measurements and FLUKA simulations of the detector response were performed. This paper presents the promising comparison between the measurements and simulations and analyses the influence of the different particle types on the resulting detector response.