Spatial and spectral measurement of laser-driven protons through radioactivation

The simultaneous measurement of the spatial profile and spectrum of laser-accelerated protons is important for further optimization of the beam qualities and applications.We report a detailed study regarding the underlying physics and regular procedure of such a measurement through the radioactivation of a stack composed of aluminum,copper,and CR-39 plates as well as radiochromic films(RCFs).After being radioactivated,the copper plates are placed on imaging plates(IPs)to detect the positrons emitted by the reaction products through contact imaging.The spectrum and energy-dependent spatial profile of the protons are then obtained from the IPs and confirmed by the measured ones from the RCFs and CR-39 plates.We also discuss the detection range,influence of electrons,radiation safety,and spatial resolution of this measurement.Finally,insights regarding the extension of the current method to online measurements and dynamic proton imaging are also provided.

Structure of the Quarks and a New Model of Protons and Neutrons: Answer to Some Open Questions

The described structural model tries to answer some open questions such as: Why do quarks not exist in the open state? Where are the antiparticles from the Big Bang?

Analysis of the Effect of Radiation Defects by Low-energy Protons on Electrophysical Properties of Silicon N^(+)-P-P^(+) Structure

Nowadays,radiation engineering is a promising direction in the creation of semiconductor devices.The proton irradiation is used to controllably change the optical,electrical,recombination,mechanical and structural properties of the semiconductors.Low-energy protons make it possible to purposefully change material properties near the surface where the n^(+)-p junction is located.In this paper,the impact of low-energy protons on the electro physical parameters of n+-p-p+silicon photoelectric converters(SPC)is analyzed.The current-voltage characteristics and switching time of these SPCs are measured.The switching time is determined using rectangular bipolar voltage pulses with an amplitude of 10 mV,a frequency of 200 kHz,or a frequency of 1 MHz.A theoretical and experimental analysis of the obtained results is performed.The comparison of experimental data with the results of calculations shows that protons with an energy of 180 keV and a dose of 10×15 cm^(-2) create two regions in the space charge region of the n^(+)-p junction with different switching times of 4.2×10^(-7) s and 5.5×10^(-8) s.SPC frequency characteristics have been improved by reducing the effective lifetime by 5-10 times.This effect can be used to create high-speed photodiodes with an operating modulation frequency of 18 MHz.

Second-Order Resonant Interaction of Ring Current Protons with Whistler-Mode Waves

We present a study on the second-order resonant interaction between the ring current protons with Whistler-mode waves propagating near the quasi electrostatic limit following the previous second-order resonant theory. The diffusion coefficients are proportional to the electric field amplitude E, much greater than those for the regular first-order resonance, which are proportional to the electric field amplitudes square E^2. Numerical calculations for the pitch angle scattering are performed for typical energies of protons Ek = 50 keV and 100 keV at locations L = 2 and L = 3.5. The timescale for the loss process of protons by the Whistler waves is found to approach one hour, comparable to that by the EMIC waves, suggesting that Whistler waves may also contribute significantly to the ring current decay under appropriate conditions.

Mass Stopping Power and Range of Protons in Biological Human Body Tissues (Ovary, Lung and Breast)

In this work, the mass stopping power and range of protons in biological human body tissues (ovary, lung and breast) were calculated at the energy ranging from 0.04 MeV to 200 MeV using the MATLAB Program. The data relating to the densities, average atomic number to mass number and excitation energy for the present tissues were collected from ICRU Report 46. The mass stopping power was calculated by the Bethe formula. Moreover, the simple integration (continuous slowing down approximation) method was employed for calculating protons range at the tissues. The results of the mass stopping power versus energy and the range versus energy were presented graphically and the empirical formulae for calculating the mass stopping power and the ranges were obtained. The present results for mass stopping powers and ranges were compared with the results obtained by others. Good agreements were found between them, especially at the energy ranging from 3 to 200 MeV.

Calculation of Mass Stopping Power and Range of Protons as Well as Important Radiation Quantities in Some Biological Human Bodyparts (Water, Muscle, Skeletal and Bone, Cortical)

In this work, the electronic mass stopping power and the range of protons in some biological human body parts (Water, Muscle, Skeletal and Bone, Cortical) were calculated in the energy range of protons 0.04 to 200 MeV using the theory of Bethe-Bloch formula as giving in the references. All these calculations were done using Matlab program. The data related to the densities, average atomic number to mass number and excitation energies for the present tissues and substances were collected from ICRU Report 44 (1989). The present results for electronic mass stopping powers and ranges were compared with the data of PSTAR and good agreements were found between them, especially at energies between 1 - 200 MeV for stopping power and 4 - 200 MeV for the range. Also in this study, several important quantities in the field of radiation, such as thickness, linear energy transfer (LET), absorbed dose, equivalent dose, and effective dose of the protons in the given biological human body parts were calculated at protons energy 0.04 - 200 MeV.

Emission of Protons in Inelastic Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions at High Energy

Based on the participant-spectator model and the analysis of particle producing proce-ss, the rapidity distribution and the noninvariant center-of-mass energy spectrum of final pro-tons produced in inelastic nucleus-nucleus collisions are studied.

Ionization of protoplanetary disks by galactic cosmic rays,solar protons,and supernova remnants

Galactic cosmic rays and solar protons ionize the present terrestrial atmosphere,and the air showers are simulated by well-tested Monte-Carlo simulations,such as PHITS code.We use the latest version of PHITS to evaluate the possible ionization of protoplanetary disks by galactic cosmic rays（GCRs）,solar protons,and by supernova remnants.The attenuation length of GCR ionization is updated as 118 g cm^-2,which is approximately 20% larger than the popular value.Hard and soft possible spectra of solar protons give comparable and 20% smaller attenuation lengths compared with those from standard GCR spectra,respectively,while the attenuation length is approximately 10% larger for supernova remnants.Further,all of the attenuation lengths become 10% larger in the compound gas of cosmic abundance,e.g.128 g cm^-2 for GCRs,which can affect the minimum estimate of the size of dead zones in protoplanetary disks when the incident flux is unusually high.

Comparison of radiation degradation induced by x-ray and 3-MeV protons in 65-nm CMOS transistors

The total ionizing dose（TID） response of 65-nm CMOS transistors is studied by 10-ke V x-ray and 3-Me V protons up to 1 Grad（SiO_2） total dose.The degradation levels induced by the two radiation sources are different to some extent.The main reason is the interface dose enhancement due to the thin gate oxide and the low energy photons.The holes＇ recombination also contributes to the difference.Compared to these two mechanisms,the influence of the dose rate is negligible.

3-17 An Experimental Study of Single-event Upset Induced by Low Energy Protons in 65 nm Commercial QDR II SRAMs

Scaling down of semiconductor encounters varieties of technical challenges such as Vth variation, critical charge. It is shown that circuits have scaled to the point that now even low-energy protons(LEPs) can cause single event upsets through direct ionization[1]. Some of studies predicted that proton direct ionization (PDI) would dominate the total SEE rate[2], thus we focus on this study.

Protons pump inhibitor treatment and lower gastrointestinal bleeding: Balancing risks and benefits

Proton pump inhibitors(PPIs) represent a milestone in the treatment of acid-related diseases, and are the mainstay in preventing upper gastrointestinal bleeding in high-risk patients treated with nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs(NSAIDs) or low-dose aspirin. However, this beneficial effect does not extend to the lower gastrointestinal tract. PPIs do not prevent NSAID or aspirin-associated lower gastrointestinal bleeding(LGB). PPIs may increase both small bowel injury related to NSAIDs and low-dose aspirin treatment and the risk of LGB. Recent studies suggested that altering intestinal microbiota by PPIs may be involved in the pathogenesis of NSAID-enteropathy. An increase in LGB hospitalization rates may occur more frequently in older patients with more comorbidities and are associated with high hospital resource utilization, longer hospitalization, and increased mortality. Preventive strategies for NSAID and aspirin-associated gastrointestinal bleeding should be directed toward preventing both upper and lower gastrointestinal damage. Future research should be directed toward identifying patients at low-risk for gastrointestinal events associated with the use of NSAIDs or aspirin to avoid inappropriate PPI prescribing. Alternatively, the efficacy of new pharmacologic strategies should be evaluated in high-risk groups, with the aim of reducing the risk of both upper and lower gastrointestinal bleeding in these patients.

Single-event effects induced by medium-energy protons in 28 nm system-on-chip

Single-event effects(SEEs)induced by mediumenergy protons in a 28 nm system-on-chip(SoC)were investigated at the China Institute of Atomic Energy.An on-chip memory block was irradiated with 90 MeV and 70 MeV protons,respectively.Single-bit upset and multicell upset events were observed,and an uppermost number of nine upset cells were discovered in the 90 MeV proton irradiation test.The results indicate that the SEE sensitivities of the 28 nm SoC to the 90 MeV and 70 MeV protons were similar.Cosmic Ray Effects on Micro-Electronics Monte Carlo simulations were analyzed,and it demonstrates that protons can induce effects in a 28 nm SoC if their energies are greater than 1.4 MeV and that the lowest corresponding linear energy transfer was 0.142 MeV cm^2 mg^-1.The similarities and discrepancies of the SEEs induced by the 90 MeV and 70 MeV protons were analyzed.

Optimizing neoadjuvant radiotherapy for resectable and borderline resectable pancreatic cancer using protons

Approximately 25%of patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer present with non-metastatic resectable or borderline resectable disease.Unfortunately,the cure rate for these“curable”patients is only in the range of 20%.Local-regional failure rates may exceed 50%after margin-negative,node-negative pancreatectomy,but up to 80%of resections are associated with regional lymph node or margin positivity.While systemic drug therapy and chemotherapy may prevent or delay the appearance of distant metastases,it is unlikely to have a significant impact on local-regional disease control.Preoperative radiotherapy would represent a rational intervention to improve local-regional control.The barrier to preoperative radiotherapy is the concern that it could potentially complicate what is already a long and complicated operation.When the radiotherapy is delivered with X-rays(photons),the entire cylinder of the abdomen is irradiated;therefore,an operating surgeon may be reluctant to accept the associated risk of increased toxicity.When preoperative radiotherapy is delivered with protons,however,significant bowel and gastric tissue-sparing is achieved and clinical outcomes indicate that proton therapy does not increase the risk of operative complications nor extend the length of the procedure.

A simulation study of protons heated by left/right-handed Alfvén waves generated by electromagnetic proton-proton instability

Most protons in the solar wind belong to one of two different populations,the less dense beam protons and the denser core protons.The beam protons,with a velocity of(1-2)V_(A)(V_(A)is the local Alfvén speed),always drift relative to the core protons;this kind of distribution is unstable and stimulates several kinds of wave mode.In this study,using a 2 D hybrid simulation model,we find that the original right-handed elliptically polarized Alfvén waves become linearly polarized,and eventually become right-handed and circularly polarized.Given that linearly polarized waves are a superposition of left-handed and right-handed waves,cyclotron resonance in the right-handed/left-handed component heats beam/core protons perpendicularly.The resonance between beam protons and right-handed polarized waves is stronger when the beam relative density is lower,resulting in more dramatic perpendicular heating of beam protons,whereas the situation is reversed when the beam relative density is larger.

Proton Cyclotron Instability Threshold Condition of Suprathermal Protons by Kappa Distribution

Observation has clearly shown that natural space plasmas generally possess a pronounced non-Maxwellian high-energy tail distribution that can be well modeled by a kappa distribution. In this study we investigate the proton cyclotron wave instability driven by the temperature anisotropy （T⊥/TH 〉1） of suprathermal protons modeled with a typical kappa distribution in the magnetosheath. It is found that as in the case for a regular bi-Maxwellian, the supratherreal proton temperature anisotropy is subject to the threshold condition of this proton cyclotron instability and the instability threshold condition satisfies a general form T⊥/T｜｜ - 1 = S/β｜｜^α, with a very narrow range of the fitting parameters： 0.40 ≤ α ≤ 0.45, and a relatively sensitive variation 0.27 ≤ S ≤ 0.65, over 0.01 ≤β｜｜ 〈 10. Furthermore, the difference in threshold conditions between the kappa distribution and the bi-Maxwellian distribution is found to be small for a relatively strong growth but becomes relatively obvious for a weak wave growth. The results may provide a deeper insight into the physics of this instability threshold for the proton cyclotron waves.

Generation of fast protons in moderate-intensity laser-plasma interaction from rear sheath

Forward fast protons are generated by the moderate-intensity laser-foil interaction. Protons with maximum energy 190 keV are measured by using magnetic spectrometer and CR-39 solid state track detectors along the direction normal to the rear surface. The experimental results are also modeled by the paxticle-in-cell method, investigating the timevarying electron temperature and the rear sheath field. The temporal and spatial structure of the sheath electrical field, revealed in the simulation, suggests that these protons are accelerated by target normal sheath acceleration （TNSA） mechanism.

The Phenomenon of Proton Dissolving in Vacuum and of Proton Condensation from Vacuum. Two Forms of Protons, Structure of Nuclei, Electrons and Atoms

It was investigated how react molecular clusters in water, starch, bio-matrices, polymers and in quartz on gravitation radiation from planets. Gravitation radiation (GR) was found to influence the proton jumping in hydrogen bonds that stabilize the cluster structure. There was given a method calculating parameters of GR as well as a mechanism of its resonance interaction with weak GR from molecular matter (WGR). WGR has been defined as the result of proton dissolving in vacuum connected with its simultaneous condensation in the nearest free space. Both dissolving and condensation proceed with super light velocity. The gravitation wave length has been determined experimentally and it depends on the planet masses (between Earth and Sun λ ≥ 62 km, between Earth and Milky Way center λ ≥ 330 km). GR has been characterized with super light velocity. After analyzing the Sun influence on water two forms of protons were found: in a condensed and dissolved state. A new model for the atomic nucleus has been suggested according to which the protons in the nucleus oscillate between condensed and dissolved state, where in the case of isotopes this state is partially destroyed. The models for H2 and Be shall be given. Electron orbitals in atoms and molecules were found to be caused by a stationary front of shock waves from condensing protons.

Effects of keV protons irradiation on polyimide films

Ground simulation tests of proton irradiation for Kapton films were conducted using the space synthesis irradiating facility,in which the energy of protons was chosen as 90 keV,and the flux was 5.0×1011 cm-2·s-1.After proton irradiation some bulges like fingers appears on the surface of Kapton and the surface roughness increases apparently.UV/Vis analysis demonstrates that the irradiation leads to the red shifting in the edge of optical absorption and a strong increase in absorbance in the visible region.X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) analysis indicates that the enrichment of carbon atom due to the bond breaking and reconstruction during the irradiation results in the degradation of the optical properties.

Yield ratio of neutrons to protons in 12C（d,n）13N and 12C（d,p）13C from 0.6 to 3 MeV

The neutron yield in the12C(d,n)13N reaction and the proton yield in the12C(d,p)13C reaction have been measured using deuteron beams of energies 0.6-3 MeV.The deuteron beam is delivered from a 4-MeV electrostatic accelerator and bombarded on a thick carbon target.The neutrons are detected at 0°,24°,and 48°and the protons at135°in the laboratory frame.Further,the ratio of the neutron yield to the proton yield was calculated.This can be used to effectively recognize the resonances.The resonances are found at 1.4 MeV,1.7 MeV,and 2.5 MeV in the12C(d,p)13C reaction,and at 1.6 MeV and 2.7 MeV in the12C(d,n)13N reaction.The proposed method provides a way to reduce systematic uncertainty and helps confirm more resonances in compound nuclei.

Hydrogen isotopic replacement and microstructure evolution in zirconium deuteride implanted by 150 keV protons

Zirconium tritiated(ZrTx)is an alternative target material for deuteron-triton(D-T)reaction neutron generator.The isotopic replacement and microstructure evolution induced by hydrogen isotope implantation could significantly affect the performance of the target film.In this work,the zirconium deuteride film deposited on Mo/Si substrate was implanted by 150 keV protons with fluence from 1×10^(16 ) to 1×10^(18 )protons/cm^(2).After implantation,the depth profiles of retained hydrogen(H)and deuterium(D)in these target films were analyzed by elastic recoil detection analysis(ERDA),and time of flight-secondary ion mass spectrometry(ToF-SIMS).Additionally,the microstructure evolution was also observed by x-ray diffraction(XRD)and scanning electron microscope(SEM).The D concentration in the ZrDx film decreased versus the proton implantation fluence.An analytical model was proposed to describe the hydrogen isotopic trapping and exchange as functions of incident protons fluence.Additionally,the XRD analysis revealed that no new phase was formed after proton implantation.Furthermore,circular flakings were observed on the ZrDx surface from SEM images at fluence up to 1×10^(18) protons/cm^(2),and this surface morphology was considered to associate with the hydrogen atoms congregation in Mo/Si boundary.