Particle Fluence Research Articles

Irradiation of Neurons with High-Energy Charged Particles: An In Silico Modeling Approach.

In this work, a stochastic computational model of microscopic energy deposition events is used to study for the first time damage to irradiated neuronal cells of the mouse hippocampus. An extensive library of radiation tracks for different particle types is created to score energy deposition in small voxels and volume segments describing a neuron’s morphology that later are sampled for given particle fluence or dose. Methods included the construction of in silico mouse hippocampal granule cells from neuromorpho.org with spine and filopodia segments stochastically distributed along the dendritic branches. The model is tested with high-energy 56Fe, 12C, and 1H particles and electrons. Results indicate that the tree-like structure of the neuronal morphology and the microscopic dose deposition of distinct particles may lead to different outcomes when cellular injury is assessed, leading to differences in structural damage for the same absorbed dose. The significance of the microscopic dose in neuron components is to introduce specific local and global modes of cellular injury that likely contribute to spine, filopodia, and dendrite pruning, impacting cognition and possibly the collapse of the neuron. Results show that the heterogeneity of heavy particle tracks at low doses, compared to the more uniform dose distribution of electrons, juxtaposed with neuron morphology make it necessary to model the spatial dose painting for specific neuronal components. Going forward, this work can directly support the development of biophysical models of the modifications of spine and dendritic morphology observed after low dose charged particle irradiation by providing accurate descriptions of the underlying physical insults to complex neuron structures at the nano-meter scale.

Calibration of GafChromic EBT3 for absorbed dose measurements in 5 MeV proton beam and (60)Co γ-rays.

To study EBT3 GafChromic film in low-energy protons, and for comparison purposes, in a reference (60)Co beam in order to use it as a calibrated dosimetry system in the proton irradiation facility under construction within the framework of the Oncological Therapy with Protons (TOP)-Intensity Modulated Proton Linear Accelerator for RadioTherapy (IMPLART) Project at ENEA-Frascati, Italy. EBT3 film samples were irradiated at the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare-Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro, Italy, with a 5 MeV proton beam generated by a 7 MV Van de Graaff CN accelerator. The nominal dose rates used were 2.1 Gy/min and 40 Gy/min. The delivered dose was determined by measuring the particle fluence and the energy spectrum in air with silicon surface barrier detector monitors. A preliminary study of the EBT3 film beam quality dependence in low-energy protons was conducted by passively degrading the beam energy. EBT3 films were also irradiated at ENEA-National Institute of Ionizing Radiation Metrology with gamma radiation produced by a (60)Co source characterized by an absorbed dose to water rate of 0.26 Gy/min as measured by a calibrated Farmer type ionization chamber. EBT3 film calibration curves were determined by means of a set of 40 film pieces irradiated to various doses ranging from 0.5 Gy to 30 Gy absorbed dose to water. An EPSON Expression 11000XL color scanner in transmission mode was used for film analysis. Scanner response stability, intrafilm uniformity, and interfilm reproducibility were verified. Optical absorption spectra measurements were performed on unirradiated and irradiated EBT3 films to choose the most sensitive color channel to the dose range used. EBT3 GafChromic films show an under response up to about 33% for low-energy protons with respect to (60)Co gamma radiation, which is consistent with the linear energy transfer dependence already observed with higher energy protons, and a negligible dose-rate dependence in the 2-40 Gy/min range. Short- and long-term scanner stabilities were 0.5% and 1.5%, respectively; film uniformity and reproducibility were better than 0.5%. The main purpose of this study was to implement EBT3 dosimetry in the proton low-energy radiobiology line of the TOP-IMPLART accelerator, having a maximum energy of 7 MeV. Low-energy proton and (60)Co calibrated sources were used to investigate the behavior of film response vs to be written in italicum dose. The calibration in 5 MeV protons is currently used for dose assessment in the radiobiological experiments at the TOP-IMPLART accelerator carried out at that energy value.

SU‐E‐T‐782: Using Light Output From Doped Plastic Scintillators to Resolve the Linear Energy Transfer Spectrum of Clinical Electron Beams

Purpose:This research seeks to develop a portable, clinically‐suitable linear energy transfer (LET) detector. In radiotherapy, absorbed dose is commonly used to measure the amount of delivered radiation, though, it is not a good indicator of actual biological damage. LET is the energy absorbed per unit length by a medium along charged particle's pathway; studies have shown that LET correlates well with relative biological effectiveness (RBE).Methods:According to Birks’ law, light output of plastic scintillators is stopping‐power dependent. This dependency can be varied through doping by various high‐Z elements. By measuring light output signals of differently doped plastic scintillators (represented by column vector S, where each row corresponds to different scintillator material), the fluence of charged particles of a given LET (represented by column vector Φ, where each row corresponds to different LET bins) can be unfolded by S=R*Φ where R is system response matrix (each row represents a different scintillator, each column corresponds to different electron LET). Monte Carlo (MC) GEANT4.10.1 was used to evaluate ideal detector response of BC408 scintillating material doped with various concentrations of several high Z dopants. Measurements were performed to validate MC.Results:Signal for 1%‐lead doped BC408 and the non‐doped scintillator was measured experimentally by guiding light emitted by the scintillator (via in‐house made taper, fiber system) to a PMT and then an electrometer. Simulations of 1%Pb‐doped scintillator to non‐doped scintillator revealed 9.3% reduction in light output for 6 MeV electrons which compared well (within uncertainty) with measurements showing 10% reduction (6MeV electrons).Conclusion:Measurements were used to validate MC simulation of light output from doped scintillators. The doping of scintillators is a viable technique to induce LET dependence. Our goal is to use this effect to resolve the LET spectrum of an incident beam.

SU‐E‐T‐521: Investigation of the Uncertainties Involved in Secondary Neutron/gamma Production in Geant4/MCNP6 Monte Carlo Codes for Proton Therapy Application

Purpose:A major concern in proton therapy is the production of secondary neutrons causing secondary cancers, especially in young adults and children. Most utilized Monte Carlo codes in proton therapy are Geant4 and MCNP. However, the default versions of Geant4 and MCNP6 do not have suitable cross sections or physical models to properly handle secondary particle production in proton energy ranges used for therapy. In this study, default versions of Geant4 and MCNP6 were modified to better handle production of secondaries by adding the TENDL‐2012 cross‐section library.Methods:In‐water proton depth‐dose was measured at the “The Svedberg Laboratory” in Uppsala (Sweden). The proton beam was mono‐energetic with mean energy of 178.25±0.2 MeV. The measurement set‐up was simulated by Geant4 version 10.00 (default and modified version) and MCNP6. Proton depth‐dose, primary and secondary particle fluence and neutron equivalent dose were calculated. In case of Geant4, the secondary particle fluence was filtered by all the physics processes to identify the main process responsible for the difference between the default and modified version.Results:The proton depth‐dose curves and primary proton fluence show a good agreement between both Geant4 versions and MCNP6. With respect to the modified version, default Geant4 underestimates the production of secondary neutrons while overestimates that of gammas. The “ProtonInElastic” process was identified as the main responsible process for the difference between the two versions. MCNP6 shows higher neutron production and lower gamma production than both Geant4 versions.Conclusion:Despite the good agreement on the proton depth dose curve and primary proton fluence, there is a significant discrepancy on secondary neutron production between MCNP6 and both versions of Geant4. Further studies are thus in order to find the possible cause of this discrepancy or more accurate cross‐sections/models to handle the nuclear interactions of protons with energy ranges used for therapy.NSERC‐CRSNG’ CREATE Medical Physics Research Training Network compute calcul CANADA; McGill University health center research institute the fast foundation; LM acknowledges partial support by the CREATE Medical Physics Research Training Network grant of the Natural Sciences and Engineering; Research Council Grant number 432290

Ion implantation induced phase transformation and enhanced crystallinity of as deposited copper oxide thin films by pulsed laser deposition

Copper oxide thin film of about 260–280nm thickness was deposited using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on glass substrate at 350°C and post depositional sample treatment was performed by ion implantation with 50keV N5+ ion beam with varying particle fluence. Amorphous copper oxide thin film deposited at 80mTorr partial pressure of oxygen was transformed to cubic Cu2O phase (20.2nm) when implanted at 1×1016particles/cm2. While mixed Cu2O and CuO phases in the thin film deposited at 100mTorr oxygen pressure was transformed to single phase of Cu2O (23.5nm), with enhanced crystallinity when implanted with 2.5×1015particles/cm2. The phase transformation and improved crystallinity is attributed to thermal effect owing to stopping of incident ion beam. Implantation with higher particle fluence led to transformation to CuO phase with reduced crystallite sized and the increased electrical conductivity.

ORGAN AND EFFECTIVE DOSE COEFFICIENTS FOR CRANIAL AND CAUDAL IRRADIATION GEOMETRIES: PHOTONS

With the introduction of new recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) in Publication 103, the methodology for determining the protection quantity, effective dose, has been modified. The modifications include changes to the defined organs and tissues, the associated tissue weighting factors, radiation weighting factors and the introduction of reference sex-specific computational phantoms. Computations of equivalent doses in organs and tissues are now performed in both the male and female phantoms and the sex-averaged values used to determine the effective dose. Dose coefficients based on the ICRP 103 recommendations were reported in ICRP Publication 116, the revision of ICRP Publication 74 and ICRU Publication 57. The coefficients were determined for the following irradiation geometries: anterior-posterior (AP), posterior-anterior (PA), right and left lateral (RLAT and LLAT), rotational (ROT) and isotropic (ISO). In this work, the methodology of ICRP Publication 116 was used to compute dose coefficients for photon irradiation of the body with parallel beams directed upward from below the feet (caudal) and directed downward from above the head (cranial). These geometries may be encountered in the workplace from personnel standing on contaminated surfaces or volumes and from overhead sources. Calculations of organ and tissue kerma and absorbed doses for caudal and cranial exposures to photons ranging in energy from 10 keV to 10 GeV have been performed using the MCNP6.1 radiation transport code and the adult reference phantoms of ICRP Publication 110. As with calculations reported in ICRP 116, the effects of charged-particle transport are evident when compared with values obtained by using the kerma approximation. At lower energies the effective dose per particle fluence for cranial and caudal exposures is less than AP orientations while above ∼30 MeV the cranial and caudal values are greater.

Simulation of the dynamic inefficiency of the CMS pixel detector

The Pixel Detector is the innermost part of the CMS Tracker. It therefore has to prevail in the harshest environment in terms of particle fluence and radiation. There are several mechanisms that may decrease the efficiency of the detector. These are mainly caused by data acquisition (DAQ) problems and/or Single Event Upsets (SEU). Any remaining efficiency loss is referred to as the dynamic inefficiency. It is caused by various mechanisms inside the Readout Chip (ROC) and depends strongly on the data occupancy. In the 2012 data, at high values of instantaneous luminosity the inefficiency reached 2% (in the region closest to the interaction point) which is not negligible. In the 2015 run higher instantaneous luminosity is expected, which will result in lower efficiencies; therefore this effect needs to be understood and simulated. A data-driven method has been developed to simulate dynamic inefficiency, which has been shown to successfully simulate the effects.

Structural and optical investigation on alpha particle irradiated CR-39 surface coated by MEH-PPV conducting polymer

Photoluminescence and UV–Vis spectral evaluation of a poly allyl diglycol carbonate (CR-39) detector coated by poly(2-methoxy-5-(2-ethyl-hexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene-vinylene) (MEH-PPV) conducting polymer are demonstrated. The CR-39 surfaces were exposed to thin 241Am disk source that emits alpha particles with activity 333kBq. Surface modification of the detector by MEH-PPV was acquired by a simple dip coating process. Our findings revealed that the spectroscopic analysis using FTIR is insensitive approach to detect the induced modifications in the irradiated samples. Additionally, the track density of the irradiated samples affects significantly the photoluminescence and UV–Vis responses of the CR-39 samples. The spectral peak heights and the integrated intensities under the peaks exhibit linear correlations (correlation coefficient R2=0.9904 to 0.9968) with the fluence of alpha particles. The linear fitting functions together with the corresponding fitting parameters were evaluated. Both techniques exhibited remarkable spectral differences for the irradiated samples, and hence they could be employed to provide sensitive methods for alpha particle detection. Results of sample fabrication and modification, along with structural and optical evaluation are addressed and thoroughly discussed.

Radiation experience with the CMS pixel detector

The CMS pixel detector is the innermost component of the CMS tracker occupying the region around the centre of CMS, where the LHC beams are crossed, between 4.3 cm and 30 cm in radius and 46.5 cm along the beam axis. It operates in a high-occupancy and high-radiation environment created by particle collisions. Studies of radiation damage effects to the sensors were performed throughout the first running period of the LHC . Leakage current, depletion voltage, pixel readout thresholds, and hit finding efficiencies were monitored as functions of the increasing particle fluence. The methods and results of these measurements will be described together with their implications to detector operation as well as to performance parameters in offline hit reconstruction.

Dosimetric models of the eye and lens of the eye and their use in assessing dose coefficients for ocular exposures.

Based upon recent epidemiological studies of ocular exposure, the Main Commission of the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) in ICRP Publication 118 states that the threshold dose for radiation-induced cataracts is now considered to be approximately 0.5 Gy for both acute and fractionated exposures. Consequently, a reduction was also recommended for the occupational annual equivalent dose to the lens of the eye from 150 mSv to 20 mSv, averaged over defined periods of 5 years. To support ocular dose assessment and optimisation, Committee 2 included Annex F within ICRP Publication 116 . Annex F provides dose coefficients - absorbed dose per particle fluence - for photon, electron, and neutron irradiation of the eye and lens of the eye using two dosimetric models. The first approach uses the reference adult male and female voxel phantoms of ICRP Publication 110. The second approach uses the stylised eye model of Behrens etal., which itself is based on ocular dimensional data given in Charles and Brown. This article will review the data and models of Annex F with particular emphasis on how these models treat tissue regions thought to be associated with stem cells at risk.

Charge collection in Si detectors irradiated in situ at superfluid helium temperature

Silicon and diamond detectors operated in a superfluid helium bath are currently being considered for the upgrade of the LHC beam loss monitoring system. The detectors would be installed in immediate proximity of the superconducting coils of the triplet magnets. We present here the results of the in situ irradiation test for silicon detectors using 23GeV protons while keeping the detectors at a temperature of 1.9K. Red laser (630nm) Transient Current Technique and DC current measurements were used to study the pulse response and collected charge for silicon detectors irradiated to a maximum radiation fluence of 1×1016p/cm2. The dependence between collected charge and irradiation fluence was parameterized using the Hecht equation and assumption of a uniform electric field distribution. The collected charge was found to degrade with particle fluence for both bias polarities. We observed that the main factor responsible for this degradation was related to trapping of holes on the donor-type radiation-induced defects. In contrast to expectations, along with formation of donors, acceptor-type defects (electron traps) are introduced into the silicon bulk. This suggests that the current models describing charge collection in irradiated silicon detectors require an extension for taking into account trapping at low temperatures with a contribution of shallow levels. New in situ irradiation tests are needed and planned now to extend statistics of the results and gain a deeper insight into the physics of low temperature detector operation in harsh radiation environment.

Persistent oxidative stress in human neural stem cells exposed to low fluences of charged particles

Exposure to the space radiation environment poses risks for a range of deleterious health effects due to the unique types of radiation encountered. Galactic cosmic rays are comprised of a spectrum of highly energetic nuclei that deposit densely ionizing tracks of damage along the particle trajectory. These tracks are distinct from those generated by the more sparsely ionizing terrestrial radiations, and define the geometric distribution of the complex cellular damage that results when charged particles traverse the tissues of the body. The exquisite radiosensitivity of multipotent neural stem and progenitor cells found within the neurogenic regions of the brain predispose the central nervous system to elevated risks for radiation induced sequelae. Here we show that human neural stem cells (hNSC) exposed to different charged particles at space relevant fluences exhibit significant and persistent oxidative stress. Radiation induced oxidative stress was found to be most dependent on total dose rather than on the linear energy transfer of the incident particle. The use of redox sensitive fluorogenic dyes possessing relative specificity for hydroxyl radicals, peroxynitrite, nitric oxide (NO) and mitochondrial superoxide confirmed that most irradiation paradigms elevated reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS and RNS, respectively) in hNSC over a 1 week interval following exposure. Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) was not the major source of elevated nitric oxides, as the use of NOS inhibitors had little effect on NO dependent fluorescence. Our data provide extensive evidence for the capability of low doses of charged particles to elicit marked changes in the metabolic profile of irradiated hNSC. Radiation induced changes in redox state may render the brain more susceptible to the development of neurocognitive deficits that could affect an astronaut’s ability to perform complex tasks during extended missions in deep space.

Accurate on line measurements of low fluences of charged particles

Ion beams supplied by the 3MV Tandem accelerator of LABEC laboratory (INFN-Firenze), have been used to study the feasibility of irradiating materials with ion fluences reproducible to about 1%. Test measurements have been made with 7.5 MeV 7Li2+ beams of different intensities. The fluence control is based on counting ions contained in short bursts generated by chopping the continuous beam with an electrostatic deflector followed by a couple of adjustable slits. Ions are counted by means of a micro-channel plate (MCP) detecting the electrons emitted from a thin layer of Al inserted along the beam path in between the pulse defining slits and the target. Calibration of the MCP electron detector is obtained by comparison with the response of a Si detector.

Investigation of ion induced damage in KBr, YAG:Ce, CaF2:Eu and CsI:Tl irradiated by various-energy protons

New experimental results on the scintillation processes for KBr, YAG:Ce, CaF2:Eu and CsI:Tl crystals under H2+ irradiation for the energy range of 600-2150 keV/u are systematically reported. The scintillation light yield was measured as a function of accumulated particle fluence at the rare isotope ReAccelerator (ReA) facility of the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory (NSCL). The data indicates that YAG:Ce and CsI:Tl can maintain stable luminescence under continuous ion bombardment for at least a total fluence of 1.8×1012 ions/mm2 in the energy range used for this experiment. On the other hand, the luminescence of CaF2:Eu shows a rapid initial decay but then maintains a nearly constant luminescence yield. The extraordinary scintillation response of KBr is initially enhanced under ion bombardment, approaches a maximum, and then eventually decays. The scintillation efficiency of the CsI:Tl scintillator is superior to the other materials. The stability of the measured beam profile width deducted from the different scintillator materials in static beam conditions was also investigated as a function of irradiation time. We observed that the low-energy H2+ bombardment (25 keV/u) on the YAG:Ce scintillator can lead to the significant degradation of the scintillation yields. Different scintillation degradation responses for the low- and high-energy bombardments can be attributed to the transmission loss of the emitted light inside the crystal caused by displacement damages.

Dielectric breakdown weathering of the Moon's polar regolith

AbstractGalactic cosmic rays and solar energetic particles (SEPs) can charge the Moon's subsurface, a process expected to be particularly important in the polar regions. Experiments have shown that sufficient fluences (i.e., time‐integrated fluxes) of energetic charged particles can cause dielectric breakdown, in which the electric field rapidly vaporizes small, filamentary channels within a dielectric. Lunar regolith has both the characteristics and, in some polar locations, the environment needed to make breakdown likely. We combine the Jet Propulsion Laboratory proton fluence model with temperature measurements from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter's (LRO's) Diviner instrument and related temperature modeling to estimate how often breakdown occurs in the polar regions. We find that all gardened regolith within permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) has likely experienced up to 2×106 SEP events capable of causing breakdown, while the warmest polar regions have experienced about 2 orders of magnitude fewer events. We also use measurements from the Cosmic Ray Telescope for the Effects of Radiation on LRO to show that at least two breakdown‐inducing events may have occurred since LRO arrived at the Moon in 2009. Finally, we discuss how such “breakdown weathering” may increase the percentage of fine and monomineralic grains within PSRs; explain the presence of so‐called “fairy castle” regolith structures; and contribute to other low‐albedo features detected by LRO's Lyman Alpha Mapping Project, possibly establishing a correlation between these features and the average temperatures within craters that are only partly in permanent shadow.

Shielding evaluation for solar particle events using MCNPX, PHITS and OLTARIS codes

Detailed analyses of Solar Particle Events (SPE) were performed to calculate primary and secondary particle spectra behind aluminum, at various thicknesses in water. The simulations were based on Monte Carlo (MC) radiation transport codes, MCNPX 2.7.0 and PHITS 2.64, and the space radiation analysis website called OLTARIS (On-Line Tool for the Assessment of Radiation in Space) version 3.4 (uses deterministic code, HZETRN, for transport). The study is set to investigate the impact of SPEs spectra transporting through 10 or 20 g/cm2 Al shield followed by 30 g/cm2 of water slab. Four historical SPE events were selected and used as input source spectra particle differential spectra for protons, neutrons, and photons are presented. The total particle fluence as a function of depth is presented. In addition to particle flux, the dose and dose equivalent values are calculated and compared between the codes and with the other published results. Overall, the particle fluence spectra from all three codes show good agreement with the MC codes showing closer agreement compared to the OLTARIS results. The neutron particle fluence from OLTARIS is lower than the results from MC codes at lower energies (E<100 MeV). Based on mean square difference analysis the results from MCNPX and PHITS agree better for fluence, dose and dose equivalent when compared to OLTARIS results.

Particle transport simulation and effect analysis of CCD irradiated by protons

Monte Carlo method is used to calculate the energy deposition of proton-irradiated scientific CCD (charge coupled device) structure, and the radiation damage mechanism of the device is analyzed by combining the proton irradiation with the annealing experiments. The ionizing dose in gate oxide layer and the displacement damage dose in silicon deposition are simulated. During irradiation and annealing experiments two main parameters, dark signal and charge transfer efficiency, are investigated. Results show that variations of dark signal and charge transfer efficiency are the same as those with ionizing dose and displacement damage dose. During irradiation, dark signal rises obviously as the fluence of 10 MeV proton increases. Defects and their annealing temperature:the divacancy levels show little annealing effect below 300℃, while the oxygen-vacancy complex is stable up to 350℃, and the phosphorous-vacancy has a characteristic annealing temperature of 150℃. Interface states are annealed totally at 175℃. So the annealing only affects oxide-trapped-charges. Dark signal is greatly reduced after annealing, this phenomenon means that the dark signal is mainly affected by ionization. The surface dark signal proportion of the total dark signal can be calculated by the reduction of dark signal during annealing and this is at least 80% or more. As the fluence of 10 MeV proton increases, the charge transfer efficiency reduces obviously. After annealing, the recovery of charge transfer efficiency changes very little, so the charge transfer efficiency is unaffected by oxide-trapped-charges, since it is reduced due mainly to bulk defects. The final device damage will always be proportional to the amount of initial damage and also to the electrical effect on the device. Hence NIEL scaling implies a universal relation:device damage=kdamage×displacement damage dose, where kdamage is a damage constant depending on the device and the parameter affected, and the displacement damage dose (DD) is the product of the NIEL and the particle fluence. MULASSIS is used to calculate the displacement damage dose in depletion area of P-area and deduce kdamage by combining with the experimental value of charge transfer efficiency; kdamage is calculated to be about 3.50×10-14. The formula for degradation degree of charge transfer efficiency is CTEafter irradiated = 1-Dd×kdamage, this formula is used to estimated CTE and the result is compared with the value from experiment. It is shown that the simulated data is in agreement with the experimental data.

Carrier transport mechanism of GaAs/Ge solar cells under electrons irradiation

In this paper, the basic laws of spectral response, open-circuit voltage and short circuit current of GaAs/Ge solar cells are obtained by ground simulation irradiation test under the different-energy electrons’ irradiations, such as 1, 1.8 and 10 MeV. The carriers’ transport mechanism in cells is analyzed using the PC1 D simulation program. The variations of the majority carriers’ concentration and the minority carriers’ diffusion length with the irradiation particle fluence are obtained in GaAs/Ge solar cells under different-energy electrons’ irradiation. Majority carriers’ removal rate and minority carriers’ diffusion length damage coefficient are calculated under different-energy electron irradiations. The results show that majority carriers’ concentration and minority carriers’ diffusion length decrease with increasing the incident electron fluence. The majority carriers’ removal rate and the damage coefficient of minority carriers’ diffusion length increase with increasing the electrons energy. The majority carriers’ removal effect and the minority carriers’ diffusion length shortened are the main reasons of open-circuit voltage and short circuit current degradation of the solar cells, respectively.

Numerical model for computation of effective and ambient dose equivalent at flight altitudes

A numerical model for assessment of the effective dose and ambient dose equivalent produced by secondary cosmic ray particles of galactic and solar origin at commercial aircraft altitudes is presented. The model represents a full chain analysis based on ground-based measurements of cosmic rays, from particle spectral and angular characteristics to dose estimation. The model is based on newly numerically computed yield functions and realistic propagation of cosmic ray in the Earth magnetosphere. The yield functions are computed using a straightforward full Monte Carlo simulation of the atmospheric cascade induced by primary protons and α -particles and subsequent conversion of secondary particle fluence (neutrons, protons, gammas, electrons, positrons, muons and charged pions) to effective dose or the ambient dose equivalent. The ambient dose equivalent is compared with reference data at various conditions such as rigidity cut-off and level of solar activity. The method is applied for computation of the effective dose rate at flight altitude during the ground level enhancement of 13 December 2006. The solar proton spectra are derived using neutron monitor data. The computation of the effective dose rate during the event explicitly considers the derived anisotropy i.e. the pitch angle distribution as well as the propagation of the solar protons in the magnetosphere of the Earth.

Influence of tungsten microstructure and ion flux on deuterium plasma-induced surface modifications and deuterium retention

The influence of surface temperature, particle flux density and material microstructure on the surface morphology and deuterium retention was studied by exposing tungsten targets (20μm and 40μm grain size) to deuterium plasma at the same particle fluence (1026m−2) and incident ion energy (40eV) to two different ion fluxes (low flux: 1022m−2s−1, high flux: 1024m−2s−1). The maximum of deuterium retention was observed at ∼630K for low flux density and at ∼870K for high flux density, as indicated from the thermal desorption spectroscopy data (TDS). Scanning electron microscopy observations revealed the presence of blisters with a diameter of up to 1μm which were formed at high flux density and high temperature (1170K) contrasting with previously reported surface modification results at such exposure conditions.