0000000000308231
AUTHOR
J. Collado
Phantom development for daily checks in electron intraoperative radiotherapy with a mobile linac.
Abstract Purpose IORT with mobile linear accelerators is a well-established modality where the dose rate and, therefore, the dose per pulse are very high. The constancy of the dosimetric parameters of the accelerator has to be checked daily. The aim of this work is to develop a phantom with embedded detectors to improve both accuracy and efficiency in the daily test of an IORT linac at the surgery room. Methods The developed phantom is manufactured with transparent polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), allocating 6 parallel-plate chambers: a central one to evaluate the on-axis beam output, another on-axis one placed at a fixed depth under the previous one to evaluate the energy constancy and four…
Kr-96(36)60-Low-Z Boundary of the Island of Deformation at N=60
Prompt.-ray spectroscopy of the neutron-rich Kr-96, produced in transfer-and fusion-induced fission reactions, has been performed using the combination of the Advanced Gamma Tracking Array and the VAMOS + +spectrometer. A second excited state, assigned to J pi = 4(+), is observed for the first time, and a previously reported level energy of the first 2+ excited state is confirmed. The measured energy ratio R-4/2 = E(4(+))/E(2(+)) = 2.12(1) indicates that this nucleus does not show a well-developed collectivity contrary to that seen in heavier N = 60 isotones. This new measurement highlights an abrupt transition of the degree of collectivity as a function of the proton number at Z = 36, of s…
Effects of one valence proton on seniority and angular momentum of neutrons in neutron-rich Sb51122–131 isotopes
Background: Levels fulfilling the seniority scheme and relevant isomers are commonly observed features in semimagic nuclei; for example, in Sn isotopes (Z=50). Seniority isomers in Sn, with dominantly pure neutron configurations, directly probe the underlying neutron-neutron (νν) interaction. Furthermore, an addition of a valence proton particle or hole, through neutron-proton (νπ) interaction, affects the neutron seniority as well as the angular momentum. Purpose: Benchmark the reproducibility of the experimental observables, like the excitation energies (EX) and the reduced electric-quadrupole transition probabilities [B(E2)], with the results obtained from shell-model interactions for ne…
Kr369660 –Low- Z Boundary of the Island of Deformation at N=60
Prompt γ-ray spectroscopy of the neutron-rich $^{96}$Kr, produced in transfer- and fusion-induced fission reactions, has been performed using the combination of the Advanced Gamma Tracking Array and the VAMOS++ spectrometer. A second excited state, assigned to $J^π$ = $4^+$, is observed for the first time, and a previously reported level energy of the first 2+ excited state is confirmed. The measured energy ratio R4/2 = E($4^+$)/E($2^+$) = 2.12(1) indicates that this nucleus does not show a well-developed collectivity contrary to that seen in heavier N = 60 isotones. This new measurement highlights an abrupt transition of the degree of collectivity as a function of the proton number at Z = …
A High speed data link optimization for digitalized transfer to processing FPGA
State-of-the-art arrays of detectors, that require digital processing, may have a sizeable number of digitalized signal links. This is the case in several experimental nuclear physics instruments. Moreover, the data rate of the sampled signals, defined primary by the signal bandwidth of the individual detectors, may not exhaust the capabilities of a single FPGA transceiver input. The preprocessing is usually carried out in a modern FPGA with transceiver data rate capabilities over 10Gbps. Moreover, cost effective FPGA have a limited number of transceivers for given FPGA processing capabilities. The investigation of a cost-effective and efficient solution to the mismatch between both data ra…
Conceptual design of the AGATA 1$\pi$ array at GANIL
The Advanced GAmma Tracking Array (AGATA) has been installed at the GANIL facility, Caen-France. This setup exploits the stable and radioactive heavy-ions beams delivered by the cyclotron accelerator complex of GANIL. Additionally, it benefits from a large palette of ancillary detectors and spectrometers to address in-beam γ-ray spectroscopy of exotic nuclei. The set-up has been designed to couple AGATA with a magnetic spectrometer, charged-particle and neutron detectors, scintillators for the detection of high-energy γ rays and other devices such as a plunger to measure nuclear lifetimes. In this paper, the design and the mechanical characteristics of the set-up are described. Based on sim…
Empirical model building based on Weibull distribution to describe the joint effect of pH and temperature on the thermal resistance of Bacillus cereus in vegetable substrate
Abstract A mathematical model based on Weibull parameters was built to describe the joint effect of temperature and pH on thermal inactivation of Bacillus cereus spores (strain INRA TZ415). The effect of these factors on Weibull model parameters ( β , 1/ α ) was also studied. Heat inactivation tests were carried out in acidified carrot broth as vegetable substrate, following a full factorial design at four levels for temperature (80, 85, 90 and 95 °C) and pH (6.2, 5.8, 5.2 and 4.7). The Weibull distribution model provided good individual fits for the different combinations of temperature–pH tested, with discrepancy factors, D f , coming close to 25% for most cases. The temperature and pH di…
Design of a mezzanine card with bandwidth aggregation for HPGe gamma spectroscopy
In experimental nuclear physics, HPGe segmented detectors are used to provide high energy resolution of the gamma rays. Besides, 4pi configuration is common to get a full coverage of the interaction point and detection of all the products of the collisions. In this type of experiments, the number of electronic channels can be high (>100) and also the sampling frequency of the digitizing system (>100 Msps). This results in a high data rate per channel (> 2 Gbps) and thus a high aggregated bandwidth to process. In principle, this problem can be solved using a parallel data acquisition system where the input channels (commonly arriving through optical fibers) are read and processed accordingly…
Evidence of octupole-phonons at high spin in 207Pb
A lifetime measurement of the 19/2 state in Pb has been performed using the Recoil Distance Doppler-Shift (RDDS) method. The nuclei of interest were produced in multi-nucleon transfer reactions induced by a Pb beam impinging on a Mo enriched target. The beam-like nuclei were detected and identified in terms of their atomic mass number in the VAMOS++ spectrometer while the prompt γ rays were detected by the AGATA tracking array. The measured large reduced transition probability B(E3,19/2→13/2)=40(8) W.u. is the first indication of the octupole phonon at high spin in Pb. An analysis in terms of a particle-octupole-vibration coupling model indicates that the measured B(E3) value in Pb is compa…
Pairing-quadrupole interplay in the neutron-deficient tin nuclei: First lifetime measurements of low-lying states in 106,108Sn
The lifetimes of the low-lying excited states 2(+) and 4(+) have been directly measured in the neutron-deficient Sn-106,Sn-108 isotopes. the nuclei were populated via a deep-inelastic reaction and the lifetime measurement was performed employing a differential plunger device. the emitted gamma rays were detected by the AGATA array, while the reaction products were uniquely identified by the VAMOS++ magnetic spectrometer. Large-Scale Shell-Model calculations with realistic forces indicate that, independently of the pairing content of the interaction, the quadrupole force is dominant in the B(E2; 2(1)(+) -> 0(g.s)(+)) values and it describes well the experimental pattern for Sn104-114 ; the B…
Improved model based on the Weibull distribution to describe the combined effect of pH and temperature on the heat resistance of Bacillus cereus in carrot juice
The effect of pH and temperature on the thermal inactivation of different strains of Bacillus cereus was modeled. Inactivation tests were carried out in carrot broth, following a full factorial design at four levels for temperature (from 90 to 105 degrees C, depending on the strain) and pH (6.2, 5.8, 5.2, and 4.7). Individual inactivation curves were analyzed by applying the Weibull model function (with percent discrepancy close to 20% for most cases), and the effects of pH and temperature on the scale parameter (designated D(beta)) and the shape parameter (beta) were also studied. Temperature and pH did not have a significant effect on the shape parameter (beta). The effect of temperature …
Evidence of Partial Seniority Conservation in the pi g9/2 Shell for the N=50 Isotones
The reduced transition probabilities for the 4-> and 2->0 transitions in 92Mo and 94Ru and for the 4->2 and 6->4 transitions in 90Zr have been determined in this experiment making use of a multinucleon transfer reaction. These results have been interpreted on the basis of realistic shell-model calculations in the f5/2, p3/2, p1/2, and g9/2 proton valence space. Only the combination of extensive lifetime information and large scale shell-model calculations allowed the extent of the seniority conservation in the N=50 g9/2 orbital to be understood. The conclusion is that seniority is largely conserved in the first πg9/2 orbital.
Effects of one valence proton on seniority and angular momentum of neutrons in neutron-rich $^{122-131}$Sb$_{51}$ isotopes
The neutron-rich $^{122-131}$Sb isotopes were produced as fission fragments in the reaction $^{9}$Be($^{238}$U,~f) with 6.2 MeV/u beam energy. An unique setup, consisting of AGATA, VAMOS++ and EXOGAM detectors, was used which enabled the prompt-delayed gamma-ray ($\gamma$) spectroscopy of fission fragments in the time range of 100 ns - 200 $\mu$s. New isomers, prompt and delayed transitions were established in the even-A $^{122-130}$Sb isotopes. In the odd-A $^{123-131}$Sb isotopes, new prompt and delayed $\gamma$-ray transitions were identified, in addition to the confirmation of the previously known isomers. The half-lives of the isomeric states and the $B(E2)$ transition probabilities of…
Pseudospin Symmetry and Microscopic Origin of Shape Coexistence in the Ni78 Region: A Hint from Lifetime Measurements
Lifetime measurements of excited states of the light N = 52 isotones 88 Kr , 86 Se , and 84 Ge have been performed, using the recoil distance Doppler shift method and VAMOS and AGATA spectrometers for particle identification and gamma spectroscopy, respectively. The reduced electric quadrupole transition probabilities B ( E 2 ; 2 + → 0 + ) and B ( E 2 ; 4 + → 2 + ) were obtained for the first time for the hard-to-reach 84 Ge . While the B ( E 2 ; 2 + → 0 + ) values of 88 Kr , 86 Se saturate the maximum quadrupole collectivity offered by the natural valence ( 3 s , 2 d , 1 g 7 / 2 , 1 h 11 / 2 ) space of an inert 78 Ni core, the value obtained for 84 Ge largely exceeds it, suggesting that sh…
A new preprocessing and control board for the phase 2 electronics of AGATA experiment
The electronics of AGATA HPGe segmented gamma ray detector faces a new challenge in the search of a bigger integration and cost reduction for the phase 2 of the experiment going beyond 45 crystals. This opportunity can be used to introduce a new architecture based on commercial standards while keeping backward compatibility with current electronics. In this sense, new FPGA devices and fast Ethernet links can be used to ease the preprocessing and control task and allowing for processor farms to distribute the processing load. At the same time, modularity should be a key feature of the design in the aim to make it upgradable in time and technology. This paper presents the design of a new prep…