MV Pelletron Tandem Accelerator Research Articles

Neutron beam line for TOF measurements at the Spanish National Accelerator Lab (CNA)

A few years ago, the Spanish National Accelerator Lab (CNA) developed the first accelerator-based neutron facility in Spain called HiSPANoS (HiSPAlis Neutron Source). The first applications of the line were related to integral measurements applied to nuclear astrophysics, dosimetry and single event effects produced by neutrons in electronic devices. The successful of HiSPANoS pushed the enhancement of the facility. In collaboration with the NEC® Company, two devices were designed for pulsing ion beams (Chopper) and for compressing in time (Buncher) the pulsed beams. The Chopper-Buncher system has been already installed and commissioned. Proton and deuteron beams are delivered with repetition rates from 62.5 kHz to 2 MHz and 1 ns pulse width. In addition, a new line of the 3 MV Tandem Pelletron accelerator was designed for neutron time-of-flight (TOF) experiments. Conventional devices and a dedicated Pick-Up for timing measurements form the new line. In order to check the performance of the whole TOF system, we have carried out the measurement of the neutron spectrum produced by 7Li(p,n)7Be reaction at Ep = 1912 keV. Such spectrum has been measured by the TOF technique few times and it can be considered a standard neutron field, in particular in nuclear astrophysics. The first result of such experiment performed at CNA is shown in some detail. The excellent performance of the accelerator, the Chopper-Buncher system and the acquisition system allow us to offer the TOF line at HiSPANoS-CNA to the neutron community.

Ion beam analysis facility at the centre for energy research & development at Ile-Ife Nigeria and its applications in research

The Centre for Energy Research and Development (CERD), Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, acquired a NEC 1.7 MV Tandem Pelletron accelerator with one beamline in 2008 for ion beam experiments. This was upgraded in 2014, with the addition of a second beamline equipped with NEC RC 43 end station. This paper presents an overview of the accelerator, its capabilities, and its applications in research.A full description of the first end-station designed and built at iThemba Labs, South Africa, is also presented. A number of PIXE and RBS experiments have been carried out using this facility and the results are also presented. This paper further discusses the diverse areas of application of the accelerator, including solid minerals/geology, biomedical samples, materials science, environmental pollution, and agriculture.

The 6 MV multi-nuclide AMS system at the University of Tsukuba, Japan: First performance report

A horizontal-type 6 MV Pelletron tandem accelerator was installed at the University of Tsukuba, Japan, in September 2014. The first test of the multi-nuclide accelerator mass spectrometry system was performed in March 2016, after two years of construction. This is the first report of its performance. The particle detection system was designed for high-sensitivity detection of 10Be, 14C, 26Al, 36Cl, 41Ca, and 129I. A five-electrode ΔE-E gas-ionization detector was installed as the end station of the detection system. The system background for 14C measurements, with the 4+ charge state at 5.0 MV, has a 14C/12C ratio of ∼2.4 × 10−16. 10Be, 26Al, 36Cl, 41Ca, and 129I have also been successfully detected. The 41Ca/Ca background is ∼3 × 10−15 as a result of improved isobaric separation techniques.

Construction of 1.7 MV Pelletron Tandem Accelerator System and Its Application to Human Resource Development at Tokyo City University Atomic Energy Research Laboratory

Construction of 1.7 MV Pelletron Tandem Accelerator System and Its Application to Human Resource Development at Tokyo City University Atomic Energy Research Laboratory

Conceptual study of a heavy-ion-ERDA spectrometer for energies below 6 MeV

Elastic recoil detection analysis (ERDA) is a well established technique and it offers unique capabilities in thin film analysis. Simultaneous detection and depth profiling of all elements, including hydrogen, is possible only with time-of-flight ERDA. Bragg ionization chambers or ΔE-E detectors can also be used to identify the recoiling element if sufficiently high energies are used. The chief limitations of time-of-flight ERDA are the beam induced sample damage and the requirement of a relatively large accelerator.In this paper we propose a detector setup, which could be used with 3MeV to 6MeV medium heavy beams from either a single ended accelerator (40Ar) or from a tandem accelerator (39K). The detector setup consists of two timing detectors and a gas ionization chamber energy detector. Compared to use of very heavy low energy ions the hydrogen recoils with this beam have sufficient energy to be detected with current gas ionization chamber energy detector. To reduce the beam induced damage the proposed detector setup covers a solid angle larger than 1msr, roughly an order of magnitude improvement over most time-of-flight ERDA setups. The setup could be used together with a small accelerator to be used for light element analysis of approximately 50nm films.The concept is tested with 39K beam from a 1.7MV Pelletron tandem accelerator with the Jyväskylä ToF-ERDA setup. In addition to the measurements effects related to low energies and increase in the solid angle are simulated with Monte Carlo methods.

PIXE beam line at the CENTA facility of the Comenius University in Bratislava: first results

Optimization of the proton and helium beams from the alphatross ion source through the injection beam-line, the 3 MV Pelletron tandem accelerator, the high-energy analyzer and the PIXE chamber were carried out. Results obtained with the 4He ion beam showed better detection limits when compared with protons of the same energy and beam intensity. For detection of produced X-rays, a BEGe detector has been used, covering the energy range from 3 keV to 3 MeV. First measurements with 4He ions of 3.5 MeV energy included calibration runs with PIXE laboratory standards, as well as analyses of old silver coins.

Performance report for the low energy compact radiocarbon accelerator mass spectrometer at Uppsala University

A range of ion beam analysis activities are ongoing at Uppsala University, including Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS). Various isotopes are used for AMS but the isotope with the widest variety of applications is radiocarbon. Up until recently, only the 5 MV Pelletron tandem accelerator had been used at our site for radiocarbon AMS, ordinarily using 12MeV 14,13,12C3+ ions. Recently a new radiocarbon AMS system, the Green-MICADAS, developed at the ion physics group at ETH Zurich, was installed. The system has a number of outstanding features which will be described. The system operates at a terminal voltage of 175kV and uses helium stripper gas, extracting singly charged carbon ions. The low- and high energy mass spectrometers in the system are stigmatic dipole permanent magnets (0.42 and 0.97T) requiring no electrical power nor cooling water. The system measures both the 14C/12C and the 13C/12C ratios on-line. Performance of the system is presented for both standard mg samples as well as μg-sized samples.

Analysis of blood serum of lung cancer patients using particle induced X-ray emission

Trace elemental imbalance in human beings is postulated to exert action, directly or indirectly, on the carcinogenic process. The objective of this study was to evaluate the levels of trace elements in blood serum samples of lung cancer patients and analyze their alteration with respect to healthy controls. Particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE), a well established method for elemental analysis, was used to identify and quantify trace elements in the blood serum samples of the studied groups. The PIXE measurements were carried out using 2.5 MeV collimated proton beam from the 3 MV Tandem Pelletron Accelerator at Ion Beam Laboratory, Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar, India. The serum of the cancerous group displayed increased concentrations of Ti, Ni, and Cu but lowered concentrations of V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Zn, and Se. Statistically significant differences were found for serum Cr (p < 0.01), Fe (p < 0.0005), Ni (p < 0.05), Cu (p < 0.00005), and Zn (p < 0.0005) between the two studied groups. The copper to zinc ratio for the lung cancer group was 2.24 ± 0.39, which was almost three times the value for normal subjects (0.77 ± 0.14). The observed alterations are discussed with respect to the possible mechanisms by which these elements might influence the carcinogenic process. Significant reduction in mortality from lung cancer can be achieved by advances in early diagnosis and implementation of multidisciplinary treatment programmes leading to improvement of survivorship and better quality of life. It is expected that similar studies from all corners of the world would ultimately lead to the development of novel therapeutic agents to treat lung cancer.

Analysis of trace elements in blood sera of breast cancer patients by particle induced X-ray emission

Trace elemental imbalance in human beings is postulated to exert action, directly or indirectly, on the carcinogenic process. The objective of this study was to evaluate the levels of trace elements in blood sera of breast cancer patients and analyze their alteration with respect to healthy controls. This work was also intended to establish the role played by the trace elements in carcinogenic process. Particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) technique was used for trace elemental analysis of blood sera of breast cancer patients and healthy controls. The PIXE measurements were carried out using a 2.5 MeV collimated proton beam from the 3 MV Tandem Pelletron accelerator at Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar, India. On comparing the trace elemental content in the sera of breast cancer patients with those of control subjects, significant variations were observed in the levels of most of the trace elements. The serum levels of almost all the elements except Fe and Cu were observed to be depressed in cancer patients with respect to normal subjects. However, this variation was significant only for Ti (P < 0.00005), Cr (P < 0.005), Mn (P < 0.0005), Ni (P < 0.01), Zn (P < 0.000001), and Se (P < 0.05). On the other hand, significant elevations were observed in serum Fe (P < 0.05) and Cu (P < 0.005) levels in cancer patients. The findings presented in this paper give guidelines for future study into the possible roles and interactions of essential trace elements in the breast carcinogenic process.

Calibration of a Thomson parabola ion spectrometer and Fujifilm imaging plate detectors for protons, deuterons, and alpha particles

A Thomson parabola ion spectrometer has been designed for use at the Multiterawatt (MTW) laser facility at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics (LLE) at the University of Rochester. This device uses parallel electric and magnetic fields to deflect particles of a given mass-to-charge ratio onto parabolic curves on the detector plane. Once calibrated, the position of the ions on the detector plane can be used to determine the particle energy. The position dispersion of both the electric and magnetic fields of the Thomson parabola was measured using monoenergetic proton and alpha particle beams from the SUNY Geneseo 1.7 MV tandem Pelletron accelerator. The sensitivity of Fujifilm BAS-TR imaging plates, used as a detector in the Thomson parabola, was also measured as a function of the incident particle energy over the range from 0.6 MeV to 3.4 MeV for protons and deuterons and from 0.9 MeV to 5.4 MeV for alpha particles. The device was used to measure the energy spectrum of laser-produced protons at MTW.

PIXE identification of fine and coarse particles of aerosol samples and their distribution across Beirut

This study is the first national attempt to assess the levels of PMs in Beirut city and consequently understand air pollution distribution. Aerosol sampling was carried out using three PM 10 and three PM 2.5 samplers which were installed at three locations lying along the SE-NW direction over Beirut. The sampling of PM 10 and PM 2.5 was done during a period extending from May till December 2009. The random collection of the particles (1 in 6 days) was carried out on Teflon filters, for a period of 24-h. The elemental analysis of particulate matter was performed using proton induced X-ray emission technique PIXE at the Lebanese 1.7 MV Tandem-Pelletron accelerator of Beirut. Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, S and Cl were quantified using 1 MeV proton beam, while K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn and Pb were determined using 3 MeV-energy of proton beam.

Biological AMS at Uppsala University: Status report

Abstract In January 2007 a new research program was initiated at Uppsala University focusing on the biological applications of AMS. We have used a 5 MV Pelletron Tandem accelerator to study biological samples. With Microdosing applications in mind, a variety of measurements have been performed on human blood, plasma and urine that have been labeled with a 14 C-labeled pharmaceutical drug covering a concentration range, spanning 3 orders of magnitude. Furthermore, by studying small sample amounts and low concentrations, we have demonstrated sensitivity in the hundred zeptomole range for a small pharmaceutical substance in human blood. Another application of interest, based on the enhanced 14 C activity from the cold war bomb-peak, is dating of DNA molecules providing fundamental data for the regenerative medicine and stem cell research community. We show data on a sensitive carrier method for measuring the isotopic ratio of small biological sample in the few μgC range.

32 How Ultrasound Bidirectional Axial Transmission Reflects Geometry of Long Bones?

Active thermal neutron detectors are used in a wide range of measuring devices in medicine, industry and research. For many applications, the long-term stability of these devices is crucial, so that very well controlled neutron fields are needed to perform calibrations and repeatability tests. A way to achieve such reference neutron fields, relying on a 3 MV Tandem Pelletron accelerator available at the CNA (Seville, Spain), is reported here. This paper shows thermal neutron field production and reproducibility characteristics over few days.

Accelerator mass spectrometry of small biological samples

Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) is an ultra-sensitive technique for isotopic ratio measurements. In the biomedical field, AMS can be used to measure femtomolar concentrations of labeled drugs in body fluids, with direct applications in early drug development such as Microdosing. Likewise, the regenerative properties of cells which are of fundamental significance in stem-cell research can be determined with an accuracy of a few years by AMS analysis of human DNA. However, AMS nominally requires about 1 mg of carbon per sample which is not always available when dealing with specific body substances such as localized, organ-specific DNA samples. Consequently, it is of analytical interest to develop methods for the routine analysis of small samples in the range of a few tens of microg. We have used a 5 MV Pelletron tandem accelerator to study small biological samples using AMS. Different methods are presented and compared. A (12)C-carrier sample preparation method is described which is potentially more sensitive and less susceptible to contamination than the standard procedures.

Subattomole Sensitivity in Biological Accelerator Mass Spectrometry

The Uppsala University 5 MV Pelletron tandem accelerator has been used to study (14)C-labeled biological samples utilizing accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) technology. We have adapted a sample preparation method for small biological samples down to a few tens of micrograms of carbon, involving among others, miniaturizing of the graphitization reactor. Standard AMS requires about 1 mg of carbon with a limit of quantitation of about 10 amol. Results are presented for a range of small sample sizes with concentrations down to below 1 pM of a pharmaceutical substance in human blood. It is shown that (14)C-labeled molecular markers can be routinely measured from the femtomole range down to a few hundred zeptomole (10 (-21) mol), without the use of any additional separation methods.

Miss MaRPel – a 3 MV pelletron accelerator for hydrogen depth profiling

The 3 MV Pelletron tandem accelerator MaRPel (Material Research Pelletron) of the II. Physikalisches Institut in Göttingen is equipped with a low-level target station for applying the Resonant Nuclear Reaction Analysis technique. This combination allows high-resolution hydrogen depth distribution profiling using a 15N beam with an energy higher than 6.385 MeV, which is the resonance energy of the 1H(15N, α γ)12 C nuclear reaction. The installed AMSEL-steerers are used for an easy variation of the beam energy and a computer-controlled automated measurement of depth profiles. Here, the experimental set-up is described and the strategy of the energy calibration of MaRPel and the AMSEL-steerers is explained. The resolution and sensitivity of hydrogen depth profiling are presented together with some measured profiles as examples for possible applications of this analytic tool.

A high resolution AMS-injector for the Pelletron in Lund

A high resolution injector system has recently been installed at the Lund 3 MV tandem Pelletron accelerator. The new injector, designed mainly for 26Al ions, will increase the experimental potential of the Lund AMS facility considerably. High quality energy- and mass-resolution is obtained by using a 90° spherical electrostatic analyzer followed by a 90° magnetic analyzer. The injector is equipped with a high intensity sputtering source with a spherical ionizer.

Mechanical design of the recirculating, terminal pumping in the lund pelletron, and experimental experience

A recirculating terminal pumping system has been installed in the 3 MV Pelletron tandem accelerator in Lund. An extremly limited space in the high voltage terminal and the absence of electrical power in the terminal, forced us to provide a unique design for the installation and powering of the new pumps. Details of the technical design, as well as experience of the use of the new system for accelerator mass spectrometry, will be given.

External PIGE–PIXE measurements at the São Paulo 8UD tandem accelerator

An external PIGE–PIXE setup was installed on a beam line of the 8 MV tandem Pelletron accelerator of the Open Nuclear Physics Laboratory (LAFN). Proton beam energy was chosen in the 8–12 MeV range, sufficient to get an acceptable gamma ray yield but not so high as to prevent us from measuring X-rays. This also allowed the use of a thick aluminum exit window (0.5 mm) instead of the usual thin and sometimes fragile plastic windows. This external PIXE–PIGE system was used to analyze trace element concentrations in the enamel of human and animal teeth. The main interest was to find compatible human teeth substitutes for dentistry laboratory practice and chemical tests. In spite of their morpho-histological similarity, trace element concentrations in human and animal teeth have not yet been compared. Teeth from humans, cattle and swine collected primary at São Paulo region were analyzed. The elements Cu, K, Zn, Fe, Ti, Sr, V, Mn and Zr were detected by high energy external beam PIXE technique. Though preliminary, the results showed that the trace element concentrations observed in the enamel of human and swine are more similar to each other than to cattle teeth.

Status of ion microbeam facility at the Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar, India

An ion microbeam facility has been set up at one of the beam lines of the 3 MV tandem Pelletron accelerator facility at IOP, Bhubaneswar. This is the first facility of its kind in India, having potential applications in the growing fields involving semiconductors, materials science, biology, archeology and environmental science, from both scientific and industrial points of view. So far we have achieved a spatial resolution of ∼3 μm with a beam current of about 80 pA using a 3 MeV He + beam. A brief description of various components along with the experimental setup is given. As first applications of this microprobe, elemental maps, obtained by RBS measurements on epitaxial gold silicide islands grown on Si(1 1 0) surfaces, and results of mass transport in ion beam interaction with a Ag(1 1 1) epitaxial layer are presented.