Beam Properties Research Articles

Dosimetric calibration of anatomy-specific ultra-high dose rate electron irradiation platform for preclinical FLASH radiobiology experiments.

FLASH radiation therapy (RT) offers a promising avenue for the broadening of the therapeutic index. However, to leverage the full potential of FLASH in the clinical setting, an improved understanding of the biological principles involved is critical. This requires the availability of specialized equipment optimized for the delivery of conventional (CONV) and ultra-high dose rate (UHDR) irradiation for preclinical studies. One method to conduct such preclinical radiobiological research involves adapting a clinical linear accelerator configured to deliver both CONV and UHDR irradiation. We characterized the dosimetric properties of a clinical linear accelerator configured to deliver ultra-high dose rate irradiation to two anatomic sites in mice and for cell-culture FLASH radiobiology experiments. Delivered doses of UHDR electron beams were controlled by a microcontroller and relay interfaced with the respiratory gating system. We also produced beam collimators with indexed stereotactic mouse positioning devices to provide anatomically specific preclinical treatments. Treatment delivery was monitored directly with an ionization chamber, and charge measurements were correlated with radiochromic film measurements at the entry surface of the mice. The setup for conventional dose rate irradiation utilized the same collimation system but at increased source-to-surface distance. Monte Carlo simulations and film dosimetry were used to characterize beam properties and dose distributions. The mean electron beam energies before the flattening filter were 18.8 MeV (UHDR) and 17.7 MeV (CONV), with corresponding values at the mouse surface of 17.2 and 16.2 MeV. The charges measured with an external ion chamber were linearly correlated with the mouse entrance dose. The use of relay gating for pulse control initially led to a delivery failure rate of 20% (±1 pulse); adjustments to account for the linac latency improved this rate to<1/20. Beam field sizes for two anatomically specific mouse collimators (4 × 4 cm2 for whole-abdomen and 1.5 × 1.5 cm2 for unilateral lung irradiation) were accurate within<5% and had low radiation leakage (<4%). Normalizing the dose at the center of the mouse (∼0.75cm depth) produced UHDR and CONV doses to the irradiated volumes with>95% agreement. We successfully configured a clinical linear accelerator for increased output and developed a robust preclinical platform for anatomically specific irradiation, with highly accurate and precise temporal and spatial dose delivery, for both CONV and UHDR irradiation applications.

Propagation properties of hollow sinh-Gaussian beam in maritime turbulence

Propagation properties of hollow sinh-Gaussian beam in maritime turbulence

Experimental and numerical study on the flexural properties of RC beams with different CFRP-strengthened schemes

This study conducted a four-point bending experiment investigation on the flexural performances of the RC beams strengthened with various CFRP schemes. Four beams were employed, i.e., the ordinary RC beam (L0), the RC beam bonded with CFRP sheet (L1-C), the CFRP U-wrapped RC beam (L2-U), and the RC beam using CFRP rivets (L3-A). Test results highlighted the obvious improvement in the flexural performances of CFRP-strengthened beams in terms of enhancing load-carrying capacities and limiting overall deformations compared to beam L0. In addition, end anchorage systems, including CFRP U-hoop and CFRP rivets, changed the failure mode, restricted crack propagation, and mitigated the bottom CFRP sheet debonding effectively. The ultimate loads of beams L1-C, L2-U, and L3-A were 27.4 %, 36.4 %, and 41.6 % higher than beam L0, respectively, indicating that CFRP rivets performed the best in improving the beams' flexural properties. Finite element analysis was developed to simulate the bending experiment process. The numerical results comply well with the experiments in terms of the crack distribution pattern and bending force history. Then, parametric studies for the design suggestions with the use of the modes reveal that the implementation of the CFRP rivet with a depth of 80 mm and a diameter of 10 mm seems to be an ideal optimization plan for the beams herein.

Metrological Uncertainties in the Integrated Luminosity Measurement with the Updated Design of a Detector at CEPC

Abstract In order to measure integrated luminosity with the required precision of $10^{-4}$ at the $Z^0$ pole, the proposed CEPC $e^{+}e^{-}$ collider requires a luminometer, a specially designed calorimeter placed in the very forward region to identify Bhabha scattering at low polar angles. Usually, such a device is placed at the outgoing beams, to keep the spatial symmetries of the head-on collisions at accelerators with a nonzero crossing angle. At CEPC it is currently proposed to place the luminometer on the z-axis. We review the feasibility of measurement of the integrated luminosity at the $Z^{0}$ pole with the required precision, focusing on the luminometer centered around the z-axis and the post-CDR beam properties.

Influence of structure size on bending-shear-torsion combined mechanical properties of concrete beams with BFRP bars

Influence of structure size on bending-shear-torsion combined mechanical properties of concrete beams with BFRP bars

Enhancing the Flexural Capacity of Deteriorated Low-Strength Prestressed Concrete Beam Using Near-Surface Mounted Post-Tensioned Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Bar

This study aimed to address the critical issue of age deterioration in prestressed concrete (PSC) structures by investigating the strengthening of aged PSC structures using a near-surface mounted (NSM) post-tensioned carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP). A total of nine PSC beams, each with a length of 6.5 m, were fabricated for a four-point bending test. Various experimental parameters were taken into account, including the strengthening method, compressive strength of concrete in the PSC beam, and the prestressing force of the PSC beam. The results indicated that the NSM post-tensioned CFRP strengthening system proved more efficient when compared to the NSM non-post-tensioned CFRP strengthening system. The flexural capacity of the NSM post-tensioned CFRP strengthening system, under the deteriorated low-strength PSC beam, increased by up to 30.9% compared to the PSC reference beam. Additionally, the experimental results were compared to a finite-element analysis, and a parametric study was conducted to examine the material properties of the PSC beam. Consequently, the NSM post-tensioned CFRP strengthening system is expected to be an effective solution for addressing the issue of deteriorated low-strength PSC structures.

Evaluation of bending and shear properties of mixed softwood & hardwood cross-laminated timbers

The current version of PRG-320 Standard for Performance-Rated Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) that governs CLT manufacturing and design, limits production to softwood species. As a result, the growing demand for CLT production could strain the supply of softwood lumber in the US within the next decade. The inclusion of hardwood in CLT production alongside softwood could be a potential solution to this problem. This paper investigates the bending and shear test results of three- and five-layer mixed species CLT beams manufactured using various combinations of yellow-poplar and southern pine. The beams were evaluated for bending strength, bending stiffness, shear strength, and shear stiffness, as well as quality control testing of moisture content, specific gravity, resistance to shear by compression loading and resistance to delamination. The experimental values for all CLT groups, adjusted according to the Allowable Stress Design (ASD) to ensure stress limits are not exceeded, were greater than those calculated using the shear analogy method. The only exceptions were bending stiffness values for the groups with all layers of southern pine and those with outer layers of southern pine and inner layers of yellow-poplar (see Table 1 for layups codes), where the differences remained within a minor range of 4 %. Although, wood failure percentages in resistance to shear by compression loading fell below the maximum value of 80 %, and face delamination percentages in resistance to delamination were above the minimum value of 5 % according to the corresponding standards. The mechanical properties of all CLT beams met or exceeded shear analogy values. The test results indicated that yellow-poplar could be a viable alternative to southern pine in the production of CLT due to its similar specific gravity. This suggests that mixed-species CLT can maintain or enhance structural performance while addressing material shortages. Furthermore, the use of yellow-poplar in CLT production promotes sustainable forestry practices, supports resource diversification, and encourages innovation in construction methods. These findings have significant practical implications for the timber and construction industries, contributing to cost efficiency and environmental sustainability.

Orbital angular momentum and rotational properties of off-axis vortex beams in two-dimensional media with anisotropic nonlocal nonlinearity.

By introducing anisotropy into nonlinear propagations, off-axis vortex beams exhibit significantly different characteristics compared to the isotropic case. The orbital angular momentum (OAM) is non-conservative and can periodically change between positive and negative values. Accordingly, the rotation of phase singularity can transit between clockwise and counterclockwise directions. Furthermore, the phase singularity can move to infinity when the OAM approaches zero. By using the Ehrenfest theorem, the motion of the beam center is obtained. Its trajectory can be circular and parabolic or follow other complex shapes, depending closely on the anisotropy of the nonlinearity. The rotational velocity of the beam center can be modulated by the nonlinearity anisotropy and can far exceed the initial value during its propagation. These results may find potential applications in beam shaping and optical manipulation.

Heat treatment, microstructure, texture, and mechanical properties of electron beam melted Ti6Al4V

The findings from the microstructural and textural analysis of as-printed and heat-treated electron beam melted Ti-6Al-4V (EBM-Ti64) samples are discussed in this work. The initial microstructures of both samples were characterized precisely. The as-printed microstructure exhibits aligned grain boundaries parallel to the building direction, with the presence of α platelets. In contrast, the heat-treated microstructure reveals a lamellar α/β structure with a considerably wide interlamellar spacing. This work addresses the transformations from β→α+ά and ά→α+β occurring when materials are heated up to below the β-transus temperature. While the ά→α˝+β transformation is deemed unlikely to take place, the process can still occur through spinodal decomposition of β,β→βV−poor+βV−rich→α˝+βV−rich where α˝ eventually transforms into α+β. A thorough characterization of three primary morphologies of the α phase was revealed. Due to exposure to high temperatures, as experienced in the environment of a rocket engine fan, it was necessary to conduct isothermal hot compression experiments on the homogenized EBM-Ti64 alloy. These experiments aim to investigate the hot deformation behavior within the temperature range of 250–350 °C and a strain rate of 10 s−1. The findings indicate that the modified Johnson-Cook constitutive model and its corresponding numerical simulation, based on stress-strain and work-hardening characteristics, effectively predict the flow behavior of this microstructurally complex alloy. Microstructure and mechanical properties of deformed as-printed and heat-treated samples at 250 ℃, 300 ℃, and 350 ℃ show that although dynamic recrystallization is not feasible under these conditions, we observe grain refinement and decreasing interlamellar spacing. These findings align with mechanical properties, where higher total strain and lower ultimate compression strength were noted as the testing temperature increased. Additionally, heat-treated materials exhibited inferior mechanical characteristics under each testing circumstance. Texture rotation (90 degrees) after deformation is evident in all pole figures. Considering the orientation distribution function maps, more intense <0001> fibre and {101̅0} <0001> textures were formed. Assessments of the slip systems revealed that the basal slip system has the lowest activity when considering texture orientations. Conversely, the most significant deformation contribution, particularly in the c-axis, comes from contraction twin and <c+a> 1st order pyramidal.

From Compton scattering of photons on targets to inverse Compton scattering of electron and photon beams

We revisit the kinematics of Compton scattering (electron-photon interactions producing electrons and photons in the exit channel) covering the full range of energy/momenta distribution between the two colliding particles, with a dedicated view to statistical properties of secondary beams that are generated in beam-beam collisions. Starting from the Thomson inverse scattering, where electrons do not recoil and photons are backscattered to higher energies by a Lorentz boost effect (factor 4γ2), we analyze three transition points, separating four regions. These are in sequence, given by increasing the electron recoil (numbers are for transition points and letters for regions): (a) Thomson backscattering, (1) equal sharing of total energy in the exit channel between electron and photon, (b) deep recoil regime where the bandwidth/energy spread of the two interacting beams are exchanged in the exit channel, (2) electron is stopped, i.e., taken down at rest in the laboratory system by colliding with an incident photon of mc2/2 energy, (c) electron backscattering region, where incident electron is backscattered by the incident photon, and (3) symmetric scattering, when the incident particles carry equal and opposite momenta, so that in the exit channel they are backscattered with same energy/momenta, and (d) Compton scattering [ Arthur Compton, see A. J. Compton, A quantum theory of the scattering of X-rays by light elements, , 83 (1923)], where photons carry an energy much larger than the colliding electron energy. For each region and/or transition point, we discuss the potential effects of interest in diverse areas, like generating monochromatic gamma-ray beams in deep recoil regions with spectral purification, or possible mechanisms of generation and propagation of very high energy photons in the cosmological domain. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Three transmission properties of perfect vortex beam

Three transmission properties of perfect vortex beam

Ray Tracing of the New Multi-Modal X-ray Imaging Beamline PolyX at SOLARIS National Synchrotron Radiation Centre

The aim of the presented research is to evaluate the potential performance of a new bending magnet X-ray beamline—PolyX, designed for microimaging and microspectroscopy at the National Synchrotron Radiation Centre SOLARIS in Krakow. Due to the short beamline length (&lt;15 m), PolyX uses compact polycapillary and single-bounce monocapillary optics for X-ray focusing in the 4–15 keV energy range. Polycapillary optics require a dedicated approach for an efficient simulation of X-ray propagation in multiple capillary channels. Therefore, the PolyX beamline was ray traced by combining XRT (XRayTracer) and polycap libraries. In addition, to estimate the X-ray fluorescence spectra excited by focused beams, Monte Carlo simulations were conducted using XMI-MSIM. All simulations were aimed to estimate the crucial X-ray beam properties, i.e., the flux, the spot size, and the energy spectrum, for monochromatic and polychromatic X-ray beams.

Flexural mechanical properties of H-shaped steel-bamboo scrimber composite beams

To improve the torsional buckling resistance and enhance the load-bearing capacity and ductility of H-shaped steel beams with carbon reduction materials, the concept of combining H-shaped steel with bamboo scrimber has been proposed, in which the bamboo scrimber, an eco-friendly, lightweight, and high-strength material, promises significant structural benefits. Five full-scale specimens were designed and tested, including one H-shaped steel, two bamboo scrimber beams, and two composite beams. Additionally, further simulation tests were conducted using the verified finite element model (FEM). The experimental results revealed a remarkable increase in the ultimate bearing capacity of the composite beams by 96.5 % compared to bamboo scrimber-only beams and 72.7 % compared to steel-only beams. Meanwhile, distinct from the brittle fracture characteristics of the bamboo scrimber beams, which include instantaneous crack propagation and interlaminar cracking, the composite beams exhibited localized vertical cracks within the beam's tensile zone, effectively avoiding the torsional buckling issue of the H-shaped steel beam. The results further demonstrated that increasing the cross-sectional size of the composite beams can significantly enhance their flexural stiffness (up to 669 %), and reduce the deflection at the ultimate flexural moment. When the area of the bamboo scrimber in the cross-section was reduced with an unchanged steel profile, the initial stiffness dropped to 79 % without incurring any structural instability. Furthermore, by integrating the experimental and simulation results, a fiber element model for this composite beam structure is proposed to predict the maximum flexural moment value in the ultimate state. A corresponding calculation program was developed, and it is found that the calculated predicted ultimate flexural moment values exhibited negligible deviation from both experimental and FEM results, with AV of 1.0001, AAE of 2.21 %, and COV of 3.28 %.

Conditional guided generative diffusion for particle accelerator beam diagnostics

Advanced accelerator-based light sources such as free electron lasers (FEL) accelerate highly relativistic electron beams to generate incredibly short (10s of femtoseconds) coherent flashes of light for dynamic imaging, whose brightness exceeds that of traditional synchrotron-based light sources by orders of magnitude. FEL operation requires precise control of the shape and energy of the extremely short electron bunches whose characteristics directly translate into the properties of the produced light. Control of short intense beams is difficult due to beam characteristics drifting with time and complex collective effects such as space charge and coherent synchrotron radiation. Detailed diagnostics of beam properties are therefore essential for precise beam control. Such measurements typically rely on a destructive approach based on a combination of a transverse deflecting resonant cavity followed by a dipole magnet in order to measure a beam’s 2D time vs energy longitudinal phase-space distribution. In this paper, we develop a non-invasive virtual diagnostic of an electron beam’s longitudinal phase space at megapixel resolution (1024 × 1024) based on a generative conditional diffusion model. We demonstrate the model’s generative ability on experimental data from the European X-ray FEL.

Effect of steady-state thermal blooming on partially coherent radially polarized beams propagating in the atmosphere

We undertake a computational study of the steady-state thermal blooming effect on a special class of partially coherent vector beams, called partially coherent radially polarized (PCRP) beams, propagating through the atmosphere. A computational propagation model that is based on a multi-phase screen method is established to simulate partially coherent vector beams. With the use of this model, the propagation properties of PCRP beams with different initial powers and spatial coherence widths are studied in detail, including average intensity distribution, r.m.s. beam width, and polarization. Our results unveil that PCRP beams can effectively reduce or overcome the negative effects caused by thermal blooming when the initial coherence width falls below a certain threshold. Further, it is shown that the spatial distribution of degree of polarization (DOP) is significantly affected by the thermal blooming during beam propagation, whereas the global DOP (integrating the DOP over a beam’s cross-section) is not.

An analytic solution for bending of multilayered structures with interlayer-slip

Layered structures are prevalent in both natural environments and engineered composite materials. The elastic bending behavior of these structures is primarily governed by properties of their abundant interfaces. While the behavior of two- and three-layered beams has been extensively studied, this research shifts the focus to the impact of elastic shearing at interfaces on the deflection of multilayered structures comprising a substantial number of layers. We present an analytical solution indicating that the bending properties of multilayered beams and plates are nonlinearly dependent on interfacial stiffness. Denoting Se as the effective bending stiffness of an n-layered beam of length L, and S0 as the bending stiffness of a perfectly bound counterpart, we arrive at SeS0=11+(n2−1)tanhαLαL where αL represents a dimensionless parameter related to geometry and material properties. The analytical solutions, validated through finite element simulations, highlight the substantial variations in stiffness across different layered structures. This solution could also be instrumental in assessing interfacial damage and delamination in lamellar composites.

A Study on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Electron Beam Welded Joint of Nb/Selective Laser-Melted TC4 Dissimilar Alloys

A Study on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Electron Beam Welded Joint of Nb/Selective Laser-Melted TC4 Dissimilar Alloys

Generation of stochastic electromagnetic beams based on modified degenerate cavity lasers

This study introduces a technique for generating stochastic electromagnetic (SEM) beams using a modified degenerate cavity laser in which one mirror is substituted with a spatial light modulator (SLM). We propose two methods to manipulate the spatial coherence of SEM beams: the first involves adjusting the size of a spatial filter within the laser cavity, which alters the number of oscillating transverse modes and thus varies the spatial coherence. The second method employs phase modulation by applying a dynamic random phase to the SLM. This dual approach allows for precise control over the spatial coherence properties of SEM beams. Experimental results demonstrate the generation of SEM beams using an SLM within a modified degenerate cavity laser and reveal a correlation between two orthogonal polarization components of the beams.

Performance of ANN, Random Forest and XGBoost methods in predicting the flexural properties of wood beams reinforced with carbon-FRP

ABSTRACT Wooden material can be used in different areas due to its various positive properties. Glued Laminated wooden elements (glulam) are wood composite materials widely used especially in the construction industry. Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP) are widely used to increase the bearing capacity values of glulam beams and improve their overall load-displacement behavior. This study was carried out in two stages. In the first stage, the bending properties of glulam timbers of different sizes with wide spans reinforced with carbon fiber-reinforced polymers were experimentally examined. In the next stage, the obtained data were predicted with three different machine learning techniques (ANN, Random Forest and XGBoost). As a result of the study, it was determined that as the section dimensions increased, the bending properties increased, and the reinforcement was effective by approximately 22%. All three different prediction techniques used could make predictions with high accuracy. However, it was determined that the best prediction was made with Random Forest (R2: 0.9892). Therefore, the bending properties of reinforced beams of different sizes can be predicted with machine learning (ML) techniques.

Bessel beams generation with biphase transition of vanadium dioxide metasurface

Bessel beams are highly attractive due to their non-diffraction properties, parallel processing capabilities, and large capacity. However, conventional methods for generating Bessel beams, such as using spatial light modulators, axicons, and diffraction optical elements, face limitations in terms of system complexity, bulkiness, low uniformity, and limited numerical aperture (NA). In this work, we exploited the phase change material vanadium dioxide (VO2) to generate both transmitted and reflected Bessel beams. Moreover, the self-healing property of Bessel beams was verified. Our results reveal that VO2 in the insulating state achieves a transmittance of 85% in the transmitting mode, while VO2 in the metallic state exhibits a reflection efficiency of 77% in the reflecting mode. This performance indicates the potential applications in efficient switchable metasurfaces.