Measurement Of Radiation Field Research Articles

Isotopically Enriched Lithium Fluoride Crystals for Detection of Neutrons with the Fluorescent Track Technique.

In this work, the properties of LiF crystals grown using Li of different isotopic compositions are described from the standpoint of their application as fluorescent nuclear track detectors used in measurements in the neutron radiation fields. The crystals were grown using two techniques: the Czochralski method and the micro-pulling-down method. Three isotopic compositions of Li were studied: natural, highly enriched in 6Li, and highly enriched in 7Li. It was found that 6LiF detectors are about six times more sensitive to thermal (low energy) neutrons than natural LiF, which significantly decreases the lower detection limit. 7LiF detectors are insensitive to thermal neutrons, which makes it easier to detect tracks due to other radiation modalities, such as energetic ions or nuclei recoiled in collisions with high-energy neutrons. Besides the response to neutron radiation, no other significant differences in the crystal properties were identified, irrespective of the isotopic composition and crystal growth method employed.

Challenges of radiation measurements in an institute with various large-scale research facilities

The Paul Scherrer Institute is a unique Swiss research institute that operates five large-scale research facilities in which different types of particles, such as electrons, protons, neutrons, pions and muons, are accelerated or produced. Depending on the facility and location, the operational radiation protection has to deal with challenging measurements of mixed radiation fields, which can be in addition pulsed and of high-energy. In this article, we provide insight into the associated demands and challenges using two examples with different requirements for the monitoring technology. Using the example of the high-intensity proton accelerator (HIPA), the measurement technology around high-energy accelerators is examined in more detail. On the other hand, the problems of measuring technology for pulsed radiation and its dynamic range are discussed using the example of the Swiss X-ray free electron laser SwissFEL. The aim of this paper is to highlight the different requirements and technical challenges in radiation measurements for such complex facilities and, thus, to raise awareness and provide a stimulus for further developments in measurement technology.

Investigation of the neutron radiation fields inside the accelerator tunnel during operation of the Swiss Light Source (SLS)

The Swiss Light Source (SLS) is a third-generation synchrotron light source with an electron energy of 2.4 GeV. It consists of a linear accelerator, a booster and a storage ring providing light for various applications. As SLS is a high-energy accelerator, its operation is accompanied with production of ionizing radiation fields, including neutrons. This leads to additional challenges from a radiation protection point of view. The long-term investigation of the radiation fields at this accelerator facility can provide useful information for the residual activation studies and optimization of shielding. This work describes measurements of the neutron radiation fields inside the tunnel and results of this study.

A Method Based on Equivalent Measurement of Radiation Fields for Coded-Aperture Imaging With System Errors

A Method Based on Equivalent Measurement of Radiation Fields for Coded-Aperture Imaging With System Errors

An improved hybrid photon detector based on a SiC Schottky diode

In order to improve the temporal response of SiC-HPMTs, a new SiC detector with a faster time response (leading edge 1.5 ns, FWHM 4 ns) was developed for constructing an improved SiC-HPMT. Then the properties of the improved SiC-HPMT were studied in detail. Compared with those of the previous SiC-HPMT, the temporal response of the improved SiC-HPMT, with a leading edge of about 2 ns and a FWHM of less than 5ns was effectively improved. The maximum linear current that exceeded 630 mA depends on both the accelerating and focusing voltage (Va) and the bias voltage (VSiC) of the SiC detector, but has a strong dependence on Va. The scintillation detector comprised of the improved SiC-HPMT and an EJ228 scintillator can accurately obtain the multiple peaks characteristic of the pulsed X-ray source, which indicates that the improved SiC-HPMT can well satisfy the requirements for measuring the time information of fast pulsed radiation fields. In addition, the SiC-HPMT should be placed at the position that deviates from the radiation beam to avoid the direct irradiation on the SiC detector. The improved SiC-HPMT will further expand its application in pulsed radiation field measurements and become a supplement for existing photoelectric detectors.

Analysis and Design of High-Efficient High-Power Spatial Power Divider

This paper presents the design of a high-efficiency spatial power divider that utilizes hologram technology to split an incident beam into multiple beams with varying power ratios and channel numbers. In order to avoid the crosstalk coupling among different beam channels, the distinguishable distance limit of beams is deduced. On the basis of the analysis, a synthesis procedure which considers the power capacity further is proposed to profile the mirror. Following the design method, a 1-to-2 unequal power divider and a 1-to-4 equal one are designed based on an identical hologram structure. The simulation results show that both power dividers achieved high efficiency, with over 95% and maintained efficiency over 90% over a wide fractional frequency range of more than 29% in Ka band, making them suitable for broadband high-power systems. For validation purposes, the 1-to-4 spatial power divider are fabricated and tested by the radiation field measurements, and the test results are highly consistent to the simulation. The proposed method provides a generic way to realize high efficient power division in high power systems, and can be easily extended to other applications where low attenuation and high power capacity are required.

Dose estimation in X-ray backscatter imaging with Timepix3 and TLD detectors

Nowadays, the detection of backscatter X-rays has become an essential part of road security scanners, where individuals are at risk of an accidental exposure to the pulsed photon radiation fields generated by the devices that implement this technique. Dose to soft-tissue measurements of a pulsed radiation field generated by a commercial cargo X-ray backscattering device are presented using a Timepix3 detector. To accurately estimate the imparted dose, the energy spectrum of a backscattering cargo scanner is measured with a thick CdZnTe hybrid semiconductor pixel detector. The deconvolution of this measured spectrum is performed and the contributions to the dose are calculated by means of the mass energy-absorption coefficients for soft-tissue. This methodology was assessed through a Monte-Carlo simulation, together with verification measurements using thermoluminescent detectors (TLDs) as a standard dosimetry system. Measurements of direct irradiation, for a 30 s scan with the device at 2 m from the detector, yielded a dose of (4.9 ± 0.7) μGy and (3.6 ± 0.3) μGy for the Timepix3 and TLDs, respectively. In a simulated cargo environment, with the detector behind a 1 mm thick steel wall, 30 s scan time, and 2 m source to detector distance, the dose measured by the Timepix3 was (1.7 ± 0.1) μGy, while for the TLDs (1.4 ± 0.6) μGy, showing that the proposed methodology has a similar response as compared to a standard dosimetry system.

Measurements of radiation fields from a ceramic break

Ceramic breaks are used in synchrotrons for many purposes. For example, they are inserted between the Multi-Wire Profile Monitor (MWPM) on the injection line at the Rapid Cycling Synchrotron (RCS) in J-PARC to completely prevent the wall currents accompanying beams from affecting the MWPM. On the other hand, from the viewpoint of suppressing beam impedances and the radiation fields from the ceramic breaks, it would be preferable that the inner surface of the ceramic break is coated with Titanium Nitride (TiN), or covered over capacitors. In this report, we measure the radiation fields from the ceramic break with and without capacitors as well as the beam profile and investigate the effect of the ceramic breaks on the measurements.

Correcting for the clumping effect in leaf area index calculations using one-dimensional fractal dimension

The clumping effect is the main issue causing the heterogeneity in vegetation canopies and the underestimation of leaf area index (LAI) obtained using indirect measurement methods. Significant efforts have been exerted to correct for the clumping effect and derive the true LAI. Recent research has shown that the fractal dimension (FD) is directly related to the clumping effect of foliage, yet practical methods are needed to calculate field estimates. Considering that widely used LAI applications such as digital hemispherical photography (DHP), tracing radiation and architecture of canopies (TRAC), and digital cover photography (DCP) estimate LAI with one-dimensional (1D) gap probability and gap size data, we propose a method to correct for the clumping effect using 1D FD. Resulting formulae describing the relationship between LAI, CI, and 1D FD were based on the box-counting method (BCM) and a binomial distribution model. Sixty-four simulated scenes including four RAdiation transfer Model Intercomparison (RAMI) actual canopies and field measurements from nine plots (four orchard plots and five coniferous forest plots) were used to validate the novel method. Results showed good agreement with reference LAI values for simulated scenes (R2 = 0.96 and RMSE = 0.35). The 1DFD method generated higher LAI estimates compared with the LAI measured using TRAC at the four orchard plots especially at high canopy closure, while its results were more consistent with LAI obtained by litter collection than those of comparable methods at coniferous forest plots (bias from −13.5% to 9.9% for DCP images, from −3.0% to 19.7% for DHP images, and from −3.8% to 17.0% for TRAC transects). Our validation efforts indicate that the method proposed herein corrects for the clumping effect of vegetated canopies more effectively with DCP images, DHP images, and TRAC measurement when compared with traditional indirect optical methods. The 1DFD method is expected to improve indirect measurement accuracy of LAI.

DOSE MEASUREMENT PRECISION OF AN RPLD-BASED EYE LENS DOSEMETER APPLICABLE TO THE MEDICAL SECTOR.

We demonstrate a practical calibration method and its applicability for a commercially available radiophotoluminescence dosemeter (RPLD), i.e. the GD-352M (AGC Techno Glass, Shizuoka, Japan) to eye lens dose monitoring, by performing the calibration according to the ISO recommendations. The calibration was then verified through a series of experiments. For verification of the derived calibration factor (1.21 ± 0.04, k = 1) of the RPLD, we performed standard irradiations in the ISO narrow series X-ray reference fields and the simulation measurements in the actual radiation fields in a hospital. The TLD-based commercially available dosemeters, DOSIRIS™ was also put on the ISO cylinder phantom and the RANDO phantom together with the GD-352M in the verification experiments. The personal dose equivalents Hp(3) obtained from the GD-352M and those obtained from the DOSIRIS™ were in good agreement with each other. Our results demonstrate the proper calibration of a commercially available RPLD that is applicable to the additional monitoring of the lens of the eyes for medical staff.

Predicting simultaneously fields of soot temperature and volume fraction in laminar sooting flames from soot radiation measurements - a convolutional neural networks approach.

An original convolutional neural network, i.e. U-net approach, has been designed to retrieve simultaneously local soot temperature and volume fraction fields from line-of-sight measurements of soot radiation fields. A five-stage U-net architecture is established and detailed. Based on a set of N2 diluted ethylene non-premixed flames, the minimum batch size requirement for U-net model training is discussed and the U-net model prediction ability is validated for the first time by fields provided by the modulated absorption emission (MAE) technique documenting the N2 diluted flame. Additionally, the U-net model's flexibility and robustness to noise are also quantitatively studied by introducing 5% & 10% Gaussian random noises into training together with the testing data. Eventually, the U-net predictive results are directly contrasted with those of Bayesian optimized back propagation neural network (BPNN) in terms of testing score, prediction absolute error (AE), soot parameter field smoothness, and time cost.

Anisotropic radiation source models for computational thermal manikin simulations based on common radiation field measurements

The balanced design of extreme heat adaptation strategies that engineer the radiative properties of infrastructure or human clothing requires realistic methods of spectrally and spatially resolving irradiation from a complex built environment on the human body. Current irradiation measurement methods oversimplify the human body as points, spheres, or cylinders. In contrast, computational thermal manikins often used in convective simulations resolve the 3D body shape but have predominantly been used to model radiation exchange only with a large isothermal surrounding. To bridge this gap, we formulated six anisotropic radiation source models for thermal manikin simulations based on net-radiometer 6-directional, acrylic globe, and cylindrical radiation thermometer measurements. In some cases, we augmented the models with solar zenith angle and theoretical global solar irradiation. The models predict similar diffuse longwave (LW) as well as direct and diffuse shortwave (SW) radiation for measurements taken during a representative hot, sunny day with an unobstructed sky view. For three times of the day, we simulated irradiation distributions on an average male thermal manikin. Comparing the resulting irradiation maps showed that the direct SW component should be based on solar direction instead of the 6-directional "box" approach. Results also highlight the importance of the diffuse irradiation implementation method. However, experimental benchmarking (e.g., using physical thermal manikins in real-world settings) is required to determine whether the volumetric, box, or spherical diffuse source specification is the most realistic approach. The introduced techniques can be applied to realistically simulate irradiation from real-world built environments on a wide range of individuals.

Laser induced incandescence measurement of soot in ethylene buoyant turbulent diffusion flames under normal and reduced oxygen concentrations

There is a lack of published soot measurement data in buoyant turbulent flames under reduced oxygen conditions. In this work, the laser induced incandescence (LII) technique is used to investigate the soot volume fraction (fv) and soot sheet thickness in buoyant turbulent diffusion flames in atmospheres with different oxygen concentrations (OC, oxygen molar fraction in oxidizer). The experiments establish an extensive database of quantitative fv spatial distribution in ethylene flames under three OCs (20.9%, 16.8%, and 15.2%) and two heat release rates (HRR = 10 kW and 15 kW). Mean, fluctuation, and probability density function of fv, as well as local soot intermittency are studied and compared across different conditions. The results show that the maximum instantaneous fv in normal air can be ~8 ppm; but the corresponding mean fv only reaches up to 0.58 ppm due to turbulence and flame intermittency. As the oxygen concentration is reduced from 20.9% to 15.2%, the mean fv decreases, and this effect is more significant at lower heights above the burner (e.g., ~75% reduction in the mean fv at a height of half a burner outer diameter). Soot is found to be distributed unevenly in the flame, appearing in sheet-like regions with irregular and complicated shapes. The soot sheet thickness is quantified to better understand soot-turbulence interactions. This soot dataset, along with other accompanying radiation and flow field measurements, provides a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics of turbulent buoyant flame dynamics under normal and vitiated conditions, and can be used to develop and validate models for soot formation and radiative heat transfer in such flames.

A method of detecting level change of uranium fluorination mixture in the hopper by gamma-ray dose

The measurement of material level change in uranium fluorination has an essential influence on uranium production quality. In this study, a method to determine the level change of uranium fluorination mixture in the hopper by online radiation meter outside hopper is established. We have designed an experiment to study the change of radiation field outside the hopper with a known height of radioactive material to discover its regular pattern. The experimental results show that when the probe is placed 50 mm away from the cylinder wall, the average radiation dose is more significant, and the change of radiation dose measured by the instrument at this position is more evident than that at other positions. Then through the measurement of the external radiation field of the hopper with unknown material level to estimate the material level, and by opening the cover of hopper to verify the accuracy of the material level measurement method. Based on the experimental results and theoretical analysis, a method and formula for judging the mixture material are proposed. This method can quickly determine the level of uranium fluoride mixture in the hopper online, realize the accurate control of material parameters in the process of uranium conversion, and improve the quality of uranium conversion products.

AIRDOS — open-source PIN diode airborne dosimeter

This article introduces a new open-source dosimeter AIRDOS intended for measurements on board aircraft. In-flight measurement of a mixed radiation field is a challenging deal that requires a small low-power-consumption battery-operated lightweight device with long endurance. A new innovative electronic design with a silicon PIN diode used as a sensor is presented, including full description and manufacturing documentation. The device was verified by measurements and compared with reference dosimeters widely used in aircraft dosimetry, such as Liulin MDU and HAWK TEPC. A comparison of the measurements with a computation model CARI 7 was performed as well. All the comparisons yield positive results within known errors. The new design of the dosimeter has a very satisfactory performance in terms of battery life and does not need calibration after manufacturing or recalibration after a long time of usage. Open-source design predetermines AIRDOS for future improvements and open-science.

Radioactive Source Localisation via Projective Linear Reconstruction.

Radiation mapping, through the detection of ionising gamma-ray emissions, is an important technique used across the nuclear industry to characterise environments over a range of length scales. In complex scenarios, the precise localisation and activity of radiological sources becomes difficult to determine due to the inability to directly image gamma photon emissions. This is a result of the potentially unknown number of sources combined with uncertainties associated with the source-detector separation—causing an apparent ‘blurring’ of the as-detected radiation field relative to the true distribution. Accurate delimitation of distinct sources is important for decommissioning, waste processing, and homeland security. Therefore, methods for estimating the precise, ‘true’ solution from radiation mapping measurements are required. Herein is presented a computational method of enhanced radiological source localisation from scanning survey measurements conducted with a robotic arm. The procedure uses an experimentally derived Detector Response Function (DRF) to perform a randomised-Kaczmarz deconvolution from robotically acquired radiation field measurements. The performance of the process is assessed on radiation maps obtained from a series of emulated waste processing scenarios. The results demonstrate a Projective Linear Reconstruction (PLR) algorithm can successfully locate a series of point sources to within 2 cm of the true locations, corresponding to resolution enhancements of between 5× and 10×.

A Recovery Performance Study of Compressive Sensing Methods on Antenna Array Diagnosis from Near-Field Measurements

Antenna testing consists locating the potential defaults from radiated field measurements. It has been established in literature, that compressive sensing methods provide faster results in failure detection from smaller number of measurement data compared to the traditional back-propagation mechanisms. Compressive sensing (CS) methods require a priori measurement of failure-free reference array and require small number of measurements for diagnosis. However, there are conflicting reports in literature regarding the choice of appropriate CS method, and there is no sufficient comparison study to justify which one is a better choice under a very harsh condition. In this study, recovery performance test of CS methods for the diagnosis of antenna array from few near-field measured data under various signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) is presented. Specifically, we tested three prominent regularization procedures: total variation (TV), mixed l1/ l2 norm, and minimization of the l1 in solving diagnosis problems in antenna array. Linear system that relates the difference between near-field measured data from reference antenna (RA) array and array under test (AUT), and the difference that exist between coefficients of RA and the AUT, is solved by the three compressive sensing regularization methods. Numerical experiment of a 10 × 10 rectangular waveguide array under realistic noise scenario, operating at 10 GHz is used to conduct the test. Minimization l1 technique is more robust to additive data noise. It exhibits better diagnosis at 20 dB and 10 dB SNR, making it a better candidate for noisy measured data as compared to other techniques.

APPLICATION OF POSITION-SENSITIVE DETECTORS FOR ANALYZING THE ENERGY SPECTRA OF PHOTON RADIATION

Monitoring the spectral composition of photon radiation from generating sources and emitting objects is the most informative way to analyze the radiation fields created by them. However, it is impossible to study the radiation characteristics of radiation fields of ultra short duration and high intensity using direct measurement methods. This work considers a method for reconstructing the spectral distributions of photon radiation from the profile of the secondary radiation fields recorded by a position-sensitive detector. To implement a new method of measurement in the primary beam of radiation is an extended scattering body of homogeneous material. Outside the field of the primary beam, a position-sensitive detector is placed along the generatrix of the scattering body, which records the photons of the secondary radiation and the coordinates of their emission. The spectral composition of the primary radiation beam is restored from the shape of the spatial distribution obtained. To find a quasi-solution describing the energy spectrum of the primary radiation beam, it is proposed to use the maximum likelihood expectation maximization method. The possibility of switching to measurements in secondary radiation fields having a lower intensity is confirmed by the experimental results. To form secondary radiation fields, we used a composite phantom containing three scattering bodies in the form of rectangular parallelepipeds made of graphite, aluminum, and titanium. The secondary radiation fields were recorded by a radiographic sensor. Using an X-ray source operating in a pulsed mode, images were obtained and profiles of the secondary radiation fields were formed. It is experimentally shown that the secondary radiation fields have a gradient structure and can be used to analyze the energy spectra of the radiation beams generating them. The method for reconstructing spectral distributions proposed in this work allows one to measure the energy spectra of photons using position-sensitive detectors and can be used in solving problems of diagnostics of pulsed high-intensity radiation beams.

Characterizing Radiation Effectiveness in Ion-Beam Therapy Part II: Microdosimetric Detectors

The specific advantages of ion beams for application in tumor therapy are attributed to their different macroscopic and microscopic energy deposition pattern as compared to conventional photon radiation. On the macroscopic scale, the dose profile with a Bragg peak at the highest depths and small lateral scattering allow a better conformation of the dose to the tumor. On the microscopic scale, the localized energy deposition around the trajectory of the particles leads to an enhanced biological effectiveness, typically expressed in terms of clinically significant relative biological effectiveness (RBE). Experimental investigations reveal complex dependencies of RBE on many physical and biological parameters, as e.g. ion species, dose, position in the field, and cell or tissue type. In order to complement the experimental work, different approaches are used for the characterization of the specific physical and biological properties of ion beams. In a set of two papers, which are linked by activities within a European HORIZON 2020 project about nuclear science and application (ENSAR2), we describe recent developments in two fields playing a key role in characterizing the increased biological effectiveness. These comprise the biophysical modelling of RBE and the microdosimetric measurements in complex radiation fields. This second paper focuses on microdosimeters and on the importance of providing the instrumental measurement of the spectra of the imparted energy. The relevance of microdosimetric quantities, complementary to the absorbed dose is emphasized. This parts provides an overview of the microdosimetric concepts and the recent experimental developments in the field of microdosimetry applied to ion beam therapy. Finally, a non-exhaustive, dedicated section in included to emphasize the relevance of Monte Carlo simulations as tool for the design of the microdosimetric detectors and for the interpretation of the experimental results. For the two distinctive clinical beams of protons and carbon ions, the lineal-energy parameters are correlated to the clinical concept of Linear Energy Transfer (LET) and RBE. The possibilities of applying experimental microdosimetry in ion-beam therapy are discussed considering the consolidated irradiation characteristics as well as the most recent developments.

Lightning generated electric field over land and sea at Northern Region of Peninsular Malaysia: Measuring Setup

Lightning is the transfer of significant charge between two charged object, it can appear between cloud-to-cloud, cloud-to-air and cloud-to-ground. All lightning activities are correlated with charge movement and therefore, it can be studied using measurement of electrostatic field (slow field changes), radiation field (fast field changes) and magnetic field affiliated with charge movement. The measuring equipment was a parallel flat plate and vertical whip antenna with an analog filter buffer circuit, connected to a digital high speed oscilloscope. In principle, both antenna have a similar measuring operation, with the exclusion of the antennas dimension, mode of transient recoder and the association of circuitry characteristic (decay time constant). This measurement setup are commonly used to perform electric field characterization related to various lightning events such as as preliminary breakdown, stepped leader, return stroke, subsequent return stroke, dart leader, dart-stepped leader, narrow bipolar pulses and cloud activity between strokes, such as regular pulse trains, K and M changes and chaotic pulse trains. The measurement systems are located very close to the sea, with respect in obtaining a perspicuous explaination of lightning propagation effects on sea instead on land. Noise-distorted effects in data captured usually introduce in a noisy environment or when the lightning strike far from the measurement station, thus the data gathered from the measurement need to be filter using MATLAB computer simulation before conducting further analysis. A promising wavelet 1-D technique, then, were used in signal denoising process rather using conventional filtration. In this works, the state of art in measuring vertical component of electric field focalized sea area during the thunderstorm days been demonstrate and explained.