MeV Gamma Rays Research Articles

Electron Pattern Recognition using trigger mode SOI pixel sensor for Advanced Compton Imaging

Compton imaging is a useful method for localizing sub MeV to a few MeV gamma-rays and widely used for environmental and medical applications. The direction of recoiled electrons in Compton scattering process provides the additional information to limit the Compton cones and increases the sensitivity in the system. The capability of recoiled electron tracking using trigger-mode Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) sensor is investigated with various radiation sources. The trigger-mode SOI sensor consists of 144 by 144 active pixels with 30 μm cells and the thickness of sensor is 500 μm. The sensor generates the digital output when it is hit by gamma-rays and 25 by 25 pixel pattern of surrounding the triggered pixel is readout to extract the recoiled electron track. The electron track is successfully observed for 60Co and 137Cs sources, which provides useful information for future electron tracking Compton camera.

Cherenkov Imaging of Radiation Dose and Molecular Signaling in Vivo

Cerenkov light emission from MeV gamma-ray and electron beam delivery has recently been shown to be detectable and could be used in some applications for 3D dosimetry in radiation therapy in water tanks or 2D surface dosimetry in humans. The major potential benefit of Cerenkov imaging is that it is a way to image beams in real time with several frames per second. As such, it is feasible to image treatment beams dynamically, and create composite visualizations of the treatment plans. This imaging can be used to verify new treatment plans prior to application to patients, or to quickly verify new machines, or testing in situations where access is limited.

Theoretical Study of the Photon Interaction for Zirconium Alloy at 1 keV to 100 MeV

In this work, the total mass attenuation coefficient and partial interactions of the zirconium alloy have been calculated by WinXCom program at 1 keV-100 MeV gamma ray energies. Zr2(Fe,Ni) alloys was studied for the mass attenuation coefficients, photoelectric absorption, incoherent, coherent and pair production processes. The effective atomic numbers and electron densities were also calculated. The calculated results show that the total mass attenuation coefficient decreased with increasing of gamma rays energy. The value of total mass attenuation coefficient of each material was different, which depend on chemical compositions of alloy. The partials interactions, effective atomic numbers and electron densities were also calculated and discussed.

New readout and data-acquisition system in an electron-tracking Compton camera for MeV gamma-ray astronomy (SMILE-II)

For MeV gamma-ray astronomy, we have developed an electron-tracking Compton camera (ETCC) as a MeV gamma-ray telescope capable of rejecting the radiation background and attaining the high sensitivity of near 1mCrab in space. Our ETCC comprises a gaseous time-projection chamber (TPC) with a micro pattern gas detector for tracking recoil electrons and a position-sensitive scintillation camera for detecting scattered gamma rays. After the success of a first balloon experiment in 2006 with a small ETCC (using a 10×10×15cm3 TPC) for measuring diffuse cosmic and atmospheric sub-MeV gamma rays (Sub-MeV gamma-ray Imaging Loaded-on-balloon Experiment I; SMILE-I), a (30cm)3 medium-sized ETCC was developed to measure MeV gamma-ray spectra from celestial sources, such as the Crab Nebula, with single-day balloon flights (SMILE-II). To achieve this goal, a 100-times-larger detection area compared with that of SMILE-I is required without changing the weight or power consumption of the detector system. In addition, the event rate is also expected to dramatically increase during observation. Here, we describe both the concept and the performance of the new data-acquisition system with this (30cm)3 ETCC to manage 100 times more data while satisfying the severe restrictions regarding the weight and power consumption imposed by a balloon-borne observation. In particular, to improve the detection efficiency of the fine tracks in the TPC from ~10% to ~100%, we introduce a new data-handling algorithm in the TPC. Therefore, for efficient management of such large amounts of data, we developed a data-acquisition system with parallel data flow.

Feasibility study on signal separation for spontaneous alpha decay in LaBr3: Ce scintillator by signal peak-to-charge discrimination.

A novel analysis method named peak-to-charge ratio (V(p)/Q(total)) discrimination, aiming at background rejection especially for alpha decay self-activity in LaBr3: Ce scintillators has been developed. This method is based on a waveform analysis using the peak-to-charge ratio in the output waveform of a photomultiplier tube. The discrimination of alpha-induced events was achieved by using a threshold function based on the error propagation of the V(p)/Q(total) value. The accidental rejection ratio of gamma-induced events was evaluated to be 0.17%. Furthermore, a total absorption peak spectrum processed with the V(p)/Q(total) discrimination method for (68)Ga 1.883 MeV gamma rays, where the energy was overlapped with background alpha events, reproduced exactly the same result as that of the background subtraction method. The difference in measured peak counts of both methods was 0.716%, and the statistical error in the V(p)/Q(total) discrimination method and background subtraction was 4.81% and 8.70%, respectively. Thus a higher-accuracy measurement could be achieved using the V(p)/Q(total) discrimination method. The present study demonstrates that the V(p)/Q(total) discrimination method is a promising method for background rejection of the spontaneous alpha decay in LaBr3:Ce scintillators.

Prospect for future MeV gamma-ray active galactic nuclei population studies

Abstract While the X-ray, GeV gamma-ray, and TeV gamma-ray skies have been extensively studied, the MeV gamma-ray sky has not yet been well investigated since the Imaging Compton Telescope (COMPTEL) scanned the sky about two decades ago. In this paper, we investigate the prospects for active galactic nuclei population studies with future MeV gamma-ray missions using recent spectral models and luminosity functions of Seyferts and flat-spectrum radio quasars (FSRQs). Both of them are plausible candidates for the origins of the cosmic MeV gamma-ray background. If the cosmic MeV gamma-ray background radiation is dominated by non-thermal emission from Seyferts, a sensitivity of 10−12 erg cm−2 s−1 is required to detect several hundred Seyferts in the entire sky. If FSRQs make up the cosmic MeV gamma-ray background, a sensitivity of ∼ 4 × 10−12 erg cm−2 s−1 is required to detect several hundred FSRQs following the recent FSRQ X-ray luminosity function. However, based on the latest FSRQ gamma-ray luminosity function, with which FSRQs can explain up to ∼ 30% of the MeV background, we can expect several hundred FSRQs even with a sensitivity of 10−11 erg cm−2 s−1, which is almost the same as the sensitivity goal of the next-generation MeV telescopes.

FIRST DETECTION OF >100 MeV GAMMA-RAYS ASSOCIATED WITH A BEHIND-THE-LIMB SOLAR FLARE

We report the first detection of >100 MeV gamma rays associated with a behind-the-limb solar flare, which presents a unique opportunity to probe the underlying physics of high-energy flare emission and particle acceleration. On 2013 October 11 a GOES M1.5 class solar flare occurred ~ 9.9 degrees behind the solar limb as observed by STEREO-B. RHESSI observed hard X-ray emission above the limb, most likely from the flare loop-top, as the footpoints were occulted. Surprisingly, the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) detected >100 MeV gamma-rays for ~30 minutes with energies up to GeV. The LAT emission centroid is consistent with the RHESSI hard X-ray source, but its uncertainty does not constrain the source to be located there. The gamma-ray spectra can be adequately described by bremsstrahlung radiation from relativistic electrons having a relatively hard power-law spectrum with a high-energy exponential cutoff, or by the decay of pions produced by accelerated protons and ions with an isotropic pitch-angle distribution and a power-law spectrum with a number index of ~3.8. We show that high optical depths rule out the gamma rays originating from the flare site and a high-corona trap model requires very unusual conditions, so a scenario in which some of the particles accelerated by the CME shock travel to the visible side of the Sun to produce the observed gamma rays may be at work.

Evaluation of a Fluorochlorozirconate Glass‐Ceramic Storage Phosphor Plate for Gamma‐Ray Computed Radiography

A fluorochlorozirconate (FCZ) glass‐ceramic containing orthorhombic barium chloride crystals doped with divalent europium was evaluated for use as a storage phosphor in gamma‐ray imaging. X‐ray diffraction and phosphorimetry of the glass‐ceramic sample showed the presence of a significant amount of orthorhombic barium chloride crystals in the glass matrix. Transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy were used to identify crystal size, structure, and morphology. The size of the orthorhombic barium chloride crystals in the FCZ glass matrix was very large, ~0.5–0.7 μm, which can limit image resolution. The FCZ glass‐ceramic sample was exposed to 1 MeV gamma rays to determine its photostimulated emission characteristics at high energies, which were found to be suitable for imaging applications. Test images were made at 2 MeV energies using gap and step wedge phantoms. Gaps as small as 101.6 μm in a 440 stainless steel phantom were imaged using the sample imaging plate. Analysis of an image created using a depleted uranium step wedge phantom showed that emission is proportional to incident energy at the sample and the estimated absorbed dose. The results showed that the sample imaging plate has potential for gamma‐ray‐computed radiography and dosimetry applications.

Gamma-ray novae as probes of relativistic particle acceleration at non-relativistic shocks

The Fermi LAT discovery that classical novae produce >100 MeV gamma-rays establishes that shocks and relativistic particle acceleration are key features of these events. These shocks are likely to be radiative due to the high densities of the nova ejecta at early times coincident with the gamma-ray emission. Thermal X-rays radiated behind the shock are absorbed by neutral gas and reprocessed into optical emission, similar to Type IIn (interacting) supernovae. Gamma-rays are produced by collisions between relativistic protons with the nova ejecta (hadronic scenario) or Inverse Compton/bremsstrahlung emission from relativistic electrons (leptonic scenario), where in both scenarios the efficiency for converting relativistic particle energy into LAT gamma-rays is at most a few tens of per cent. The ratio of gamma-ray and optical luminosities, L_gam/L_opt, thus sets a lower limit on the fraction of the shock power used to accelerate relativistic particles, e_nth. The measured values of L_gam/L_opt for two classical novae, V1324 Sco and V339 Del, constrains e_nth > 1e-2 and > 1e-3, respectively. Inverse Compton models for the gamma-ray emission are disfavored given the low electron acceleration efficiency, e_nth ~ 1e-4-1e-3, inferred from observations of Galactic cosmic rays and particle-in-cell (PIC) numerical simulations. A fraction > 100(0.01/e_nth) and > 10(0.01/e_nth) per cent of the optical luminosity is powered by shocks in V1324 Sco and V339 Del, respectively. Such high fractions challenge standard models that instead attribute all nova optical emission to the direct outwards transport of thermal energy released near the white dwarf surface.

DNA damage and oxidative stress induced by proton beam in Cymbidium hybrid

We investigated the radiation damages caused by two types of proton beam and gamma ray in the Cymbidium hybrid RB001 [(C. sinensis × C. goeringii) × Cymbidium spp.] to characterize proton beam as a new mutagen for Cymbidium mutation breeding. The protocorm-like bodies (PLBs) of Cymbidium hybrid were irradiated with a 45 MeV proton beam [mean linear energy transfer (LET) = 1.461 keV·μm−1], a 100 MeV proton beam (LET = 0.7306 keV·μm−1), and gamma ray (LET = 0.2 keV·μm−1). The PLBs treated with radiation doses of 0–100 Gy were analyzed using the comet assay and their physiological responses as indices of radiation damage. In the comet assay, the 45 MeV proton beam caused significant damage to the DNA integrity, but the 100 MeV proton beam and gamma ray showed relatively little radiation damage between the untreated control and treated PLBs. Malondialdehyde (MDA) content, an index of the indirect effects of ionizing radiation, was increased slightly by the 45 MeV proton beam with higher-LET, but highly increased by the 100 MeV proton beam with lower-LET. These results suggested that the 100 MeV proton beam caused extreme oxidative stress. Therefore, proton beam have unique characteristics in DNA mutagenesis pattern according to its LETs. Based on these results, proton beam is expected to be a useful tool for developing new mutant varieties of Cymbidium.

Ultra-precise single-ion atomic mass measurements on deuterium and helium-3

The former University of Washington Penning Trap Mass Spectrometer (UW-PTMS), now located at the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg, Germany, was used in the decade before the move to determine new values for the deuteron atomic mass, M (2H+) = 2.013 553 212 745(40) u, and the deuterium atomic mass, M (2H) = 2.014 101 778 052(40) u, both of which are now more than an order-of-magnitude more accurate than the previous best 1994-MIT measurements of these quantities. The new value for the deuteron’s mass can then be used with the accepted 2010-CODATA proton mass and the most recent 1999-measurement of the 2.2 MeV gamma-ray binding energy of the deuteron to refine the neutron’s mass to mn = 1.008 664 916 018(435) u which has about half the uncertainty relative to the value computed using that previous 1994-MIT deuterium measurement. As a result, further improvements of mn must now come from a more accurate determination of the wavelength of this gamma ray.In this same period of time, this spectrometer has also been used to determine new values for the helion atomic mass, M (3He2+) = 3.014 932 246 668(43) u, and the neutral helium-3 atomic mass, M (3He) = 3.016 029 321 675(43) u, which are both about 60 times more accurate than the 2006-SMILETRAP measurements, but disagree with the 4.4-times less-accurate 2015-Florida-State measurements by 0.76 nu. It is expected that these helium-3 results will be used in the future 3H/3He mass ratio (to be determined by the Heidelberg, Germany version of the old UW-PTMS) in order to generate a more accurate value for the tritium atomic mass.

Search for low-energy neutrinos from gamma-ray bursts at the Baksan Underground Scintillation Telescope

The origin of gamma-ray bursts is still one of the unresolved problems in physics. They are short, intense, and non-repeating flashes of MeV gamma-rays with a wide range of spectral and temporal properties. Also these bursts are perhaps sources of neutrino emission. Unlike the photons, which may scatter or be absorbed, the neutrinos, due to their small interaction cross section, arrive at the Earth unaffected. This paper describes experimental methods for detection of low energy neutrinos in the range from 20 MeV to 100MeV at the Baksan Underground Scintillation Telescope. In the analysis we search neutrinos in time coincidence with a gamma-ray burst. We use filtered data collected at the Telescope during 2012. We also use the catalogue of gamma-ray bursts of the SWIFT satellite experiment.

Plasma density estimation of a fusion grade ICP source through electrical parameters of the RF generator circuit

An inductively coupled plasma (ICP) based negative hydrogen ion source is chosen for ITER neutral beam (NB) systems. To avoid regular maintenance in a radioactive environment with high flux of 14 MeV neutrons and gamma rays, invasive plasma diagnostics like probes are not included in the ITER NB source design. While, optical or microwave based diagnostics which are normally used in other plasma sources, are to be avoided in the case of ITER sources due to the overall system design and interface issues. In such situation, alternative forms of assessment to characterize ion source plasma become a necessity. In the present situation, the beam current through the extraction system in the ion source is the only measurement which indicates plasma condition inside the ion source. However, beam current not only depends on the plasma condition near the extraction region but also on the perveance condition and negative ion stripping. Apart from that, the ICP production region radio frequency (RF) driver region) is placed far (∼30 cm) from the extraction region. Therefore, there are uncertainties involved in linking the beam current with plasma properties inside the RF driver. To maintain the optimum condition for source operation it is necessary to maintain the optimum conditions in the driver. A method of characterization of the plasma density in the driver without using any invasive or non-invasive probes could be a useful tool to achieve that objective. Such a method, which is exclusively for ICP based ion sources, is presented in this paper. In this technique, plasma density inside the RF driver is estimated through the measurements of the electrical parameters in the RF power supply circuit path. Monitoring RF driver plasma through the described route will be useful during the source commissioning phase and also in the beam operation phase.

Sensitivity changes of LiF:Mg,Ti and LiF:Mg,Cu,P TL detectors after proton exposures

Two most common types of LiF-based thermoluminescent (TL) detectors LiF:Mg,Ti (natural Li: MTS-N) and LiF:Mg,Cu,P (natural Li: MCP-N) have been studied for sensitivity loss after 60 MeV proton and gamma rays (60Co) doses ranging between 0.5 and 30 Gy. The sensitivity (main peak area) of LiF:Mg,Ti was found to be reduced by almost 10% after the highest proton dose of 30 Gy with respect to the lowest dose of 0.5 Gy. The sensitivity loss was noticeable even after 5 Gy of protons. After gamma-ray exposures the sensitivity loss of LiF:Mg,Ti was smaller than after protons. LiF:Mg,Cu,P detectors show opposite effect: gamma-rays cause a stronger sensitivity loss than protons. The high-temperatures peaks of LiF:Mg,Ti decreased much more significantly than the main peak (by 40%). The decreased sensitivity may be partly (depending on the dose radiation type) recovered by application the extended annealing procedures: 400 °C/20 h for MTS-N and 10 min at 270 °C followed by 1 h at 240 °C for MCP-N. The observed changes of sensitivity are of importance for dosimetry in proton radiotherapy.

Performance of a new Electron-Tracking Compton Camera under intense radiations from a water target irradiated with a proton beam

We have developed an electron-tracking Compton camera (ETCC) for use in next-generation MeV gamma ray telescopes. An ETCC consists of a gaseous time projection chamber (TPC) and pixel scintillator arrays (PSAs). Since the TPC measures the three dimensional tracks of Compton-recoil electrons, the ETCC can completely reconstruct the incident gamma rays. Moreover, the ETCC demonstrates efficient background rejection power in Compton-kinematics tests, identifies particle from the energy deposit rate (dE/dX) registered in the TPC, and provides high quality imaging by completely reconstructing the Compton scattering process. We are planning the ``Sub-MeV gamma ray Imaging Loaded-on-balloon Experiment'' (SMILE) for our proposed all-sky survey satellite. Performance tests of a mid-sized (30 cm)3 ETCC, constructed for observing the Crab nebula, are ongoing. However, observations at balloon altitudes or satellite orbits are obstructed by radiation background from the atmosphere and the detector itself [1]. The background rejection power was checked using proton accelerator experiments conducted at the Research Center for Nuclear Physics, Osaka University. To create the intense radiation fields encountered in space, which comprise gamma rays, neutrons, protons, and other energetic entities, we irradiated a water target with a 140 MeV proton beam and placed a SMILE-II ETCC near the target. In this situation, the counting rate was five times than that expected at the balloon altitude. Nonetheless, the ETCC stably operated and identified particles sufficiently to obtain a clear gamma ray image of the checking source. Here, we report the performance of our detector and demonstrate its effective background rejection based in electron tracking experiments.

Benchmarking the repeatability of a pneumatic cyclic neutron activation analysis facility using 16O(n,p)16N for nuclear forensics

A target was prepared for cyclic neutron activation analysis by heat sealing lithium-carbonate in polyethylene. The target was cyclically irradiated 50 times using a Thermo-Scientific accelerator based deuterium–tritium fusion neutron generator. During counting periods, gamma-rays emitted by 16N were detected using three high-purity germanium detectors acquiring data in list-mode. Total counts acquired in each spectrum were compared between the three detectors to examine variability in geometric positioning of the target and variability of the generator intensity throughout the experiment. These two effects were determined to be the primary sources of variation in the measured counts. Variation in target positioning and generator intensity were found to increase the standard deviation by 34% and 33%, respectively. Transit times to the detector were found to be slower and more variable than transit to the generator but were well below the half second threshold needed to measure short-lived radionuclides with half-lives on the order of seconds. The standard deviation in irradiation time was found to be less than 1 milliseconds. The impact on statistical variability in the measured counts was negligible relative to the two primary sources of variation. Spectra acquired from each cycle were summed together. The sum of the peak areas from the 6.1MeV gamma-ray and its corresponding single and double escape peaks were used to measure the half-life of 16N. The result of 7.108(15)seconds derived from data suggests that the currently published value of 7.13(2)seconds has minimal systematic bias induced by background.

Monte Carlo Simulation of Phytosanitary Irradiation Treatment for Mangosteen Using MRI-based Geometry

Purpose: Phytosanitary irradiation treatment can effectively control regulated pests while maintaining produce quality. The objective of this study was to establish the best irradiation treatment for mangosteen, a popular tropical fruit, using a Monte Carlo simulation. Methods: Magnetic resonance image (MRI) data were used to generate a 3-D geometry to simulate dose distributions in a mangosteen using a radiation transport code (MCNP5). Microsoft Excel with visual basic application (VBA) was used to divide the image data into seed, flesh, and rind. R adiation energies used for the simulation were 10 MeV (high-energy) and 1.35 MeV (low-energy) for the electron beam, 5 MeV for X-rays, and 1.25 MeV for gamma rays from Co-60. Results: At 5 MeV X-rays and 1.25 MeV gamma rays, all areas (seeds, flesh, and rind) were irradiated ranging from 0.3 ~ 0.7 kGy. The average doses decreased as the number of fruit increased. For a 10 MeV electron beam, the dose distribution was biased: the dose for the rind where the electrons entered was 0.45 ± 0.03 kGy and the other side was 0.24 ± 0.10 kGy. Use of an electron kinetic energy absorber improved the dose distribution in mangosteens. For the 1.35 MeV electron beam, the dose was shown only in the rind on the irradiated side; no significant dose was found in the flesh or seeds. One rotation of the fruit while in front of the beam improved the dose distribution around the entire rind. Conclusion: These results are invaluable for determining the ideal irradiation conditions for phytosanitary irradiation treatment of tropical fruit.

Prompt gamma ray evaluation for chlorine analysis in blended cement concrete

Single prompt gamma ray energy has been evaluated to measure chlorine concentration in fly ash (FA), Super-Pozz (SPZ) and blast furnace slag (BFS) cement concrete specimens using a portable neutron generator-based Prompt Gamma Neutron Activation (PGNAA) setup. The gamma ray yield data from chloride concentration measurement in FA, SPZ and BFS cement concretes for 2.86–3.10, 5.72 and 6.11MeV chlorine gamma rays were analyzed to identify a gamma ray with common slope (gamma ray yield/Cl conc. wt%) for the FA, BFS and SPZ cement concretes. The gamma ray yield data for FA and SPZ cement concretes with varying chloride concentration were measured previously using a portable neutron generator-based PGNAA setup. In the current study, new data have been measured for chlorine detection in the BFS cement concrete using a portable neutron generator-based PGNAA setup for 2.86–3.10, 5.72, and 6.11MeV chlorine gamma rays. The minimum detection limit of chlorine in BFS cement concrete (MDC) was found to be 0.034±0.010, 0.032±0.010, 0.033±0.010 for 2.86–3.10, 5.72 and 6.11MeV gamma ray, respectively.The new BFS cement concrete data, along with the previous measurements for FA and SPZ cement concretes, have been utilized to identify a gamma ray with a common slope to analyze the Cl concentration in all of these blended cement concretes. It has been observed that the 6.11MeV chlorine gamma ray has a common slope of 5295±265 gamma rays/wt % Cl concentration for the portable neutron generator-based PGNAA setup. The minimum detectable concentration (MDC) of chlorine in blended cement concrete was measured to be 0.033±0.010wt % for the portable neutron generator-based PGNAA. Thus, the 6.11MeV chlorine gamma ray can be used for chlorine analysis of blended cement concretes.

First experimental evidence of D(p, γ)3He reaction in titanium deuteride in ultralow collision energy region

The article is devoted to the investigation of a pd-reaction (p + d → 3He + γ(5.5 MeV)) under-going in titanium deuteride in astrophysical collision energy region of protons and deuterons ranging from 5.3 to 10.5 keV. The experiments have been performed using the Hall NR TPU (Tomsk, Russia) pulsed plasma accelerator. The number of accelerated protons in 10 μs pulse was 5 × 1014 at a repetition rate of 7 × 10−2 Hz. Detection of 5.5 MeV gamma rays was carried out using eight detectors based on crystals of NaI(Tl) (100 × 100 × 400 mm) placed around the TiD target. For the first time, the dependencies between the astrophysical S-factor and the effective cross section of the pd-reaction from proton-deuteron collision energy, and the potential electronic screening of the interacting protons and deuterons in titanium deuteride have been measured.

Design of a compact spectrometer for high-flux MeV gamma-ray beams

A novel design for a compact gamma-ray spectrometer is presented. The proposed system allows for spectroscopy of high-flux multi-MeV gamma-ray beams with MeV energy resolution in a compact design. In its basic configuration, the spectrometer exploits conversion of gamma-rays into electrons via Compton scattering in a low-Z material. The scattered electron population is then spectrally resolved using a magnetic spectrometer. The detector is shown to be effective for gamma-ray energies between 3 and 20 MeV. The main properties of the spectrometer are confirmed by Monte Carlo simulations.