Emittance of positron beams produced in intense laser plasma interaction

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen Hui; Hazi, A.; Link, A.

2013-01-15

The first measurement of the emittance of intense laser-produced positron beams has been made. The emittance values were derived through measurements of positron beam divergence and source size for different peak positron energies under various laser conditions. For one of these laser conditions, we used a one dimensional pepper-pot technique to refine the emittance value. The laser-produced positrons have a geometric emittance between 100 and 500 mm{center_dot}mrad, comparable to the positron sources used at existing accelerators. With 10{sup 10}-10{sup 12} positrons per bunch, this low emittance beam, which is quasi-monoenergetic in the energy range of 5-20 MeV, may be usefulmore » as an alternative positron source for future accelerators.« less

Positron Beam Characteristics at NEPOMUC Upgrade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hugenschmidt, C.; Ceeh, H.; Gigl, T.; Lippert, F.; Piochacz, C.; Reiner, M.; Schreckenbach, K.; Vohburger, S.; Weber, J.; Zimnik, S.

2014-04-01

In 2012, the new neutron induced positron source NEPOMUC upgrade was put into operation at FRMII. Major changes have been made to the source which consists of a neutron-γ-converter out of Cd and a Pt foil structure for electron positron pair production and positron moderation. The new design leads to an improvement of both intensity and brightness of the mono-energetic positron beam. In addition, the application of highly enriched 113Cd as neutron-γ-converter extends the lifetime of the positron source to 25 years. A new switching and remoderation device has been installed in order to allow toggling from the high-intensity primary beam to a brightness enhanced remoderated positron beam. At present, an intensity of more than 109 moderated positrons per second is achieved at NEPOMUC upgrade. The main characteristics are presented which comprise positron yield and beam profile of both the primary and the remoderated positron beam.

A proposed intense slow positron source based on 58Co

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, Benjamin L.; Denison, Art; Makowitz, Henry; Gidley, Dave; Frieze, Bill; Griffin, Henry; Encarnación, Pedro

1994-06-01

Positron beams have proven very useful for condensed matter and surface research. The highest intensity of the current operating positron beams is ˜109 slow e+/second. The goal of our proposal is to build an Intense Slow Positron Source (ISPS) demonstration beam (Phase I) of unprecedented brightness at the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, INEL (up to 1010 slow e+/s at 5 keV over a <0.03 cm. diameter). This Phase I beam will prove the principles necessary to build a larger facility scale ISPS Phase II beam which will have a potential of 1013 e+/s, or ≳1012 e+/s over 0.03 cm. The INEL is an ideal location for the ISPS because of the fast breeder reactor EBR-II, which is perfectly suited to creating the positron emitting isotope 58Co, and the excellent radioactive materials handling capability and expertise. Sufficient expertise is available at INEL for the construction and operation of a user facility (Phase II).

Account of the intratrack radiolytic processes for interpretation of the AMOC spectrum of liquid water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zvezhinskiy, D. S.; Butterling, M.; Wagner, A.; Krause-Rehberg, R.; Stepanov, S. V.

2013-06-01

Recent development of the Gamma-induced Positron Spectroscopy (GiPS) setup significantly extends applicability of the Age-Momentum Correlation technique (AMOC) for studies of the bulk samples. It also provides many advantages comparing with conventional positron annihilation experiments in liquids, such as extremely low annihilation fraction in vessel walls, absence of a positron source and positron annihilations in it. We have developed a new approach for processing and interpretation of the AMOC-GiPS data based on the diffusion recombination model of the intratrack radiolytic processes. This approach is verified in case of liquid water, which is considered as a reference medium in the positron and positronium chemistry.

Ultrashort megaelectronvolt positron beam generation based on laser-accelerated electrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Tongjun; Shen, Baifei; Xu, Jiancai; Li, Shun; Yu, Yong; Li, Jinfeng; Lu, Xiaoming; Wang, Cheng; Wang, Xinliang; Liang, Xiaoyan; Leng, Yuxin; Li, Ruxin; Xu, Zhizhan

2016-03-01

Experimental generation of ultrashort MeV positron beams with high intensity and high density using a compact laser-driven setup is reported. A high-density gas jet is employed experimentally to generate MeV electrons with high charge; thus, a charge-neutralized MeV positron beam with high density is obtained during laser-accelerated electrons irradiating high-Z solid targets. It is a novel electron-positron source for the study of laboratory astrophysics. Meanwhile, the MeV positron beam is pulsed with an ultrashort duration of tens of femtoseconds and has a high peak intensity of 7.8 × 1021 s-1, thus allows specific studies of fast kinetics in millimeter-thick materials with a high time resolution and exhibits potential for applications in positron annihilation spectroscopy.

A slow positron beam generator for lifetime studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, Jag J.; Eftekhari, Abe; St.clair, Terry L.

1989-01-01

A slow positron beam generator using well-annealed polycrystalline tungsten moderators and a Na-22 positron source was developed. A 250 micro c source, deposited on a 2.54 micron thick aluminized mylar, is sandwiched between two (2.54 cm x 2.54 cm x 0.0127 cm) tungsten pieces. Two (2.54 cm x 2.54 cm x t cm) test polymer films insulate the two tungsten moderator pieces from the aluminized mylar source holder (t=0.00127 to 0.0127). A potential difference of 10 to 100 volts--depending on the test polymer film thickness (t)--is applied between the tungsten pieces and the source foil. Thermalized positrons diffusing out of the moderator pieces are attracted to the source foil held at an appropriate potential below the moderator pieces. These positrons have to pass through the test polymer films before they can reach the source foil. The potential difference between the moderator pieces and the aluminized mylar is so adjusted as to force the positrons to stop in the test polymer films. Thus the new generator becomes an effective source of positrons for assaying thin polymer films for their molecular morphology.

High-yield positron systems for linear colliders

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Clendenin, J.E.

1989-04-01

Linear colliders, such as the SLC, are among those accelerators for which a high-yield positron source operating at the repetition rate of the accelerator is desired. The SLC, having electron energies up to 50 GeV, presents the possibility of generating positron bunches with useful charge even exceeding that of the initial electron bunch. The exact positron yield to be obtained depends on the particular capture, transport and damping system employed. Using 31 GeV electrons impinging on a W-type converter phase-space at the target to the acceptance of the capture rf section, the SLC source is capable of producing, for everymore » electron, up to two positrons within the acceptance of the positron damping ring. The design of this source and the performance of the positron system as built are described. Also, future prospects and limitations for high-yield positron systems are discussed. 11 refs., 5 figs., 3 tabs.« less

The PEPPo method for polarized positrons and PEPPo II

DOE PAGES

Cardman, Lawrence S.

2018-05-01

The Polarized Electrons for Polarized Positrons (PEPPo) experiment at the injector of the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility demonstrated for the first time the efficient transfer of polarization from electrons to positrons via a two-step process: polarized bremsstrahlung radiation is induced by a polarized electron beam in a high-Z target; then the polarized bremsstrahlung produces polarized positrons via the pair-production process in the same target. Positron polarization up to 82% was measured for an initial electron beam momentum of 8.19 MeV/c, limited only by the electron beam polarization of 85%. This technique extends polarized positron capabilities from GeV to MeVmore » electron beams, and opens access to polarized positron beam physics to a wide community. We present the results of the PEPPo experiment and outline tentative plans for a follow-up experiment that would investigate key aspects of an approach based on PEPPo as a polarized positron source for the 12 GeV Upgrade of CEBAF.« less

Ultrashort megaelectronvolt positron beam generation based on laser-accelerated electrons

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xu, Tongjun; Shen, Baifei, E-mail: bfshen@mail.shcnc.ac.cn; Xu, Jiancai, E-mail: jcxu@siom.ac.cn

Experimental generation of ultrashort MeV positron beams with high intensity and high density using a compact laser-driven setup is reported. A high-density gas jet is employed experimentally to generate MeV electrons with high charge; thus, a charge-neutralized MeV positron beam with high density is obtained during laser-accelerated electrons irradiating high-Z solid targets. It is a novel electron–positron source for the study of laboratory astrophysics. Meanwhile, the MeV positron beam is pulsed with an ultrashort duration of tens of femtoseconds and has a high peak intensity of 7.8 × 10{sup 21} s{sup −1}, thus allows specific studies of fast kinetics in millimeter-thick materials withmore » a high time resolution and exhibits potential for applications in positron annihilation spectroscopy.« less

Opportunities and challenges of a low-energy positron source in the LERF

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benson, Stephen; Wojtsekhowski, Bogdan; Vlahovic, Branislav; Golge, Serkan

2018-05-01

Though there are many applications of low energy positrons, many experiments are source limited. Using the LERF accelerator at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, it is possible to build a high brightness source of very low-energy positrons. The accelerator requirements are well within the capabilities of the installed hardware. The accelerator can produce 120 kW of beam with a beam energy of up to 170 MeV. For these experiments, we only need run at up to 120 MeV. The gamma-to-positron converter must be able to absorb 20% of the beam power that the linac delivers. At this low an energy the converter, though challenging, is possible. The transport of the low energy positrons from the production target to the next stage, where the energy is reduced even further, must have a very large acceptance to be able to efficiently transport the flux of positrons from the positron production target to the moderator. We propose to accomplish such a transport by means of a guiding solenoidal field with a novel endcap design. In this presentation, we will present the proposed schemes necessary to realize such a high brightness positron source.

Studies of Positron Generation from Ultraintense Laser-Matter Interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, Gerald Jackson

Laser-produced pair jets possess unique characteristics that offer great potential for their use in laboratory-astrophysics experiments to study energetic phenomenon such as relativistic shock accelerations. High-flux, high-energy positron sources may also be used to study relativistic pair plasmas and useful as novel diagnostic tools for high energy density conditions. Copious amounts of positrons are produced with MeV energies from directly irradiating targets with ultraintense lasers where relativistic electrons, accelerated by the laser field, drive positron-electron pair production. Alternatively, laser wakefield accelerated electrons can produce pairs by the same mechanisms inside a secondary converter target. This dissertation describes a series of novel experiments that investigate the characteristics and scaling of pair production from ultraintense lasers, which are designed to establish a robust platform for laboratory-based relativistic pair plasmas. Results include a simple power-law scaling to estimate the effective positron yield for elemental targets for any Maxwellian electron source, typical of direct laser-target interactions. To facilitate these measurements, a solenoid electromagnetic coil was constructed to focus emitted particles, increasing the effective collection angle of the detector and enabling the investigation of pair production from thin targets and low-Z materials. Laser wakefield electron sources were also explored as a compact, high repetition rate platform for the production of high energy pairs with potential applications to the creation of charge-neutral relativistic pair plasmas. Plasma accelerators can produce low-divergence electron beams with energies approaching a GeV at Hz frequencies. It was found that, even for high-energy positrons, energy loss and scattering mechanisms in the target create a fundamental limit to the divergence and energy spectrum of the emitted positrons. The potential future application of laser-generated pairs was considered by exploring the feasibility of radiographing an imploding inertial confinement fusion capsule at ignition- relevant conditions. For an in-flight areal density of 0.02-0.2 g/cm2, currently available positron sources can make density and spatial measurements of deuterium-tritium fuel cores where additional complications of full-scale experiments are expected to reduce the measurement sensitivity.

The Upgrade of the Neutron Induced Positron Source NEPOMUC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hugenschmidt, C.; Ceeh, H.; Gigl, T.; Lippert, F.; Piochacz, C.; Pikart, P.; Reiner, M.; Weber, J.; Zimnik, S.

2013-06-01

In summer 2012, the new NEutron induced POsitron Source MUniCh (NEPOMUC) was installed and put into operation at the research reactor FRM II. At NEPOMUC upgrade 80% 113Cd enriched Cd is used as neutron-gamma converter in order to ensure an operation time of 25 years. A structure of Pt foils inside the beam tube generates positrons by pair production. Moderated positrons leaving the Pt front foil are electrically extracted and magnetically guided to the outside of the reactor pool. The whole design, including Pt-foils, the electric lenses and the magnetic fields, has been improved in order to enhance both the intensity and the brightness of the positron beam. After adjusting the potentials and the magnetic guide and compensation fields an intensity of about 3·109 moderated positrons per second is expected. During the first start-up, the measured temperatures of about 90°C ensure a reliable operation of the positron source. Within this contribution the features and the status of NEPOMUC upgrade are elucidated. In addition, an overview of recent positron beam experiments and current developments at the spectrometers is given.

Chaos of energetic positron orbits in a dipole magnetic field and its potential application to a new injection scheme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saitoh, H.; Yoshida, Z.; Yano, Y.; Nishiura, M.; Kawazura, Y.; Horn-Stanja, J.; Pedersen, T. Sunn

2016-10-01

We study the behavior of high-energy positrons emitted from a radioactive source in a magnetospheric dipole field configuration. Because the conservation of the first and second adiabatic invariants is easily destroyed in a strongly inhomogeneous dipole field for high-energy charged particles, the positron orbits are nonintegrable, resulting in chaotic motions. In the geometry of a typical magnetospheric levitated dipole experiment, it is shown that a considerable ratio of positrons from a 22Na source, located at the edge of the confinement region, has chaotic long orbit lengths before annihilation. These particles make multiple toroidal circulations and form a hollow toroidal positron cloud. Experiments with a small 22Na source in the Ring Trap 1 (RT-1) device demonstrated the existence of such long-lived positrons in a dipole field. Such a chaotic behavior of high-energy particles is potentially applicable to the formation of a dense toroidal positron cloud in the strong-field region of the dipole field in future studies.

Non-destructive testing method and apparatus

DOEpatents

Akers, Douglas W [Idaho Falls, ID

2011-10-04

Non-destructive testing apparatus may comprise a photon source and a source material that emits positrons in response to bombardment of the source material with photons. The source material is positionable adjacent the photon source and a specimen so that when the source material is positioned adjacent the photon source it is exposed to photons produced thereby. When the source material is positioned adjacent the specimen, the specimen is exposed to at least some of the positrons emitted by the source material. A detector system positioned adjacent the specimen detects annihilation gamma rays emitted by the specimen. Another embodiment comprises a neutron source and a source material that emits positrons in response to neutron bombardment.

Probing the positron moderation process using high-intensity, highly polarized slow-positron beams

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Van House, J.; Zitzewitz, P. W.

1984-01-01

A highly polarized (P = 0.48 + or - 0.02) intense (500,000/sec) beam of 'slow' (Delta E = about 2 eV) positrons (e+) is generated, and it is shown that it is possible to achieve polarization as high as P = 0.69 + or - 0.04 with reduced intensity. The measured polarization of the slow e+ emitted by five different positron moderators showed no dependence on the moderator atomic number (Z). It is concluded that only source positrons with final kinetic energy below 17 keV contribute to the slow-e+ beam, in disagreement with recent yield functions derived from low-energy measurements. Measurements of polarization and yield with absorbers of different Z between the source and moderator show the effects of the energy and angular distributions of the source positrons on P. The depolarization of fast e+ transmitted through high-Z absorbers has been measured. Applications of polarized slow-e+ beams are discussed.

Diffuse Galactic antimatter from faint thermonuclear supernovae in old stellar populations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crocker, Roland M.; Ruiter, Ashley J.; Seitenzahl, Ivo R.; Panther, Fiona H.; Sim, Stuart; Baumgardt, Holger; Möller, Anais; Nataf, David M.; Ferrario, Lilia; Eldridge, J. J.; White, Martin; Tucker, Brad E.; Aharonian, Felix

2017-06-01

Our Galaxy hosts the annihilation of a few 1043 low-energy positrons every second. Radioactive isotopes capable of supplying such positrons are synthesized in stars, stellar remnants and supernovae. For decades, however, there has been no positive identification of a main stellar positron source, leading to suggestions that many positrons originate from exotic sources like the Galaxy's central supermassive black hole or dark matter annihilation. Here we show that a single type of transient source, deriving from stellar populations of age 3-6 Gyr and yielding ∼0.03 M ⊙ of the positron emitter 44Ti, can simultaneously explain the strength and morphology of the Galactic positron annihilation signal and the Solar System abundance of the 44Ti decay product 44Ca. This transient is likely the merger of two low-mass white dwarfs, observed in external galaxies as the sub-luminous, thermonuclear supernova known as SN 1991bg-like.

Effect of the diffusion parameters on the observed γ-ray spectrum of sources and their contribution to the local all-electron spectrum: The EDGE code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

López-Coto, R.; Hahn, J.; BenZvi, S.; Dingus, B.; Hinton, J.; Nisa, M. U.; Parsons, R. D.; Greus, F. Salesa; Zhang, H.; Zhou, H.

2018-11-01

The positron excess measured by PAMELA and AMS can only be explained if there is one or several sources injecting them. Moreover, at the highest energies, it requires the presence of nearby ( ∼ hundreds of parsecs) and middle age (maximum of ∼ hundreds of kyr) sources. Pulsars, as factories of electrons and positrons, are one of the proposed candidates to explain the origin of this excess. To calculate the contribution of these sources to the electron and positron flux at the Earth, we developed EDGE (Electron Diffusion and Gamma rays to the Earth), a code to treat the propagation of electrons and compute their diffusion from a central source with a flexible injection spectrum. Using this code, we can derive the source's gamma-ray spectrum, spatial extension, the all-electron density in space, the electron and positron flux reaching the Earth and the positron fraction measured at the Earth. We present in this paper the foundations of the code and study how different parameters affect the gamma-ray spectrum of a source and the electron flux measured at the Earth. We also studied the effect of several approximations usually performed in these studies. This code has been used to derive the results of the positron flux measured at the Earth in [1].

A positron remoderator for the high intensity positron source NEPOMUC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piochacz, Christian; Kögel, Gottfried; Egger, Werner; Hugenschmidt, Christoph; Mayer, Jakob; Schreckenbach, Klaus; Sperr, Peter; Stadlbauer, Martin; Dollinger, Günther

2008-10-01

A remoderator for the high intensity positron source NEPOMUC was developed and installed at the beam facility. A beam of remoderated positrons could be produced with different energies and a diameter of less than 2 mm was obtained. The efficiency of the remoderation setup was determined to be 5%. Due to the brilliance of the remoderated beam, the measurements at the coincidence Doppler broadening spectrometer (CDBS) and at the positron annihilation induced Auger electron spectrometer (PAES) could be improved. The setup and functionality of the remoderation device is presented as well as the first measurements at the remoderator, CDBS and PAES.

PET/CT alignment calibration with a non-radioactive phantom and the intrinsic 176Lu radiation of PET detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Qingyang; Ma, Tianyu; Wang, Shi; Liu, Yaqiang; Gu, Yu; Dai, Tiantian

2016-11-01

Positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is an important tool for clinical studies and pre-clinical researches which provides both functional and anatomical images. To achieve high quality co-registered PET/CT images, alignment calibration of PET and CT scanner is a critical procedure. The existing methods reported use positron source phantoms imaged both by PET and CT scanner and then derive the transformation matrix from the reconstructed images of the two modalities. In this paper, a novel PET/CT alignment calibration method with a non-radioactive phantom and the intrinsic 176Lu radiation of the PET detector was developed. Firstly, a multi-tungsten-alloy-sphere phantom without positron source was designed and imaged by CT and the PET scanner using intrinsic 176Lu radiation included in LYSO. Secondly, the centroids of the spheres were derived and matched by an automatic program. Lastly, the rotation matrix and the translation vector were calculated by least-square fitting of the centroid data. The proposed method was employed in an animal PET/CT system (InliView-3000) developed in our lab. Experimental results showed that the proposed method achieves high accuracy and is feasible to replace the conventional positron source based methods.

A Central Positron Source to Perform the Timing Alignment of Detectors in a PET Scanner

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, C. J.; Camborde, M.-L.; Casey, M. E.

2005-10-01

Accurate timing alignment and stability are important to maximize the true counts and minimize the random counts in positron emission tomography. Its importance increases in time-of-flight (TOF) scanners. We propose using a central positron emitting source enclosed in a detector which detects the excess energy of the positron before it annihilates as a timing reference. All crystals can be time-aligned with respect to this central source. We evaluated 10 /spl mu/Ci /sup 22/Na and /sup 68/Ge sources embedded in cylinders of plastic scintillator coupled to a fast PMT. Light flashes produced after the parent isotope emits positrons are detected, and the anode signals from the PMT are the reference time for each positron decay. The time delay before the gamma ray is detected by the scanner's conventional gamma ray detectors is the time offset to be applied to that crystal. Since all detectors are almost the same distance from the central source, TOF errors are minimized. Preliminary results show a mean signal amplitude of >0.5 V from /sup 22/Na at 1000-V PMT bias, a timing FWHM of 850 ps with respect to a small LSO crystal. This suggests it could be useful to align both conventional and TOF PET scanners.

A self-consistent model of cosmic-ray fluxes and positron excess: roles of nearby pulsars and a sub-dominant source population

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joshi, Jagdish C.; Razzaque, Soebur

2017-09-01

The cosmic-ray positron flux calculated using the cosmic-ray nuclei interactions in our Galaxy cannot explain observed data above 10 GeV. An excess in the measured positron flux is therefore open to interpretation. Nearby pulsars, located within sub-kiloparsec range of the Solar system, are often invoked as plausible sources contributing to the excess. We show that an additional, sub-dominant population of sources together with the contributions from a few nearby pulsars can explain the latest positron excess data from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS). We simultaneously model, using the DRAGON code, propagation of cosmic-ray proton, Helium, electron and positron and fit their respective flux data. Our fit to the Boron to Carbon ratio data gives a diffusion spectral index of 0.45, which is close to the Kraichnan turbulent spectrum.

A self-consistent model of cosmic-ray fluxes and positron excess: roles of nearby pulsars and a sub-dominant source population

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Joshi, Jagdish C.; Razzaque, Soebur, E-mail: jjagdish@uj.ac.za, E-mail: srazzaque@uj.ac.za

The cosmic-ray positron flux calculated using the cosmic-ray nuclei interactions in our Galaxy cannot explain observed data above 10 GeV. An excess in the measured positron flux is therefore open to interpretation. Nearby pulsars, located within sub-kiloparsec range of the Solar system, are often invoked as plausible sources contributing to the excess. We show that an additional, sub-dominant population of sources together with the contributions from a few nearby pulsars can explain the latest positron excess data from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS). We simultaneously model, using the DRAGON code, propagation of cosmic-ray proton, Helium, electron and positron and fitmore » their respective flux data. Our fit to the Boron to Carbon ratio data gives a diffusion spectral index of 0.45, which is close to the Kraichnan turbulent spectrum.« less

High-intensity positron microprobe at Jefferson Lab

DOE PAGES

Golge, Serkan; Vlahovic, Branislav; Wojtsekhowski, Bogdan B.

2014-06-19

We present a conceptual design for a novel continuous wave electron-linac based high-intensity slow-positron production source with a projected intensity on the order of 10 10 e +/s. Reaching this intensity in our design relies on the transport of positrons (T + below 600 keV) from the electron-positron pair production converter target to a low-radiation and low-temperature area for moderation in a high-efficiency cryogenic rare gas moderator, solid Ne. The performance of the integrated beamline has been verified through computational studies. The computational results include Monte Carlo calculations of the optimized electron/positron beam energies, converter target thickness, synchronized raster system,more » transport of the beam from the converter target to the moderator, extraction of the beam from the channel, and moderation efficiency calculations. For the extraction of positrons from the magnetic channel a magnetic field terminator plug prototype has been built and experimental data on the effectiveness of this prototype are presented. The dissipation of the heat away from the converter target and radiation protection measures are also discussed.« less

Method for non-destructive testing

DOEpatents

Akers, Douglas W [Idaho Falls, ID

2011-08-30

Non-destructive testing method may include providing a source material that emits positrons in response to bombardment of the source material with photons. The source material is exposed to photons. The source material is positioned adjacent the specimen, the specimen being exposed to at least some of the positrons emitted by the source material. Annihilation gamma rays emitted by the specimen are detected.

Method for on-line evaluation of materials using prompt gamma ray analysis

DOEpatents

Akers, Douglas W [Idaho Falls, ID

2009-12-08

A method for evaluating a material specimen comprises: Mounting a neutron source and a detector adjacent the material specimen; bombarding the material specimen with neutrons from the neutron source to create prompt gamma rays within the material specimen, some of the prompt gamma rays being emitted from the material specimen, some of the prompt gamma rays resulting in the formation of positrons within the material specimen by pair production; collecting positron annihilation data by detecting with the detector at least one emitted annihilation gamma ray resulting from the annihilation of a positron; storing the positron annihilation data on a data storage system for later retrieval and processing; and continuing to collect and store positron annihilation data, the continued collected and stored positron annihilation data being indicative of an accumulation of lattice damage over time.

Apparatus for photon activation positron annihilation analysis

DOEpatents

Akers, Douglas W [Idaho Falls, ID

2007-06-12

Non-destructive testing apparatus according to one embodiment of the invention comprises a photon source. The photon source produces photons having predetermined energies and directs the photons toward a specimen being tested. The photons from the photon source result in the creation of positrons within the specimen being tested. A detector positioned adjacent the specimen being tested detects gamma rays produced by annihilation of positrons with electrons. A data processing system operatively associated with the detector produces output data indicative of a lattice characteristic of the specimen being tested.

Is There a Dark Matter Signal in the Galactic Positron Annihilation Radiation?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lingenfelter, R. E.; Rothschild, R. E.; Higdon, J. C.

2009-07-17

Assuming Galactic positrons do not go far before annihilating, a difference between the observed 511 keV annihilation flux distribution and that of positron production, expected from beta{sup +} decay in Galactic iron nucleosynthesis, was evoked as evidence of a new source and signal of dark matter. We show, however, that the dark matter sources cannot account for the observed positronium fraction without extensive propagation. Yet with such propagation, standard nucleosynthetic sources can fully account for the spatial differences and positronium fraction, leaving no new signal for dark matter to explain.

Positron source position sensing detector and electronics

DOEpatents

Burnham, Charles A.; Bradshaw, Jr., John F.; Kaufman, David E.; Chesler, David A.; Brownell, Gordon L.

1985-01-01

A positron source, position sensing device, particularly with medical applications, in which positron induced gamma radiation is detected using a ring of stacked, individual scintillation crystals, a plurality of photodetectors, separated from the scintillation crystals by a light guide, and high resolution position interpolation electronics. Preferably the scintillation crystals are several times more numerous than the photodetectors with each crystal being responsible for a single scintillation event from a received gamma ray. The light guide will disperse the light emitted from gamma ray absorption over several photodetectors. Processing electronics for the output of the photodetectors resolves the location of the scintillation event to a fraction of the dimension of each photodetector. Because each positron absorption results in two 180.degree. oppositely traveling gamma rays, the detection of scintillation in pairs permits location of the positron source in a manner useful for diagnostic purposes. The processing electronics simultaneously responds to the outputs of the photodetectors to locate the scintillations to the source crystal. While it is preferable that the scintillation crystal include a plurality of stacked crystal elements, the resolving power of the processing electronics is also applicable to continuous crystal scintillators.

Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy study of Kapton thin foils

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kanda, G. S.; Ravelli, L.; Löwe, B.; Egger, W.; Keeble, D. J.

2016-01-01

Variable energy positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (VE-PALS) experiments on polyimide material Kapton are reported. Thin Kapton foils are widely used in a variety of mechanical, electronic applications. PALS provides a sensitive probe of vacancy-related defects in a wide range of materials, including open volume in polymers. Varying the positron implantation energy enables direct measurement of thin foils. Thin Kapton foils are also commonly used to enclose the positron source material in conventional PALS measurements performed with unmoderated radionuclide sources. The results of depth-profiled positron lifetime measurements on 7.6 μm and 25 μm Kapton foils are reported and determine a dominant 385(1) ps lifetime component. The absence of significant nanosecond lifetime component due to positronium formation is confirmed.

Positron radiography of ignition-relevant ICF capsules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, G. J.; Chen, Hui; Field, J. E.; Landen, O. L.; Strozzi, D. J.

2017-12-01

Laser-generated positrons are evaluated as a probe source to radiograph in-flight ignition-relevant inertial confinement fusion capsules. Current ultraintense laser facilities are capable of producing 2 × 1012 relativistic positrons in a narrow energy bandwidth and short time duration. Monte Carlo simulations suggest that the unique characteristics of such positrons allow for the reconstruction of both capsule shell radius and areal density between 0.002 and 2 g/cm2. The energy-downshifted positron spectrum and angular scattering of the source particles are sufficient to constrain the conditions of the capsule between preshot and stagnation. We evaluate the effects of magnetic fields near the capsule surface using analytic estimates where it is shown that this diagnostic can tolerate line integrated field strengths of 100 T mm.

Stable confinement of electron plasma and initial results on positron injection in RT-1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saitoh, H.; Yoshida, Z.; Morikawa, J.; Yano, Y.; Kasaoka, N.; Sakamoto, W.; Nogami, T.

2013-03-01

The Ring Trap 1 (RT-1) device is a dipole field configuration generated by a levitated superconducting magnet. It offers very interesting opportunities for research on the fundamental properties on non-neutral plasmas, such as self-organization of charged particles in the strongly positive and negative charged particles on magnetic surfaces. When strong positron sources will be available in the future, the dipole field configuration will be potentially applicable to the formation of an electron-positron plasma. We have realized stable, long trap of toroidal pure electron plasma in RT-1; Magnetic levitation of the superconducting magnet resulted in more than 300s of confinement for electron plasma of ˜ 1011 m-3. Aiming for the confinement of positrons as a next step, we started a positron injection experiment. For the formation of positron plasma in the closed magnetic surfaces, one of the key issues to be solved is the efficient injection method of positron across closed magnetic surfaces. In contrast to linear configurations, toroidal configurations have the advantage that they are capable of trapping high energy positrons in the dipole field configuration and consider the possibility of direct trapping of positrons emitted from a 22Na source.

Contribution from individual nearby sources to the spectrum of high-energy cosmic-ray electrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sedrati, R.; Attallah, R.

2014-04-01

In the last few years, very important data on high-energy cosmic-ray electrons and positrons from high-precision space-born and ground-based experiments have attracted a great deal of interest. These particles represent a unique probe for studying local comic-ray accelerators because they lose energy very rapidly. These energy losses reduce the lifetime so drastically that high-energy cosmic-ray electrons can attain the Earth only from rather local astrophysical sources. This work aims at calculating, by means of Monte Carlo simulation, the contribution from some known nearby astrophysical sources to the cosmic-ray electron/positron spectra at high energy (≥ 10 GeV). The background to the electron energy spectrum from distant sources is determined with the help of the GALPROP code. The obtained numerical results are compared with a set of experimental data.

Monte Carlo investigation of positron annihilation in medical positron emission tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chin, P. W.; Spyrou, N. M.

2007-09-01

A number of Monte Carlo codes are available for simulating positron emission tomography (PET), however, physics approximations differ. A number of radiation processes are deemed negligible, some without rigorous investigation. Some PET literature quantify approximations to be valid, without citing the data source. The radiation source is the first step in Monte Carlo simulations, for some codes this is 511 keV photons 180° apart, not polyenergetic positrons with radiation histories of their own. Without prior assumptions, we investigated electron-positron annihilation under clinical PET conditions. Just before annihilation, we tallied the positron energy and position. Right after annihilation, we tallied the energy and separation angle of photon pairs. When comparing PET textbooks with theory, PENELOPE and EGSnrc, only the latter three agreed. From 10 6 radiation histories, a positron source of 15O in a chest phantom annihilated at as high as 1.58 MeV, producing photons with energies 0.30-2.20 MeV, 79-180° apart. From 10 6 radiation histories, an 18F positron source in a head phantom annihilated at energies as high as 0.56 MeV, producing 0.33-1.18 MeV photons 109-180° apart. 2.5% and 0.8% annihilation events occurred inflight in the chest and the head phantoms, respectively. PET textbooks typically either do not mention any deviation from 180°, or state a deviation of 0.25° or 0.5°. Our findings are founded on the well-established Heitler cross-sections and relativistic kinematics, both adopted unanimously by PENELOPE, EGSnrc and GEANT4. Our results highlight the effects of annihilation in-flight, a process sometimes forgotten within the PET community.

Construction of the Helsinki University of Technology (HUT) pulsed positron beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fallström, K.; Laine, T.

1999-08-01

We are constructing a pulsed positron beam facility for lifetime measurements in thin surface layers. Our beam system comprises a 22Na positron source and a tungsten foil moderator followed by a prebuncher and a chopper. A double-drift buncher will compress the beam into 120-ps pulses at the target. The end energy of the positron beam can be adjusted between 3 keV and 30 keV by changing the potential of the source end of the beam. The bunching electronics and most of the beam guiding magnets are also floating at the high voltage. The sample is at ground potential to facilitate variable temperature measurements. With a test source of 6 mCi 22Na we get a prebunched beam intensity of 4×10 3 positrons per second in 1.5-ns wide pulses (the bunching frequency is 33.33 MHz). We are currently testing the chopper and the following buncher stages and building the final accelerator/decelerator system.

Positron radiography of ignition-relevant ICF capsules

DOE PAGES

Williams, G. J.; Chen, Hui; Field, J. E.; ...

2017-12-11

Laser-generated positrons are evaluated as a probe source to radiograph in-flight ignition-relevant inertial confinement fusion capsules. Current ultraintense laser facilities are capable of producing 2 ×10 12 relativistic positrons in a narrow energy bandwidth and short time duration. Monte Carlo simulations suggest that the unique characteristics of such positrons allow for the reconstruction of both capsule shell radius and areal density between 0.002 and 2g/cm 2. The energy-downshifted positron spectrum and angular scattering of the source particles are sufficient to constrain the conditions of the capsule between preshot and stagnation. Here, we evaluate the effects of magnetic fields near themore » capsule surface using analytic estimates where it is shown that this diagnostic can tolerate line integrated field strengths of 100 T mm.« less

Positron radiography of ignition-relevant ICF capsules

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Williams, G. J.; Chen, Hui; Field, J. E.

Laser-generated positrons are evaluated as a probe source to radiograph in-flight ignition-relevant inertial confinement fusion capsules. Current ultraintense laser facilities are capable of producing 2 ×10 12 relativistic positrons in a narrow energy bandwidth and short time duration. Monte Carlo simulations suggest that the unique characteristics of such positrons allow for the reconstruction of both capsule shell radius and areal density between 0.002 and 2g/cm 2. The energy-downshifted positron spectrum and angular scattering of the source particles are sufficient to constrain the conditions of the capsule between preshot and stagnation. Here, we evaluate the effects of magnetic fields near themore » capsule surface using analytic estimates where it is shown that this diagnostic can tolerate line integrated field strengths of 100 T mm.« less

On the use of positron counting for radio-Assay in nuclear pharmaceutical production.

PubMed

Maneuski, D; Giacomelli, F; Lemaire, C; Pimlott, S; Plenevaux, A; Owens, J; O'Shea, V; Luxen, A

2017-07-01

Current techniques for the measurement of radioactivity at various points during PET radiopharmaceutical production and R&D are based on the detection of the annihilation gamma rays from the radionuclide in the labelled compound. The detection systems to measure these gamma rays are usually variations of NaI or CsF scintillation based systems requiring costly and heavy lead shielding to reduce background noise. These detectors inherently suffer from low detection efficiency, high background noise and very poor linearity. They are also unable to provide any reasonably useful position information. A novel positron counting technique is proposed for the radioactivity assay during radiopharmaceutical manufacturing that overcomes these limitations. Detection of positrons instead of gammas offers an unprecedented level of position resolution of the radiation source (down to sub-mm) thanks to the nature of the positron interaction with matter. Counting capability instead of charge integration in the detector brings the sensitivity down to the statistical limits at the same time as offering very high dynamic range and linearity from zero to any arbitrarily high activity. This paper reports on a quantitative comparison between conventional detector systems and the proposed positron counting detector. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Novel high-energy physics studies using intense lasers and plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Leemans, Wim P.; Bulanov, Stepan; Esarey, Eric

2015-06-29

In the framework of the project “Novel high-energy physics studies using intense lasers and plasmas” we conducted the study of ion acceleration and “flying mirrors” with high intensity lasers in order to develop sources of ion beams and high frequency radiation for different applications. Since some schemes of laser ion acceleration are also considered a good source of “flying mirrors”, we proposed to investigate the mechanisms of “mirror” formation. As a result we were able to study the laser ion acceleration from thin foils and near critical density targets. We identified several fundamental factors limiting the acceleration in the RPAmore » regime and proposed the target design to compensate these limitations. In the case of near critical density targets, we developed a concept for the laser driven ion source for the hadron therapy. Also we studied the mechanism of “flying mirror” generation during the intense laser interaction with thin solid density targets. As for the laser-based positron creation and capture we initially proposed to study different regimes of positron beam generation and positron beam cooling. Since the for some of these schemes a good quality electron beam is required, we studied the generation of ultra-low emittance electron beams. In order to understand the fundamental physics of high energy electron beam interaction with high intensity laser pulses, which may affect the efficient generation of positron beams, we studied the radiation reaction effects.« less

High-intensity positron microprobe at the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Golge, S., E-mail: serkan.golge@nasa.gov; Vlahovic, B.; Wojtsekhowski, B.

We present a conceptual design for a novel continuous wave electron-linac based high-intensity high-brightness slow-positron production source with a projected intensity on the order of 10{sup 10 }e{sup +}/s. Reaching this intensity in our design relies on the transport of positrons (T{sub +} below 600 keV) from the electron-positron pair production converter target to a low-radiation and low-temperature area for moderation in a high-efficiency cryogenic rare gas moderator, solid Ne. This design progressed through Monte Carlo optimizations of: electron/positron beam energies and converter target thickness, transport of the e{sup +} beam from the converter to the moderator, extraction of the e{sup +}more » beam from the magnetic channel, a synchronized raster system, and moderator efficiency calculations. For the extraction of e{sup +} from the magnetic channel, a magnetic field terminator plug prototype has been built and experimental results on the effectiveness of the prototype are presented. The dissipation of the heat away from the converter target and radiation protection measures are also discussed.« less

A device to measure the effects of strong magnetic fields on the image resolution of PET scanners

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burdette, D.; Albani, D.; Chesi, E.; Clinthorne, N. H.; Cochran, E.; Honscheid, K.; Huh, S. S.; Kagan, H.; Knopp, M.; Lacasta, C.; Mikuz, M.; Schmalbrock, P.; Studen, A.; Weilhammer, P.

2009-10-01

Very high resolution images can be achieved in small animal PET systems utilizing solid state silicon pad detectors. As these systems approach sub-millimeter resolutions, the range of the positron is becoming the dominant contribution to image blur. The size of the positron range effect depends on the initial positron energy and hence the radioactive tracer used. For higher energy positron emitters, such as Ga68 and Tc94m, which are gaining importance in small animal studies, the width of the annihilation point distribution dominates the spatial resolution. This positron range effect can be reduced by embedding the field of view of the PET scanner in a strong magnetic field. In order to confirm this effect experimentally, we developed a high resolution PET instrument based on silicon pad detectors that can operate in a 7 T magnetic field. In this paper, we describe the instrument and present initial results of a study of the effects of magnetic fields up to 7 T on PET image resolution for Na22 and Ga68 point sources.

Progress toward magnetic confinement of a positron-electron plasma: nearly 100% positron injection efficiency into a dipole trap

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stoneking, Matthew

2017-10-01

The hydrogen atom provides the simplest system and in some cases the most precise one for comparing theory and experiment in atomics physics. The field of plasma physics lacks an experimental counterpart, but there are efforts underway to produce a magnetically confined positron-electron plasma that promises to represent the simplest plasma system. The mass symmetry of positron-electron plasma makes it particularly tractable from a theoretical standpoint and many theory papers have been published predicting modified wave and stability properties in these systems. Our approach is to utilize techniques from the non-neutral plasma community to trap and accumulate electrons and positrons prior to mixing in a magnetic trap with good confinement properties. Ultimately we aim to use a levitated superconducting dipole configuration fueled by positrons from a reactor-based positron source and buffer-gas trap. To date we have conducted experiments to characterize and optimize the positron beam and test strategies for injecting positrons into the field of a supported permanent magnet by use of ExB drifts and tailored static and dynamic potentials applied to boundary electrodes and to the magnet itself. Nearly 100% injection efficiency has been achieved under certain conditions and some fraction of the injected positrons are confined for as long as 400 ms. These results are promising for the next step in the project which is to use an inductively energized high Tc superconducting coil to produce the dipole field, initially in a supported configuration, but ultimately levitated using feedback stabilization. Work performed with the support of the German Research Foundation (DFG), JSPS KAKENHI, NIFS Collaboration Research Program, and the UCSD Foundation.

Defect studies of nanocrystalline zirconia powders and sintered ceramics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Čížek, Jakub; Melikhova, Oksana; Procházka, Ivan; Kuriplach, Jan; Kužel, Radomír; Brauer, Gerhard; Anwand, Wolfgang; Konstantinova, Tatyana E.; Danilenko, Igor A.

2010-01-01

The main objective of the present paper is to communicate a study of defects behavior in zirconia-based nanomaterials—pressure-compacted yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) nanopowders with different contents of Y2O3 and ceramics obtained by sintering the YZS nanopowders. In addition, YZS single crystals were also investigated. Positron annihilation techniques including positron lifetime and coincidence Doppler broadening with a conventional positron source and Doppler broadening experiments on a monoenergetic positron beam were involved in this study as the principal tools. These techniques were supplemented with transmission electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction observations. In order to get better support of the experimental data interpretation, the state-of-art theoretical calculations of positron parameters were performed for the perfect ZrO2 lattice and selected defect configurations in the YSZ. Theoretical calculations have indicated that neither the oxygen vacancies nor their neutral complexes with substitutional yttrium atoms are capable of positron trapping. On the other hand, the zirconium vacancies are deep positron traps and obviously are responsible for the saturated positron trapping observed in the YSZ single crystals. In the compacted YSZ nanopowders, a majority of positrons is trapped either in the vacancylike defects situated in the negative space-charge layers along grain boundaries (τ1≈185ps) or in vacancy clusters at intersections of grain boundaries (τ2≈370ps) . The intensity ratio I2/I1 was found to be correlated with the mean grain size d as I2/I1˜d-2 . A small fraction of positrons (≈10%) form positronium in large pores (τ3≈2ns,τ4≈30ns) . A significant grain growth during sintering of the YSZ nanopowders above 1000°C was observed.

The status of the positron beam facility at NEPOMUC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hugenschmidt, C.

2011-01-01

The NEutron induced POsitron source MUniCh NEPOMUC provides a high intensity positron beam with 9·108 moderated positrons per second with a primary beam energy of 1keV. After remoderation, the positron beam is magnetically guided to five experimental setups: a coincident Doppler-broadening spectrometer (CDBS), a positron annihilation induced Auger-electron spectrometer (PAES), a pulsed low-energy positron system (PLEPS) as well as an interface for providing a pulsed beam with further improved brightness. An apparatus for the production of the negatively charged positronium ion Ps- is currently in operation at the open multi-purpose beam port, where additional experiments can be realized. Within this contribution, an overview of the positron beam facility NEPOMUC with its instrumentation at the research reactor FRMII is given.

Investigation of soft component in cosmic ray detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oláh, László; Varga, Dezső

2017-07-01

Cosmic ray detection is a research area which finds various applications in tomographic imaging of large size objects. In such applications, the background sources which contaminate cosmic muon signal require a good understanding of the creation processes, as well as reliable simulation frameworks with high predictive power are needed. One of the main background source is the ;soft component;, that is electrons and positrons. In this paper a simulation framework based on GEANT4 has been established to pin down the key features of the soft component. We have found that the electron and positron flux shows a remarkable invariance against various model parameters including the muon emission altitude or primary particle energy distribution. The correlation between simultaneously arriving particles have been quantitatively investigated, demonstrating that electrons and positrons tend to arrive within a close distance and with low relative angle. This feature, which is highly relevant for counting detectors, has been experimentally verified under open sky and at shallow depth underground. The simulation results have been compared to existing other measurements as well as other simulation programs.

Extended gamma-ray sources around pulsars constrain the origin of the positron flux at Earth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abeysekara, A. U.; Albert, A.; Alfaro, R.; Alvarez, C.; Álvarez, J. D.; Arceo, R.; Arteaga-Velázquez, J. C.; Avila Rojas, D.; Ayala Solares, H. A.; Barber, A. S.; Bautista-Elivar, N.; Becerril, A.; Belmont-Moreno, E.; BenZvi, S. Y.; Berley, D.; Bernal, A.; Braun, J.; Brisbois, C.; Caballero-Mora, K. S.; Capistrán, T.; Carramiñana, A.; Casanova, S.; Castillo, M.; Cotti, U.; Cotzomi, J.; Coutiño de León, S.; De León, C.; De la Fuente, E.; Dingus, B. L.; DuVernois, M. A.; Díaz-Vélez, J. C.; Ellsworth, R. W.; Engel, K.; Enríquez-Rivera, O.; Fiorino, D. W.; Fraija, N.; García-González, J. A.; Garfias, F.; Gerhardt, M.; González Muñoz, A.; González, M. M.; Goodman, J. A.; Hampel-Arias, Z.; Harding, J. P.; Hernández, S.; Hernández-Almada, A.; Hinton, J.; Hona, B.; Hui, C. M.; Hüntemeyer, P.; Iriarte, A.; Jardin-Blicq, A.; Joshi, V.; Kaufmann, S.; Kieda, D.; Lara, A.; Lauer, R. J.; Lee, W. H.; Lennarz, D.; Vargas, H. León; Linnemann, J. T.; Longinotti, A. L.; Luis Raya, G.; Luna-García, R.; López-Coto, R.; Malone, K.; Marinelli, S. S.; Martinez, O.; Martinez-Castellanos, I.; Martínez-Castro, J.; Martínez-Huerta, H.; Matthews, J. A.; Miranda-Romagnoli, P.; Moreno, E.; Mostafá, M.; Nellen, L.; Newbold, M.; Nisa, M. U.; Noriega-Papaqui, R.; Pelayo, R.; Pretz, J.; Pérez-Pérez, E. G.; Ren, Z.; Rho, C. D.; Rivière, C.; Rosa-González, D.; Rosenberg, M.; Ruiz-Velasco, E.; Salazar, H.; Salesa Greus, F.; Sandoval, A.; Schneider, M.; Schoorlemmer, H.; Sinnis, G.; Smith, A. J.; Springer, R. W.; Surajbali, P.; Taboada, I.; Tibolla, O.; Tollefson, K.; Torres, I.; Ukwatta, T. N.; Vianello, G.; Weisgarber, T.; Westerhoff, S.; Wisher, I. G.; Wood, J.; Yapici, T.; Yodh, G.; Younk, P. W.; Zepeda, A.; Zhou, H.; Guo, F.; Hahn, J.; Li, H.; Zhang, H.

2017-11-01

The unexpectedly high flux of cosmic-ray positrons detected at Earth may originate from nearby astrophysical sources, dark matter, or unknown processes of cosmic-ray secondary production. We report the detection, using the High-Altitude Water Cherenkov Observatory (HAWC), of extended tera–electron volt gamma-ray emission coincident with the locations of two nearby middle-aged pulsars (Geminga and PSR B0656+14). The HAWC observations demonstrate that these pulsars are indeed local sources of accelerated leptons, but the measured tera–electron volt emission profile constrains the diffusion of particles away from these sources to be much slower than previously assumed. We demonstrate that the leptons emitted by these objects are therefore unlikely to be the origin of the excess positrons, which may have a more exotic origin.

Development of slow positron beam lines and applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mondal, Nagendra Nath

2018-05-01

A positron is an antiparticle of an electron that can be formed in diverse methods: natural or artificial β-decay process, fission and fusion reactions, and a pair production of electron-positron occurred in the reactor and the high energy accelerator centers. Usually a long-lifetime radio isotope is customized for the construction of a slow positron beam lines in many laboratories. The typical intensity of this beam depends upon the strength of the positron source, moderator efficiency, and guiding, pulsing, focusing and detecting systems. This article will review a few positron beam lines and their potential applications in research, especially in the Positronium Bose-Einstein Condensation.

Estimate of S-values for children due to six positron emitting radionuclides used in PET examinations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belinato, Walmir; Santos, William S.; Perini, Ana P.; Neves, Lucio P.; Caldas, Linda V. E.; Souza, Divanizia N.

2017-11-01

Positron emission tomography (PET) has revolutionized the diagnosis of cancer since its conception. When combined with computed tomography (CT), PET/CT performed in children produces highly accurate diagnoses from images of regions affected by malignant tumors. Considering the high risk to children when exposed to ionizing radiation, a dosimetric study for PET/CT procedures is necessary. Specific absorbed fractions (SAF) were determined for monoenergetic photons and positrons, as well as the S-values for six positron emitting radionuclides (11C, 13N, 18F, 68Ga, 82Rb, 15O), and 22 source organs. The study was performed for six pediatric anthropomorphic hybrid models, including the newborn and 1 year hermaphrodite, 5 and 10-year-old male and female, using the Monte Carlo N-Particle eXtended code (MCNPX, version 2.7.0). The results of the SAF in source organs and S-values for all organs showed to be inversely related to the age of the phantoms, which includes the variation of body weight. The results also showed that radionuclides with higher energy peak emission produces larger auto absorbed S-values due to local dose deposition by positron decay. The S-values for the source organs are considerably larger due to the interaction of tissue with non-penetrating particles (electrons and positrons) and present a linear relationship with the phantom body masses. The results of the S-values determined for positron-emitting radionuclides can be used to assess the radiation dose delivered to pediatric patients subjected to PET examination in clinical settings. The novelty of this work is associated with the determination of auto absorbed S-values, in six new pediatric virtual anthropomorphic phantoms, for six emitting positrons, commonly employed in PET exams.

Tertiary particle physics with ELI: from challenge to chance (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Drska, Ladislav

2017-05-01

nteraction of high-intensity laser pulses with solid state targets results in generation of intense pulses of secondary particles via electromagnetic interaction : electrons, ions, hard x-rays. The beams of these particles can be used to produce various types of third-generation particles, beyond electromagnetic also other types of fundamental interactions can be involved in this process [1]. As the most interesting tertiary particles could be mentioned positrons, neutron, muons. This paper shall extend our previous analysis of this topic [2]: it discusses selected technical problems of design and realization of applicable sources of these particles and presents some more elaborated proposals for potential meaningful / hopefuly realistic exploitations of this technology. (1)Tertiary Sources (TS) : First Development Steps. This part of the presentation includes the topics as follows: (11) Pulsed positron sources: Verified solutions of laser-driven positron sources [3] [4] [5], development towards applicable facilities. Some unconventional concepts of application of lasers for positron production [6]. Techniques for realization of low/very-low energy positrons. (12) Taylored neutron sources [7]: Neutron sources with demanded space distribution, strongly beamed and isotropic solutions [8] [9]. Neutron generation with taylored energy distribution. Problem of the direct production of neutrons with very low energy [10] [11]. (13) Potential muon sources: Proof-of-principle laser experiment on electron / photon driven muon production [12] [13]. Study of the possibility of effective generation of surface muons. Problems of the production of muons with very low energy. (2) Fundamental & Applied Physics with TS: This part of the talk presents the themes: (21) Diagnostic potential of TS: Lepton emission as a signature of processes in extreme systems. Passive and active diagnostics using positrons, problems of detection and evaluation. Potential diagnostic applications of muons. Concrete application study: muon tomography. (22) Antilepton gravity studies [14]: Possibility of antimattter gravity research using positronium and muonium [15] [16]. Lepton / antilepton gravity studiesactive with relativistic particle beams [17]. First-phase practical application : positron production for filling (commertial) particle traps, development base for multiple microtrap systems. (23) Hidden world searching [18] : Potential laser-based production / detection of selected dark mattter particles - axions, hidden photons [19] [20]. Search for hidden particles in nuclear decay processes [21]. Potential application output: intense positronium source. Conclusion: The extensive feasibility study confirms the potential of ELI to contribute to the solution of Grand Challenge Problems of physics. Laser-produced tertiary particles will play important role in this effort. : References [1] L.Drska et al.: Physics of Extreme Systems. Course ATHENS CTU18, Prague 12 - 19 Nov., 2016. http://vega.fjfi.cvut.cz/docs/athens2016/ [2] L.Drska : Lepton Diagnostics and Antimatter Physics. In: SPIE Optics+Optoelectronics, Prague, April 13 - 16, 2015 . [3] H. Chen et al.: Scaling the Yield of Laser-Driven Electron-Positron Jets to Laboratory Astrophysics Applications. Rep. LLNL-JRNL-665381, Dec. 11, 2014. [4] E Liang et al.: High e+ / e- Ratio Dense Pair Creation with 1022 W.cm-2 Laser Irradiating Solid Targets. Scientific Reports, Sept. 14, 2015. www.nature.com/scientificreports [5] G. Sarri et al.: Spectral and Spatial Characterization of Laser-driven Positron Beams. Plasma Phys. Control. Fusion 59 (2017) 014015. [6] B. Schoch: A Method to Produce Intense Positron Beams via Electro Pair Production on Electrons. arXiv:1607.03847v1 [physics.acc-ph] [7] I. Pomerantz: Laser Generation of Neutrons: Science and Applications. In: ELI-NP Summer School, Magurele, Sept. 21 - 25, 2015. http://www.eli-np.ro/2015-summer-school/presentations/23.09/Pomerantz_Eli-NP-Summer-school-2015.pdf [8] V.P. Kovalev: Secondary Radiation of Electron Accelerators (in Russian). Atomizdat 1969. [9] M. Lebois et al.: Development of a Kinematically Focused Neutron Source with p(Li7,n)Be7 Inverse Reaction. Nucl. Instr. Meth. Phys. Res. A 735 (2014), 145. [10] D. Habs et al.: Neutron Halo Isomers in Stable Nuclei and their Possible Application for the Production of Low Energy, Pulsed, Polarized Neutron Beams of High Intensity and High Brilliance. Appl. Phys B103 (2011),485. [11] T. Masuda et al.: A New Method of Creating High/Intensity Neutron Source. arXiv:1604.02818v1[nucl-ex] [12] A.I. Titov et al.: Dimuon Production by Laser-wakefield Accelerated Electrons. Phys. Rev. ST Accel. Beams 12 (2009) 111301. [13] W. Dreesen et al.: Detection of Petawatt Laser-Induced Muon Source for Rapid High-Gamma Material Detection. DOE/NV/25946-2262. [14] F. Castelli: Positronium and Fundamental Physics: What Next ? In: What Next, Florence 2015. [15] G. Dufour et al. : Prospects for Studies of the Free Fall and Gravitation Quantum States of Antimatter. Advances in High Energy Physics 2015 (2015) 379642. [16] D.M. Kaplan et al.. Antimatter Gravity with Muonium. IIT-CAPP-16-1. arXiv:1601.07222v2 [physics.ins-det] [17] T. Kalaydzhyan: Gravitational Mass of Positron from LEP Synchrotron Losses. arXiv:1508.04377v3 [hep-ph] [18] J. Alexander et al.: Dark Sector 2016 Workshop: Community Report. arXiv:1608.08632[hep-ph] [19] M.A. Wahud et al.: Axion-like Particle Production in a Laser-Induced Dynamical Spacertime. arXiv:1612.07743v1 [hep-ph] [20] V. Kozhuharov et al: New Projects on Dark Photon Search. arXiv:1610.04389v1 [hep-ex] [21] A.J. Krasznahorkay et al.: Observation of Anomalous Internal Pair Creation in Be8: A Possible Signature of a Light, Neutral Boson. arXiv:1504.01527v1 [nucl-ex

Positron production using a 1.7 MV pelletron accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alcantara, K. F.; Crivelli, P.; Santos, A. C. F.

2013-04-01

We report the foremost phase of a fourth generation positron source, being constructed at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Positron yields are reported by making use of the 19F(p,αe+e-)16O reaction, where the fluorine target is in the form of a CaF2 pellet. Positron production has been observed by detecting 511 keV annihilation gamma rays emerging from the irradiated CaF2 target.

Physics and applications of positron beams in an integrated PET/MR.

PubMed

Watson, Charles C; Eriksson, Lars; Kolb, Armin

2013-02-07

In PET/MR systems having the PET component within the uniform magnetic field interior to the MR, positron beams can be injected into the PET field of view (FOV) from unshielded emission sources external to it, as a consequence of the action of the Lorentz force on the transverse components of the positron's velocity. Such beams may be as small as a few millimeters in diameter, but extend 50 cm or more axially without appreciable divergence. Larger beams form 'phantoms' of annihilations in air that can be easily imaged, and that are essentially free of γ-ray attenuation and scatter effects, providing a unique tool for characterizing PET systems and reconstruction algorithms. Thin targets intersecting these beams can produce intense annihilation sources having the thickness of a sheet of paper, which are very useful for high resolution measurements, and difficult to achieve with conventional sources. Targeted beams can provide other point, line and surface sources for various applications, all without the need to have radioactivity within the FOV. In this paper we discuss the physical characteristics of positron beams in air and present examples of their applications.

High Purity Pion Beam at TRIUMF

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kettell, S.; Kettell, S.; Aguilar-Arevalo, A.

An extension of the TRIUMF M13 low-energy pion channel designed to suppress positrons based on an energy-loss technique is described. A source of beam channel momentum calibration from the decay {pi}{sup +} {yields} e{sup +}{nu} is also described.

Nondestructive examination using neutron activated positron annihilation

DOEpatents

Akers, Douglas W.; Denison, Arthur B.

2001-01-01

A method is provided for performing nondestructive examination of a metal specimen using neutron activated positron annihilation wherein the positron emitter source is formed within the metal specimen. The method permits in situ nondestructive examination and has the advantage of being capable of performing bulk analysis to determine embrittlement, fatigue and dislocation within a metal specimen.

Electric-field distribution in Au-semi-insulating GaAs contact investigated by positron-lifetime technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ling, C. C.; Shek, Y. F.; Huang, A. P.; Fung, S.; Beling, C. D.

1999-02-01

Positron-lifetime spectroscopy has been used to investigate the electric-field distribution occurring at the Au-semi-insulating GaAs interface. Positrons implanted from a 22Na source and drifted back to the interface are detected through their characteristic lifetime at interface traps. The relative intensity of this fraction of interface-trapped positrons reveals that the field strength in the depletion region saturates at applied biases above 50 V, an observation that cannot be reconciled with a simple depletion approximation model. The data, are, however, shown to be fully consistent with recent direct electric-field measurements and the theoretical model proposed by McGregor et al. [J. Appl. Phys. 75, 7910 (1994)] of an enhanced EL2+ electron-capture cross section above a critical electric field that causes a dramatic reduction of the depletion region's net charge density. Two theoretically derived electric field profiles, together with an experimentally based profile, are used to estimate a positron mobility of ~95+/-35 cm2 V-1 s-1 under the saturation field. This value is higher than previous experiments would suggest, and reasons for this effect are discussed.

Intense positron beam as a source for production of electron-positron plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stoneking, M. R.; Horn-Stanja, J.; Stenson, E. V.; Pedersen, T. Sunn; Saitoh, H.; Hergenhahn, U.; Niemann, H.; Paschkowski, N.; Hugenschmidt, C.; Piochacz, C.

2016-10-01

We aim to produce magnetically confined, short Debye length electron-positron plasma and test predicted properties for such systems. A first challenge is obtaining large numbers of positrons; a table-top experiment (system size 5 cm) with a temperature less than 5 eV requires about 1010 positrons to have more than 10 Debye lengths in the system. The NEPOMUC facility at the FRM II research reactor in Germany is one of the world's most intense positron sources. We report on characterization (using a retarding field energy analyzer with magnetic field gradient) of the NEPOMUC beam as delivered to the open beam port at various beam energies and in both the re-moderated and primary beam configurations in order to design optimal trapping (and accumulation) schemes for production of electron-positron plasma. The intensity of the re-moderated (primary) beam is in the range 2 -3 x 107 /s (1 - 5 x 108 /s). The re-moderated beam is currently the most promising for direct injection and confinement experiments; it has a parallel energy spread of 15 - 35% and the transverse energy spread is 6 - 15% of the parallel energy. We report on the implications for injection and trapping in a dipole magnetic field as well as plans for beam development, in situ re-moderation, and accumulation. We also report results demonstrating a difference in phosphor luminescent response to low energy positrons versus electrons.

Computational methods for analyzing the transmission characteristics of a beta particle magnetic analysis system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, J. J.

1979-01-01

Computational methods were developed to study the trajectories of beta particles (positrons) through a magnetic analysis system as a function of the spatial distribution of the radionuclides in the beta source, size and shape of the source collimator, and the strength of the analyzer magnetic field. On the basis of these methods, the particle flux, their energy spectrum, and source-to-target transit times have been calculated for Na-22 positrons as a function of the analyzer magnetic field and the size and location of the target. These data are in studies requiring parallel beams of positrons of uniform energy such as measurement of the moisture distribution in composite materials. Computer programs for obtaining various trajectories are included.

Positron Lifetime Modulation by Electric Field Induced Positronium Formation on a Gold Surface

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-03-22

Angular Momentum (3) ......................................................................... 11 Stopping Power (4...isotope from which it was born, diffused into the material before annihilation occurred. 6 The radioisotope used in this experiment is Na-22 which...that positrons may be useful in studying the internal structure of a wide variety of materials. The radioisotope positron source used in this

Positron production using a 1.7 MV pelletron accelerator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Alcantara, K. F.; Santos, A. C. F.; Crivelli, P.

2013-04-19

We report the foremost phase of a fourth generation positron source, being constructed at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Positron yields are reported by making use of the {sup 19}F(p,{alpha}e{sup +}e{sup -}){sup 16}O reaction, where the fluorine target is in the form of a CaF{sub 2} pellet. Positron production has been observed by detecting 511 keV annihilation gamma rays emerging from the irradiated CaF{sub 2} target.

Answer to Question {number_sign}30 [{open_quote}{open_quote}How are positrons moderated?,{close_quote}{close_quote} Thomas D. Rossing, Am. J. Phys. {bold 63}(12), 1065 (1995)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Weber, M.; Lynn, K.G.

1996-07-01

The positrons from {beta}{sup +} decaying sources loss energyat a much faster rate than they annihilate. As the energy of the positrons drops, core excitations, plasmon excitation, electron/hole pair creation, and phonon scattering are the dominant processes of further energy loss.

Extended gamma-ray sources around pulsars constrain the origin of the positron flux at Earth.

PubMed

Abeysekara, A U; Albert, A; Alfaro, R; Alvarez, C; Álvarez, J D; Arceo, R; Arteaga-Velázquez, J C; Avila Rojas, D; Ayala Solares, H A; Barber, A S; Bautista-Elivar, N; Becerril, A; Belmont-Moreno, E; BenZvi, S Y; Berley, D; Bernal, A; Braun, J; Brisbois, C; Caballero-Mora, K S; Capistrán, T; Carramiñana, A; Casanova, S; Castillo, M; Cotti, U; Cotzomi, J; Coutiño de León, S; De León, C; De la Fuente, E; Dingus, B L; DuVernois, M A; Díaz-Vélez, J C; Ellsworth, R W; Engel, K; Enríquez-Rivera, O; Fiorino, D W; Fraija, N; García-González, J A; Garfias, F; Gerhardt, M; González Muñoz, A; González, M M; Goodman, J A; Hampel-Arias, Z; Harding, J P; Hernández, S; Hernández-Almada, A; Hinton, J; Hona, B; Hui, C M; Hüntemeyer, P; Iriarte, A; Jardin-Blicq, A; Joshi, V; Kaufmann, S; Kieda, D; Lara, A; Lauer, R J; Lee, W H; Lennarz, D; Vargas, H León; Linnemann, J T; Longinotti, A L; Luis Raya, G; Luna-García, R; López-Coto, R; Malone, K; Marinelli, S S; Martinez, O; Martinez-Castellanos, I; Martínez-Castro, J; Martínez-Huerta, H; Matthews, J A; Miranda-Romagnoli, P; Moreno, E; Mostafá, M; Nellen, L; Newbold, M; Nisa, M U; Noriega-Papaqui, R; Pelayo, R; Pretz, J; Pérez-Pérez, E G; Ren, Z; Rho, C D; Rivière, C; Rosa-González, D; Rosenberg, M; Ruiz-Velasco, E; Salazar, H; Salesa Greus, F; Sandoval, A; Schneider, M; Schoorlemmer, H; Sinnis, G; Smith, A J; Springer, R W; Surajbali, P; Taboada, I; Tibolla, O; Tollefson, K; Torres, I; Ukwatta, T N; Vianello, G; Weisgarber, T; Westerhoff, S; Wisher, I G; Wood, J; Yapici, T; Yodh, G; Younk, P W; Zepeda, A; Zhou, H; Guo, F; Hahn, J; Li, H; Zhang, H

2017-11-17

The unexpectedly high flux of cosmic-ray positrons detected at Earth may originate from nearby astrophysical sources, dark matter, or unknown processes of cosmic-ray secondary production. We report the detection, using the High-Altitude Water Cherenkov Observatory (HAWC), of extended tera-electron volt gamma-ray emission coincident with the locations of two nearby middle-aged pulsars (Geminga and PSR B0656+14). The HAWC observations demonstrate that these pulsars are indeed local sources of accelerated leptons, but the measured tera-electron volt emission profile constrains the diffusion of particles away from these sources to be much slower than previously assumed. We demonstrate that the leptons emitted by these objects are therefore unlikely to be the origin of the excess positrons, which may have a more exotic origin. Copyright © 2017, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Evaluation of ion-implanted-silicon detectors for use in intraoperative positron-sensitive probes.

PubMed

Raylman, R R; Wahl, R L

1996-11-01

The continuing development of probes for use with beta (positron and electron) emitting radionuclides may result in more complete excision of tracer-avid tumors. Perhaps one of the most promising radiopharmaceuticals for this task is 18F-labeled-Fluoro-2-Deoxy-D-Glucose (FDG). This positron-emitting agent has been demonstrated to be avidly and rapidly absorbed by many human cancers. We have investigated the use of ion-implanted-silicon detectors in intraoperative positron-sensitive surgical probes for use with FDG. These detectors possess very high positron detection efficiency, while the efficiency for 511 keV photon detection is low. The spatial resolution, as well as positron and annihilation photon detection sensitivity, of an ion-implanted-silicon detector used with 18F was measured at several energy thresholds. In addition, the ability of the device to detect the presence of relatively small amounts of FDG during surgery was evaluated by simulating a surgical field in which some tumor was left intact following lesion excision. The performance of the ion-implanted-silicon detector was compared to the operating characteristics of a positron-sensitive surgical probe which utilizes plastic scintillator. In all areas of performance the ion-implanted-silicon detector proved superior to the plastic scintillator-based probe. At an energy threshold of 14 keV positron sensitivity measured for the ion-implanted-silicon detector was 101.3 cps/kBq, photon sensitivity was 7.4 cps/kBq. In addition, spatial resolution was found to be relatively unaffected by the presence of distant sources of annihilation photon flux. Finally, the detector was demonstrated to be able to localize small amounts of FDG in a simulated tumor bed; indicating that this device has promise as a probe to aid in FDG-guided surgery.

Dark matter "transporting" mechanism explaining positron excesses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Doojin; Park, Jong-Chul; Shin, Seodong

2018-04-01

We propose a novel mechanism to explain the positron excesses, which are observed by satellite-based telescopes including PAMELA and AMS-02, in dark matter (DM) scenarios. The novelty behind the proposal is that it makes direct use of DM around the Galactic Center where DM populates most densely, allowing us to avoid tensions from cosmological and astrophysical measurements. The key ingredients of this mechanism include DM annihilation into unstable states with a very long laboratory-frame life time and their "retarded" decay near the Earth to electron-positron pair(s) possibly with other (in)visible particles. We argue that this sort of explanation is not in conflict with relevant constraints from big bang nucleosynthesis and cosmic microwave background. Regarding the resultant positron spectrum, we provide a generalized source term in the associated diffusion equation, which can be readily applicable to any type of two-"stage" DM scenarios wherein production of Standard Model particles occurs at completely different places from those of DM annihilation. We then conduct a data analysis with the recent AMS-02 data to validate our proposal.

Accelerator based epithermal neutron source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taskaev, S. Yu.

2015-11-01

We review the current status of the development of accelerator sources of epithermal neutrons for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT), a promising method of malignant tumor treatment. Particular attention is given to the source of epithermal neutrons on the basis of a new type of charged particle accelerator: tandem accelerator with vacuum insulation and lithium neutron-producing target. It is also shown that the accelerator with specialized targets makes it possible to generate fast and monoenergetic neutrons, resonance and monoenergetic gamma-rays, alpha-particles, and positrons.

Impedance computations and beam-based measurements: A problem of discrepancy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smaluk, Victor

2018-04-01

High intensity of particle beams is crucial for high-performance operation of modern electron-positron storage rings, both colliders and light sources. The beam intensity is limited by the interaction of the beam with self-induced electromagnetic fields (wake fields) proportional to the vacuum chamber impedance. For a new accelerator project, the total broadband impedance is computed by element-wise wake-field simulations using computer codes. For a machine in operation, the impedance can be measured experimentally using beam-based techniques. In this article, a comparative analysis of impedance computations and beam-based measurements is presented for 15 electron-positron storage rings. The measured data and the predictions based on the computed impedance budgets show a significant discrepancy. Three possible reasons for the discrepancy are discussed: interference of the wake fields excited by a beam in adjacent components of the vacuum chamber, effect of computation mesh size, and effect of insufficient bandwidth of the computed impedance.

Sgr A* as Source of the Positrons Observed in the Galactic Center Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jean, Pierre; Guessoum, Nidhal; Ferrière, Katia

2017-01-01

We explore the possibility that a substantial fraction of the positrons observed to annihilate in the central region of our Galaxy come from the supermassive black hole Sgr A* that lies at the center. This idea was proposed by several authors, but the propagation of the emitted positrons into the bulge and beyond remained a serious problem for models of the origin of GC positrons. We assume models of positron production with different energies. The propagation of positrons from their production site is followed in detail with Monte-Carlo simulations, taking into account the physical conditions of the propagation regions as well as various physical interactions. Using the known physics of positron annihilation in astrophysical environments, we calculate the properties of the annihilation emission (time evolution and spatial distribution) for the different models under consideration. We present the results of these simulations and the conclusions/constraints that can be inferred from them.

Astrophysical signatures of leptonium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ellis, Simon C.; Bland-Hawthorn, Joss

2018-01-01

More than 1043 positrons annihilate every second in the centre of our Galaxy yet, despite four decades of observations, their origin is still unknown. Many candidates have been proposed, such as supernovae and low mass X-ray binaries. However, these models are difficult to reconcile with the distribution of positrons, which are highly concentrated in the Galactic bulge, and therefore require specific propagation of the positrons through the interstellar medium. Alternative sources include dark matter decay, or the supermassive black hole, both of which would have a naturally high bulge-to-disc ratio. The chief difficulty in reconciling models with the observations is the intrinsically poor angular resolution of gamma-ray observations, which cannot resolve point sources. Essentially all of the positrons annihilate via the formation of positronium. This gives rise to the possibility of observing recombination lines of positronium emitted before the atom annihilates. These emission lines would be in the UV and the NIR, giving an increase in angular resolution of a factor of 104 compared to gamma ray observations, and allowing the discrimination between point sources and truly diffuse emission. Analogously to the formation of positronium, it is possible to form atoms of true muonium and true tauonium. Since muons and tauons are intrinsically unstable, the formation of such leptonium atoms will be localised to their places of origin. Thus observations of true muonium or true tauonium can provide another way to distinguish between truly diffuse sources such as dark matter decay, and an unresolved distribution of point sources. Contribution to the Topical Issue "Low Energy Positron and Electron Interactions", edited by James Sullivan, Ron White, Michael Bromley, Ilya Fabrikant and David Cassidy.

Probing vacancy-type free-volume defects in Li2B4O7 single crystal by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shpotyuk, O.; Adamiv, V.; Teslyuk, I.; Ingram, A.; Demchenko, P.

2018-01-01

Vacancy-type free-volume defects in lithium tetraborate Li2B4O7 single crystal, grown by the Czochralski technique, are probed with positron annihilation spectroscopy in the lifetime measuring mode. The experimental positron lifetime spectrum is reconstructed within the three-component fitting, involving channels of positron and positronium Ps trapping, as well as within the two-component fitting with a positronium-compensating source input. Structural configurations of the most efficient positron traps are considered using the crystallographic specificity of lithium tetraborate with the main accent on cation-type vacancies. Possible channels of positron trapping are visualized using the electronic structure calculations with density functional theory at the basis of structural parameters proper to Li2B4O7. Spatially-extended positron-trapping complexes involving singly-ionized lithium vacancies, with character lifetime close to 0.32 ns, are responsible for positron trapping in the nominally undoped lithium tetraborate Li2B4O7 crystal.

Surface and bulk investigations at the high intensity positron beam facility NEPOMUC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hugenschmidt, C.; Dollinger, G.; Egger, W.; Kögel, G.; Löwe, B.; Mayer, J.; Pikart, P.; Piochacz, C.; Repper, R.; Schreckenbach, K.; Sperr, P.; Stadlbauer, M.

2008-10-01

The NEutron-induced POsitron source MUniCh (NEPOMUC) at the research reactor FRM II delivers a low-energy positron beam ( E = 15-1000 eV) of high intensity in the range between 4 × 10 7 and 5 × 10 8 moderated positrons per second. At present four experimental facilities are in operation at NEPOMUC: a coincident Doppler-broadening spectrometer (CDBS) for defect spectroscopy and investigations of the chemical vicinity of defects, a positron annihilation-induced Auger-electron spectrometer (PAES) for surface studies and an apparatus for the production of the negatively charged positronium ion Ps -. Recently, the pulsed low-energy positron system (PLEPS) has been connected to the NEPOMUC beam line, and first positron lifetime spectra were recorded within short measurement times. A positron remoderation unit which is operated with a tungsten single crystal in back reflection geometry has been implemented in order to improve the beam brilliance. An overview of NEPOMUC's status, experimental results and recent developments at the running spectrometers are presented.

THE GALACTIC POSITRON ANNIHILATION RADIATION AND THE PROPAGATION OF POSITRONS IN THE INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Higdon, J. C.; Lingenfelter, R. E.; Rothschild, R. E.

2009-06-10

The ratio of the luminosity of diffuse 511 keV positron annihilation radiation, measured by INTEGRAL in its four years, from a Galactic 'positron bulge' (<1.5 kpc) compared to that of the disk is {approx}1.4. This ratio is roughly 4 times larger than that expected simply from the stellar bulge-to-disk ratio of {approx}0.33 of the Galactic supernovae (SNe), which are thought to be the principal source of the annihilating positrons through the decay of radionuclei made by explosive nucleosynthesis in the SNe. This large discrepancy has prompted a search for new sources. Here, however, we show that the measured 511 keVmore » luminosity ratio can be fully understood in the context of a Galactic SN origin when the differential propagation of these {approx} MeV positrons in the various phases of the interstellar medium is taken into consideration, since these relativistic positrons must first slow down to energies {<=}10 eV before they can annihilate. Moreover, without propagation, none of the proposed positron sources, new or old, can explain the two basic properties on the Galactic annihilation radiation: the fraction of the annihilation that occurs through positronium formation and the ratio of the broad/narrow components of the 511 keV line. In particular, we show that in the neutral phases of the interstellar medium, which fill most of the disk (>3.5 kpc), the cascade of the magnetic turbulence, which scatters the positrons, is damped by ion-neutral friction, allowing positrons to stream along magnetic flux tubes. We find that nearly 1/2 of the positrons produced in the disk escape from it into the halo. On the other hand, we show that within the extended, or interstellar, bulge (<3.5 kpc), essentially all of the positrons are born in the hot plasmas which fill that volume. We find that the diffusion mean free path is long enough that only a negligible fraction annihilate there and {approx}80% of them escape down into the H II and H I envelopes of molecular clouds that lie within 1.5 kpc before they slow down and annihilate, while the remaining {approx}20% escape out into the halo and the disk beyond. This propagation accounts for the low observed annihilation radiation luminosity of the disk compared to the bulge. In addition, we show that the primary annihilation sites of the propagating positrons in both the bulge and the disk are in the warm ionized phases of the interstellar medium. Such annihilation can also account for those two basic properties of the emission, the fraction ({approx}93% {+-} 7%) of annihilation via positronium and the ratio ({approx}0.5) of broad ({approx}5.4 keV) to narrow ({approx}1.3 keV) components of the bulge 511 keV line emission. Moreover, we expect that the bulk of this broad line emission comes from the tilted disk region (0.5 < R < 1.5 kpc) with a very large broad/narrow flux ratio of {approx}6, while much of the narrow line emission comes from the inner bulge (R < 0.5 kpc) with a negligible broad/narrow flux ratio. Separate spectral analyses of the 511 keV line emission from these two regions should be able to test this prediction, and further probe the structure of the interstellar medium. Lastly, we show that the asymmetry in the inner disk annihilation line flux, which has been suggested as added evidence for new sources, can also be fully understood from positron propagation and the asymmetry in the inner spiral arms as viewed from our solar perspective without any additional sources.« less

Summary of experimental studies, at CERN, on a positron source using crystal effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Artru, X.; Baier, V.; Beloborodov, K.; Bogdanov, A.; Bukin, A.; Burdin, S.; Chehab, R.; Chevallier, M.; Cizeron, R.; Dauvergne, D.; Dimova, T.; Druzhinin, V.; Dubrovin, M.; Gatignon, L.; Golubev, V.; Jejcic, A.; Keppler, P.; Kirsch, R.; Kulibaba, V.; Lautesse, Ph.; Major, J.; Poizat, J.-C.; Potylitsin, A.; Remillieux, J.; Serednyakov, S.; Shary, V.; Strakhovenko, V.; Sylvia, C.

2005-11-01

A new kind of positron sources for future linear colliders, where the converter is an aligned tungsten crystal, oriented on the <1 1 1>-axis, has been studied at CERN in the WA103 experiment with tertiary electron beams from the SPS. In such sources the photons resulting from channeling radiation and coherent bremsstrahlung create the e+e- pairs. Electron beams, of 6 and 10 GeV, were impinging on different kinds of targets: a 4 mm thick crystal, a 8 mm thick crystal and a compound target made of 4 mm crystal followed by 4 mm amorphous disk. An amorphous tungsten target 20 mm thick was also used for the sake of comparison with the 8 mm crystal and to check the ability of the detection system to provide the correct track reconstruction. The charged particles coming out from the target were detected in a drift chamber immersed partially in a magnetic field. The reconstruction of the particle trajectories provided the energy and angular spectrum of the positrons in a rather wide energy range (up to 150 MeV) and angular domain (up to 30°). The experimental approach presented in this article provides a full description of this kind of source. A presentation of the measured positron distribution in momentum space (longitudinal versus transverse) is given to allow an easy determination of the available yield for a given momentum acceptance. Results on photons, measured downstream of the positron detector, are also presented. A significant enhancement of photon and positron production is clearly observed. This enhancement, for a 10 GeV incident beam, is of 4 for the 4 mm thick crystal and larger than 2 for the 8 mm thick crystal. Another important result concerns the validation of the simulations for the crystals, for which a quite good agreement was met between the simulations and the experiment, for positrons as well as for photons. These results are presented after a short presentation of the experimental setup and of the track reconstruction procedure.

Cosmic Ray Positrons from Pulsars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harding, Alice K.

2010-01-01

Pulsars are potential Galactic sources of positrons through pair cascades in their magnetospheres. There are, however, many uncertainties in establishing their contribution to the local primary positron flux. Among these are the local density of pulsars, the cascade pair multiplicities that determine the injection rate of positrons from the pulsar, the acceleration of the injected particles by the pulsar wind termination shock, their rate of escape from the pulsar wind nebula, and their propagation through the interstellar medium. I will discuss these issues in the context of what we are learning from the new Fermi pulsar detections and discoveries.

Status and Perspectives for a Slow Positron Beam Facility at the HH—NIPNE Bucharest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Constantin, Florin; Craciun, Liviu Stefan; Constantinescu, Olimpiu; Ghita, Ionica Alina; Ionescu, Cristina; Racolta, Petru Mihai; Straticiuc, Mihai; Vasilescu, Angela; Braic, Viorel; Zoita, Catalin; Kiss, Adrian; Bojin, Dionezie

2009-03-01

The development of a positron annihilation spectroscopy laboratory at the HH-NIPNE Bucharest-to be used for material studies and applications was started in the last 10 years. In the framework of a national research project extended over the last 3 years, was designed a low energy positron accelerator, as a high-vacuum dedicated beam line with two options: a 25 mCi 22NaCl source and in line with the NIPNE-cyclotron or a new intense compact cyclotron. The construction of the beam line was planned as a sequence of modules: source- moderator system; magnetical filter for fast positrons in order to select the positrons energies in the range 0.8-1 keV; a modular system for focusing, transport and acceleration of monoenergetic positrons in the energy range 0.8-50 keV and a CDBS analysis chamber. The moderator proposed—is tungsten as a foil of about 3 μm prepared at the Optoelectronics Institute were put into a thermal treatment vacuum chamber and bombarded with electrons from a 100 W electron gun After the treatment, they were tested for changes of elemental composition of the surface and structure at the Polytechnic University. The structure tests were performed on a DRON 3 M diffractometer, with a Co tube (λKα = 1.7903 A)—the angular regions studied were around 34° (1 0 0) and 69° (2 0 0). In the present time, the trajectories of the positron are going to be simulated with dedicated software (an ion and electron optics simulator). For the coincidence measurements (CDBS) set-up we used a home-made 22NaCl source, by separation without carrier from a metallic Mg target irradiated with 12 MeV protons and separated by columnar cation exchange. A home- made biparametric system for CDBS measurements will be reported, also.

Status and Perspectives for a Slow Positron Beam Facility at the HH-NIPNE Bucharest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Straticiuc, Mihai; Craciun, Liviu Stefan; Constantinescu, Olimpiu; Ghita, Ionica Alina; Ionescu, Cristina; Racolta, Petru Mihai; Vasilescu, Angela; Braic, Viorel; Zoita, Catalin; Kiss, Adrian; Bojin, Dionezie

2009-03-01

The development of a positron annihilation spectroscopy laboratory at the HH-NIPNE Bucharest-to be used for material studies and applications was started in the last 10 years. In the framework of a national research project extended over the last 3 years, was designed a low energy positron accelerator, as a high-vacuum dedicated beam line with two options: a 25 mCi 22NaCl source and in line with the NIPNE-cyclotron or a new intense compact cyclotron. The construction of the beam line was planned as a sequence of modules: source- moderator system; magnetical filter for fast positrons in order to select the positrons energies in the range 0.8-1 keV; a modular system for focusing, transport and acceleration of monoenergetic positrons in the energy range 0.8-50 keV and a CDBS analysis chamber. The moderator proposed-is tungsten as a foil of about 3 μm prepared at the Optoelectronics Institute were put into a thermal treatment vacuum chamber and bombarded with electrons from a 100 W electron gun After the treatment, they were tested for changes of elemental composition of the surface and structure at the Polytechnic University. The structure tests were performed on a DRON 3 M diffractometer, with a Co tube (λKα = 1.7903 A)-the angular regions studied were around 34° (1 0 0) and 69° (2 0 0). In the present time, the trajectories of the positron are going to be simulated with dedicated software (an ion and electron optics simulator). For the coincidence measurements (CDBS) set-up we used a home-made 22NaCl source, by separation without carrier from a metallic Mg target irradiated with 12 MeV protons and separated by columnar cation exchange. A home- made biparametric system for CDBS measurements will be reported, also.

On possible interpretations of the high energy electron–positron spectrum measured by the Fermi Large Area Telescope

DOE PAGES

Grasso, D.; Profumo, S.; Strong, A. W.; ...

2009-07-11

The Fermi-LAT experiment recently reported high precision measurements of the spectrum of cosmic-ray electrons-plus-positrons (CRE) between 20 GeV and 1 TeV. The spectrum shows no prominent spectral features, and is significantly harder than that inferred from several previous experiments. In this paper, we discuss several interpretations of the Fermi results based either on a single large scale Galactic CRE component or by invoking additional electron–positron primary sources, e.g. nearby pulsars or particle dark matter annihilation. We show that while the reported Fermi-LAT data alone can be interpreted in terms of a single component scenario, when combined with other complementary experimentalmore » results, specifically the CRE spectrum measured by H.E.S.S. and especially the positron fraction reported by PAMELA between 1 and 100 GeV, that class of models fails to provide a consistent interpretation. Rather, we find that several combinations of parameters, involving both the pulsar and dark matter scenarios, allow a consistent description of those results. Finally, we also briefly discuss the possibility of discriminating between the pulsar and dark matter interpretations by looking for a possible anisotropy in the CRE flux.« less

Cerenkov radiation allows in vivo optical imaging of positron emitting radiotracers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spinelli, Antonello E.; D'Ambrosio, Daniela; Calderan, Laura; Marengo, Mario; Sbarbati, Andrea; Boschi, Federico

2010-01-01

In this paper, we showed that Cerenkov radiation (CR) escaping from the surface of small living animals injected with 18F-FDG can be detected with optical imaging techniques. 18F decays by emitting positrons with a maximum energy of 0.635 MeV; such positrons, when travelling into tissues faster than the speed of light in the same medium, are responsible of CR emission. A detailed model of the CR spectrum considering the positron energy spectrum was developed in order to quantify the amount of light emission. The results presented in this work were obtained using a commercial optical imager equipped with charged coupled detectors (CCD). Our data open the door to optical imaging (OI) in vivo of the glucose metabolism, at least in pre-clinical research. We found that the heart and bladder can be clearly identified in the animal body reflecting the accumulation of the 18F-FDG. Moreover, we describe two different methods based on the spectral analysis of the CR that can be used to estimate the depth of the source inside the animal. We conclude that 18F-FDG can be employed as it is as a bimodal tracer for positron emission tomography (PET) and OI techniques. Our results are encouraging, suggesting that it could be possible to apply the proposed approach not only to β+ but also to pure β- emitters.

Cerenkov radiation allows in vivo optical imaging of positron emitting radiotracers.

PubMed

Spinelli, Antonello E; D'Ambrosio, Daniela; Calderan, Laura; Marengo, Mario; Sbarbati, Andrea; Boschi, Federico

2010-01-21

In this paper, we showed that Cerenkov radiation (CR) escaping from the surface of small living animals injected with (18)F-FDG can be detected with optical imaging techniques. (18)F decays by emitting positrons with a maximum energy of 0.635 MeV; such positrons, when travelling into tissues faster than the speed of light in the same medium, are responsible of CR emission. A detailed model of the CR spectrum considering the positron energy spectrum was developed in order to quantify the amount of light emission. The results presented in this work were obtained using a commercial optical imager equipped with charged coupled detectors (CCD). Our data open the door to optical imaging (OI) in vivo of the glucose metabolism, at least in pre-clinical research. We found that the heart and bladder can be clearly identified in the animal body reflecting the accumulation of the (18)F-FDG. Moreover, we describe two different methods based on the spectral analysis of the CR that can be used to estimate the depth of the source inside the animal. We conclude that (18)F-FDG can be employed as it is as a bimodal tracer for positron emission tomography (PET) and OI techniques. Our results are encouraging, suggesting that it could be possible to apply the proposed approach not only to beta(+) but also to pure beta(-) emitters.

Development of a Simple Positron Age-Momentum Setup

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sheffield, Thomas; Quarles, C. A.

2009-04-01

A positron age-momentum setup that uses NIM Bin electronic modules and a conventional multichannel analyzer (MCA) is described. The essential idea is to accumulate a Doppler broadened spectrum (sensitive to the annihilation electron momentum) using a high purity Germanium detector in coincidence with a BaF2 scintillation counter, which also serves as the stop signal in a conventional positron lifetime setup. The MCA that collects the Doppler spectrum is gated by a selected region of the lifetime spectrum. Thus we can obtain Doppler broadening spectra as a function of positron lifetime: an age-momentum spectrum. The apparatus has been used so far to investigate a ZnO sample where the size of different vacancy trapping sites may affect the positron lifetime and the Doppler broadening spectrum. We are also looking at polymer and rubber carbon-black composite samples where differences in the Doppler spectrum may arise from positron trapping or positronium formation in the samples. Correction for background and contribution from the positron source itself to the Doppler spectrum will be discussed.

Apparatus for the analysis of surfaces in gas environments using Positron Spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Satyal, Suman; Lim, Lawrence; Joglekar, Vibek; Kalaskar, Sushant; Shastry, Karthik; Weiss, Alex

2010-10-01

Positron spectroscopy performed with low energy beams can provide highly surface specific information due to the trapping of positrons in an image potential surface state at the time of annihilation. Here we describe a spectrometer that will employ differential pumping to enable us to transport the positrons most of the way from the source to the sample under high vacuum and then to traverse a thin gas layer surrounding the sample. The positrons will be implanted into the sample at energies less than ˜10 keV ensuring that a large fraction will diffuse back to the surface before annihilation. The Elemental content of the surface interacting with the gas environment will then be determined from the Doppler broadened gamma spectra. This system will include a time of flight positron annihilation induced Auger spectrometer (TOF-PAES) which correlates with the Doppler measurements at lower pressures.

A novel source of MeV positron bunches driven by energetic protons for PAS application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Zongquan; Xu, Wenzhen; Liu, Yanfen; Xiao, Ran; Kong, Wei; Ye, Bangjiao

2014-11-01

This paper proposes a novel methodology of MeV positrons generation for PAS application. Feasibility of this proposal analyzed by G4Beamline and Transport have shown reasonable success. Using 2 Hz, 1.6 GeV, 100 ns and 1.5 μC/bunch proton bunches for bombarding a graphite target, about 100 ns e+ bunches are generated. Quasi-monochromatic positrons in the range of 1-10 MeV included in these bunches have a flux of >107/s, peak brightness of 1014/s. A magnetic-confinement beamline is utilized to transport the positrons and a "Fast Beam Chopper" is unprecedentedly extended to chop those relativistic bunches. The positron beam can be finally characterized by the energy range of 1-10 MeV and bunch width from one hundred ps up to 1 ns. Such ultrashort bunches can be useful in tomography-type positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS) as well as other applications.

Origin of the positron excess in cosmic rays.

PubMed

Blasi, Pasquale

2009-07-31

We show that the positron excess measured by the PAMELA experiment in the region between 10 and 100 GeV may well be a natural consequence of the standard scenario for the origin of Galactic cosmic rays. The "excess" arises because of positrons created as secondary products of hadronic interactions inside the sources, but the crucial physical ingredient which leads to a natural explanation of the positron flux is the fact that the secondary production takes place in the same region where cosmic rays are being accelerated. Therefore secondary positrons (and electrons) participate in the acceleration process and turn out to have a very flat spectrum, which is responsible, after propagation in the Galaxy, for the observed positron excess. This effect cannot be avoided though its strength depends on the values of the environmental parameters during the late stages of evolution of supernova remnants.

Search for Cosmic-Ray Electron and Positron Anisotropies with Seven Years of Fermi Large Area Telescope Data.

PubMed

Abdollahi, S; Ackermann, M; Ajello, M; Albert, A; Atwood, W B; Baldini, L; Barbiellini, G; Bellazzini, R; Bissaldi, E; Bloom, E D; Bonino, R; Bottacini, E; Brandt, T J; Bruel, P; Buson, S; Caragiulo, M; Cavazzuti, E; Chekhtman, A; Ciprini, S; Costanza, F; Cuoco, A; Cutini, S; D'Ammando, F; de Palma, F; Desiante, R; Digel, S W; Di Lalla, N; Di Mauro, M; Di Venere, L; Donaggio, B; Drell, P S; Favuzzi, C; Focke, W B; Fukazawa, Y; Funk, S; Fusco, P; Gargano, F; Gasparrini, D; Giglietto, N; Giordano, F; Giroletti, M; Green, D; Guiriec, S; Harding, A K; Jogler, T; Jóhannesson, G; Kamae, T; Kuss, M; Larsson, S; Latronico, L; Li, J; Longo, F; Loparco, F; Lubrano, P; Magill, J D; Malyshev, D; Manfreda, A; Mazziotta, M N; Meehan, M; Michelson, P F; Mitthumsiri, W; Mizuno, T; Moiseev, A A; Monzani, M E; Morselli, A; Negro, M; Nuss, E; Ohsugi, T; Omodei, N; Paneque, D; Perkins, J S; Pesce-Rollins, M; Piron, F; Pivato, G; Principe, G; Rainò, S; Rando, R; Razzano, M; Reimer, A; Reimer, O; Sgrò, C; Simone, D; Siskind, E J; Spada, F; Spandre, G; Spinelli, P; Strong, A W; Tajima, H; Thayer, J B; Torres, D F; Troja, E; Vandenbroucke, J; Zaharijas, G; Zimmer, S

2017-03-03

The Large Area Telescope on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has collected the largest ever sample of high-energy cosmic-ray electron and positron events since the beginning of its operation. Potential anisotropies in the arrival directions of cosmic-ray electrons or positrons could be a signature of the presence of nearby sources. We use almost seven years of data with energies above 42 GeV processed with the Pass 8 reconstruction. The present data sample can probe dipole anisotropies down to a level of 10^{-3}. We take into account systematic effects that could mimic true anisotropies at this level. We present a detailed study of the event selection optimization of the cosmic-ray electrons and positrons to be used for anisotropy searches. Since no significant anisotropies have been detected on any angular scale, we present upper limits on the dipole anisotropy. The present constraints are among the strongest to date probing the presence of nearby young and middle-aged sources.

Impedance computations and beam-based measurements: A problem of discrepancy

DOE PAGES

Smaluk, Victor

2018-04-21

High intensity of particle beams is crucial for high-performance operation of modern electron-positron storage rings, both colliders and light sources. The beam intensity is limited by the interaction of the beam with self-induced electromagnetic fields (wake fields) proportional to the vacuum chamber impedance. For a new accelerator project, the total broadband impedance is computed by element-wise wake-field simulations using computer codes. For a machine in operation, the impedance can be measured experimentally using beam-based techniques. In this article, a comparative analysis of impedance computations and beam-based measurements is presented for 15 electron-positron storage rings. The measured data and the predictionsmore » based on the computed impedance budgets show a significant discrepancy. For this article, three possible reasons for the discrepancy are discussed: interference of the wake fields excited by a beam in adjacent components of the vacuum chamber, effect of computation mesh size, and effect of insufficient bandwidth of the computed impedance.« less

Impedance computations and beam-based measurements: A problem of discrepancy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Smaluk, Victor

High intensity of particle beams is crucial for high-performance operation of modern electron-positron storage rings, both colliders and light sources. The beam intensity is limited by the interaction of the beam with self-induced electromagnetic fields (wake fields) proportional to the vacuum chamber impedance. For a new accelerator project, the total broadband impedance is computed by element-wise wake-field simulations using computer codes. For a machine in operation, the impedance can be measured experimentally using beam-based techniques. In this article, a comparative analysis of impedance computations and beam-based measurements is presented for 15 electron-positron storage rings. The measured data and the predictionsmore » based on the computed impedance budgets show a significant discrepancy. For this article, three possible reasons for the discrepancy are discussed: interference of the wake fields excited by a beam in adjacent components of the vacuum chamber, effect of computation mesh size, and effect of insufficient bandwidth of the computed impedance.« less

Polarization observables using positron beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmidt, Axel

2018-05-01

The discrepancy between polarized and unpolarized measurements of the proton's electromagnetic form factors is striking, and suggests that two-photon exchange (TPE) may be playing a larger role in elastic electron-proton scattering than is estimated in standard radiative corrections formulae. While TPE is difficult to calculate in a model-independent way, it can be determined experimentally from asymmetries between electron-proton and positron-proton scattering. The possibility of a polarized positron beam at Jefferson Lab would open the door to measurements of TPE using polarization observables. In these proceedings, I examine the feasibility of measuring three such observables with positron scattering. Polarization-transfer, specifically the ɛ-dependence for fixed Q2, is an excellent test of TPE, and the ability to compare electrons and positrons would lead to a drastic reduction of systematics. However, such a measurement would be severely statistically limited. Normal single-spin asymmetries (SSAs) probe the imaginary part of the TPE amplitude and can be improved by simultaneous measurements with electron and positron beams. Beam-normal SSAs are too small to be measured with the proposed polarized positron beam, but target-normal SSAs could be feasibly measured with unpolarized positrons in the spectrometer halls. This technique should be included in the physics case for developing a positron source for Jefferson Lab.

High-temperature studies of grain boundaries in ultrafine grained alloys by means of positron lifetime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Würschum, R.; Shapiro, E.; Dittmar, R.; Schaefer, H.-E.

2000-11-01

Atomic free volumes and vacancies in the ultrafine grained alloys Pd84Zr16, Cu 0.1 wt % ZrO2, and Fe91Zr9 were studied by means of positron lifetime. The thermally stable microstructures serve as a novel type of model system for studying positron trapping and annihilation as well as the thermal behavior of vacancy-sized free volumes over a wide temperature range up to ca. 1200 K by making use of a metallic 58Co positron source. In ultrafine grained Cu the thermal formation of lattice vacancies could be observed. In Pd84Zr16 an increase of the specific positron trapping rate of nanovoids and, in addition, detrapping of positrons from free volumes with a mean size slightly smaller than one missing atom in the grain boundaries contributes to a reversible increase of the positron lifetime of more than 60 ps with measuring temperature. In Fe91Zr9 similar linear high-temperature increases of the positron lifetime are observed in the nanocrystalline and the amorphous state. The question of thermal vacancy formation in grain boundaries is addressed taking into account the different types of interface structures of the present alloys.

The multi-scattering model for calculations of positron spatial distribution in the multilayer stacks, useful for conventional positron measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dryzek, Jerzy; Siemek, Krzysztof

2013-08-01

The spatial distribution of positrons emitted from radioactive isotopes into stacks or layered samples is a subject of the presented report. It was found that Monte Carlo (MC) simulations using GEANT4 code are not able to describe correctly the experimental data of the positron fractions in stacks. The mathematical model was proposed for calculations of the implantation profile or positron fractions in separated layers or foils being components of a stack. The model takes into account only two processes, i.e., the positron absorption and backscattering at interfaces. The mathematical formulas were applied in the computer program called LYS-1 (layers profile analysis). The theoretical predictions of the model were in the good agreement with the results of the MC simulations for the semi infinite sample. The experimental verifications of the model were performed on the symmetrical and non-symmetrical stacks of different foils. The good agreement between the experimental and calculated fractions of positrons in components of a stack was achieved. Also the experimental implantation profile obtained using the depth scanning of positron implantation technique is very well described by the theoretical profile obtained within the proposed model. The LYS-1 program allows us also to calculate the fraction of positrons which annihilate in the source, which can be useful in the positron spectroscopy.

Calibration and operational data for a compact photodiode detector useful for monitoring the location of moving sources of positron emitting radioisotopes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marsland, M. G.; Dehnel, M. P.; Theroux, J.

2013-04-19

D-Pace has developed a compact cost-effective gamma detector system based on technology licensed from TRIUMF. These photodiode detectors are convenient for detecting the presence of positron emitting radioisotopes, particularly for the case of transport of radioisotopes from a PET cyclotron to hotlab, or from one location to another in an automated radiochemistry processing unit. This paper describes recent calibration experiments undertaken at the Turku PET Centre for stationary and moving sources of F18 and C11 in standard setups. The practical diagnostic utility of using several of these devices to track the transport of radioisotopes from the cyclotron to hotlab ismore » illustrated. For example, such a detector system provides: a semi-quantitative indication of total activity, speed of transport, location of any activity lost en route and effectiveness of follow-up system flushes, a means of identifying bolus break-up, feedback useful for deciding when to change out tubing.« less

A singly charged ion source for radioactive {sup 11}C ion acceleration

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Katagiri, K.; Noda, A.; Nagatsu, K.

2016-02-15

A new singly charged ion source using electron impact ionization has been developed to realize an isotope separation on-line system for simultaneous positron emission tomography imaging and heavy-ion cancer therapy using radioactive {sup 11}C ion beams. Low-energy electron beams are used in the electron impact ion source to produce singly charged ions. Ionization efficiency was calculated in order to decide the geometric parameters of the ion source and to determine the required electron emission current for obtaining high ionization efficiency. Based on these considerations, the singly charged ion source was designed and fabricated. In testing, the fabricated ion source wasmore » found to have favorable performance as a singly charged ion source.« less

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Motz, H.; Asaoka, Y.; Torii, S.

CALET (Calorimetric Electron Telescope), installed on the ISS in August 2015, directly measures the electron+positron cosmic rays flux up to 20 TeV. With its proton rejection capability of 1 : 10{sup 5} and an aperture of 1200 cm{sup 2·} sr, it will provide good statistics even well above one TeV, while also featuring an energy resolution of 2%, which allows it to detect fine structures in the spectrum. Such structures may originate from Dark Matter annihilation or decay, making indirect Dark Matter search one of CALET's main science objectives among others such as identification of signatures from nearby supernova remnants, study ofmore » the heavy nuclei spectra and gamma astronomy. The latest results from AMS-02 on positron fraction and total electron+positron flux can be fitted with a parametrization including a single pulsar as an extra power law source with exponential cut-off, which emits an equal amount of electrons and positrons. This single pulsar scenario for the positron excess is extrapolated into the TeV region and the expected CALET data for this case are simulated. Based on this prediction for CALET data, the sensitivity of CALET to Dark Matter annihilation in the galactic halo has been calculated. It is shown that CALET could significantly improve the limits compared to current data, especially for those Dark Matter candidates that feature a large fraction of annihilation directly into e{sup +} + e{sup −}, such as the LKP (Lightest Kaluza-Klein particle)« less

The Effect of Magnetic Field on Positron Range and Spatial Resolution in an Integrated Whole-Body Time-Of-Flight PET/MRI System.

PubMed

Huang, Shih-Ying; Savic, Dragana; Yang, Jaewon; Shrestha, Uttam; Seo, Youngho

2014-11-01

Simultaneous imaging systems combining positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have been actively investigated. A PET/MR imaging system (GE Healthcare) comprised of a time-of-flight (TOF) PET system utilizing silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) and 3-tesla (3T) MRI was recently installed at our institution. The small-ring (60 cm diameter) TOF PET subsystem of this PET/MRI system can generate images with higher spatial resolution compared with conventional PET systems. We have examined theoretically and experimentally the effect of uniform magnetic fields on the spatial resolution for high-energy positron emitters. Positron emitters including 18 F, 124 I, and 68 Ga were simulated in water using the Geant4 Monte Carlo toolkit in the presence of a uniform magnetic field (0, 3, and 7 Tesla). The positron annihilation position was tracked to determine the 3D spatial distribution of the 511-keV gammy ray emission. The full-width at tenth maximum (FWTM) of the positron point spread function (PSF) was determined. Experimentally, 18 F and 68 Ga line source phantoms in air and water were imaged with an investigational PET/MRI system and a PET/CT system to investigate the effect of magnetic field on the spatial resolution of PET. The full-width half maximum (FWHM) of the line spread function (LSF) from the line source was determined as the system spatial resolution. Simulations and experimental results show that the in-plane spatial resolution was slightly improved at field strength as low as 3 Tesla, especially when resolving signal from high-energy positron emitters in the air-tissue boundary.

Matrix Isolation Spectroscopy Applied to Positron Moderatioin in Cryogenic Solids

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-07-01

Current Positron Applications • 2-γ decay exploited in Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scanners. • Positrons localize & annihilate preferentially at...Air Force  Eglin Air Force Base AFRL-RW-EG-TP-2011-024 Matrix Isolation Spectroscopy Applied to Positron Moderation in Cryogenic Solids Distribution... Spectroscopy Applied to Positron Moderation in Cryogenic Solids 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 62602F 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6

Search for Cosmic-Ray Electron and Positron Anisotropies with Seven Years of Fermi Large Area Telescope Data

DOE PAGES

Abdollahi, S.; Ackermann, M.; Ajello, M.; ...

2017-03-01

We present the Large Area Telescope on board the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope that has collected the largest ever sample of high-energy cosmic-ray electron and positron events since the beginning of its operation. Potential anisotropies in the arrival directions of cosmic-ray electrons or positrons could be a signature of the presence of nearby sources. We use almost seven years of data with energies above 42 GeV processed with the Pass 8 reconstruction. The present data sample can probe dipole anisotropies down to a level of 10 -3. We take into account systematic effects that could mimic true anisotropies at thismore » level. We present a detailed study of the event selection optimization of the cosmic-ray electrons and positrons to be used for anisotropy searches. Since no significant anisotropies have been detected on any angular scale, we present upper limits on the dipole anisotropy. Lastly, the present constraints are among the strongest to date probing the presence of nearby young and middle-aged sources.« less

Electrons in a closed galaxy model of cosmic rays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramaty, R.; Westergaard, N. J.

1976-01-01

The consistency of positrons and electrons was studied using a propagation model in which the cosmic rays are stopped by nuclear collisions or energy losses before they can escape from the galaxy (the closed-galaxy model). The fact that no inconsistency was found between the predictions and the data implies that the protons which produce the positrons by nuclear reactions could have their origin in a large number of distant sources, as opposed to the heavier nuclei which in this model come from a more limited set of sources. The closed-galaxy model predicts steep electron and positron spectra at high energies. None of these are inconsistent with present measurements; but future measurements of the spectrum of high-energy positrons could provide a definite test for the model. The closed-galaxy model also predicts that the interstellar electron intensity below a few GeV is larger than that implied by other models. The consequence of this result is that electron bremsstrahlung is responsible for about 50% of the galactic gamma-ray emission at photon energies greater than 100 MeV.

NLC Injector Systems

Science.gov Websites

text only NLC Home Page NLC Technical SLAC Sources Damping Rings S & L Band Linacs Engineering ; Presentations Injector System Documentation Talks and Presentations The NLC ZDR ISG Reports Sources Lasers Photocathodes Electron Source Laser Maintenance Facility Positron Source Sources Technical Notes Sources Meeting

Positron kinetics in an idealized PET environment

PubMed Central

Robson, R. E.; Brunger, M. J.; Buckman, S. J.; Garcia, G.; Petrović, Z. Lj.; White, R. D.

2015-01-01

The kinetic theory of non-relativistic positrons in an idealized positron emission tomography PET environment is developed by solving the Boltzmann equation, allowing for coherent and incoherent elastic, inelastic, ionizing and annihilating collisions through positronium formation. An analytic expression is obtained for the positronium formation rate, as a function of distance from a spherical source, in terms of the solutions of the general kinetic eigenvalue problem. Numerical estimates of the positron range - a fundamental limitation on the accuracy of PET, are given for positrons in a model of liquid water, a surrogate for human tissue. Comparisons are made with the ‘gas-phase’ assumption used in current models in which coherent scattering is suppressed. Our results show that this assumption leads to an error of the order of a factor of approximately 2, emphasizing the need to accurately account for the structure of the medium in PET simulations. PMID:26246002

High-resolution Auger-electron spectroscopy induced by positron annihilation on Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Pd, and Au

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hugenschmidt, C.; Mayer, J.; Schreckenbach, K.

2010-04-01

Positron annihilation induced Auger electron spectroscopy (PAES) enables almost background free, non-destructive surface analysis with high surface selectivity. The Auger-spectrometer at the high intense positron source NEPOMUC now allows to record positron annihilation induced Auger spectra within a short data acquisition time of 10-80 minutes. With a new hemispherical electron energy analyzer and due to the exceptional peak to noise ratio, we succeeded to measure Auger-transitions such as the M2,3V V double peak of nickel with high energy resolution. The relative Auger-electron intensities are obtained by the analysis of the recorded positron annihilation induced Auger spectra for the surfaces of Fe, Ni, Cu, Pd and Au. It is demonstrated, that high-resolution PAES allows to determine experimentally the relative surface core annihilation probability of various atomic levels.

High-field penning-malmberg trap: confinement properties and use in positron accumulation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hartley, J.H.

1997-09-01

This dissertation reports on the development of the 60 kG cryogenic positron trap at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and compares the trap`s confinement properties with other nonneutral plasma devices. The device is designed for the accumulation of up to 2{times}10{sup 9} positrons from a linear-accelerator source. This positron plasma could then be used in Bhabha scattering experiments. Initial efforts at time-of-flight accumulation of positrons from the accelerator show rapid ({approximately}100 ms) deconfinement, inconsistent with the long electron lifetimes. Several possible deconfinement mechanisms have been explored, including annihilation on residual gas, injection heating, rf noise from the accelerator, magnet field curvature,more » and stray fields. Detailed studies of electron confinement demonstrate that the empirical scaling law used to design the trap cannot be extrapolated into the parameter regime of this device. Several possible methods for overcoming these limitations are presented.« less

Nonlinear excitations for the positron acoustic shock waves in dissipative nonextensive electron-positron-ion plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saha, Asit

2017-03-01

Positron acoustic shock waves (PASHWs) in unmagnetized electron-positron-ion (e-p-i) plasmas consisting of mobile cold positrons, immobile positive ions, q-nonextensive distributed electrons, and hot positrons are studied. The cold positron kinematic viscosity is considered and the reductive perturbation technique is used to derive the Burgers equation. Applying traveling wave transformation, the Burgers equation is transformed to a one dimensional dynamical system. All possible vector fields corresponding to the dynamical system are presented. We have analyzed the dynamical system with the help of potential energy, which helps to identify the stability and instability of the equilibrium points. It is found that the viscous force acting on cold mobile positron fluid is a source of dissipation and is responsible for the formation of the PASHWs. Furthermore, fully nonlinear arbitrary amplitude positron acoustic waves are also studied applying the theory of planar dynamical systems. It is also observed that the fundamental features of the small amplitude and arbitrary amplitude PASHWs are significantly affected by the effect of the physical parameters q e , q h , μ e , μ h , σ , η , and U. This work can be useful to understand the qualitative changes in the dynamics of nonlinear small amplitude and fully nonlinear arbitrary amplitude PASHWs in solar wind, ionosphere, lower part of magnetosphere, and auroral acceleration regions.

Measurements of defect structures by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy of the tellurite glass TeO2-P2O5-ZnO-LiNbO3 doped with ions of rare earth elements: Er3+, Nd3+ and Gd3+

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golis, E.; Yousef, El. S.; Reben, M.; Kotynia, K.; Filipecki, J.

2015-12-01

The objective of the study was the structural analysis of the TeO2-P2O5-ZnO-LiNbO3 tellurite glasses doped with ions of the rare-earth elements: Er3+, Nd3+ and Gd3+ based on the PALS (Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy) method of measuring positron lifetimes. Values of positron lifetimes and the corresponding intensities may be connected with the sizes and number of structural defects, such as vacancies, mono-vacancies, dislocations or pores, the sizes of which range from a few angstroms to a few dozen nanometres. Experimental positron lifetime spectrum revealed existence of two positron lifetime components τ1 and τ2. Their interpretation was based on two-state positron trapping model where the physical parameters are the annihilation velocity and positron trapping rate.

About cosmic gamma ray lines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Diehl, Roland

2017-06-01

Gamma ray lines from cosmic sources convey the action of nuclear reactions in cosmic sites and their impacts on astrophysical objects. Gamma rays at characteristic energies result from nuclear transitions following radioactive decays or high-energy collisions with excitation of nuclei. The gamma-ray line from the annihilation of positrons at 511 keV falls into the same energy window, although of different origin. We present here the concepts of cosmic gamma ray spectrometry and the corresponding instruments and missions, followed by a discussion of recent results and the challenges and open issues for the future. Among the lessons learned are the diffuse radioactive afterglow of massive-star nucleosynthesis in 26Al and 60Fe gamma rays, which is now being exploited towards the cycle of matter driven by massive stars and their supernovae; large interstellar cavities and superbubbles have been recognised to be of key importance here. Also, constraints on the complex processes making stars explode as either thermonuclear or core-collapse supernovae are being illuminated by gamma-ray lines, in this case from shortlived radioactivities from 56Ni and 44Ti decays. In particular, the three-dimensionality and asphericities that have recently been recognised as important are enlightened in different ways through such gamma-ray line spectroscopy. Finally, the distribution of positron annihilation gamma ray emission with its puzzling bulge-dominated intensity disctribution is measured through spatially-resolved spectra, which indicate that annihilation conditions may differ in different parts of our Galaxy. But it is now understood that a variety of sources may feed positrons into the interstellar medium, and their characteristics largely get lost during slowing down and propagation of positrons before annihilation; a recent microquasar flare was caught as an opportunity to see positrons annihilate at a source.

Positron lifetime setup based on DRS4 evaluation board

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petriska, M.; Sojak, S.; Slugeň, V.

2014-04-01

A digital positron lifetime setup based on DRS4 evaluation board designed at the Paul Scherrer Institute has been constructed and tested in the Positron annihilation laboratory Slovak University of Technology Bratislava. The high bandwidth, low power consumption and short readout time make DRS4 chip attractive for positron annihilation lifetime (PALS) setup, replacing traditional ADCs and TDCs. A software for PALS setup online and offline pulse analysis was developed with Qt,Qwt and ALGLIB libraries.

New Baseline Design of the ILC RTML System

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Seletskiy, S.; Kapin, V. V.; Solyak, N.

2012-05-01

The new ILC baseline was proposed in 2009 (Strawman baseline - SB2009) to minimize cost of the machine and accommodate many changes made in the design of the accelerator systems. The biggest changes are made in the central area, where BDS, RTM L, DR, electron and positron sources are sharing the tunnels. A new layout of the compact DR and re-location of the electron and positron sources to the main tunnel requires a new lattice design for all beamlines in this area. The lattice design was coord inated between accelerator systems and Convention Facility and Siting (CFS) group to eliminatemore » conflicts between beamlines and satisfy construction requirements. In this paper we present a new design of the RTML electron and positron lattices in the centr al area and other modifications made in the RTML line to accommodate changes to the beamline layouts.« less

Asymmetric 511 keV Positron Annihilation Line Emission from the Inner Galactic Disk

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Skinner, Gerry; Weidenspointner, Georg; Jean, Pierre; Knodlseder, Jurgen; Ballmoos, Perer von; Bignami, Giovanni; Diehl, Roland; Strong, Andrew; Cordier, Bertrand; Schanne, Stephane;

Advanced characterization of lithium battery materials with positrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barbiellini, Bernardo; Kuriplach, Jan

2017-01-01

Cathode materials are crucial to improved battery performance, in part because there are not yet materials that can maintain high power and stable cycling with a capacity comparable to that of anode materials. Our parameter-free, gradient-corrected model for electron-positron correlations predicts that spectroscopies based on positron annihilation can be deployed to study the effect of lithium intercalation in the oxide matrix of the cathode. The positron characteristics in oxides can be reliably computed using methods based on first-principles. Thus, we can enable a fundamental characterization of lithium battery materials involving positron annihilation spectroscopy and first-principles calculations. The detailed information one can extract from positron experiments could be useful for understanding and optimizing both battery materials and bi-functional catalysts for oxygen reduction and evolution.

Satellite Observations of Annihilation of Positrons Produced at the Sun, the Earth, and Center of our Galaxy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Share, G. H.; Murphy, R. J.; Lin, R. P.

2007-05-01

Positrons are created in nuclear interactions that produce β +-unstable nuclei and pi+ mesons. Satellites remotely observe positron production when they annihilate with electrons yielding the characteristic line at 511 keV. Radiation detectors such as the germanium diodes on the Ramaty High-Energy Solar Spectrocopic Imager (RHESSI) observe this line from positrons by nuclei activated in the spacecraft by proton interactions during transit through the Earth's radiation belts and from cosmic radiation. This forms an intense background for solar and astrophysical observations. RHESSI and other satellites have observed positron annihilation in over 50 solar flares. These measurements provide information on the temperature, density, and ionization state of solar atmosphere where the positrons annihilate. The measurements suggest that up to a few kg of positrons are produced in these flares. Detectable annihilation-line radiation is also emitted from the Earth's atmosphere in interactions of cosmic rays and solar energetic particles. An extended annihilation-line source has also been detected within about 10 degrees of the center of the Milky Way that is attributed to positrons released in radioactive decays of nuclei with long half-lives produced in supernovae, novae, and other stellar explosions. From 1980 to 1988 NASA's Solar Maximum Mission satellite also detected belts of positrons emitted by nuclear reactors onboard KOSMOS satellites and trapped temporarily in the Earth's magnetic field. This work was supported by NASA Supporting Research & Technology grants.

Evaluating the purity of a {sup 57}Co flood source by PET

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

DiFilippo, Frank P., E-mail: difilif@ccf.org

2014-11-01

Purpose: Flood sources of {sup 57}Co are commonly used for quality control of gamma cameras. Flood uniformity may be affected by the contaminants {sup 56}Co and {sup 58}Co, which emit higher energy photons. Although vendors specify a maximum combined {sup 56}Co and {sup 58}Co activity, a convenient test for flood source purity that is feasible in a clinical environment would be desirable. Methods: Both {sup 56}Co and {sup 58}Co emit positrons with branching 19.6% and 14.9%, respectively. As is known from {sup 90}Y imaging, a positron emission tomography (PET) scanner is capable of quantitatively imaging very weak positron emission inmore » a high single-photon background. To evaluate this approach, two {sup 57}Co flood sources were scanned with a clinical PET/CT multiple times over a period of months. The {sup 56}Co and {sup 58}Co activity was clearly visible in the reconstructed PET images. Total impurity activity was quantified from the PET images after background subtraction of prompt gamma coincidences. Results: Time-of-flight PET reconstruction was highly beneficial for accurate image quantification. Repeated measurements of the positron-emitting impurities showed excellent agreement with an exponential decay model. For both flood sources studied, the fit parameters indicated a zero intercept and a decay half-life consistent with a mixture of {sup 56}Co and {sup 58}Co. The total impurity activity at the reference date was estimated to be 0.06% and 0.07% for the two sources, which was consistent with the vendor’s specification of <0.12%. Conclusions: The robustness of the repeated measurements and a thorough analysis of the detector corrections and physics suggest that the accuracy is acceptable and that the technique is feasible. Further work is needed to validate the accuracy of this technique with a calibrated high resolution gamma spectrometer as a gold standard, which was not available for this study, and for other PET detector models.« less

Assessment of a Three-Dimensional Line-of-Response Probability Density Function System Matrix for PET

PubMed Central

Yao, Rutao; Ramachandra, Ranjith M.; Mahajan, Neeraj; Rathod, Vinay; Gunasekar, Noel; Panse, Ashish; Ma, Tianyu; Jian, Yiqiang; Yan, Jianhua; Carson, Richard E.

2012-01-01

To achieve optimal PET image reconstruction through better system modeling, we developed a system matrix that is based on the probability density function for each line of response (LOR-PDF). The LOR-PDFs are grouped by LOR-to-detector incident angles to form a highly compact system matrix. The system matrix was implemented in the MOLAR list mode reconstruction algorithm for a small animal PET scanner. The impact of LOR-PDF on reconstructed image quality was assessed qualitatively as well as quantitatively in terms of contrast recovery coefficient (CRC) and coefficient of variance (COV), and its performance was compared with a fixed Gaussian (iso-Gaussian) line spread function. The LOR-PDFs of 3 coincidence signal emitting sources, 1) ideal positron emitter that emits perfect back-to-back γ rays (γγ) in air; 2) fluorine-18 (18F) nuclide in water; and 3) oxygen-15 (15O) nuclide in water, were derived, and assessed with simulated and experimental phantom data. The derived LOR-PDFs showed anisotropic and asymmetric characteristics dependent on LOR-detector angle, coincidence emitting source, and the medium, consistent with common PET physical principles. The comparison of the iso-Gaussian function and LOR-PDF showed that: 1) without positron range and acolinearity effects, the LOR-PDF achieved better or similar trade-offs of contrast recovery and noise for objects of 4-mm radius or larger, and this advantage extended to smaller objects (e.g. 2-mm radius sphere, 0.6-mm radius hot-rods) at higher iteration numbers; and 2) with positron range and acolinearity effects, the iso-Gaussian achieved similar or better resolution recovery depending on the significance of positron range effect. We conclude that the 3-D LOR-PDF approach is an effective method to generate an accurate and compact system matrix. However, when used directly in expectation-maximization based list-mode iterative reconstruction algorithms such as MOLAR, its superiority is not clear. For this application, using an iso-Gaussian function in MOLAR is a simple but effective technique for PET reconstruction. PMID:23032702

Pediatric radiation dosimetry for positron-emitting radionuclides using anthropomorphic phantoms

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xie, Tianwu; Bolch, Wesley E.; Lee, Choonsik

2013-10-15

Purpose: Positron emission tomography (PET) plays an important role in the diagnosis, staging, treatment, and surveillance of clinically localized diseases. Combined PET/CT imaging exhibits significantly higher sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy than conventional imaging when it comes to detecting malignant tumors in children. However, the radiation dose from positron-emitting radionuclide to the pediatric population is a matter of concern since children are at a particularly high risk when exposed to ionizing radiation.Methods: The authors evaluate the absorbed fractions and specific absorbed fractions (SAFs) of monoenergy photons/electrons as well as S-values of 9 positron-emitting radionuclides (C-11, N-13, O-15, F-18, Cu-64, Ga-68, Rb-82,more » Y-86, and I-124) in 48 source regions for 10 anthropomorphic pediatric hybrid models, including the reference newborn, 1-, 5-, 10-, and 15-yr-old male and female models, using the Monte Carlo N-Particle eXtended general purpose Monte Carlo transport code.Results: The self-absorbed SAFs and S-values for most organs were inversely related to the age and body weight, whereas the cross-dose terms presented less correlation with body weight. For most source/target organ pairs, Rb-82 and Y-86 produce the highest self-absorbed and cross-absorbed S-values, respectively, while Cu-64 produces the lowest S-values because of the low-energy and high-frequency of electron emissions. Most of the total self-absorbed S-values are contributed from nonpenetrating particles (electrons and positrons), which have a linear relationship with body weight. The dependence of self-absorbed S-values of the two annihilation photons varies to the reciprocal of 0.76 power of the mass, whereas the self-absorbed S-values of positrons vary according to the reciprocal mass.Conclusions: The produced S-values for common positron-emitting radionuclides can be exploited for the assessment of radiation dose delivered to the pediatric population from various PET radiotracers used in clinical and research settings. The mass scaling method for positron-emitters can be used to derive patient-specific S-values from data of reference phantoms.« less

Measurement of cosmic ray positron and negatron spectra between 50 and 800 MeV. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Daugherty, J. K.

1974-01-01

A balloon-borne magnetic spectrometer was used to measure the spectra of cosmic ray positrons and negatrons at energies between 50 and 800 MeV. Comparisons of the separate positron and negatron spectra observed near the earth with their expected intensities in interstellar space can be used to investigate the complex (and variable) interaction of galactic cosmic rays with the expanding solar wind. The present measurements, which have established finite values or upper limits for the positron and negatron spectral between 50 and 800 MeV, have confirmed earlier evidence for the existence of a dominant component of negatrons from primary sources in the galaxy. The present results are shown to be consistent with the hypothesis that the positron component is in fact mainly attributable to collisions between cosmic ray nuclei and the interstellar gas. The estimate of the absolute intensities confirm the indications from neutron monitors that in 1972 the interplanetary cosmic ray intensities were already recovering toward their high levels observed in 1965.

Dipole anisotropy in cosmic electrons and positrons: inspection on local sources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Manconi, S.; Donato, F.; Mauro, M. Di, E-mail: manconi@to.infn.it, E-mail: mdimauro@slac.stanford.edu, E-mail: donato@to.infn.it

The cosmic electrons and positrons have been measured with unprecedented statistics up to several hundreds GeV, thus permitting to explore the role that close single sources can have in shaping the flux at different energies. In the present analysis, we consider electrons and positrons in cosmic rays to be produced by spallations of hadron fluxes with the interstellar medium, by a smooth Supernova Remnant (SNR) population, by all the ATNF catalog pulsars, and by few discrete, local SNRs. We test several source models on the e {sup ++} e {sup −} and e {sup +} AMS-02 flux data. For themore » configurations compatible with the data, we compute the dipole anisotropy in e {sup ++} e {sup −}, e {sup +}, e {sup +}/ e {sup −} from single sources. Our study includes a dedicated analysis to the Vela SNR. We show that Fermi -LAT present data on dipole anisotropy of e {sup ++} e {sup −} start to explore some of the models for the Vela SNR selected by AMS-02 flux data. We also investigate how the observed anisotropy could result from a combination of local sources. Our analysis shows that the search of anisotropy in the lepton fluxes up to TeV energies can be an interesting tool for the inspection of properties of close SNRs, complementary to the high precision flux data.« less

Positron annihilation spectroscopic studies of solvothermally synthesized ZnO nanobipyramids and nanoparticles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghoshal, Tandra; Biswas, Subhajit; Kar, Soumitra; Chaudhuri, Subhadra; Nambissan, P. M. G.

2008-02-01

Zinc oxide (ZnO) samples in the form of hexagonal-based bipyramids and particles of nanometer dimensions were synthesized through solvothermal route and characterized by x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Positron annihilation experiments were performed to study the structural defects such as vacancies and surfaces in these nanosystems. From coincidence Doppler broadening measurements, the positron trapping sites were identified as Zn vacancies or Zn-O-Zn trivacancy clusters. The positron lifetimes, their relative intensities, and the Doppler broadened lineshape parameter S all showed characteristic changes across the nanobipyramid size corresponding to the thermal diffusion length of positrons. In large nanobipyramids, vacancies within the crystallites also trapped positrons and the effects of agglomeration of such vacancies due to increased temperatures of synthesis were reflected in the variation of the annihilation parameters with their base diameters. The sizes of the nanoparticles used were all in the limit of thermal diffusion length of positrons and the annihilation characteristics were in accordance with the decreasing contribution from surfaces with increasing particle size.

Positron annihilation spectroscopic studies of solvothermally synthesized ZnO nanobipyramids and nanoparticles.

PubMed

Ghoshal, Tandra; Biswas, Subhajit; Kar, Soumitra; Chaudhuri, Subhadra; Nambissan, P M G

2008-02-21

Zinc oxide (ZnO) samples in the form of hexagonal-based bipyramids and particles of nanometer dimensions were synthesized through solvothermal route and characterized by x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Positron annihilation experiments were performed to study the structural defects such as vacancies and surfaces in these nanosystems. From coincidence Doppler broadening measurements, the positron trapping sites were identified as Zn vacancies or Zn-O-Zn trivacancy clusters. The positron lifetimes, their relative intensities, and the Doppler broadened lineshape parameter S all showed characteristic changes across the nanobipyramid size corresponding to the thermal diffusion length of positrons. In large nanobipyramids, vacancies within the crystallites also trapped positrons and the effects of agglomeration of such vacancies due to increased temperatures of synthesis were reflected in the variation of the annihilation parameters with their base diameters. The sizes of the nanoparticles used were all in the limit of thermal diffusion length of positrons and the annihilation characteristics were in accordance with the decreasing contribution from surfaces with increasing particle size.

Positron annihilation study on ZnO-based scintillating glasses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nie, Jiaxiang; Yu, Runsheng; Wang, Baoyi; Ou, Yuwen; Zhong, Yurong; Xia, Fang; Chen, Guorong

2009-04-01

Positron lifetime of ZnO-based scintillating glasses (55 - x)SiO 2-45ZnO- xBaF 2 ( x = 5, 10, 15 mol%) were measured with a conventional fast-fast spectrometer. Three positron lifetime components τ1, τ 2, and τ3 are ˜0.23 ns, ˜0.45 ns, and ˜1.6 ns, respectively. All the three positron lifetime components first increase with increasing BaF 2 concentration from 5 mol% to 10 mol%, then decreases as BaF 2 further increases to 15 mol%. The result suggests that the glass sample with 10 mol% BaF 2 contains the highest defect density, and is in excellent agreement with glass chemistry, glass density, thermal properties, and calculated crystallinity. Therefore, positron annihilation lifetime measurement is an effective tool for analyzing defects in ZnO-based scintillating glasses.

Cognition in the Brain: Investigations Using Positron Emission Tomography

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-07-16

0029 DDIRESS (City. State and ZIP Code) 10. SOURCE Of FUNDING NOS. _____________ .dg. 410 PROGRAM PROJECT TASKC WORK .,%r illing Air Force Base, DC...Bethesda, MD 20892 20. Daniel Bubb, M.D. Department of Neurolinguistics Montreal Neurological Institute 15. Sung-cheng tHuang, Ph.D. 3801 University...Chief of Pediatric Neu- rology Service Director, Center for Morphomet- 24. Terry Allard, Ph.D. ric Analysis Cognitive Science Programs Kennedy 9 Office

Magnetic resonance imaging-guided attenuation correction of positron emission tomography data in PET/MRI

PubMed Central

Izquierdo-Garcia, David; Catana, Ciprian

2018-01-01

Synopsis Attenuation correction (AC) is one of the most important challenges in the recently introduced combined positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MR) scanners. PET/MR AC (MR-AC) approaches aim to develop methods that allow accurate estimation of the linear attenuation coefficients (LACs) of the tissues and other components located in the PET field of view (FoV). MR-AC methods can be divided into three main categories: segmentation-, atlas- and PET-based. This review aims to provide a comprehensive list of the state of the art MR-AC approaches as well as their pros and cons. The main sources of artifacts such as body-truncation, metallic implants and hardware correction will be presented. Finally, this review will discuss the current status of MR-AC approaches for clinical applications. PMID:26952727

Study of defects in an electroresistive Au/La2/3Sr1/3MnO3/SrTiO3(001) heterostructure by positron annihilation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferragut, R.; Dupaquier, A.; Brivio, S.; Bertacco, R.; Egger, W.

2011-09-01

Defects in an ultrathin Au/La2/3Sr1/3MnO3/SrTiO3 (Au/LSMO/STO) heterostructure displaying electroresistive behavior were studied using variable energy positron annihilation spectroscopy. Vacancy-like defects were found to be the dominant positron traps in the LSMO and STO thin perovskite oxides with a number density >1017 cm-3 and 2 × 1017 cm-3 in the STO substrate. High defect density was revealed by strong positron trapping at the Au/LSMO interface. Oxygen deficiency in LSMO would be the main source of these traps. Besides, a low density of sub-nano voids of ˜6 Å was found in the substrate and in the thin LSMO/STO films.

A feasibility study of ortho-positronium decays measurement with the J-PET scanner based on plastic scintillators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamińska, D.; Gajos, A.; Czerwiński, E.; Alfs, D.; Bednarski, T.; Białas, P.; Curceanu, C.; Dulski, K.; Głowacz, B.; Gupta-Sharma, N.; Gorgol, M.; Hiesmayr, B. C.; Jasińska, B.; Korcyl, G.; Kowalski, P.; Krzemień, W.; Krawczyk, N.; Kubicz, E.; Mohammed, M.; Niedźwiecki, Sz.; Pawlik-Niedźwiecka, M.; Raczyński, L.; Rudy, Z.; Silarski, M.; Wieczorek, A.; Wiślicki, W.; Zgardzińska, B.; Zieliński, M.; Moskal, P.

2016-08-01

We present a study of the application of the Jagiellonian positron emission tomograph (J-PET) for the registration of gamma quanta from decays of ortho-positronium (o-Ps). The J-PET is the first positron emission tomography scanner based on organic scintillators in contrast to all current PET scanners based on inorganic crystals. Monte Carlo simulations show that the J-PET as an axially symmetric and high acceptance scanner can be used as a multi-purpose detector well suited to pursue research including e.g. tests of discrete symmetries in decays of ortho-positronium in addition to the medical imaging. The gamma quanta originating from o-Ps decay interact in the plastic scintillators predominantly via the Compton effect, making the direct measurement of their energy impossible. Nevertheless, it is shown in this paper that the J-PET scanner will enable studies of the { o-Ps }→ 3γ decays with angular and energy resolution equal to σ (θ ) ≈ {0.4°} and σ (E) ≈ 4.1 {keV}, respectively. An order of magnitude shorter decay time of signals from plastic scintillators with respect to the inorganic crystals results not only in better timing properties crucial for the reduction of physical and instrumental background, but also suppresses significantly the pile-ups, thus enabling compensation of the lower efficiency of the plastic scintillators by performing measurements with higher positron source activities.

Antimatter as an Energy Source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jackson, Gerald P.

2009-03-16

Antiprotons and positrons are constantly generated in space, and periodically manufactured by humans here on Earth. Harvesting of these particles in space and forming stable antimatter atoms and molecules would create a significant energy source for power and propulsion. Though dedicated fabrication of these particles on Earth consumes much more energy than could be liberated upon annihilation, manufactured antimatter represents a high-density energy storage mechanism well suited for spacecraft power and propulsion. In this paper the creation, storage, and utilization of antimatter is introduced. Specific examples of electrical energy generation and deep-space propulsion based on antimatter are also reviewed.

Cosmic ray electrons, positrons and the synchrotron emission of the Galaxy: consistent analysis and implications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bernardo, Giuseppe Di; Evoli, Carmelo; Gaggero, Daniele

2013-03-01

A multichannel analysis of cosmic ray electron and positron spectra and of the diffuse synchrotron emission of the Galaxy is performed by using the DRAGON code. This study is aimed at probing the interstellar electron source spectrum down to E ∼< 1GeV and at constraining several propagation parameters. We find that above 4GeV the e{sup −} source spectrum is compatible with a power-law of index ∼ 2.5. Below 4GeV instead it must be significantly suppressed and the total lepton spectrum is dominated by secondary particles. The positron spectrum and fraction measured below a few GeV are consistently reproduced only withinmore » low reacceleration models. We also constrain the scale-height z{sub t} of the cosmic-ray distribution using three independent (and, in two cases, original) arguments, showing that values of z{sub t} ∼< 2kpc are excluded. This result may have strong implications for particle dark matter searches.« less

Positron Radiography of Ignition-Relevant ICF Capsules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, Jackson; Chen, Hui; Field, John; Landen, Nino; Strozzi, David

2017-10-01

X-ray and neutron radiography are currently used to infer residual ICF shell and fuel asymmetries and areal density non-uniformities near and at peak compression that can impede ignition. Charged particles offer an alternative probe source that, in principle, are capable of radiographing the shell shape and areal density at arbitrary times, even in the presence of large x-ray self-emission. Laser-generated positrons are evaluated as a source to radiograph ICF capsules where current ultraintense laser facilities are capable of producing 2 ×1012 relativistic positrons in a narrow energy bandwidth and short duration. Monte Carlo simulations suggest that both the areal density and shell radius can be reconstructed for ignition-relevant capsules conditions between 0.002-2 g/cm2, and that this technique might be better suited to direct-drive. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344 and funded by the LDRD Program under project tracking code 17-ERD-010.

Positronics of subnanometer atomistic imperfections in solids as a high-informative structure characterization tool.

PubMed

Shpotyuk, Oleh; Filipecki, Jacek; Ingram, Adam; Golovchak, Roman; Vakiv, Mykola; Klym, Halyna; Balitska, Valentyna; Shpotyuk, Mykhaylo; Kozdras, Andrzej

2015-01-01

Methodological possibilities of positron annihilation lifetime (PAL) spectroscopy applied to characterize different types of nanomaterials treated within three-term fitting procedure are critically reconsidered. In contrast to conventional three-term analysis based on admixed positron- and positronium-trapping modes, the process of nanostructurization is considered as substitutional positron-positronium trapping within the same host matrix. Developed formalism allows estimate interfacial void volumes responsible for positron trapping and characteristic bulk positron lifetimes in nanoparticle-affected inhomogeneous media. This algorithm was well justified at the example of thermally induced nanostructurization occurring in 80GeSe2-20Ga2Se3 glass.

Positronics of subnanometer atomistic imperfections in solids as a high-informative structure characterization tool

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shpotyuk, Oleh; Filipecki, Jacek; Ingram, Adam; Golovchak, Roman; Vakiv, Mykola; Klym, Halyna; Balitska, Valentyna; Shpotyuk, Mykhaylo; Kozdras, Andrzej

2015-02-01

Methodological possibilities of positron annihilation lifetime (PAL) spectroscopy applied to characterize different types of nanomaterials treated within three-term fitting procedure are critically reconsidered. In contrast to conventional three-term analysis based on admixed positron- and positronium-trapping modes, the process of nanostructurization is considered as substitutional positron-positronium trapping within the same host matrix. Developed formalism allows estimate interfacial void volumes responsible for positron trapping and characteristic bulk positron lifetimes in nanoparticle-affected inhomogeneous media. This algorithm was well justified at the example of thermally induced nanostructurization occurring in 80GeSe2-20Ga2Se3 glass.

Clinical value of whole body fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography in the detection of metastatic bladder cancer.

PubMed

Yang, Zhongyi; Pan, Lingling; Cheng, Jingyi; Hu, Silong; Xu, Junyan; Ye, Dingwei; Zhang, Yingjian

2012-07-01

To investigate the value of whole-body fluorine-18 2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography for the detection of metastatic bladder cancer. From December 2006 to August 2010, 60 bladder cancer patients (median age 60.5 years old, range 32-96) underwent whole body positron emission tomography/computed tomography positron emission tomography/computed tomography. The diagnostic accuracy was assessed by performing both organ-based and patient-based analyses. Identified lesions were further studied by biopsy or clinically followed for at least 6 months. One hundred and thirty-four suspicious lesions were identified. Among them, 4 primary cancers (2 pancreatic cancers, 1 colonic and 1 nasopharyngeal cancer) were incidentally detected, and the patients could be treated on time. For the remaining 130 lesions, positron emission tomography/computed tomography detected 118 true positive lesions (sensitivity = 95.9%). On the patient-based analysis, the overall sensitivity and specificity resulted to be 87.1% and 89.7%, respectively. There was no difference of sensitivity and specificity in patients with or without adjuvant treatment in terms of detection of metastatic sites by positron emission tomography/computed tomography. Compared with conventional imaging modality, positron emission tomography/computed tomography correctly changed the management in 15 patients (25.0%). Positron emission tomography/computed tomography has excellent sensitivity and specificity in the detection of metastatic bladder cancer and it provides additional diagnostic information compared to standard imaging techniques. © 2012 The Japanese Urological Association.

High resolution positron annihilation induced Auger electron spectroscopy of the CuM 2,3VV-transition and of Cu sub-monolayers on Pd and Fe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayer, J.; Hugenschmidt, C.; Schreckenbach, K.

2010-09-01

We present a high resolution positron annihilation induced Auger Electron Spectroscopy (PAES) of the CuM 2,3VV-transition with the unprecedented energy resolution of Δ/EE <1%. This energy resolution and the highly intense positron source NEPOMUC enabled us to resolve the double peak structure with PAES for the first time within a measurement time of only 5.5 h. In addition, sub-monolayers of Cu were deposited on Fe- and Pd-samples in order to investigate the surface selectivity of PAES in comparison with EAES. The extremely high surface selectivity of PAES due to the different positron affinity of Cu and Fe lead to the result that with only 0.96 monolayer of Cu on Fe more than 55% of the emitted Auger electrons stem from Cu, whereas with EAES the Cu Auger fraction amounted to less than 6%.

Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) study of the as prepared and calcined MFI zeolites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bosnar, Sanja; Vrankić, Martina; Bosnar, Damir; Ren, Nan; Šarić, Ankica

2017-11-01

The synthesis of high silica zeolites in many cases implies the usage of organic structural direction agents (SDA). However, to manifest their functionalities, the SDA occluded inside the channels of the as-synthesized structure should be removed, usually by a high temperature treatment (calcination). In this paper, the positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) was used to monitor the development of accessible spaces, their sizes and distributions in MFI zeolites, ZSM-5 and silicalite-1 in order to give an additional insight in the process of the SDA removal. For that purpose, a conventional PALS setup with 22Na positron source was applied. It was established that there is a pronounced difference between positron annihilation data for these two zeolites of the same structural type. The samples were additionally analysed by X-ray powder diffraction at room temperature with a crystal structure refinement and thermogravimetry.

Development and Testing of the Positron Identification By Coincident Annihilation Photons (PICAP) System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tran, D.; Connell, J. J.; Lopate, C.; Bickford, B.

2014-12-01

Moderate energy positrons (~few to 10 MeV) have seldom been observed in the Heliosphere, due primarily to there not having been dedicated instruments for such measurements. Their detection would have implications in the study of Solar energetic particle events and the transport and modulation of the Solar wind and Galactic cosmic rays. The Positron Identification by Coincident Annihilation Photons (PICAP) system is designed specifically to measure these moderate energy positrons by simultaneously detecting the two 511-keV γ-ray photons that result from a positron stopping in the instrument and the subsequent electron-positron annihilation. This method is also expected to effectively discriminate positrons from protons by measuring the amount of energy deposited in the detectors (dE/dx versus residual energy). PICAP offers a low-mass, low-power option for measuring positrons, electrons, and ions in space. Following Monte Carlo modeling, a PICAP laboratory prototype, adaptable to a space-flight design, was designed, built, and tested. This instrument is comprised of (Si) solid-state detectors, plastic scintillation detectors, and high-Z BGO crystal scintillator suitable for detecting the 511-keV γ rays. The prototype underwent preliminary laboratory testing and calibration using radioactive sources for the purpose of establishing functionality. It has since been exposed to beams of energetic protons (up to ~200 MeV) at Massachusetts General Hospital's Francis H. Burr Proton Beam Therapy Center and positrons and electrons (up to ~10 MeV) at Idaho State University's Idaho Accelerator Center. The goal is to validate modeling and determine the performance of the instrument concept. We will present a summary of modeling calculations and analysis of data taken at the accelerator tests. This work is 95% supported by NASA Grant NNX10AC10G.

NLC Special Projects

Science.gov Websites

Measurement (with NLC RF group) LCLS and related technologies (LCLS work related to NLC work) Collimation Systems (with Beam Delivery group) Combined Laser System (with NLC sources group) Polarized Positron Sources (with NLC sources group) Crab Cavity Phase Control System Timing and RF distribution System (with

Study of PRIMAVERA steel samples by a positron annihilation spectroscopy technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grafutin, V.; Ilyukhina, O.; Krsjak, V.; Burcl, R.; Hähner, P.; Erak, D.; Zeman, A.

2010-11-01

In the present article, a positron annihilation spectroscopy investigation of VVER-440/230 weld materials is discussed. Important characteristics of metals such as Fermi energy, concentration of electrons in the conduction band, size and concentration of defects were experimentally determined for three model materials with higher level of copper (0.16 wt.%) and phosphorus (0.027-0.038 wt.%). The impact of neutron irradiation and subsequent annealing on crystal lattice parameters was investigated. The experiments with the angular correlation of positron annihilation radiation (ACAR) complement the published positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS) studies of the radiation treated VVER materials as well as previous experiments on PRIMAVERA materials. The availability of the experimental reactor to prepare strong 64Cu positron sources provided for unique experimental conditions, such as good resolution of spectra (0.4 mrad) and reasonable short time of measurement (36 h). The present paper aims to contribute to further understanding of RPV (reactor pressure vessel) steels behaviour under irradiation conditions as well as annealing recovery procedures, which have already been applied at several VVER NPP units in Europe.

Controlled Synthesis and Understanding of Growth Mechanism – Parameters for Atmospheric Pressure Hydrothermal Synthesis of Ultrathin Secondary ZnO Nanowires

DOE PAGES

Jiao, Mingzhi; Nguyen, Duc; Nguyen, Van; ...

2015-11-10

We measured luminescence and scintillation in ZnO single crystals by photoluminescence and X-ray-induced luminescence (XRIL). XRIL allowed a direct comparison to be made between the near-band emission (NBE) and trap emissions providing insight into the carrier recombination efficiency in the ZnO crystals. In the origin of green emission, the dominant trap emission in ZnO, was investigated by gamma-induced positron spectroscopy (GIPS) - a unique defect spectroscopy method that enables positron lifetime measurements to be made for a sample without contributions from positron annihilation in the source materials or the surroundings. Moreover, the measurements showed the absence of positron traps inmore » the crystals and yielded a bulk positron lifetime value that is in complete agreement with the predicted theoretical value = thereby confirming the advantage of the GIPS method. By combining scintillation measurements with XRIL, the fast scintillation in ZnO crystals was found to be strongly correlated with the ratio between the defect luminescence and NBE.« less

Positron cooling of antiprotons: precursor of recombination

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, J. N.; Estrada, J.; Yesley, P.; Bowden, N.; Oxley, P.; Storry, C.; Wessels, M.; Tan, J.; Gabrielse, G.; Oelert, W.; Scheppers, G.; Gronzonka, D.; Sefsick, T.; Fermann, H.; Zmeskal, H.; Breunlich, W.; Kalinowsky, H.; Wesdorp, C.

2001-05-01

The quest for cold antihydrogen, interrupted with the shut-down of LEAR, resumed with the operation of the newest antiproton decelerator (AD) at CERN.[See G.Gabrielse,Adv. in AMO Physics,vol.45,pp.1-38(2001).] Antiprotons injected into the AD with 2.75 GeV of kinetic energy slow to 5.31 MeV before extraction into the ATRAP apparatus, built for antihydrogen recombination experiments. Antiprotons extracted from the AD and positrons emitted from a 112 mCi ^22Na source are simultaneously accumulated in the ultra-high vacuum and 6 T field of a prototype Penning trap incorporating a miniature rotatable electrode. Preloaded electrons are used to thermalize ~ 10^5 antiprotons with the LHe-cooled trap (4.2K). Over 10^6 positrons/hr can be loaded with a new mechanism involving Rydberg positronium. After accumulation, the positrons are moved through the rotatable electrode into close proximity with the antiprotons to study their interactions. We report the first observation of positron cooling of antiprotons in a nested trap configuration suited for three-body recombination and other mechanisms.

Theoretical Interpretation of Pass 8 Fermi -LAT e + + e - Data

DOE PAGES

Di Mauro, M.; Manconi, S.; Vittino, A.; ...

2017-08-17

The flux of positrons and electrons (e + + e -) has been measured by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) in the energy range between 7 GeV and 2 TeV. Here, we discuss a number of interpretations of Pass 8 Fermi-LAT e + + e - spectrum, combining electron and positron emission from supernova remnants (SNRs) and pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe), or produced by the collision of cosmic rays (CRs) with the interstellar medium. We also found that the Fermi-LAT spectrum is compatible with the sum of electrons from a smooth SNR population, positrons from cataloged PWNe, and amore » secondary component. If we include in our analysis constraints from the AMS-02 positron spectrum, we obtain a slightly worse fit to the e + + e - Fermi-LAT spectrum, depending on the propagation model. As an additional scenario, we replace the smooth SNR component within 0.7 kpc with the individual sources found in Green's catalog of Galactic SNRs. We find that separate consideration of far and near sources helps to reproduce the e + + e - Fermi-LAT spectrum. However, we show that the fit degrades when the radio constraints on the positron emission from Vela SNR (which is the main contributor at high energies) are taken into account. We find that a break in the power-law injection spectrum at about 100 GeV can also reproduce the measured e + + e -spectrum and, among the CR propagation models that we consider, no reasonable break of the power-law dependence of the diffusion coefficient can modify the electron flux enough to reproduce the observed shape.« less

COSMIC-RAY POSITRONS FROM MILLISECOND PULSARS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Venter, C.; Kopp, A.; Büsching, I.

2015-07-10

Observations by the Fermi Large Area Telescope of γ-ray millisecond pulsar (MSP) light curves imply copious pair production in their magnetospheres, and not exclusively in those of younger pulsars. Such pair cascades may be a primary source of Galactic electrons and positrons, contributing to the observed enhancement in positron flux above ∼10 GeV. Fermi has also uncovered many new MSPs, impacting Galactic stellar population models. We investigate the contribution of Galactic MSPs to the flux of terrestrial cosmic-ray electrons and positrons. Our population synthesis code predicts the source properties of present-day MSPs. We simulate their pair spectra invoking an offset-dipolemore » magnetic field. We also consider positrons and electrons that have been further accelerated to energies of several TeV by strong intrabinary shocks in black widow (BW) and redback (RB) systems. Since MSPs are not surrounded by pulsar wind nebulae or supernova shells, we assume that the pairs freely escape and undergo losses only in the intergalactic medium. We compute the transported pair spectra at Earth, following their diffusion and energy loss through the Galaxy. The predicted particle flux increases for non-zero offsets of the magnetic polar caps. Pair cascades from the magnetospheres of MSPs are only modest contributors around a few tens of GeV to the lepton fluxes measured by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, PAMELA, and Fermi, after which this component cuts off. The contribution by BWs and RBs may, however, reach levels of a few tens of percent at tens of TeV, depending on model parameters.« less

Theoretical Interpretation of Pass 8 Fermi -LAT e + + e - Data

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Di Mauro, M.; Manconi, S.; Vittino, A.

The flux of positrons and electrons (e + + e -) has been measured by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) in the energy range between 7 GeV and 2 TeV. Here, we discuss a number of interpretations of Pass 8 Fermi-LAT e + + e - spectrum, combining electron and positron emission from supernova remnants (SNRs) and pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe), or produced by the collision of cosmic rays (CRs) with the interstellar medium. We also found that the Fermi-LAT spectrum is compatible with the sum of electrons from a smooth SNR population, positrons from cataloged PWNe, and amore » secondary component. If we include in our analysis constraints from the AMS-02 positron spectrum, we obtain a slightly worse fit to the e + + e - Fermi-LAT spectrum, depending on the propagation model. As an additional scenario, we replace the smooth SNR component within 0.7 kpc with the individual sources found in Green's catalog of Galactic SNRs. We find that separate consideration of far and near sources helps to reproduce the e + + e - Fermi-LAT spectrum. However, we show that the fit degrades when the radio constraints on the positron emission from Vela SNR (which is the main contributor at high energies) are taken into account. We find that a break in the power-law injection spectrum at about 100 GeV can also reproduce the measured e + + e -spectrum and, among the CR propagation models that we consider, no reasonable break of the power-law dependence of the diffusion coefficient can modify the electron flux enough to reproduce the observed shape.« less

Light yield and energy resolution studies for SoLid phase 1

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boursette, Delphine; SoLid Collaboration

2017-09-01

The SoLid experiment is searching for sterile neutrinos at a nuclear research reactor. It looks for inverse beta decays (producing a positron and a neutron in delayed coincidence) with a very segmented detector made of thousands of scintillating cubes. SoLid has a very innovative hybrid technology with two different scintillators which have different light emissions: polyvynil-toluene cubes (PVT) to detect the positrons and 6LiF:ZnS sheets on two faces of each PVT cube to detect the neutrons. It allows us to do an efficient pulse shape analysis to identify the signals from neutrons and positrons. The 288 kg detector prototype (SM1) took data in 2015. It demonstrated the detection principle and background rejection efficiency. The construction of SoLid phase I (˜ 1.5 t) has now started. To improve the energy resolution of SoLid phase I, we have tried to increase the light yield studying separately the two scintillators: PVT and ZnS. A test bench has been built to fully characterize and improve the neutron detection with the ZnS using an AmBe source. To study the positron light yield on the PVT, we have built another test bench with a 207Bi source. We have improved the design of the cubes, their wrapping or the type and the configuration of the fibers. We managed to increase the PVT light yield by about 66 % and improve the resolution of the positron energy on the test bench from 21 % to 16 % at 1 MeV.

Impenetrable barriers for positrons in neighbourhood of superheavy nuclei with Z>118

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neznamov, V. P.

2017-12-01

Analysis of quantum mechanical motion of charged half-spin particles in the repulsive Coulomb field results in that an impenetrable potential barrier not explored earlier was found. For a particle at rest with a reduced mass m, the barrier radius is equal to half classical radius: the barrier radius decreases with increase in the particle energy. For the stable and quasi-stable nuclei with Z > 118, presence of an impenetrable barrier as β +-decay leads to the existence of “traps” for positrons in the neighbourhood of nuclei and as Zcr ≃ 170 (with emission of electron-positron pairs by vacuum) leads to the existence of a quasi-constant source of annihilation quanta.

Dense electron-positron plasmas and ultraintense γ rays from laser-irradiated solids.

PubMed

Ridgers, C P; Brady, C S; Duclous, R; Kirk, J G; Bennett, K; Arber, T D; Robinson, A P L; Bell, A R

2012-04-20

In simulations of a 10 PW laser striking a solid, we demonstrate the possibility of producing a pure electron-positron plasma by the same processes as those thought to operate in high-energy astrophysical environments. A maximum positron density of 10(26) m(-3) can be achieved, 7 orders of magnitude greater than achieved in previous experiments. Additionally, 35% of the laser energy is converted to a burst of γ rays of intensity 10(22) W cm(-2), potentially the most intense γ-ray source available in the laboratory. This absorption results in a strong feedback between both pair and γ-ray production and classical plasma physics in the new "QED-plasma" regime.

FAST TRACK COMMUNICATION: Stable propagation of a modulated positron beam in a bent crystal channel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kostyuk, A.; Korol, A. V.; Solov'yov, A. V.; Greiner, W.

2010-08-01

The propagation of a modulated positron beam in a planar crystal channel is investigated. It is demonstrated that the beam preserves its modulation at sufficiently large penetration depths, which opens the prospect of using a crystalline undulator as a coherent source of hard x-rays. This finding is a crucial milestone in developing a new type of laser radiating in the hard x-ray and gamma-ray range.

Efficient injection of an intense positron beam into a dipole magnetic field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saitoh, H.; Stanja, J.; Stenson, E. V.; Hergenhahn, U.; Niemann, H.; Pedersen, T. Sunn; Stoneking, M. R.; Piochacz, C.; Hugenschmidt, C.

2015-10-01

We have demonstrated efficient injection and trapping of a cold positron beam in a dipole magnetic field configuration. The intense 5 eV positron beam was provided by the NEutron induced POsitron source MUniCh facility at the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum, and transported into the confinement region of the dipole field trap generated by a supported, permanent magnet with 0.6 T strength at the pole faces. We achieved transport into the region of field lines that do not intersect the outer wall using the {E}× {B} drift of the positron beam between a pair of tailored plates that created the electric field. We present evidence that up to 38% of the beam particles are able to reach the intended confinement region and make at least a 180° rotation around the magnet where they annihilate on an insertable target. When the target is removed and the {E}× {B} plate voltages are switched off, confinement of a small population persists for on the order of 1 ms. These results lend optimism to our larger aims to apply a magnetic dipole field configuration for trapping of both positrons and electrons in order to test predictions of the unique properties of a pair plasma.

Progress towards an intense beam of positrons created by a Van de Graaff accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lund, K. R.; Weber, M. H.; Lynn, K. G.; Jennings, J.; Minnal, C.; Narimannezhad, A.; Rao, R.; Monster, K. A. W.

2017-12-01

A 4MV Van de Graaff accelerator was used to induce the nuclear reaction 12C(d,n)13N in order to produce an intense beam of positrons. The graphite target was heated so the radioactive 13N would desorb from the bulk into the vacuum. This radioactive gas is frozen onto a cryogenic freezer where it decays to produce an antiparticle beam of positrons. This high current beam is then guided into a superconducting magnet with field strength up to 7 Tesla where the positrons will be stored in a newly designed Micro-Penning-Malmberg trap. Several source geometries have been experimented on and found a maximum antimatter beam with a positron flux of greater than 0.55 ± 0.03 × 106 e+s-1 was achieved. This beam was produced using a solid rare gas moderator composed of krypton (Kr) at a temperature of 25 ± 5 K. Due to geometric restrictions on this set up and other loss mechanisms, 107-108 e+s-1 of the total number of positrons are lost. Simulations and preliminary experiments suggest a new geometry, currently under testing, will produce a beam of 107 e+s-1 or more. The setup and preliminary results for the new geometry will be discussed as well.

Positron annihilation signatures associated with the outburst of the microquasar V404 Cygni.

PubMed

Siegert, Thomas; Diehl, Roland; Greiner, Jochen; Krause, Martin G H; Beloborodov, Andrei M; Bel, Marion Cadolle; Guglielmetti, Fabrizia; Rodriguez, Jerome; Strong, Andrew W; Zhang, Xiaoling

2016-03-17

Microquasars are stellar-mass black holes accreting matter from a companion star and ejecting plasma jets at almost the speed of light. They are analogues of quasars that contain supermassive black holes of 10(6) to 10(10) solar masses. Accretion in microquasars varies on much shorter timescales than in quasars and occasionally produces exceptionally bright X-ray flares. How the flares are produced is unclear, as is the mechanism for launching the relativistic jets and their composition. An emission line near 511 kiloelectronvolts has long been sought in the emission spectrum of microquasars as evidence for the expected electron-positron plasma. Transient high-energy spectral features have been reported in two objects, but their positron interpretation remains contentious. Here we report observations of γ-ray emission from the microquasar V404 Cygni during a recent period of strong flaring activity. The emission spectrum around 511 kiloelectronvolts shows clear signatures of variable positron annihilation, which implies a high rate of positron production. This supports the earlier conjecture that microquasars may be the main sources of the electron-positron plasma responsible for the bright diffuse emission of annihilation γ-rays in the bulge region of our Galaxy. Additionally, microquasars could be the origin of the observed megaelectronvolt continuum excess in the inner Galaxy.

Methods and applications of positron-based medical imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herzog, H.

2007-02-01

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a diagnostic imaging method to examine metabolic functions and their disorders. Dedicated ring systems of scintillation detectors measure the 511 keV γ-radiation produced in the course of the positron emission from radiolabelled metabolically active molecules. A great number of radiopharmaceuticals labelled with 11C, 13N, 15O, or 18F positron emitters have been applied both for research and clinical purposes in neurology, cardiology and oncology. The recent success of PET with rapidly increasing installations is mainly based on the use of [ 18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) in oncology where it is most useful to localize primary tumours and their metastases.

High resolution Cerenkov light imaging of induced positron distribution in proton therapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yamamoto, Seiichi, E-mail: s-yama@met.nagoya-u.ac.jp; Fujii, Kento; Morishita, Yuki

2014-11-01

Purpose: In proton therapy, imaging of the positron distribution produced by fragmentation during or soon after proton irradiation is a useful method to monitor the proton range. Although positron emission tomography (PET) is typically used for this imaging, its spatial resolution is limited. Cerenkov light imaging is a new molecular imaging technology that detects the visible photons that are produced from high-speed electrons using a high sensitivity optical camera. Because its inherent spatial resolution is much higher than PET, the authors can measure more precise information of the proton-induced positron distribution with Cerenkov light imaging technology. For this purpose, theymore » conducted Cerenkov light imaging of induced positron distribution in proton therapy. Methods: First, the authors evaluated the spatial resolution of our Cerenkov light imaging system with a {sup 22}Na point source for the actual imaging setup. Then the transparent acrylic phantoms (100 × 100 × 100 mm{sup 3}) were irradiated with two different proton energies using a spot scanning proton therapy system. Cerenkov light imaging of each phantom was conducted using a high sensitivity electron multiplied charge coupled device (EM-CCD) camera. Results: The Cerenkov light’s spatial resolution for the setup was 0.76 ± 0.6 mm FWHM. They obtained high resolution Cerenkov light images of the positron distributions in the phantoms for two different proton energies and made fused images of the reference images and the Cerenkov light images. The depths of the positron distribution in the phantoms from the Cerenkov light images were almost identical to the simulation results. The decay curves derived from the region-of-interests (ROIs) set on the Cerenkov light images revealed that Cerenkov light images can be used for estimating the half-life of the radionuclide components of positrons. Conclusions: High resolution Cerenkov light imaging of proton-induced positron distribution was possible. The authors conclude that Cerenkov light imaging of proton-induced positron is promising for proton therapy.« less

Positron Annihilation Ratio Spectroscopy Study of Electric Fields Applied to Positronium at Material Interfaces

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-03-01

from 142 ns to a few ns [3:3]. Through the application of positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) on a material, the o-Ps lifetime can be...Force Base, Ohio APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE; DISTRIBUTION UNLIMITED. POSITRON ANNIHILATION RATIO SPECTROSCOPY STUDY OF ELECTRIC FIELDS APPLIED TO...protection in the United States. AFIT/GNE/ENP/11-M19 POSITRON ANNIHILATION RATIO SPECTROSCOPY STUDY OF ELECTRIC FIELDS APPLIED TO POSITRONIUM AT

The great galactic centre mystery

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Riegler, G. R.

1982-01-01

Gamma-ray observations of the center of the Galaxy show a varying positron-electron annihilation radiation emission, while at radio wavelengths a non-thermal compact source surrounded by ionized gas moving at high velocities can be seen. Line emission maps for atomic and ionized hydrogen and molecular gas suggest gas expulsion and a massive collapsed object. IR observations show that ionized gas in the central few parsecs of the Galactic center is concentrated in at least 14 small clouds. Charge-coupled device images show a pair of faint, very red sources within a few arc seconds of IRS 16 and the compact non-thermal radio source. The positron-electron annihilation line emission implies an annihilation rate of 10 to the 43rd per sec, compared with an observed luminosity at IR wavelengths of 10 to the 40 erg per sec. Some models are briefly discussed.

Skyshine line-beam response functions for 20- to 100-MeV photons

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brockhoff, R.C.; Shultis, J.K.; Faw, R.E.

1996-06-01

The line-beam response function, needed for skyshine analyses based on the integral line-beam method, was evaluated with the MCNP Monte Carlo code for photon energies from 20 to 100 MeV and for source-to-detector distances out to 1,000 m. These results are compared with point-kernel results, and the effects of bremsstrahlung and positron transport in the air are found to be important in this energy range. The three-parameter empirical formula used in the integral line-beam skyshine method was fit to the MCNP results, and values of these parameters are reported for various source energies and angles.

Experimental and computational studies of positron-stimulated ion desorption from TiO2(1 1 0) surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamashita, T.; Hagiwara, S.; Tachibana, T.; Watanabe, K.; Nagashima, Y.

2017-11-01

Experimental and computational studies of the positron-stimulated O+ ion desorption process from a TiO2(1 1 0) surface are reported. The measured data indicate that the O+ ion yields depend on the positron incident energy in the energy range between 0.5 keV and 15 keV. This dependence is closely related to the fraction of positrons which diffuse back to the surface after thermalization in the bulk. Based on the experimental and computational results, we conclude that the ion desorption via positron-stimulation occurs dominantly by the annihilation of surface-trapped positrons with core electrons of the topmost surface atoms.

Study of the surface contamination of copper with the improved positron annihilation-induced Auger electron spectrometer at NEPOMUC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayer, J.; Hugenschmidt, C.; Schreckenbach, K.

2008-10-01

The high intensity positron source NEPOMUC at the FRM-II in Munich enables measurement times for positron annihilation-induced Auger electron spectroscopy (PAES) of only 2.4 h/spectrum, in contrast to usual lab beams with measurement times up to several days. The high electron background due to surrounding experiments in the experimental hall of the FRM-II has been eliminated and hence background free experiments have become possible. Due to this, the signal to noise ratio has been enhanced to 4.5:1, compared to 1:3 with EAES. In addition, a long-term measurement has been performed in order to observe the contamination of a polycrystalline copper foil at 150 °C.

Synchrotron VUV-UV and positron lifetime spectroscopy study of vacancy-type defects in reactor neutron-irradiated MgO.nAl2O3 (n = 2)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahman, Abu Zayed Mohammad Saliqur; Cao, Xingzhong; Wang, Baoyi; Evslin, Jarah; Xu, Qiu; Atobe, Kozo

2016-12-01

We investigated neutron-irradiation-induced point defects in spinel single crystals using a synchrotron VUV-UV source and positron lifetime spectroscopy. Photoexcitation (PE) spectra near 230 nm and their corresponding photoluminescence (PL) spectra at 475 nm were attributed to F-centers. With increasing irradiation temperature and fluence, PE efficiency and PL intensity decreased dramatically. Positron lifetimes (PLT) of neutron-irradiated and non-irradiated samples were measured to identify the cation vacancies. A PLT measurement of 250 ps was obtained in a neutron-irradiated (20 K) sample which is tentatively attributed to an aluminum monovacancy. Decreasing PLT with higher irradiation indicates the formation of oxygen-vacancy complex centers.

The electronic properties of high (Tc) superconductors probed by positron annihilation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sundar, C. S.; Bharathi, A.; Jean, Y. C.; Hinks, D. G.; Dabrowski, B.; Zheng, Y.; Mitchell, A. W.; Ho, J. C.; Howell, K. H.; Wachs, A. L.

1989-06-01

The discovery of superconductivity at 30 K in Ba(.6)K(.4) BiO3 has generated considerable excitement in view of the contrasting properties of the Ba-K-Bi-O system when compared to the well known Cu-O based high temperature superconductors. Positron annihilation spectroscopy, which is a sensitive local probe of the electronic and defect properties of a solid, was extensively applied in the study of Cu-O based superconductors. The results of positron lifetime as a function of temperature in Ba-K-Bi-O are presented and compared with the known results in the cuprate superconductors. Plausible reasons for the observed temperature dependence of positron lifetime are presented.

The pinching method for Galactic cosmic ray positrons: Implications in the light of precision measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boudaud, M.; Bueno, E. F.; Caroff, S.; Genolini, Y.; Poulin, V.; Poireau, V.; Putze, A.; Rosier, S.; Salati, P.; Vecchi, M.

2017-09-01

Context. Two years ago, the Ams-02 collaboration released the most precise measurement of the cosmic ray positron flux. In the conventional approach, in which positrons are considered as purely secondary particles, the theoretical predictions fall way below the data above 10 GeV. One suggested explanation for this anomaly is the annihilation of dark matter particles, the so-called weakly interactive massive particles (WIMPs), into standard model particles. Most analyses have focused on the high-energy part of the positron spectrum, where the anomaly lies, disregarding the complicated GeV low-energy region where Galactic cosmic ray transport is more difficult to model and solar modulation comes into play. Aims: Given the high quality of the latest measurements by Ams-02, it is now possible to systematically re-examine the positron anomaly over the entire energy range, this time taking into account transport processes so far neglected, such as Galactic convection or diffusive re-acceleration. These might impact somewhat on the high-energy positron flux so that a complete and systematic estimate of the secondary component must be performed and compared to the Ams-02 measurements. The flux yielded by WIMPs also needs to be re-calculated more accurately to explore how dark matter might source the positron excess. Methods: We devise a new semi-analytical method to take into account transport processes thus far neglected, but important below a few GeV. It is essentially based on the pinching of inverse Compton and synchrotron energy losses from the magnetic halo, where they take place, inside the Galactic disc. The corresponding energy loss rate is artificially enhanced by the so-called pinching factor, which needs to be calculated at each energy. We have checked that this approach reproduces the results of the Green function method at the per mille level. This new tool is fast and allows one to carry out extensive scans over the cosmic ray propagation parameters. Results: We derive the positron flux from sub-GeV to TeV energies for both gas spallation and dark matter annihilation. We carry out a scan over the cosmic ray propagation parameters, which we strongly constrain by requiring that the secondary component does not overshoot the Ams-02 measurements. We find that only models with large diffusion coefficients are selected by this test. We then add to the secondary component the positron flux yielded by dark matter annihilation. We carry out a scan over WIMP mass to fit the annihilation cross-section and branching ratios, successively exploring the cases of a typical beyond-the-standard-model WIMP and an annihilation through light mediators. In the former case, the best fit yields a p-value of 0.4% for a WIMP mass of 264 GeV, a value that does not allow to reproduce the highest energy data points. If we require the mass to be larger than 500 GeV, the best-fit χ2 per degree of freedom always exceeds a value of 3. The case of light mediators is even worse, with a best-fit χ2 per degree of freedom always larger than 15. Conclusions: We explicitly show that the cosmic ray positron flux is a powerful and independent probe of Galactic cosmic ray propagation. It should be used as a complementary observable to other tracers such as the boron-to-carbon ratio. This analysis shows also that the pure dark matter interpretation of the positron excess is strongly disfavoured. This conclusion is based solely on the positron data, and no other observation, such as the antiproton flux or the CMB anisotropies, needs to be invoked.

The role of positron emission tomography and positron emission tomography/computed tomography in thyroid tumours: an overview.

PubMed

Treglia, Giorgio; Muoio, Barbara; Giovanella, Luca; Salvatori, Massimo

2013-05-01

Positron emission tomography (PET) and PET/computed tomography (PET/CT) with different tracers have been increasingly used in patients with thyroid tumours. The aim of this article is to perform an overview based on literature data about the usefulness of PET imaging in this setting. The role of Fluorine-18-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET and PET/CT in differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) is well established, particularly in patients presenting with elevated serum thyroglobulin levels and negative radioiodine whole-body scan. Iodine-124 PET and PET/CT may serve a role in staging DTC and obtaining lesional dosimetry for a better and more rationale planning of treatment with Iodine-131. FDG-PET and PET/CT are useful in the post-thyroidectomy staging of high-risk patients with less differentiated histological subtypes. PET and PET/CT with different tracers seem to be useful methods in localizing the source of elevated calcitonin levels in patients with recurrent medullary thyroid carcinoma. Incorporation of FDG-PET or PET/CT into the initial workup of patients with indeterminate thyroid nodules at fine needle aspiration biopsy deserves further investigation. FDG-PET report should suggest further evaluation when focal thyroid incidentalomas are described because these findings are associated with a significant risk of cancer.

Portable Positron Measurement System (PPMS)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Akers, Doug

Portable Positron Measurement System (PPMS) is an automated, non-destructive inspection system based on positron annihilation, which characterizes a material's in situatomic-level properties during the manufacturing processes of formation, solidification, and heat treatment. Simultaneous manufacturing and quality monitoring now are possible. Learn more about the lab's project on our facebook site http://www.facebook.com/idahonationallaboratory.

Portable Positron Measurement System (PPMS)

ScienceCinema

None

2017-12-09

Portable Positron Measurement System (PPMS) is an automated, non-destructive inspection system based on positron annihilation, which characterizes a material's in situatomic-level properties during the manufacturing processes of formation, solidification, and heat treatment. Simultaneous manufacturing and quality monitoring now are possible. Learn more about the lab's project on our facebook site http://www.facebook.com/idahonationallaboratory.

Defect imaging and detection of precipitates using a new scanning positron microbeam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gigl, T.; Beddrich, L.; Dickmann, M.; Rienäcker, B.; Thalmayr, M.; Vohburger, S.; Hugenschmidt, C.

2017-12-01

We report on a newly developed scanning positron microbeam based on threefold moderation of positrons provided by the high intensity positron source NEPOMUC. For brightness enhancement a remoderation unit with a 100 nm thin Ni(100) foil and 9.6% efficiency is applied to reduce the area of the beam spot by a factor of 60. In this way, defect spectroscopy is enabled with a lateral resolution of 33 μm over a large scanning range of 19 × 19 mm2. Moreover, 2D defect imaging using Doppler broadening spectroscopy (DBS) is demonstrated to be performed within exceptional short measurement times of less than two minutes for an area of 1 × 1 mm2 (100 × 100 μm2) with a resolution of 250 μm (50 μm). We studied the defect structure in laser beam welds of the high-strength age-hardened Al alloy (AlCu6Mn, EN AW-2219 T87) by applying (coincident) DBS with unprecedented spatial resolution. The visualization of the defect distribution revealed a sharp transition between the raw material and the welded zone as well as a very small heat affected zone. Vacancy-like defects and Cu rich precipitates are detected in the as-received material and, to a lesser extent, in the transition zone of the weld. Most notably, in the center of the weld vacancies without forming Cu-vacancy complexes, and the dissolution of the Cu atoms in the crystal lattice, i.e. formation of a supersaturated solution, could be clearly identified.

A novel silicon array designed for intraoperative charged particle imaging.

PubMed

Tornai, Martin P; Patt, Bradley E; Iwanczyk, Jan S; Tull, Carolyn R; MacDonald, Lawrence R; Hoffman, Edward J

2002-11-01

A novel Si-PIN imaging array is under investigation for a charged particle (beta, positron, or alpha) sensitive intraoperative camera to be used for (residual) tumor identification during surgery. This class of collimator-less nuclear imaging device has a higher signal response for direct interactions than its scintillator-optical detector-based counterparts. Monte Carlo simulations with 635 keV betas were performed, yielding maximum and projected ranges of 1.64 and 0.55 mm in Si. Up to 90% of these betas were completely absorbed in the first 0.30 mm. Based on these results, 300 microm thick prototype Si detector arrays were designed in a 16 x 16 crossed-grid arrangement with 0.8 mm wide orthogonal strips on 1.0 mm pitch. A NIM- and CAMAC-based high-density data acquisition and processing system was used to collect the list mode data. The system was calibrated by comparisons of measured spectra to energy deposition simulations or by direct measurement of various >100 keV conversion electron or beta emitters. Mean electronic noise per strip was <3.6 keV FWHM at room temperature. When detecting positrons, which have an accompanying 511 keV annihilation background, the flood irradiated beta/gamma ratio was approximately 40, indicating that beta images could be made without the use of background rejection techniques. The intrinsic spatial resolution corresponds to the 1 x 1 mm2 pixel size, and measurements of beta emitting point and line sources yielded FWHM resolutions of 1.5 (lateral) and 2.5 mm (diagonal), respectively, with the larger widths due to particle range blurting effects. Deconvolution of the finite source size yielded intrinsic resolutions that corresponded to the image pixel size. Transmission images of circle and line phantoms with various hole sizes and pitch were resolved with either pure beta or positron irradiation without a background correction. This novel semiconductor imaging device facilitates high charged particle and low gamma sensitivity, high signal/noise ratio, and allows for compact design to potentially aid surgical guidance by providing in situ images of clinical relevance.

Searching for dark photon with positrons at Jefferson lab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marsicano, Luca

2018-05-01

The interest in the Dark Photon (A' or U) has recently grown, since it could act as a light mediator to a new sector of Dark Matter particles. In this paradigm, the electron-positron annihilation can rarely produce a γA' pair. Various experiments (e.g. PADME@LNF [1], VEPP-3 [2]) have been proposed to detect this process using positron beams impinging on fixed targets. In such experiments, the energy of the photon from the e+e-→ γA' process is measured with an electromagnetic calorimeter and the missing mass is computed (the A' interacts weakly with Standard Model matter so it can't be detected). However, the A' mass range that can be explored with this technique is limited by the accessible energy in the center of mass frame, which goes as the square root of the beam energy. The realization of a 11 GeV positron beam at Jefferson Lab would allow to search for A' masses up to ˜ 100 MeV, reaching unexplored regions of the A' parameter space. A preliminary study on the feasibility of a PADME-like experiment at Jefferson Lab has been carried out, assuming a 11 GeV positron beam with a ˜ 100 nA current. The achievable sensitivity was estimated, studying the main sources of background (positron bremsstrahlung, annihilation into 2 gammas) using CALCHEP [3] and GEANT4 [4] simulations.

Symposium on electron linear accelerators in honor of Richard B. Neal's 80th birthday: Proceedings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Siemann, R.H.

The papers presented at the conference are: (1) the construction of SLAC and the role of R.B. Neal; (2) symposium speech; (3) lessons learned from the SLC; (4) alternate approaches to future electron-positron linear colliders; (5) the NLC technical program; (6) advanced electron linacs; (7) medical uses of linear accelerators; (8) linac-based, intense, coherent X-ray source using self-amplified spontaneous emission. Selected papers have been indexed separately for inclusion in the Energy Science and Technology Database.

Moisture determination in composite materials using positron lifetime techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, J. J.; Holt, W. R.; Mock, W., Jr.

1980-01-01

A technique was developed which has the potential of providing information on the moisture content as well as its depth in the specimen. This technique was based on the dependence of positron lifetime on the moisture content of the composite specimen. The positron lifetime technique of moisture determination and the results of the initial studies are described.

Design and evaluation of a SiPM-based large-area detector module for positron emission imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alva-Sánchez, H.; Murrieta-Rodríguez, T.; Calva-Coraza, E.; Martínez-Dávalos, A.; Rodríguez-Villafuerte, M.

2018-03-01

The design and evaluation of a large-area detector module for positron emission imaging applications, is presented. The module features a SensL ArrayC-60035-64P-PCB solid state detector (8×8 array of tileable silicon photomultipliers by SensL, 7.2 mm pitch) covering a total area of 57.4×57.4 mm2. The detector module was formed using a pixelated array of 40×40 lutetium-yttrium oxyorthosilicate (LYSO) scintillator crystal elements with 1.43 mm pitch. A 7 mm thick coupling light guide was used to allow light sharing between adjacent SiPM. A 16-channel symmetric charge division (SCD) readout board was designed to multiplex the number of signals from 64 to 16 (8 columns and 8 rows) and a center-of-gravity algorithm to identify the position. Data acquisition and digitization was accomplished using a custom-made system based on FPGAs boards. Crystal maps were obtained using 18F-positron sources and Voronoi diagrams were used to correct for geometric distortions and to generate a non-uniformity correction matrix. All measurements were taken at a controlled room temperature of 22oC. The crystal maps showed minor distortion, 90% of the 1600 total crystal elements could be identified, a mean peak-to-valley ratio of 4.3 was obtained and a 10.8% mean energy resolution for 511 keV annihilation photons was determined. The performance of the detector using our own readout board was compared to that using two different commercially readout boards using the same detector module arrangement. We show that these large-area SiPM arrays, combined with a 16-channel SCD readout board, can offer high spatial resolution, excellent energy resolution and detector uniformity and thus, can be used for positron emission imaging applications.

Silicon detectors for combined MR-PET and MR-SPECT imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Studen, A.; Brzezinski, K.; Chesi, E.; Cindro, V.; Clinthorne, N. H.; Cochran, E.; Grošičar, B.; Grkovski, M.; Honscheid, K.; Kagan, H.; Lacasta, C.; Llosa, G.; Mikuž, M.; Stankova, V.; Weilhammer, P.; Žontar, D.

2013-02-01

Silicon based devices can extend PET-MR and SPECT-MR imaging to applications, where their advantages in performance outweigh benefits of high statistical counts. Silicon is in many ways an excellent detector material with numerous advantages, among others: excellent energy and spatial resolution, mature processing technology, large signal to noise ratio, relatively low price, availability, versatility and malleability. The signal in silicon is also immune to effects of magnetic field at the level normally used in MR devices. Tests in fields up to 7 T were performed in a study to determine effects of magnetic field on positron range in a silicon PET device. The curvature of positron tracks in direction perpendicular to the field's orientation shortens the distance between emission and annihilation point of the positron. The effect can be fully appreciated for a rotation of the sample for a fixed field direction, compressing range in all dimensions. A popular Ga-68 source was used showing a factor of 2 improvement in image noise compared to zero field operation. There was also a little increase in noise as the reconstructed resolution varied between 2.5 and 1.5 mm. A speculative applications can be recognized in both emission modalities, SPECT and PET. Compton camera is a subspecies of SPECT, where a silicon based scatter as a MR compatible part could inserted into the MR bore and the secondary detector could operate in less constrained environment away from the magnet. Introducing a Compton camera also relaxes requirements of the radiotracers used, extending the range of conceivable photon energies beyond 140.5 keV of the Tc-99m. In PET, one could exploit the compressed sub-millimeter range of positrons in the magnetic field. To exploit the advantage, detectors with spatial resolution commensurate to the effect must be used with silicon being an excellent candidate. Measurements performed outside of the MR achieving spatial resolution below 1 mm are reported.

Monte Carlo dose calculations in homogeneous media and at interfaces: a comparison between GEPTS, EGSnrc, MCNP, and measurements.

PubMed

Chibani, Omar; Li, X Allen

2002-05-01

Three Monte Carlo photon/electron transport codes (GEPTS, EGSnrc, and MCNP) are bench-marked against dose measurements in homogeneous (both low- and high-Z) media as well as at interfaces. A brief overview on physical models used by each code for photon and electron (positron) transport is given. Absolute calorimetric dose measurements for 0.5 and 1 MeV electron beams incident on homogeneous and multilayer media are compared with the predictions of the three codes. Comparison with dose measurements in two-layer media exposed to a 60Co gamma source is also performed. In addition, comparisons between the codes (including the EGS4 code) are done for (a) 0.05 to 10 MeV electron beams and positron point sources in lead, (b) high-energy photons (10 and 20 MeV) irradiating a multilayer phantom (water/steel/air), and (c) simulation of a 90Sr/90Y brachytherapy source. A good agreement is observed between the calorimetric electron dose measurements and predictions of GEPTS and EGSnrc in both homogeneous and multilayer media. MCNP outputs are found to be dependent on the energy-indexing method (Default/ITS style). This dependence is significant in homogeneous media as well as at interfaces. MCNP(ITS) fits more closely the experimental data than MCNP(DEF), except for the case of Be. At low energy (0.05 and 0.1 MeV), MCNP(ITS) dose distributions in lead show higher maximums in comparison with GEPTS and EGSnrc. EGS4 produces too penetrating electron-dose distributions in high-Z media, especially at low energy (<0.1 MeV). For positrons, differences between GEPTS and EGSnrc are observed in lead because GEPTS distinguishes positrons from electrons for both elastic multiple scattering and bremsstrahlung emission models. For the 60Co source, a quite good agreement between calculations and measurements is observed with regards to the experimental uncertainty. For the other cases (10 and 20 MeV photon sources and the 90Sr/90Y beta source), a good agreement is found between the three codes. In conclusion, differences between GEPTS and EGSnrc results are found to be very small for almost all media and energies studied. MCNP results depend significantly on the electron energy-indexing method.

High statistics measurement of the positron fraction in primary cosmic rays of 0.5-500 GeV with the alpha magnetic spectrometer on the international space station.

PubMed

Accardo, L; Aguilar, M; Aisa, D; Alpat, B; Alvino, A; Ambrosi, G; Andeen, K; Arruda, L; Attig, N; Azzarello, P; Bachlechner, A; Barao, F; Barrau, A; Barrin, L; Bartoloni, A; Basara, L; Battarbee, M; Battiston, R; Bazo, J; Becker, U; Behlmann, M; Beischer, B; Berdugo, J; Bertucci, B; Bigongiari, G; Bindi, V; Bizzaglia, S; Bizzarri, M; Boella, G; de Boer, W; Bollweg, K; Bonnivard, V; Borgia, B; Borsini, S; Boschini, M J; Bourquin, M; Burger, J; Cadoux, F; Cai, X D; Capell, M; Caroff, S; Carosi, G; Casaus, J; Cascioli, V; Castellini, G; Cernuda, I; Cerreta, D; Cervelli, F; Chae, M J; Chang, Y H; Chen, A I; Chen, H; Cheng, G M; Chen, H S; Cheng, L; Chikanian, A; Chou, H Y; Choumilov, E; Choutko, V; Chung, C H; Cindolo, F; Clark, C; Clavero, R; Coignet, G; Consolandi, C; Contin, A; Corti, C; Coste, B; Cui, Z; Dai, M; Delgado, C; Della Torre, S; Demirköz, M B; Derome, L; Di Falco, S; Di Masso, L; Dimiccoli, F; Díaz, C; von Doetinchem, P; Du, W J; Duranti, M; D'Urso, D; Eline, A; Eppling, F J; Eronen, T; Fan, Y Y; Farnesini, L; Feng, J; Fiandrini, E; Fiasson, A; Finch, E; Fisher, P; Galaktionov, Y; Gallucci, G; García, B; García-López, R; Gast, H; Gebauer, I; Gervasi, M; Ghelfi, A; Gillard, W; Giovacchini, F; Goglov, P; Gong, J; Goy, C; Grabski, V; Grandi, D; Graziani, M; Guandalini, C; Guerri, I; Guo, K H; Haas, D; Habiby, M; Haino, S; Han, K C; He, Z H; Heil, M; Henning, R; Hoffman, J; Hsieh, T H; Huang, Z C; Huh, C; Incagli, M; Ionica, M; Jang, W Y; Jinchi, H; Kanishev, K; Kim, G N; Kim, K S; Kirn, Th; Kossakowski, R; Kounina, O; Kounine, A; Koutsenko, V; Krafczyk, M S; Kunz, S; La Vacca, G; Laudi, E; Laurenti, G; Lazzizzera, I; Lebedev, A; Lee, H T; Lee, S C; Leluc, C; Levi, G; Li, H L; Li, J Q; Li, Q; Li, Q; Li, T X; Li, W; Li, Y; Li, Z H; Li, Z Y; Lim, S; Lin, C H; Lipari, P; Lippert, T; Liu, D; Liu, H; Lolli, M; Lomtadze, T; Lu, M J; Lu, Y S; Luebelsmeyer, K; Luo, F; Luo, J Z; Lv, S S; Majka, R; Malinin, A; Mañá, C; Marín, J; Martin, T; Martínez, G; Masi, N; Massera, F; Maurin, D; Menchaca-Rocha, A; Meng, Q; Mo, D C; Monreal, B; Morescalchi, L; Mott, P; Müller, M; Ni, J Q; Nikonov, N; Nozzoli, F; Nunes, P; Obermeier, A; Oliva, A; Orcinha, M; Palmonari, F; Palomares, C; Paniccia, M; Papi, A; Pauluzzi, M; Pedreschi, E; Pensotti, S; Pereira, R; Pilastrini, R; Pilo, F; Piluso, A; Pizzolotto, C; Plyaskin, V; Pohl, M; Poireau, V; Postaci, E; Putze, A; Quadrani, L; Qi, X M; Rancoita, P G; Rapin, D; Ricol, J S; Rodríguez, I; Rosier-Lees, S; Rossi, L; Rozhkov, A; Rozza, D; Rybka, G; Sagdeev, R; Sandweiss, J; Saouter, P; Sbarra, C; Schael, S; Schmidt, S M; Schuckardt, D; Schulz von Dratzig, A; Schwering, G; Scolieri, G; Seo, E S; Shan, B S; Shan, Y H; Shi, J Y; Shi, X Y; Shi, Y M; Siedenburg, T; Son, D; Spada, F; Spinella, F; Sun, W; Sun, W H; Tacconi, M; Tang, C P; Tang, X W; Tang, Z C; Tao, L; Tescaro, D; Ting, Samuel C C; Ting, S M; Tomassetti, N; Torsti, J; Türkoğlu, C; Urban, T; Vagelli, V; Valente, E; Vannini, C; Valtonen, E; Vaurynovich, S; Vecchi, M; Velasco, M; Vialle, J P; Vitale, V; Volpini, G; Wang, L Q; Wang, Q L; Wang, R S; Wang, X; Wang, Z X; Weng, Z L; Whitman, K; Wienkenhöver, J; Wu, H; Wu, K Y; Xia, X; Xie, M; Xie, S; Xiong, R Q; Xin, G M; Xu, N S; Xu, W; Yan, Q; Yang, J; Yang, M; Ye, Q H; Yi, H; Yu, Y J; Yu, Z Q; Zeissler, S; Zhang, J H; Zhang, M T; Zhang, X B; Zhang, Z; Zheng, Z M; Zhou, F; Zhuang, H L; Zhukov, V; Zichichi, A; Zimmermann, N; Zuccon, P; Zurbach, C

2014-09-19

A precision measurement by AMS of the positron fraction in primary cosmic rays in the energy range from 0.5 to 500 GeV based on 10.9 million positron and electron events is presented. This measurement extends the energy range of our previous observation and increases its precision. The new results show, for the first time, that above ∼200  GeV the positron fraction no longer exhibits an increase with energy.

High Statistics Measurement of the Positron Fraction in Primary Cosmic Rays of 0.5-500 GeV with the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer on the International Space Station

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Accardo, L.; Aguilar, M.; Aisa, D.; Alvino, A.; Ambrosi, G.; Andeen, K.; Arruda, L.; Attig, N.; Azzarello, P.; Bachlechner, A.; Barao, F.; Barrau, A.; Barrin, L.; Bartoloni, A.; Basara, L.; Battarbee, M.; Battiston, R.; Bazo, J.; Becker, U.; Behlmann, M.; Beischer, B.; Berdugo, J.; Bertucci, B.; Bigongiari, G.; Bindi, V.; Bizzaglia, S.; Bizzarri, M.; Boella, G.; de Boer, W.; Bollweg, K.; Bonnivard, V.; Borgia, B.; Borsini, S.; Boschini, M. J.; Bourquin, M.; Burger, J.; Cadoux, F.; Cai, X. D.; Capell, M.; Caroff, S.; Casaus, J.; Cascioli, V.; Castellini, G.; Cernuda, I.; Cervelli, F.; Chae, M. J.; Chang, Y. H.; Chen, A. I.; Chen, H.; Cheng, G. M.; Chen, H. S.; Cheng, L.; Chikanian, A.; Chou, H. Y.; Choumilov, E.; Choutko, V.; Chung, C. H.; Clark, C.; Clavero, R.; Coignet, G.; Consolandi, C.; Contin, A.; Corti, C.; Coste, B.; Cui, Z.; Dai, M.; Delgado, C.; Della Torre, S.; Demirköz, M. B.; Derome, L.; Di Falco, S.; Di Masso, L.; Dimiccoli, F.; Díaz, C.; von Doetinchem, P.; Du, W. J.; Duranti, M.; D'Urso, D.; Eline, A.; Eppling, F. J.; Eronen, T.; Fan, Y. Y.; Farnesini, L.; Feng, J.; Fiandrini, E.; Fiasson, A.; Finch, E.; Fisher, P.; Galaktionov, Y.; Gallucci, G.; García, B.; García-López, R.; Gast, H.; Gebauer, I.; Gervasi, M.; Ghelfi, A.; Gillard, W.; Giovacchini, F.; Goglov, P.; Gong, J.; Goy, C.; Grabski, V.; Grandi, D.; Graziani, M.; Guandalini, C.; Guerri, I.; Guo, K. H.; Habiby, M.; Haino, S.; Han, K. C.; He, Z. H.; Heil, M.; Hoffman, J.; Hsieh, T. H.; Huang, Z. C.; Huh, C.; Incagli, M.; Ionica, M.; Jang, W. Y.; Jinchi, H.; Kanishev, K.; Kim, G. N.; Kim, K. S.; Kirn, Th.; Kossakowski, R.; Kounina, O.; Kounine, A.; Koutsenko, V.; Krafczyk, M. S.; Kunz, S.; La Vacca, G.; Laudi, E.; Laurenti, G.; Lazzizzera, I.; Lebedev, A.; Lee, H. T.; Lee, S. C.; Leluc, C.; Li, H. L.; Li, J. Q.; Li, Q.; Li, Q.; Li, T. X.; Li, W.; Li, Y.; Li, Z. H.; Li, Z. Y.; Lim, S.; Lin, C. H.; Lipari, P.; Lippert, T.; Liu, D.; Liu, H.; Lomtadze, T.; Lu, M. J.; Lu, Y. S.; Luebelsmeyer, K.; Luo, F.; Luo, J. Z.; Lv, S. S.; Majka, R.; Malinin, A.; Mañá, C.; Marín, J.; Martin, T.; Martínez, G.; Masi, N.; Maurin, D.; Menchaca-Rocha, A.; Meng, Q.; Mo, D. C.; Morescalchi, L.; Mott, P.; Müller, M.; Ni, J. Q.; Nikonov, N.; Nozzoli, F.; Nunes, P.; Obermeier, A.; Oliva, A.; Orcinha, M.; Palmonari, F.; Palomares, C.; Paniccia, M.; Papi, A.; Pedreschi, E.; Pensotti, S.; Pereira, R.; Pilo, F.; Piluso, A.; Pizzolotto, C.; Plyaskin, V.; Pohl, M.; Poireau, V.; Postaci, E.; Putze, A.; Quadrani, L.; Qi, X. M.; Rancoita, P. G.; Rapin, D.; Ricol, J. S.; Rodríguez, I.; Rosier-Lees, S.; Rozhkov, A.; Rozza, D.; Sagdeev, R.; Sandweiss, J.; Saouter, P.; Sbarra, C.; Schael, S.; Schmidt, S. M.; Schuckardt, D.; von Dratzig, A. Schulz; Schwering, G.; Scolieri, G.; Seo, E. S.; Shan, B. S.; Shan, Y. H.; Shi, J. Y.; Shi, X. Y.; Shi, Y. M.; Siedenburg, T.; Son, D.; Spada, F.; Spinella, F.; Sun, W.; Sun, W. H.; Tacconi, M.; Tang, C. P.; Tang, X. W.; Tang, Z. C.; Tao, L.; Tescaro, D.; Ting, Samuel C. C.; Ting, S. M.; Tomassetti, N.; Torsti, J.; Türkoǧlu, C.; Urban, T.; Vagelli, V.; Valente, E.; Vannini, C.; Valtonen, E.; Vaurynovich, S.; Vecchi, M.; Velasco, M.; Vialle, J. P.; Wang, L. Q.; Wang, Q. L.; Wang, R. S.; Wang, X.; Wang, Z. X.; Weng, Z. L.; Whitman, K.; Wienkenhöver, J.; Wu, H.; Xia, X.; Xie, M.; Xie, S.; Xiong, R. Q.; Xin, G. M.; Xu, N. S.; Xu, W.; Yan, Q.; Yang, J.; Yang, M.; Ye, Q. H.; Yi, H.; Yu, Y. J.; Yu, Z. Q.; Zeissler, S.; Zhang, J. H.; Zhang, M. T.; Zhang, X. B.; Zhang, Z.; Zheng, Z. M.; Zhuang, H. L.; Zhukov, V.; Zichichi, A.; Zimmermann, N.; Zuccon, P.; Zurbach, C.; AMS Collaboration

2014-09-01

A precision measurement by AMS of the positron fraction in primary cosmic rays in the energy range from 0.5 to 500 GeV based on 10.9 million positron and electron events is presented. This measurement extends the energy range of our previous observation and increases its precision. The new results show, for the first time, that above ∼200 GeV the positron fraction no longer exhibits an increase with energy.

The Japanese Positron Factory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okada, S.; Sunaga, H.; Kaneko, H.; Takizawa, H.; Kawasuso, A.; Yotsumoto, K.; Tanaka, R.

1999-06-01

The Positron Factory has been planned at Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute (JAERI). The factory is expected to produce linac-based monoenergetic positron beams having world-highest intensities of more than 1010e+/sec, which will be applied for R&D of materials science, biotechnology and basic physics & chemistry. In this article, results of the design studies are demonstrated for the following essential components of the facilities: 1) Conceptual design of a high-power electron linac with 100 MeV in beam energy and 100 kW in averaged beam power, 2) Performance tests of the RF window in the high-power klystron and of the electron beam window, 3) Development of a self-driven rotating electron-to-positron converter and the performance tests, 4) Proposal of multi-channel beam generation system for monoenergetic positrons, with a series of moderator assemblies based on a newly developed Monte Carlo simulation and the demonstrative experiment, 5) Proposal of highly efficient moderator structures, 6) Conceptual design of a local shield to suppress the surrounding radiation and activation levels.

Positrons observed to originate from thunderstorms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fishman, Gerald J.

2011-05-01

Thunderstorms are the result of warm, moist air moving rapidly upward, then cooling and condensing. Electrification occurs within thunderstorms (as noted by Benjamin Franklin), produced primarily by frictional processes among ice particles. This leads to lightning discharges; the types, intensities, and rates of these discharges vary greatly among thunderstorms. Even though scientists have been studying lightning since Franklin's time, new phenomena associated with thunderstorms are still being discovered. In particular, a recent finding by Briggs et al. [2011], based on observations by the Gamma-Ray Burst Monitor (GBM) instrument on NASA's satellite-based Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope (Fermi), shows that positrons are also generated by thunderstorms. Positrons are the antimatter form of electrons—they have the same mass and charge as an electron but are of positive rather than negative charge; hence the name positron. Observations of positrons from thunderstorms may lead to a new tool for understanding the electrification and high-energy processes occurring within thunderstorms. New theories, along with new observational techniques, are rapidly evolving in this field.

Method of incident low-energy gamma-ray direction reconstruction in the GAMMA-400 gamma-ray space telescope

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kheymits, M. D.; Leonov, A. A.; Zverev, V. G.; Galper, A. M.; Arkhangelskaya, I. V.; Arkhangelskiy, A. I.; Suchkov, S. I.; Topchiev, N. P.; Yurkin, Yu T.; Bakaldin, A. V.; Dalkarov, O. D.

2016-02-01

The GAMMA-400 gamma-ray space-based telescope has as its main goals to measure cosmic γ-ray fluxes and the electron-positron cosmic-ray component produced, theoretically, in dark-matter-particles decay or annihilation processes, to search for discrete γ-ray sources and study them in detail, to examine the energy spectra of diffuse γ-rays — both galactic and extragalactic — and to study gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) and γ-rays from the active Sun. Scientific goals of GAMMA-400 telescope require fine angular resolution. The telescope is of a pair-production type. In the converter-tracker, the incident gamma-ray photon converts into electron-positron pair in the tungsten layer and then the tracks are detected by silicon- strip position-sensitive detectors. Multiple scattering processes become a significant obstacle in the incident-gamma direction reconstruction for energies below several gigaelectronvolts. The method of utilising this process to improve the resolution is proposed in the presented work.

A positron emission tomograph based on LSO-APD modules with a sampling ADC read-out system for a students' advanced laboratory course.

PubMed

Schneider, Florian R; Mann, Alexander B; Konorov, Igor; Delso, Gaspar; Paul, Stephan; Ziegler, Sibylle I

2012-06-01

A one-day laboratory course on positron emission tomography (PET) for the education of physics students and PhD students in medical physics has been set up. In the course, the physical background and the principles of a PET scanner are introduced. Course attendees set the system in operation, calibrate it using a (22)Na point source and reconstruct different source geometries filled with (18)F. The PET scanner features an individual channel read-out of 96 lutetium oxyorthosilicate (LSO) scintillator crystals coupled to avalanche photodiodes (APD). The analog data of each APD are digitized by fast sampling analog to digital converters (SADC) and processed within field programmable gate arrays (FPGA) to extract amplitudes and time stamps. All SADCs are continuously sampling with a precise rate of 80MHz, which is synchronous for the whole system. The data is transmitted via USB to a Linux PC, where further processing and the image reconstruction are performed. The course attendees get an insight into detector techniques, modern read-out electronics, data acquisition and PET image reconstruction. In addition, a short introduction to some common software applications used in particle and high energy physics is part of the course. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier GmbH.

DAΦNE operation with electron-cloud-clearing electrodes.

PubMed

Alesini, D; Drago, A; Gallo, A; Guiducci, S; Milardi, C; Stella, A; Zobov, M; De Santis, S; Demma, T; Raimondi, P

2013-03-22

The effects of an electron cloud (e-cloud) on beam dynamics are one of the major factors limiting performances of high intensity positron, proton, and ion storage rings. In the electron-positron collider DAΦNE, namely, a horizontal beam instability due to the electron-cloud effect has been identified as one of the main limitations on the maximum stored positron beam current and as a source of beam quality deterioration. During the last machine shutdown in order to mitigate such instability, special electrodes have been inserted in all dipole and wiggler magnets of the positron ring. It has been the first installation all over the world of this type since long metallic electrodes have been installed in all arcs of the collider positron ring and are currently used during the machine operation in collision. This has allowed a number of unprecedented measurements (e-cloud instabilities growth rate, transverse beam size variation, tune shifts along the bunch train) where the e-cloud contribution is clearly evidenced by turning the electrodes on and off. In this Letter we briefly describe a novel design of the electrodes, while the main focus is on experimental measurements. Here we report all results that clearly indicate the effectiveness of the electrodes for e-cloud suppression.

ZnO Luminescence and scintillation studied via photoexcitation, X-ray excitation, and gamma-induced positron spectroscopy.

PubMed

Ji, J; Colosimo, A M; Anwand, W; Boatner, L A; Wagner, A; Stepanov, P S; Trinh, T T; Liedke, M O; Krause-Rehberg, R; Cowan, T E; Selim, F A

2016-08-23

The luminescence and scintillation properties of ZnO single crystals were studied by photoluminescence and X-ray-induced luminescence (XRIL) techniques. XRIL allowed a direct comparison to be made between the near-band emission (NBE) and trap emissions providing insight into the carrier recombination efficiency in the ZnO crystals. It also provided bulk luminescence measurements that were not affected by surface states. The origin of a green emission, the dominant trap emission in ZnO, was then investigated by gamma-induced positron spectroscopy (GIPS) - a unique defect spectroscopy method that enables positron lifetime measurements to be made for a sample without contributions from positron annihilation in the source materials. The measurements showed a single positron decay curve with a 175 ps lifetime component that was attributed to Zn vacancies passivated by hydrogen. Both oxygen vacancies and hydrogen-decorated Zn vacancies were suggested to contribute to the green emission. By combining scintillation measurements with XRIL, the fast scintillation in ZnO crystals was found to be strongly correlated with the ratio between the defect luminescence and NBE. This study reports the first application of GIPS to semiconductors, and it reveals the great benefits of the XRIL technique for the study of emission and scintillation properties of materials.

ZnO Luminescence and scintillation studied via photoexcitation, X-ray excitation, and gamma-induced positron spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ji, J.; Colosimo, A. M.; Anwand, W.; Boatner, L. A.; Wagner, A.; Stepanov, P. S.; Trinh, T. T.; Liedke, M. O.; Krause-Rehberg, R.; Cowan, T. E.; Selim, F. A.

2016-08-01

The luminescence and scintillation properties of ZnO single crystals were studied by photoluminescence and X-ray-induced luminescence (XRIL) techniques. XRIL allowed a direct comparison to be made between the near-band emission (NBE) and trap emissions providing insight into the carrier recombination efficiency in the ZnO crystals. It also provided bulk luminescence measurements that were not affected by surface states. The origin of a green emission, the dominant trap emission in ZnO, was then investigated by gamma-induced positron spectroscopy (GIPS) - a unique defect spectroscopy method that enables positron lifetime measurements to be made for a sample without contributions from positron annihilation in the source materials. The measurements showed a single positron decay curve with a 175 ps lifetime component that was attributed to Zn vacancies passivated by hydrogen. Both oxygen vacancies and hydrogen-decorated Zn vacancies were suggested to contribute to the green emission. By combining scintillation measurements with XRIL, the fast scintillation in ZnO crystals was found to be strongly correlated with the ratio between the defect luminescence and NBE. This study reports the first application of GIPS to semiconductors, and it reveals the great benefits of the XRIL technique for the study of emission and scintillation properties of materials.

ZnO Luminescence and scintillation studied via photoexcitation, X-ray excitation, and gamma-induced positron spectroscopy

PubMed Central

Ji, J.; Colosimo, A. M.; Anwand, W.; Boatner, L. A.; Wagner, A.; Stepanov, P. S.; Trinh, T. T.; Liedke, M. O.; Krause-Rehberg, R.; Cowan, T. E.; Selim, F. A.

2016-01-01

The luminescence and scintillation properties of ZnO single crystals were studied by photoluminescence and X-ray-induced luminescence (XRIL) techniques. XRIL allowed a direct comparison to be made between the near-band emission (NBE) and trap emissions providing insight into the carrier recombination efficiency in the ZnO crystals. It also provided bulk luminescence measurements that were not affected by surface states. The origin of a green emission, the dominant trap emission in ZnO, was then investigated by gamma-induced positron spectroscopy (GIPS) - a unique defect spectroscopy method that enables positron lifetime measurements to be made for a sample without contributions from positron annihilation in the source materials. The measurements showed a single positron decay curve with a 175 ps lifetime component that was attributed to Zn vacancies passivated by hydrogen. Both oxygen vacancies and hydrogen-decorated Zn vacancies were suggested to contribute to the green emission. By combining scintillation measurements with XRIL, the fast scintillation in ZnO crystals was found to be strongly correlated with the ratio between the defect luminescence and NBE. This study reports the first application of GIPS to semiconductors, and it reveals the great benefits of the XRIL technique for the study of emission and scintillation properties of materials. PMID:27550235

Magnetic measurements of the 10 T superconducting wiggler for the SPring-8 storage ring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Batrakov, A.; Borovikov, V.; Bekhtenev, E.; Fedurin, M.; Hara, M.; Karpov, G.; Kuzin, M.; Mezentsev, N.; Miahara, Y.; Shimada, T.; Shkaruba, V.; Soutome, K.; Tzumaki, K.

2001-07-01

In 1999, in the frame of the project ISTC #767 "Budker INP/RIKEN Slow Positron Source", the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics had made a 10 T Three-pole Superconducting Wiggler. The wiggler will be the keystone of this project by its installation on the SPring-8 storage ring for powerful gamma ray generation ( λ c=450 keV ), that will be used for slow positron production ( Nγ( ɛ>1 MeV)˜10 15, γ/s I e=0.1 A ). A. Ando et al., Proposal of the high magnetic field super conducting WLS for slow positron source at SPring-8, presented at SR1 '97 Conference. In January, 2000, the wiggler was transported to SPring-8, where the last test and measurements were carried out in collaboration with Japan. In this article, the results of measurements of the magnetic field, finding the magnetic field amplitude by an NMR probe, the definition of feed current relations by stretch current wire method, the calibration of a Hall probe in the high magnetic field, and the measurement of the magnetic field profile by a Hall probe are presented.

Electron and positron interaction with pyrimidine: A theoretical investigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sinha, Nidhi; Antony, Bobby

2018-03-01

Pyrimidine (C4H4N2) is considered as the building block of nucleobases, viz., cytosine, thymine and uracil. They provide a blueprint for probing the scattering of radiation by DNA and RNA bases. In this article, we report the elastic and total scattering cross-sections for electron and positron scattering from the pyrimidine molecule, employing a spherical complex optical potential (SCOP) formalism for an extensive energy range of 10 eV to 5 keV. In the case of positron scattering, the original SCOP formalism is modified to adequately solve the positron-target dynamics. Moreover, a reasonable agreement is observed between the present results and other available datasets, for both electron and positron scattering. The cross-sections for electron and positron impact scattering by pyrimidine are necessary input data for codes that seek to simulate radiation damage, and hence are useful to model biomolecular systems.

A study of the effects of strong magnetic fields on the image resolution of PET scanners

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burdette, Don J.

Very high resolution images can be achieved in small animal PET systems utilizing solid state silicon pad detectors. In such systems using detectors with sub-millimeter intrinsic resolutions, the range of the positron is the largest contribution to the image blur. The size of the positron range effect depends on the initial positron energy and hence the radioactive tracer used. For higher energy positron emitters, such as 68Ga and 94mTc, the variation of the annihilation point dominates the spatial resolution. In this study two techniques are investigated to improve the image resolution of PET scanners limited by the range of the positron. One, the positron range can be reduced by embedding the PET field of view in a strong magnetic field. We have developed a silicon pad detector based PET instrument that can operate in strong magnetic fields with an image resolution of 0.7 mm FWHM to study this effect. Two, iterative reconstruction methods can be used to statistically correct for the range of the positron. Both strong magnetic fields and iterative reconstruction algorithms that statistically account for the positron range distribution are investigated in this work.

Free-volume characterization of nanostructurized substances by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shpotyuk, O.; Ingram, A.; Shpotyuk, Ya.

2018-02-01

Methodological possibilities of positron annihilation lifetime (PAL) spectroscopy are examined to parameterize free-volume structural evolution processes in some nanostructurized substances obeying conversion from positronium (Ps) decaying to positron trapping. Unlike conventional x3-term fitting analysis based on admixed positron trapping and Ps decaying, the effect of nanostructurization is considered as occurring due to conversion from preferential Ps decaying in initial host matrix to positron trapping in modified (nanostructurized) host-guest matrix. The developed approach referred to as x3-x2-CDA (coupling decomposition algorithm) allows estimation defect-free bulk and defect-specific positron lifetimes of free-volume elements responsible for nanostructurization. The applicability of this approach is proved for some nanostructurized materials allowing free-volume changes through Ps-to-positron trapping conversion, such as (i) metallic Ag nanoparticles embedded in polymer matrix, (ii) structure-modification processes caused by swift heavy ions irradiation in polystyrene, and (iii) host-guest chemistry problems like water immersion in alumomagnesium spinel ceramics. This approach is considered to be used as test-indicator, separating processes of host-matrix nanostructurization due to embedded nanoparticles from uncorrelated changes in positron-trapping and Ps-decaying channels.

Novel time-of-flight spectrometer for the analysis of positron annihilation induced Auger electrons

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hugenschmidt, Christoph; Legl, Stefan; Physik-Department E21, Technische Universitaet Muenchen, James-Franck-Strasse, 85748 Garching

2006-10-15

Positron annihilation induced Auger-electron spectroscopy (PAES) has several advantages over conventional Auger-electron spectroscopy such as extremely high surface sensitivity and outstanding signal-to-noise ratio at the Auger-transition energy. In order to benefit from these prominent features a low-energy positron beam of high intensity is required for surface sensitive PAES studies. In addition, an electron energy analyzer is required, which efficiently detects the Auger electrons with acceptable energy resolution. For this reason a novel time-of-flight (TOF) spectrometer has been developed at the intense positron source NEPOMUC that allows PAES studies within short measurement time. This TOF-PAES setup combines a trochoidal filter andmore » a flight tube in a Faraday cage in order to achieve an improved energy resolution of about 1 eV at high electron energies up to E{approx_equal}1000 eV. The electron flight time is the time between the annihilation radiation at the sample and when the electron hits a microchannel plate detector at the end of the flight tube.« less

Novel time-of-flight spectrometer for the analysis of positron annihilation induced Auger electrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hugenschmidt, Christoph; Legl, Stefan

2006-10-01

Positron annihilation induced Auger-electron spectroscopy (PAES) has several advantages over conventional Auger-electron spectroscopy such as extremely high surface sensitivity and outstanding signal-to-noise ratio at the Auger-transition energy. In order to benefit from these prominent features a low-energy positron beam of high intensity is required for surface sensitive PAES studies. In addition, an electron energy analyzer is required, which efficiently detects the Auger electrons with acceptable energy resolution. For this reason a novel time-of-flight (TOF) spectrometer has been developed at the intense positron source NEPOMUC that allows PAES studies within short measurement time. This TOF-PAES setup combines a trochoidal filter and a flight tube in a Faraday cage in order to achieve an improved energy resolution of about 1eV at high electron energies up to E ≈1000eV. The electron flight time is the time between the annihilation radiation at the sample and when the electron hits a microchannel plate detector at the end of the flight tube.

Optical and positron annihilation spectroscopic studies on PMMA polymer doped by rhodamine B/chloranilic acid charge transfer complex: Special relevance to the effect of γ-ray irradiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hassan, H. E.; Refat, Moamen S.; Sharshar, T.

2016-04-01

Polymeric sheets of poly (methylmethaclyerate) (PMMA) containing charge transfer (CT) complex of rhodamine B/chloranilic acid (Rho B/CHA) were synthesized in methanol solvent at room temperature. The systematic analysis done on the Rho B and its CT complex in the form of powder or polymeric sheets confirmed their structure and thermal stability. The IR spectra interpreted the charge transfer mode of interaction between the CHA central positions and the terminal carboxylic group. The polymer sheets were irradiated with 70 kGy of γ radiation using 60Co source to study the enhanced changes in the structure and optical parameters. The microstructure changes of the PMMA sheets caused by γ-ray irradiation were analyzed using positron annihilation lifetime (PAL) and positron annihilation Doppler broadening (PADB) techniques. The positron life time components (τi) and their corresponding intensities (Ii) as well as PADB line-shape parameters (S and W) were found to be highly sensitive to the enhanced disorder occurred in the organic chains of the polymeric sheets due to γ-irradiation.

Positron induced scattering cross sections for hydrocarbons relevant to plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Singh, Suvam; Antony, Bobby

2018-05-01

This article explores positron scattering cross sections by simple hydrocarbons such as ethane, ethene, ethyne, propane, and propyne. Chemical erosion processes occurring on the surface due to plasma-wall interactions are an abundant source of hydrocarbon molecules which contaminate the hydrogenic plasma. These hydrocarbons play an important role in the edge plasma region of Tokamak and ITER. In addition to this, they are also one of the major components in the planetary atmospheres and astrophysical mediums. The present work focuses on calculation of different positron impact interactions with simple hydrocarbons in terms of the total cross section (Qtot), elastic cross section (Qel), direct ionization cross section (Qion), positronium formation cross section (Qps), and total ionization cross section (Qtion). Knowing that the positron-plasma study is one of the trending fields, the calculated data have diverse plasma and astrophysical modeling applications. A comprehensive study of Qtot has been provided where the inelastic cross sections have been reported for the first time. Comparisons are made with those available from the literature, and a good agreement is obtained with the measurements.

Cosmic ray electrons and positrons from supernova explosions of massive stars.

PubMed

Biermann, P L; Becker, J K; Meli, A; Rhode, W; Seo, E S; Stanev, T

2009-08-07

We attribute the recently discovered cosmic ray electron and cosmic ray positron excess components and their cutoffs to the acceleration in the supernova shock in the polar cap of exploding Wolf-Rayet and red supergiant stars. Considering a spherical surface at some radius around such a star, the magnetic field is radial in the polar cap as opposed to most of 4pi (the full solid angle), where the magnetic field is nearly tangential. This difference yields a flatter spectrum, and also an enhanced positron injection for the cosmic rays accelerated in the polar cap. This reasoning naturally explains the observations. Precise spectral measurements will be the test, as this predicts a simple E;{-2} spectrum for the new components in the source, steepened to E;{-3} in observations with an E;{-4} cutoff.

Particle Acceleration and Magnetic Field Generation in Electron-Positron Relativistic Shocks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nishikawa, K.-I.; Hardee, P.; Richardson, G.; Preece, R.; Sol, H.; Fishman, G. J.

2004-01-01

Shock acceleration is an ubiquitous phenomenon in astrophysical plasmas. Plasma waves and their associated instabilities (e.g., Buneman, Weibel and other two-stream instabilities) created in collisionless shocks are responsible for particle (electron, positron, and ion) acceleration. Using a 3-D relativistic electromagnetic particle (REMP) code, we have investigated particle acceleration associated with a relativistic electron-positron jet front propagating into an ambient electron-positron plasma with and without initial magnetic fields. We find small differences in the results for no ambient and modest ambient magnetic fields. Simulations show that the Weibel instability created in the collisionless shock front accelerates jet and ambient particles both perpendicular and parallel to the jet propagation direction. The non-linear fluctuation amplitudes of densities, currents, electric, and magnetic fields in the electron-positron shock are larger than those found in the electron-ion shock studied in a previous paper. This comes from the fact that both electrons and positrons contribute to generation of the Weibel instability. Additionally, we have performed simulations with different electron skin depths. We find that growth times scale inversely with the plasma frequency, and the sizes of structures created by the Weibel instability scale proportional to the electron skin depth. This is the expected result and indicates that the simulations have sufficient grid resolution. While some Fermi acceleration may occur at the jet front, the majority of electron and positron acceleration takes place behind the jet front and cannot be characterized as Fermi acceleration. The simulation results show that the Weibel instability is responsible for generating and amplifying nonuniform, small-scale magnetic fields which contribute to the electron's (positron's) transverse deflection behind the jet head. This small scale magnetic field structure is appropriate to the generation of "jitter" radiation from deflected electrons (positrons) as opposed to synchrotron radiation. The jitter radiation has different properties than synchrotron radiation calculated assuming a a uniform magnetic field. The jitter radiation resulting from small scale magnetic field structures may be important for understanding the complex time structure and spectral evolution observed in gamma-ray bursts or other astrophysical sources containing relativistic jets and relativistic collisionless shocks.

Particle Acceleration and Magnetic Field Generation in Electron-Positron Relativistic Shocks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nishikawa, K.-L.; Hardee, P.; Richardson, G.; Preece, R.; Sol, H.; Fishman, G. J.

2004-01-01

Shock acceleration is an ubiquitous phenomenon in astrophysical plasmas. Plasma waves and their associated instabilities (e.g., Buneman, Weibel and other two-stream instabilities) created in collisionless shocks are responsible for particle (electron, positron, and ion) acceleration. Using a 3-D relativistic electromagnetic particle (REMP) code, we have investigated particle acceleration associated with a relativistic electron-positron jet front propagating into an ambient electron-positron plasma with and without initial magnetic fields. We find small differences in the results for no ambient and modest ambient magnetic fields. Simulations show that the Weibel instability created in the collisionless shock front accelerates jet and ambient particles both perpendicular and parallel to the jet propagation direction. The non-linear fluctuation amplitudes of densities, currents, electric, and magnetic fields in the electron-positron shock are larger than those found in the electron-ion shock studied in a previous paper at the comparable simulation time. This comes from the fact that both electrons and positrons contribute to generation of the Weibel instability. Additionally, we have performed simulations with different electron skin depths. We find that growth times scale inversely with the plasma frequency, and the sizes of structures created by the Weibel instability scale proportional to the electron skin depth. This is the expected result and indicates that the simulations have sufficient grid resolution. While some Fermi acceleration may occur at the jet front, the majority of electron and positron acceleration takes place behind the jet front and cannot be characterized as Fermi acceleration. The simulation results show that the Weibel instability is responsible for generating and amplifying nonuniform: small-scale magnetic fields which contribute to the electron's (positron's) transverse deflection behind the jet head. This small scale magnetic field structure is appropriate to the generation of jitter radiation from deflected electrons (positrons) as opposed to synchrotron radiation. The jitter radiation has different properties than synchrotron radiation calculated assuming a a uniform magnetic field. The jitter radiation resulting from small scale magnetic field structures may be important for understanding the complex time structure and spectral evolution observed in gamma-ray bursts or other astrophysical sources containing relativistic jets and relativistic collisionless shocks.

Particle Acceleration and Magnetic Field Generation in Electron-Positron Relativistic Shocks

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nishikawa, K.-I.; Hardee, P.; Richardson, G.; Preece, R.; Sol, H.; Fishman, G. J.

2005-01-01

Shock acceleration is a ubiquitous phenomenon in astrophysical plasmas. Plasma waves and their associated instabilities (e.g., Buneman, Weibel, and other two-stream instabilities) created in collisionless shocks are responsible for particle (electron, positron, and ion) acceleration. Using a three-dimensional relativistic electromagnetic particle (REMP) code, we have investigated particle acceleration associated with a relativistic electron-positron jet front propagating into an ambient electron-positron plasma with and without initial magnetic fields. We find small differences in the results for no ambient and modest ambient magnetic fields. New simulations show that the Weibel instability created in the collisionless shock front accelerates jet and ambient particles both perpendicular and parallel to the jet propagation direction. Furthermore, the nonlinear fluctuation amplitudes of densities, currents, and electric and magnetic fields in the electron-positron shock are larger than those found in the electron-ion shock studied in a previous paper at a comparable simulation time. This comes from the fact that both electrons and positrons contribute to generation of the Weibel instability. In addition, we have performed simulations with different electron skin depths. We find that growth times scale inversely with the plasma frequency, and the sizes of structures created by tine Weibel instability scale proportionally to the electron skin depth. This is the expected result and indicates that the simulations have sufficient grid resolution. While some Fermi acceleration may occur at the jet front, the majority of electron and positron acceleration takes place behind the jet front and cannot be characterized as Fermi acceleration. The simulation results show that the Weibel instability is responsible for generating and amplifying nonuniform, small-scale magnetic fields, which contribute to the electron s (positron s) transverse deflection behind the jet head. This small- scale magnetic field structure is appropriate to the generation of "jitter" radiation from deflected electrons (positrons) as opposed to synchrotron radiation. The jitter radiation has different properties than synchrotron radiation calculated assuming a uniform magnetic field. The jitter radiation resulting from small-scale magnetic field structures may be important for understanding the complex time structure and spectral evolution observed in gamma-ray bursts or other astrophysical sources containing relativistic jets and relativistic collisionless shocks.

Nuclear Photonics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nedorezov, V. G.; Savel'ev-Trofimov, A. B.

2017-12-01

A review of works performed at the Institute for Nuclear Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences and at the International Laser Center of the Moscow State University in the context of the new research area called "nuclear photonics" is presented. Nuclear photonics is based on creation of the new-generation gamma-ray sources which make it possible to solve a number of fundamental and applied problems, including research of low-energy photonuclear reactions, namely, investigation of collective excitations of nuclei near the threshold (pygmy resonances); nuclear safety assurance; production of low-energy positron beams; and phase-contrast X-ray imaging.

New parameter-free polarization potentials in low-energy positron collisions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jain, Ashok

1990-01-01

The polarization potential plays a decisive role in shaping up the cross sections in low energy positron collisions with atoms and molecules. However, its inclusion without involving any adjustable parameter, is still a challenge. Various other techniques employed so far for positron collisions are summarized, and a new, nonadjustable and very simple form of the polarization potential for positron-atom (molecule) collisions below the threshold of positronium formation is discussed. This new recently proposed potential is based on the correlation energy of a single positron in a homogeneous electron gas. The correlation energy was calculated by solving the Schrodinger equation of the positron-electron system and fitted to an analytical form in various ranges of the density parameter. In the outside region, the correlation energy is joined smoothly with the correct asymptotic form. This new positron correlation polarization (PCOP) potential was tested on several atomic and molecular targets such as the Ar, CO, and CH4. The results on the total and differential cross sections on these targets are shown along with the experimental data where available.

Beam position monitoring system at CESR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Billing, M. G.; Bergan, W. F.; Forster, M. J.; Meller, R. E.; Rendina, M. C.; Rider, N. T.; Sagan, D. C.; Shanks, J.; Sikora, J. P.; Stedinger, M. G.; Strohman, C. R.; Palmer, M. A.; Holtzapple, R. L.

2017-09-01

The Cornell Electron-positron Storage Ring (CESR) has been converted from a High Energy Physics electron-positron collider to operate as a dedicated synchrotron light source for the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS) and to conduct accelerator physics research as a test accelerator, capable of studying topics relevant to future damping rings, colliders and light sources. Some of the specific topics that were targeted for the initial phase of operation of the storage ring in this mode, labeled CESRTA (CESR as a Test Accelerator), included 1) tuning techniques to produce low emittance beams, 2) the study of electron cloud development in a storage ring and 3) intra-beam scattering effects. The complete conversion of CESR to CESRTA occurred over a several year period and is described elsewhere. As a part of this conversion the CESR beam position monitoring (CBPM) system was completely upgraded to provide the needed instrumental capabilities for these studies. This paper describes the new CBPM system hardware, its function and representative measurements performed by the upgraded system.

Detection efficiency calculation for photons, electrons and positrons in a well detector. Part I: Analytical model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pommé, S.

2009-06-01

An analytical model is presented to calculate the total detection efficiency of a well-type radiation detector for photons, electrons and positrons emitted from a radioactive source at an arbitrary position inside the well. The model is well suited to treat a typical set-up with a point source or cylindrical source and vial inside a NaI well detector, with or without lead shield surrounding it. It allows for fast absolute or relative total efficiency calibrations for a wide variety of geometrical configurations and also provides accurate input for the calculation of coincidence summing effects. Depending on its accuracy, it may even be applied in 4π-γ counting, a primary standardisation method for activity. Besides an accurate account of photon interactions, precautions are taken to simulate the special case of 511 keV annihilation quanta and to include realistic approximations for the range of (conversion) electrons and β -- and β +-particles.

Positron annihilation spectroscopy for the determination of thickness and defect profile in thin semiconductor layers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zubiaga, A.; García, J. A.; Plazaola, F.; Tuomisto, F.; Zúñiga-Pérez, J.; Muñoz-Sanjosé, V.

2007-05-01

We present a method, based on positron annihilation spectroscopy, to obtain information on the defect depth profile of layers grown over high-quality substrates. We have applied the method to the case of ZnO layers grown on sapphire, but the method can be very easily generalized to other heterostructures (homostructures) where the positron mean diffusion length is small enough. Applying the method to the ratio of W and S parameters obtained from Doppler broadening measurements, W/S plots, it is possible to determine the thickness of the layer and the defect profile in the layer, when mainly one defect trapping positron is contributing to positron trapping at the measurement temperature. Indeed, the quality of such characterization is very important for potential technological applications of the layer.

Harvesting the decay energy of 26Al to drive lightning discharge in protoplanetary discs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johansen, Anders; Okuzumi, Satoshi

2018-01-01

Chondrules in primitive meteorites likely formed by recrystallisation of dust aggregates that were flash-heated to nearly complete melting. Chondrules may represent the building blocks of rocky planetesimals and protoplanets in the inner regions of protoplanetary discs, but the source of ubiquitous thermal processing of their dust aggregate precursors remains elusive. Here we demonstrate that escape of positrons released in the decay of the short-lived radionuclide 26Al leads to a large-scale charging of dense pebble structures, resulting in neutralisation by lightning discharge and flash-heating of dust and pebbles. This charging mechanism is similar to a nuclear battery where a radioactive source charges a capacitor. We show that the nuclear battery effect operates in circumplanetesimal pebble discs. The extremely high pebble densities in such discs are consistent with conditions during chondrule heating inferred from the high abundance of sodium within chondrules. The sedimented mid-plane layer of the protoplanetary disc may also be prone to charging by the emission of positrons, if the mass density of small dust there is at least an order of magnitude above the gas density. Our results imply that the decay energy of 26Al can be harvested to drive intense lightning activity in protoplanetary discs. The total energy stored in positron emission is comparable to the energy needed to melt all solids in the protoplanetary disc. The efficiency of transferring the positron energy to the electric field nevertheless depends on the relatively unknown distribution and scale-dependence of pebble density gradients in circumplanetesimal pebble discs and in the protoplanetary disc mid-plane layer.

Gamma rays from pulsar wind shock acceleration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harding, Alice K.

1990-01-01

A shock forming in the wind of relativistic electron-positron pairs from a pulsar, as a result of confinement by surrounding material, could convert part of the pulsar spin-down luminosity to high energy particles through first order Fermi acceleration. High energy protons could be produced by this mechanism both in supernova remnants and in binary systems containing pulsars. The pion-decay gamma-rays resulting from interaction of accelerated protons with surrounding target material in such sources might be observable above 70 MeV with EGRET (Energetic Gamma-Ray Experimental Telescope) and above 100 GeV with ground-based detectors. Acceleration of protons and expected gamma-ray fluxes from SN1987A, Cyg X-3 type sources and binary pulsars are discussed.

Radiation absorbed dose to bladder walls from positron emitters in the bladder content.

PubMed

Powell, G F; Chen, C T

1987-01-01

A method to calculate absorbed doses at depths in the walls of a static spherical bladder from a positron emitter in the bladder content has been developed. The beta ray dose component is calculated for a spherical model by employing the solutions to the integration of Loevinger and Bochkarev point source functions over line segments and a line segment source array technique. The gamma ray dose is determined using the specific gamma ray constant. As an example, absorbed radiation doses to the bladder walls from F-18 in the bladder content are presented for static spherical bladder models having radii of 2.0 and 3.5 cm, respectively. Experiments with ultra-thin thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD's) were performed to verify the results of the calculations. Good agreement between TLD measurements and calculations was obtained.

Upgrade of the Surface Spectrometer at NEPOMUC for PAES, XPS and STM Investigations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zimnik, S.; Lippert, F.; Hugenschmidt, C.

2014-04-01

The characterization of the elemental composition of surfaces is of great importance for the understanding of many surface processes, such as surface segregation or oxidation. Positron-annihilation-induced Auger Electron Spectroscopy (PAES) is a powerful technique for gathering information about the elemental composition of only the topmost atomic layer of a sample. The upgraded surface spectrometer at NEPOMUC (NEtron induced POsitron source MUniCh) enables a comprehensive surface analysis with the complementary techniques STM, XPS and PAES. A new X-ray source for X-ray induced photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was installed to gather additional information on oxidation states. A new scanning tunneling microscope (STM) is used as a complementary method to investigate with atomic resolution the surface electron density. The combination of PAES, XPS and STM allows the characterization of both the elemental composition, and the surface topology.

Positron annihilation in the high-Tc superconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakraborty, Bulbul

1989-01-01

A model for positron annihilation in the high-Tc oxides is constructed based on the strongly correlated nature of the electrons in these systems. It is shown that the change in positron lifetime as a function of temperature in superconducting, nearly defect-free YBa2Cu3O7 and La1.85Sr0.15CuO4 can be understood on the basis of this model assuming that real hole-pair formation takes place in the superfluid state. The observed positron-lifetime changes in YBa2Cu3O7-x as a function of x is also found to be consistent with this model.

Theoretical calculations of positron annihilation characteristics in inorganic solids -- Recent advances and problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sob, M.; Sormann, H.; Kuriplach, J.

Principles and applications of positron annihilation spectroscopy to electronic structure and defect studies are briefly reviewed and some recent advances and pending problems are illustrated by specific examples. In particular, it turns out that the sensitivity of calculated momentum densities of electron-positron annihilation pairs (MDAP) to the choice of electron crystal potential is higher or comparable to its sensitivity with respect to the choice of description of the electron-positron interaction. As a result, it is very hard to distinguish between various electron-positron interaction theories on the basis of the comparison of theoretical and experimental MDAPs. Furthermore, the positron affinity is determined theorttically for several systems having a band gap (semiconductors, insulators). It appears that the calculated positron affinities are significantly underestimated when compared to experimental data and, apparently, electron-positron interactions in such systems are not described satisfactorily by contemporary theoretical approaches. The above examples are related rather to electronic structure studies, but positrons are often used to investigate various open-volume defects in solids, which is dealt with in the last illustration. A non-selfconsistent computational technique suitable for the theoretical examination of configurations having large number (thousands) of non-equivalent atoms has been updated recently to treat non-periodic solids. It is based on the superposition of atomic densities in order to approximate the electronic density of the system studied. Though the charge redistribution due to selfconsistency effects is neglected, positron annihilation characteristics are determined quite reasonably. This allows for studying properties of extended defects like grain boundaries (and other interfaces), dislocations, precipitates, etc., which is very helpful when interpreting experimental positron annihilation data. Our technique is demonstrated for the case of nanocrystalline Ni where realistic atomic configurations are taken from large-scale molecular dynamics simulations.

Light-Curing Volumetric Shrinkage in Dimethacrylate-Based Dental Composites by Nanoindentation and PAL Study.

PubMed

Shpotyuk, Olha; Adamiak, Stanislaw; Bezvushko, Elvira; Cebulski, Jozef; Iskiv, Maryana; Shpotyuk, Oleh; Balitska, Valentina

2017-12-01

Light-curing volumetric shrinkage in dimethacrylate-based dental resin composites Dipol® is examined through comprehensive kinetics research employing nanoindentation measurements and nanoscale atomic-deficient study with lifetime spectroscopy of annihilating positrons. Photopolymerization kinetics determined through nanoindentation testing is shown to be described via single-exponential relaxation function with character time constants reaching respectively 15.0 and 18.7 s for nanohardness and elastic modulus. Atomic-deficient characteristics of composites are extracted from positron lifetime spectra parameterized employing unconstrained x3-term fitting. The tested photopolymerization kinetics can be adequately reflected in time-dependent changes observed in average positron lifetime (with 17.9 s time constant) and fractional free volume of positronium traps (with 18.6 s time constant). This correlation proves that fragmentation of free-volume positronium-trapping sites accompanied by partial positronium-to-positron traps conversion determines the light-curing volumetric shrinkage in the studied composites.

New insights into the nanostructure of innovative thin film solar cells gained by positron annihilation spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eijt, S. W. H.; Shi, W.; Mannheim, A.; Butterling, M.; Schut, H.; Egger, W.; Dickmann, M.; Hugenschmidt, C.; Shakeri, B.; Meulenberg, R. W.; Callewaert, V.; Saniz, R.; Partoens, B.; Barbiellini, B.; Bansil, A.; Melskens, J.; Zeman, M.; Smets, A. H. M.; Kulbak, M.; Hodes, G.; Cahen, D.; Brück, E.

2017-01-01

Recent studies showed that positron annihilation methods can provide key insights into the nanostructure and electronic structure of thin film solar cells. In this study, positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) is applied to investigate CdSe quantum dot (QD) light absorbing layers, providing evidence of positron trapping at the surfaces of the QDs. This enables one to monitor their surface composition and electronic structure. Further, 2D-Angular Correlation of Annihilation Radiation (2D-ACAR) is used to investigate the nanostructure of divacancies in photovoltaic-high-quality a-Si:H films. The collected momentum distributions were converted by Fourier transformation to the direct space representation of the electron-positron autocorrelation function. The evolution of the size of the divacancies as a function of hydrogen dilution during deposition of a-Si:H thin films was examined. Finally, we present a first positron Doppler Broadening of Annihilation Radiation (DBAR) study of the emerging class of highly efficient thin film solar cells based on perovskites.

Dust Ion-Acoustic Shock Waves in a Multicomponent Magnetorotating Plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaur, Barjinder; Saini, N. S.

2018-02-01

The nonlinear properties of dust ion-acoustic (DIA) shock waves in a magnetorotating plasma consisting of inertial ions, nonextensive electrons and positrons, and immobile negatively charged dust are examined. The effects of dust charge fluctuations are not included in the present investigation, but the ion kinematic viscosity (collisions) is a source of dissipation, leading to the formation of stable shock structures. The Zakharov-Kuznetsov-Burgers (ZKB) equation is derived using the reductive perturbation technique, and from its solution the effects of different physical parameters, i.e. nonextensivity of electrons and positrons, kinematic viscosity, rotational frequency, and positron and dust concentrations, on the characteristics of shock waves are examined. It is observed that physical parameters play a very crucial role in the formation of DIA shocks. This study could be useful in understanding the electrostatic excitations in dusty plasmas in space (e.g. interstellar medium).

The Positronium Radiative Combination Spectrum: Calculation in the Limit of Thermal Positrons and Low Densities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wallyn, P.; Mahoney, W. A.; Durouchoux, Ph.; Chapuis, C.

1996-01-01

We calculate the intensities of the positronium de-excitation lines for two processes: (1) the radiative combination of free thermal electrons and positrons for transitions with principal quantum number n less than 20, and (2) charge exchange between free positrons and hydrogen and helium atoms, restricting our evaluation to the Lyman-alpha line. We consider a low-density medium modeled by the case A assumption of Baker & Menzel and use the "nL method" of Pengelly to calculate the absolute intensities. We also evaluate the positronium fine and hyperfine intensities and show that these transitions are in all cases much weaker than positronium de-excitation lines in the same wavelength range. We also extrapolate our positronium de-excitation intensities to the submillimeter, millimeter, and centimeter wavelengths. Our results favor the search of infrared transitions of positronium lines for point sources when the visual extinction A, is greater than approx. 5.

Bruno Touschek: From Betatrons to Electron-Positron Colliders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernardini, Carlo; Pancheri, Giulia; Pellegrini, Claudio

Bruno Touschek's life as a physicist spanned the period from World War II to the 1970s. He was a key figure in the developments of electron-positron colliders and storage rings, and made important contributions to theoretical high energy physics. Storage rings, initially developed for high energy physics, are being widely used in many countries as synchrotron radiation sources and are a tool for research in physics, chemistry, biology, environmental sciences and cultural heritage studies. We describe Touschek's life in Austria, where he was born, in Germany, where he participated in the construction of a betatron during WWII, and in Italy, where he proposed and led to completion the first electron-positron storage ring in 1960, in Frascati. We highlight how his central European culture influenced his lifestyle and work, and his main contributions to physics, such as the discovery of the Touschek effect and beam instabilities in the larger storage ring ADONE.

Bruno Touschek: From Betatrons to Electron-Positron Colliders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernardini, Carlo; Pancheri, Giulia; Pellegrini, Claudio

Bruno Touschek’s life as a physicist spanned the period from World War II to the 1970s. He was a key figure in the developments of electron-positron colliders and storage rings, and made important contributions to theoretical high energy physics. Storage rings, initially developed for high energy physics, are being widely used in many countries as synchrotron radiation sources and are a tool for research in physics, chemistry, biology, environmental sciences and cultural heritage studies. We describe Touschek’s life in Austria, where he was born, in Germany, where he participated in the construction of a betatron during WWII, and in Italy, where he proposed and led to completion the first electron-positron storage ring in 1960, in Frascati. We highlight how his central European culture influenced his lifestyle and work, and his main contributions to physics, such as the discovery of the Touschek effect and beam instabilities in the larger storage ring ADONE.

Positron-induced Auger-electron study of the Ge(100) surface: Positron thermal desorption and surface condition

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Soininen, E.; Schwab, A.; Lynn, K.G.

1991-05-01

Positron-annihilation-induced Auger-electron spectroscopy (PAES) was used to study the effects of oxygen, residual gases, and temperature on a Ge(100) surface. Three low-energy Auger peaks were detected at 50, 90, and 100--150 eV, attributed to {ital M}{sub 2,3}{ital M4}{ital M4}, {ital M}{sub 2,3}{ital M4}{ital V}, and {ital M}{sub 1}{ital M4}{ital M4} Auger transitions, respectively. An estimated (4{plus minus}1)% of the surface-trapped positrons annihilate with Ge 3{ital p}--level electrons. The sensitivity of PAES to the surface condition is demonstrated. The PAES yield from a Ge(100) surface is reduced at elevated temperatures, in accord with an activation process earlier found in several positroniummore » (Ps) -fraction experiments. A desorption model adopted from these studies does not describe accurately the PAES results at higher temperatures ({gt}500 {degree}C), where the PAES intensity levels off to 5% of the room-temperature value. Possible sources for the discrepancy are discussed and models for positron trapping to deep surface traps are introduced. On the Ge(100) surface, an upper limit for Ps emission near the melting point is 97%. The error in calibration parameters due to the earlier assumption of 100% Ps emission seems to introduce only small errors into the Ps-fraction measurements.« less

Optical and positron annihilation spectroscopic studies on PMMA polymer doped by rhodamine B/chloranilic acid charge transfer complex: Special relevance to the effect of γ-ray irradiation.

PubMed

Hassan, H E; Refat, Moamen S; Sharshar, T

2016-04-15

Polymeric sheets of poly (methylmethaclyerate) (PMMA) containing charge transfer (CT) complex of rhodamine B/chloranilic acid (Rho B/CHA) were synthesized in methanol solvent at room temperature. The systematic analysis done on the Rho B and its CT complex in the form of powder or polymeric sheets confirmed their structure and thermal stability. The IR spectra interpreted the charge transfer mode of interaction between the CHA central positions and the terminal carboxylic group. The polymer sheets were irradiated with 70 kGy of γ radiation using (60)Co source to study the enhanced changes in the structure and optical parameters. The microstructure changes of the PMMA sheets caused by γ-ray irradiation were analyzed using positron annihilation lifetime (PAL) and positron annihilation Doppler broadening (PADB) techniques. The positron life time components (τ(i)) and their corresponding intensities (I(i)) as well as PADB line-shape parameters (S and W) were found to be highly sensitive to the enhanced disorder occurred in the organic chains of the polymeric sheets due to γ-irradiation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A field-assisted moderator for low-energy positron beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beling, C. D.; Simpson, R. I.; Charlton, M.; Jacobsen, F. M.; Griffith, T. C.; Moriarty, P.; Fung, S.

1987-01-01

A new positron field-assisted (FA) moderator based on the drift of positrons across a cooled silicon crystal is proposed. Using estimates for both the β + implantation profile and attainable drift velocities, the efficiency of drift to a slow e+ emitting surface is calculated using a diffusion equation which incorporates terms describing positron drift and annihilation. It is conjectured that efficiencies of up to 10% can be achieved. The use of epitaxially grown metallic suicide contacts to facilitate the application of the electric field is described and the consequences of using such contacts are fully discussed. Applications of the FA transmission mode moderator described here to produce timed brightness enhanced beams are briefly discussed.

Mathematical modeling of elementary trapping-reduction processes in positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy: methodology of Ps-to-positron trapping conversion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shpotyuk, Ya; Cebulski, J.; Ingram, A.; Shpotyuk, O.

2017-12-01

Methodological possibilities of positron annihilation lifetime (PAL) spectroscopy in application to nanostructurized substances treated within three-term fitting procedure are reconsidered to parameterize their atomic-deficient structural arrangement. In contrast to conventional three-term fitting analysis of the detected PAL spectra based on admixed positron trapping and positronium (Ps) decaying, the nanostructurization due to guest nanoparticles embedded in host matrix is considered as producing modified trapping, which involves conversion between these channels. The developed approach referred to as x3-x2-coupling decomposition algorithm allows estimation free volumes of interfacial voids responsible for positron trapping and bulk lifetimes in nanoparticle-embedded substances. This methodology is validated using experimental data of Chakraverty et al. [Phys. Rev. B71 (2005) 024115] on PAL study of composites formed by guest NiFe2O4 nanocrystals grown in host SiO2 matrix.

Theoretical Interpretation of Pass 8 Fermi -LAT e {sup +} + e {sup −} Data

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Di Mauro, M.; Manconi, S.; Donato, F.

The flux of positrons and electrons ( e {sup +} + e {sup −}) has been measured by the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) in the energy range between 7 GeV and 2 TeV. We discuss a number of interpretations of Pass 8 Fermi -LAT e {sup +} + e {sup −} spectrum, combining electron and positron emission from supernova remnants (SNRs) and pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe), or produced by the collision of cosmic rays (CRs) with the interstellar medium. We find that the Fermi -LAT spectrum is compatible with the sum of electrons from a smooth SNR population, positronsmore » from cataloged PWNe, and a secondary component. If we include in our analysis constraints from the AMS-02 positron spectrum, we obtain a slightly worse fit to the e {sup +} + e {sup −} Fermi -LAT spectrum, depending on the propagation model. As an additional scenario, we replace the smooth SNR component within 0.7 kpc with the individual sources found in Green’s catalog of Galactic SNRs. We find that separate consideration of far and near sources helps to reproduce the e {sup +} + e {sup −} Fermi -LAT spectrum. However, we show that the fit degrades when the radio constraints on the positron emission from Vela SNR (which is the main contributor at high energies) are taken into account. We find that a break in the power-law injection spectrum at about 100 GeV can also reproduce the measured e {sup +} + e {sup −} spectrum and, among the CR propagation models that we consider, no reasonable break of the power-law dependence of the diffusion coefficient can modify the electron flux enough to reproduce the observed shape.« less

Studies of discrete symmetries in a purely leptonic system using the Jagiellonian Positron Emission Tomograph

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moskal, P.; Alfs, D.; Bednarski, T.; Białas, P.; Curceanu, C.; Czerwiński, E.; Dulski, K.; Gajos, A.; Głowacz, B.; Gupta-Sharma, N.; Gorgol, M.; Hiesmayr, B. C.; Jasińska, B.; Kamińska, D.; Khreptak, O.; Korcyl, G.; Kowalski, P.; Krzemień, W.; Krawczyk, N.; Kubicz, E.; Mohammed, M.; Niedźwiecki, Sz.; Pawlik-Niedńwiecka, M.; Raczyński, L.; Rudy, Z.; Silarski, M.; Smyrski, J.; Wieczorek, A.; Wiślicki, W.; Zgardzińska, B.; Zieliński, M.

2016-11-01

Discrete symmetries such as parity (P), charge-conjugation (C) and time reversal (T) are of fundamental importance in physics and cosmology. Breaking of charge conjugation symmetry (C) and its combination with parity (CP) constitute necessary conditions for the existence of the asymmetry between matter and antimatter in the observed Universe. The presently known sources of discrete symmetries violations can account for only a tiny fraction of the excess of matter over antimatter. So far CP and T symmetries violations were observed only for systems involving quarks and they were never reported for the purely leptonic objects. In this article we describe briefly an experimental proposal for the test of discrete symmetries in the decays of positronium atom which is made exclusively of leptons. The experiments are conducted by means of the Jagiellonian Positron Emission Tomograph (J-PET) which is constructed from strips of plastic scintillators enabling registration of photons from the positronium annihilation. J-PET tomograph together with the positronium target system enable to measure expectation values for the discrete symmetries odd operators constructed from (i) spin vector of the ortho-positronium atom, (ii) momentum vectors of photons originating from the decay of positronium, and (iii) linear polarization direction of annihilation photons. Linearly polarized positronium will be produced in the highly porous aerogel or polymer targets, exploiting longitudinally polarized positrons emitted by the sodium 22Na isotope. Information about the polarization vector of orthopositronium will be available on the event by event basis and will be reconstructed from the known position of the positron source and the reconstructed position of the orthopositronium annihilation. In 2016 the first tests and calibration runs are planned, and the data collection with high statistics will commence in the year 2017.

Minimum length Pb/SCIN detector for efficient cosmic ray identification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Snyder, H. David

1989-01-01

A study was made of the performance of a minimal length cosmic ray shower detector that would be light enough for space flight and would provide efficient identification of positions and protons. Cosmic ray positions are mainly produced in the decay chain of: Pion yields Muon yields Positron and they provide a measure of the matter density traversed by primary protons. Present positron flux measurements are consistent with the Leaky Box and Halo models for sources of cosmic rays. Abundant protons in the space environment are a significant source of background that would wash out the positron signal. Protons and positrons produced very distictive showers of particles when they enter matter; many studies have been published on their behavior on large calorimeter detectors. The challenge is to determine the minimal material necessary (minimal calorimeter depth) for positive particles identification. The primary instrument for the investigation is the Monte Carlo code GEANT, a library of programs from CERN that can be used to model experimental geometry, detector responses and particle interaction processes. The use of the Monte Carlo approach is crucial since statistical fluctuations in shower shape are significant. Studies conducted during the 1988 summer program showed that straightforward approaches to the problem achieved 85 to 90 percent correct identification, but left a residue of 10 to 15 percent misidentified particles. This percentage improved to a few percent when multiple shower-cut criteria were applied to the data. This summer, the same study was extended to employ several physical and statistical methods of identifying response of the calorimeter and the efficiency of the optimal shower cuts to off-normal incidence particle was determined.

a Positron 2D-ACAR Study of the Silicon-Dioxide Interface and the Point Defects in the Semi-Insulating Gallium Arsenide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Jianping

The SiO_2-Si system has been the subject of extensive study for several decades. Particular interest has been paid to the interface between Si single crystal and the amorphous SiO_2 which determines the properties and performances of devices. This is significant because of the importance of Si technology in the semiconductor industry. The development of the high-intensity slow positron beam at Brookhaven National Laboratory make it possible to study this system for the first time using the positron two-dimensional angular correlation of annihilation radiation (2D-ACAR) technique. 2D-ACAR is a well established and is a non-destructive microscopic probe for studying the electronic structure of materials, and for doing the depth-resolved measurements. Some unique information was obtained from the measurements performed on the SiO_2-Si system: Positronium (Ps) atoms formation and trapping in microvoids in both oxide and interface regions; and positron annihilation at vacancy-like defects in the interface region which can be attributed to the famous Pb centers. The discovery of the microvoids in the interface region may have some impact on the fabrication of the next generation electronic devices. Using the conventional 2D-ACAR setup with a ^{22}Na as positron source, we also studied the native arsenic (As) vacancy in the semi -insulating gallium-arsenide (SI-GaAs), coupled with in situ infrared light illumination. The defect spectrum was obtained by comparing the spectrum taken without photo -illumination to the spectrum taken with photo-illumination. The photo-illumination excited electrons from valence band to the defect level so that positrons can become localized in the defects. The two experiments may represent a new direction of the application of positron 2D-ACAR technique on the solid state physics and materials sciences.

Enhancing spatial resolution of (18)F positron imaging with the Timepix detector by classification of primary fired pixels using support vector machine.

PubMed

Wang, Qian; Liu, Zhen; Ziegler, Sibylle I; Shi, Kuangyu

2015-07-07

Position-sensitive positron cameras using silicon pixel detectors have been applied for some preclinical and intraoperative clinical applications. However, the spatial resolution of a positron camera is limited by positron multiple scattering in the detector. An incident positron may fire a number of successive pixels on the imaging plane. It is still impossible to capture the primary fired pixel along a particle trajectory by hardware or to perceive the pixel firing sequence by direct observation. Here, we propose a novel data-driven method to improve the spatial resolution by classifying the primary pixels within the detector using support vector machine. A classification model is constructed by learning the features of positron trajectories based on Monte-Carlo simulations using Geant4. Topological and energy features of pixels fired by (18)F positrons were considered for the training and classification. After applying the classification model on measurements, the primary fired pixels of the positron tracks in the silicon detector were estimated. The method was tested and assessed for [(18)F]FDG imaging of an absorbing edge protocol and a leaf sample. The proposed method improved the spatial resolution from 154.6   ±   4.2 µm (energy weighted centroid approximation) to 132.3   ±   3.5 µm in the absorbing edge measurements. For the positron imaging of a leaf sample, the proposed method achieved lower root mean square error relative to phosphor plate imaging, and higher similarity with the reference optical image. The improvements of the preliminary results support further investigation of the proposed algorithm for the enhancement of positron imaging in clinical and preclinical applications.

Enhancing spatial resolution of 18F positron imaging with the Timepix detector by classification of primary fired pixels using support vector machine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Qian; Liu, Zhen; Ziegler, Sibylle I.; Shi, Kuangyu

2015-07-01

Position-sensitive positron cameras using silicon pixel detectors have been applied for some preclinical and intraoperative clinical applications. However, the spatial resolution of a positron camera is limited by positron multiple scattering in the detector. An incident positron may fire a number of successive pixels on the imaging plane. It is still impossible to capture the primary fired pixel along a particle trajectory by hardware or to perceive the pixel firing sequence by direct observation. Here, we propose a novel data-driven method to improve the spatial resolution by classifying the primary pixels within the detector using support vector machine. A classification model is constructed by learning the features of positron trajectories based on Monte-Carlo simulations using Geant4. Topological and energy features of pixels fired by 18F positrons were considered for the training and classification. After applying the classification model on measurements, the primary fired pixels of the positron tracks in the silicon detector were estimated. The method was tested and assessed for [18F]FDG imaging of an absorbing edge protocol and a leaf sample. The proposed method improved the spatial resolution from 154.6   ±   4.2 µm (energy weighted centroid approximation) to 132.3   ±   3.5 µm in the absorbing edge measurements. For the positron imaging of a leaf sample, the proposed method achieved lower root mean square error relative to phosphor plate imaging, and higher similarity with the reference optical image. The improvements of the preliminary results support further investigation of the proposed algorithm for the enhancement of positron imaging in clinical and preclinical applications.

Donors, Acceptors, and Traps in AlGaN and AlGaN/GaN Epitaxial Layers

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-07-31

the background. 3.3 Positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS): acceptor-type defects Positrons injected into defect-free GaN are annihilated by electrons...electron concentration n, and the average Ga-vacancy VGa concentration deduced from positron annihilation spectroscopy . 0.09 3.47 3.46 - 3.45 •ŗ.47225...of this paper, are often investigated by deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS), and the usual analysis of DLTS data is based on the assumption that

PREFACE: 13th International Workshop on Slow Positron Beam Techniques and Applications (SLOPOS13)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2014-04-01

These proceedings originate from the 13th International Workshop on Slow Positron Beam Techniques and Applications SLOPOS13 which was held at the campus of the Technische Universität München in Garching between 15th-20th September, 2013. This event is part of a series of triennial SLOPOS conferences. In total 123 delegates from 21 countries participated in the SLOPOS13. The excellent scientific program comprised 50 talks and 58 posters presented during two poster sessions. It was very impressive to learn about novel technical developments on positron beam facilities and the wide range of their applications all over the world. The workshop reflected the large variety of positron beam experiments covering fundamental studies, e.g., for efficient production of anti-hydrogen as well as applied research on defects in bulk materials, thin films, surfaces, and interfaces. The topics comprised: . Positron transport and beam technology . Pulsed beams and positron traps . Defect profiling in bulk and layered structures . Nanostructures, porous materials, thin films . Surfaces and interfaces . Positronium formation and emission . Positron interactions with atoms and molecules . Many positrons and anti-hydrogen . Novel experimental techniques The international advisory committee of SLOPOS awarded student prizes for the best presented scientific contributions to a team of students from Finland, France, and the NEPOMUC team at TUM. The conference was overshadowed by the sudden death of Professor Klaus Schreckenbach immediately before the workshop. In commemoration of him as a spiritus rectus of the neutron induced positron source a minutes' silence was hold. We are most grateful for the hard work of the Local Organising Committee, the help of the International Advisory Committee, and all the students for their friendly and efficient support during the meeting. The workshop could not have occurred without the generous support of the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ), Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), and IOP publishing. Finally we would like to thank all attendees for their outstanding scientific contributions to SLOPOS13, and for the fruitful scientific discussions also in informal atmosphere during the social events. We are looking forward to SLOPOS14 in Japan in 2016! Christoph Hugenschmidt and Christian Piochacz (Guest Editors) Garching, March 2014 Further conference and committee information, as well as the conference picture, can be viewed in the pdf.

A promising new mechanism of ionizing radiation detection for positron emission tomography: Modulation of optical properties

PubMed Central

Tao, Li; Daghighian, Henry M.; Levin, Craig S.

2016-01-01

Using conventional scintillation detection, the fundamental limit in positron emission tomography (PET) time resolution is strongly dependent on the inherent temporal variances generated during the scintillation process, yielding an intrinsic physical limit for the coincidence time resolution of around 100 ps. On the other hand, modulation mechanisms of the optical properties of a material exploited in the optical telecommunications industry can be orders of magnitude faster. In this paper we borrow from the concept of optics pump-probe measurement to for the first time study whether ionizing radiation can produce modulations of optical properties, which can be utilized as a novel method for radiation detection. We show that a refractive index modulation of approximately 5 × 10−6 is induced by interactions in a cadmium telluride (CdTe) crystal from a 511 keV photon source. Furthermore, using additional radionuclide sources, we show that the amplitude of the optical modulation signal varies linearly with both the detected event rate and average photon energy of the radiation source. PMID:27716640

Positron Scanner for Locating Brain Tumors

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Rankowitz, S.; Robertson, J. S.; Higinbotham, W. A.; Rosenblum, M. J.

1962-03-01

A system is described that makes use of positron emitting isotopes for locating brain tumors. This system inherently provides more information about the distribution of radioactivity in the head in less time than existing scanners which use one or two detectors. A stationary circular array of 32 scintillation detectors scans a horizontal layer of the head from many directions simultaneously. The data, consisting of the number of counts in all possible coincidence pairs, are coded and stored in the memory of a Two-Dimensional Pulse-Height Analyzer. A unique method of displaying and interpreting the data is described that enables rapid approximate analysis of complex source distribution patterns. (auth)

Ion source and injection line for high intensity medical cyclotron

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jia, XianLu, E-mail: jiaxl@ciae.ac.cn; Guan, Fengping; Yao, Hongjuan

2014-02-15

A 14 MeV high intensity compact cyclotron, CYCIAE-14, was built at China Institute of Atomic Energy (CIAE). An injection system based on the external H− ion source was used on CYCIAE-14 so as to provide high intensity beam, while most positron emission tomography cyclotrons adopt internal ion source. A beam intensity of 100 μA/14 MeV was extracted from the cyclotron with a small multi-cusp H− ion source (CIAE-CH-I type) and a short injection line, which the H− ion source of 3 mA/25 keV H− beam with emittance of 0.3π mm mrad and the injection line of with only 1.2 m from themore » extraction of ion source to the medial plane of the cyclotron. To increase the extracted beam intensity of the cyclotron, a new ion source (CIAE-CH-II type) of 9.1 mA was used, with maximum of 500 μA was achieved from the cyclotron. The design and test results of the ion source and injection line optimized for high intensity acceleration will be given in this paper.« less

Spectral and spatial characterisation of laser-driven positron beams

DOE PAGES

Sarri, G.; Warwick, J.; Schumaker, W.; ...

2016-10-18

The generation of high-quality relativistic positron beams is a central area of research in experimental physics, due to their potential relevance in a wide range of scientific and engineering areas, ranging from fundamental science to practical applications. There is now growing interest in developing hybrid machines that will combine plasma-based acceleration techniques with more conventional radio-frequency accelerators, in order to minimise the size and cost of these machines. Here we report on recent experiments on laser-driven generation of high-quality positron beams using a relatively low energy and potentially table-top laser system. Lastly, the results obtained indicate that current technology allowsmore » to create, in a compact setup, positron beams suitable for injection in radio-frequency accelerators.« less

Coupled channel effects on resonance states of positronic alkali atom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamashita, Takuma; Kino, Yasushi

2018-01-01

S-wave Feshbach resonance states belonging to dipole series in positronic alkali atoms (e+Li, e+Na, e+K, e+Rb and e+Cs) are studied by coupled-channel calculations within a three-body model. Resonance energies and widths below a dissociation threshold of alkali-ion and positronium are calculated with a complex scaling method. Extended model potentials that provide positronic pseudo-alkali-atoms are introduced to investigate the relationship between the resonance states and dissociation thresholds based on a three-body dynamics. Resonances of the dipole series below a dissociation threshold of alkali-atom and positron would have some associations with atomic energy levels that results in longer resonance lifetimes than the prediction of the analytical law derived from the ion-dipole interaction.

Cosmic ray positron research and silicon track detector development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jones, W. Vernon; Wefel, John P.

1991-01-01

The purpose was to conduct research on: (1) position sensing detector systems, particularly those based upon silicon detectors, for use in future balloon and satellite experiments; and (2) positrons, electrons, proton, anti-protons, and helium particles as measured by the NASA NMSU Balloon Magnet Facility.

Non-invasive studies of multiphase flow in process equipment. Positron emission particle tracking technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Balakin, B. V.; Adamsen, T. C. H.; Chang, Y.-F.; Kosinski, P.; Hoffmann, A. C.

2017-01-01

Positron emission particle tracking (PEPT) is a novel experimental technique for non-invasive inspection of industrial fluid/particle flows. The method is based on the dynamic positioning of a positron-emitting, flowing object (particle) performed through the sensing of annihilation events and subsequent numerical treatment to determine the particle position. The present paper shows an integrated overview of PEPT studies which were carried out using a new PET scanner in the Bergen University Hospital to study multiphase flows in different geometric configurations.

An investigation of hydrogenized amorphous Si structures with Doppler broadening positron annihilation techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petkov, M. P.; Marek, T.; Asoka-Kumar, P.; Lynn, K. G.; Crandall, R. S.; Mahan, A. H.

1998-07-01

In this letter, we examine the feasibility of applying positron annihilation spectroscopy to the study of hydrogenized amorphous silicon (a-Si:H)-based structures produced by chemical vapor deposition techniques. The positron probe, sensitive to open volume formations, is used to characterize neutral and negatively charged silicon dangling bonds, typical for undoped and n-doped a-Si:H, respectively. Using depth profiling along the growth direction a difference was observed in the electronic environment of these defects, which enables their identification in a p-i-n device.

Possibility of testing the light dark matter hypothesis with the alpha magnetic spectrometer.

PubMed

Hooper, Dan; Xue, Wei

2013-01-25

The spectrum and morphology of gamma rays from the Galactic center and the spectrum of synchrotron emission observed from the Milky Way's radio filaments have each been interpreted as possible signals of ∼ 7-10 GeV dark matter particles annihilating in the inner Galaxy. In dark matter models capable of producing these signals, the annihilations should also generate significant fluxes of ∼ 7-10 GeV positrons which can lead to a distinctive bumplike feature in a local cosmic ray positron spectrum. In this Letter, we show that while such a feature would be difficult to detect with PAMELA, it would likely be identifiable by the currently operating Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer experiment. As no known astrophysical (i.e., nondark matter) sources or mechanisms are likely to produce such a sharp feature, the observation of a positron bump at around 7-10 GeV would significantly strengthen the case for a dark matter interpretation of the reported gamma-ray and radio anomalies.

The propagation of ion-acoustic waves carrying orbital angular momentum in the electron-positron-ion plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mehdian, H.; Nobahar, D.; Hajisharifi, K.

2018-02-01

Ion-acoustic (IA) waves carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM) are investigated in an unmagnetized, uniform, and collisionless electron-positron-ion (e-p-i) plasma system. Employing the hydrodynamic theory, the paraxial equation in term of ion perturbed number density is derived and discussed about its Laguerre-Gaussian (LG) beam solutions. Obtaining an approximate solution for the electrostatic potential, the IA wave characteristics including helical electric field structure, energy density, and OAM density are theoretically studied. Based on the numerical analysis, the effects of positron concentration, radial and angular mode number as well as beam waist on the obtained potential profile are investigated. It is shown that the depth (height) and width of the LG potential profile wells (barriers) are considerably modify by the variation of positron concentration.

Applicability of modified effective-range theory to positron-atom and positron-molecule scattering

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Idziaszek, Zbigniew; Karwasz, Grzegorz; Instytut Fizyki, Uniwersytet Mikolaja Kopernika, 87-100 Torun

2006-06-15

We analyze low-energy scattering of positrons on Ar atoms and N{sub 2} molecules using the modified effective-range theory (MERT) developed by O'Malley, et al. [J. Math. Phys. 2, 491 (1961)]. We use the formulation of MERT based on exact solutions of the Schroedinger equation with polarization potential rather than low-energy expansions of phase shifts into momentum series. We show that MERT describes the experimental data well, provided that effective-range expansion is performed both for s- and p-wave scattering, which dominate in the considered regime of positron energies (0.4-2 eV). We estimate the values of the s-wave scattering length and themore » effective range for e{sup +}-Ar and e{sup +}-N{sub 2} collisions.« less

Positron annihilation studies of zirconia doped with metal cations of different valence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prochazka, I.; Cizek, J.; Melikhova, O.; Konstantinova, T. E.; Danilenko, I. A.; Yashchishyn, I. A.; Anwand, W.; Brauer, G.

2013-06-01

New results obtained by applying positron annihilation spectroscopy to the investigation of zirconia-based nanomaterials doped with metal cations of different valence are reported. The slow-positron implantation spectroscopy combined with Doppler broadening measurements was employed to study the sintering of pressure-compacted nanopowders of tetragonal yttria-stabilised zirconia (t-YSZ) and t-YSZ with chromia additive. Positronium (Ps) formation in t-YSZ was proven by detecting 3γ-annihilations of ortho-Ps and was found to gradually decrease with increasing sintering temperature. A subsurface layer with enhanced 3γ-annihilations, compared to the deeper regions, could be identified. Addition of chromia was found to inhibit Ps formation. In addition, first results of positron lifetime measurements on nanopowders of zirconia phase-stabilised with MgO and CeO2 are presented.

PhytoBeta imager: a positron imager for plant biology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weisenberger, Andrew G.; Kross, Brian; Lee, Seungjoon; McKisson, John; McKisson, J. E.; Xi, Wenze; Zorn, Carl; Reid, Chantal D.; Howell, Calvin R.; Crowell, Alexander S.; Cumberbatch, Laurie; Fallin, Brent; Stolin, Alexander; Smith, Mark F.

2012-07-01

Several positron emitting radioisotopes such as 11C and 13N can be used in plant biology research. The 11CO2 tracer is used to facilitate plant biology research toward optimization of plant productivity, biofuel development and carbon sequestration in biomass. Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging has been used to study carbon transport in live plants using 11CO2. Because plants typically have very thin leaves, little medium is present for the emitted positrons to undergo an annihilation event. The emitted positrons from 11C (maximum energy 960 keV) could require up to approximately 4 mm of water equivalent material for positron annihilation. Thus many of the positrons do not annihilate inside the leaf, resulting in limited sensitivity for PET imaging. To address this problem we have developed a compact beta-positive, beta-minus particle imager (PhytoBeta imager) for 11CO2 leaf imaging. The detector is based on a Hamamatsu H8500 position sensitive photomultiplier tube optically coupled via optical grease to a 0.5 mm thick Eljen EJ-212 plastic scintillator. The detector is equipped with a flexible arm to allow its placement and orientation over or under the leaf to be studied while maintaining the leaf's original orientation. To test the utility of the system the detector was used to measure carbon translocation in a leaf of the spicebush (Lindera benzoin) under two transient light conditions.

PhytoBeta imager: a positron imager for plant biology

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Weisenberger, Andrew G; Lee, Seungjoon; McKisson, John

2012-06-01

Several positron emitting radioisotopes such as 11C and 13N can be used in plant biology research. The 11CO2 tracer is used to facilitate plant biology research toward optimization of plant productivity, biofuel development and carbon sequestration in biomass. Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging has been used to study carbon transport in live plants using 11CO2. Because plants typically have very thin leaves, little medium is present for the emitted positrons to undergo an annihilation event. The emitted positrons from 11C (maximum energy 960 keV) could require up to approximately 4 mm of water equivalent material for positron annihilation. Thus manymore » of the positrons do not annihilate inside the leaf, resulting in limited sensitivity for PET imaging. To address this problem we have developed a compact beta-positive, beta-minus particle imager (PhytoBeta imager) for 11CO2 leaf imaging. The detector is based on a Hamamatsu H8500 position sensitive photomultiplier tube optically coupled via optical grease to a 0.5 mm thick Eljen EJ-212 plastic scintillator. The detector is equipped with a flexible arm to allow its placement and orientation over or under the leaf to be studied while maintaining the leaf's original orientation. To test the utility of the system the detector was used to measure carbon translocation in a leaf of the spicebush (Lindera benzoin) under two transient light conditions.« less

On measurement of the isotropy of the speed of light

DOE PAGES

Wojtsekhowski, B.

2014-10-22

Three experimental concepts investigating possible anisotropy of the speed of light are presented. They are based on i) beam deflection in a 180° magnetic arc, ii) narrow resonance production in an electron-positron collider, and iii) the ratio of magnetic moments of an electron and a positron moving in opposite directions.

Modeling and simulation of Positron Emission Mammography (PEM) based on double-sided CdTe strip detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ozsahin, I.; Unlu, M. Z.

2014-03-01

Breast cancer is the most common leading cause of cancer death among women. Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Mammography, also known as Positron Emission Mammography (PEM), is a method for imaging primary breast cancer. Over the past few years, PEMs based on scintillation crystals dramatically increased their importance in diagnosis and treatment of early stage breast cancer. However, these detectors have significant limitations like poor energy resolution resulting with false-negative result (missed cancer), and false-positive result which leads to suspecting cancer and suggests an unnecessary biopsy. In this work, a PEM scanner based on CdTe strip detectors is simulated via the Monte Carlo method and evaluated in terms of its spatial resolution, sensitivity, and image quality. The spatial resolution is found to be ~ 1 mm in all three directions. The results also show that CdTe strip detectors based PEM scanner can produce high resolution images for early diagnosis of breast cancer.

High Peak Power Test and Evaluation of S-band Waveguide Switches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nassiri, A.; Grelick, A.; Kustom, R. L.; White, M.

1997-05-01

The injector and source of particles for the Advanced Photon Source is a 2856-MHz S-band electron-positron linear accelerator (linac) which produces electrons with energies up to 650 MeV or positrons with energies up to 450 MeV. To improve the linac rf system availability, an additional modulator-klystron subsystem is being constructed to provide a switchable hot spare unit for each of the five exsisting S-band transmitters. The switching of the transmitters will require the use of SF6-pressurized S-band waveguide switches at a peak operating power of 35 MW. Such rf switches have been successfully operated at other accelerator facilities but at lower peak powers. A test stand has been set up at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) Klystron Factory to conduct tests comparing the power handling characteristics of two WR-284 and one WR-340 switches. Test results are presented and their implications for the design of the switching system are discussed.

SU-C-204-01: A Fast Analytical Approach for Prompt Gamma and PET Predictions in a TPS for Proton Range Verification

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kroniger, K; Herzog, M; Landry, G

2015-06-15

Purpose: We describe and demonstrate a fast analytical tool for prompt-gamma emission prediction based on filter functions applied on the depth dose profile. We present the implementation in a treatment planning system (TPS) of the same algorithm for positron emitter distributions. Methods: The prediction of the desired observable is based on the convolution of filter functions with the depth dose profile. For both prompt-gammas and positron emitters, the results of Monte Carlo simulations (MC) are compared with those of the analytical tool. For prompt-gamma emission from inelastic proton-induced reactions, homogeneous and inhomogeneous phantoms alongside with patient data are used asmore » irradiation targets of mono-energetic proton pencil beams. The accuracy of the tool is assessed in terms of the shape of the analytically calculated depth profiles and their absolute yields, compared to MC. For the positron emitters, the method is implemented in a research RayStation TPS and compared to MC predictions. Digital phantoms and patient data are used and positron emitter spatial density distributions are analyzed. Results: Calculated prompt-gamma profiles agree with MC within 3 % in terms of absolute yield and reproduce the correct shape. Based on an arbitrary reference material and by means of 6 filter functions (one per chemical element), profiles in any other material composed of those elements can be predicted. The TPS implemented algorithm is accurate enough to enable, via the analytically calculated positron emitters profiles, detection of range differences between the TPS and MC with errors of the order of 1–2 mm. Conclusion: The proposed analytical method predicts prompt-gamma and positron emitter profiles which generally agree with the distributions obtained by a full MC. The implementation of the tool in a TPS shows that reliable profiles can be obtained directly from the dose calculated by the TPS, without the need of full MC simulation.« less

Positron-alkali atom scattering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mceachran, R. P.; Horbatsch, M.; Stauffer, A. D.; Ward, S. J.

1990-01-01

Positron-alkali atom scattering was recently investigated both theoretically and experimentally in the energy range from a few eV up to 100 eV. On the theoretical side calculations of the integrated elastic and excitation cross sections as well as total cross sections for Li, Na and K were based upon either the close-coupling method or the modified Glauber approximation. These theoretical results are in good agreement with experimental measurements of the total cross section for both Na and K. Resonance structures were also found in the L = 0, 1 and 2 partial waves for positron scattering from the alkalis. The structure of these resonances appears to be quite complex and, as expected, they occur in conjunction with the atomic excitation thresholds. Currently both theoretical and experimental work is in progress on positron-Rb scattering in the same energy range.

SU-F-T-368: Improved HPGe Detector Precise Efficiency Calibration with Monte Carlo Simulations and Radioactive Sources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhai, Y. John

2016-06-15

Purpose: To obtain an improved precise gamma efficiency calibration curve of HPGe (High Purity Germanium) detector with a new comprehensive approach. Methods: Both of radioactive sources and Monte Carlo simulation (CYLTRAN) are used to determine HPGe gamma efficiency for energy range of 0–8 MeV. The HPGe is a GMX coaxial 280 cm{sup 3} N-type 70% gamma detector. Using Momentum Achromat Recoil Spectrometer (MARS) at the K500 superconducting cyclotron of Texas A&M University, the radioactive nucleus {sup 24} Al was produced and separated. This nucleus has positron decays followed by gamma transitions up to 8 MeV from {sup 24} Mg excitedmore » states which is used to do HPGe efficiency calibration. Results: With {sup 24} Al gamma energy spectrum up to 8MeV, the efficiency for γ ray 7.07 MeV at 4.9 cm distance away from the radioactive source {sup 24} Al was obtained at a value of 0.194(4)%, by carefully considering various factors such as positron annihilation, peak summing effect, beta detector efficiency and internal conversion effect. The Monte Carlo simulation (CYLTRAN) gave a value of 0.189%, which was in agreement with the experimental measurements. Applying to different energy points, then a precise efficiency calibration curve of HPGe detector up to 7.07 MeV at 4.9 cm distance away from the source {sup 24} Al was obtained. Using the same data analysis procedure, the efficiency for the 7.07 MeV gamma ray at 15.1 cm from the source {sup 24} Al was obtained at a value of 0.0387(6)%. MC simulation got a similar value of 0.0395%. This discrepancy led us to assign an uncertainty of 3% to the efficiency at 15.1 cm up to 7.07 MeV. The MC calculations also reproduced the intensity of observed single-and double-escape peaks, providing that the effects of positron annihilation-in-flight were incorporated. Conclusion: The precision improved gamma efficiency calibration curve provides more accurate radiation detection and dose calculation for cancer radiotherapy treatment.« less

A method based on Monte Carlo simulations and voxelized anatomical atlases to evaluate and correct uncertainties on radiotracer accumulation quantitation in beta microprobe studies in the rat brain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pain, F.; Dhenain, M.; Gurden, H.; Routier, A. L.; Lefebvre, F.; Mastrippolito, R.; Lanièce, P.

2008-10-01

The β-microprobe is a simple and versatile technique complementary to small animal positron emission tomography (PET). It relies on local measurements of the concentration of positron-labeled molecules. So far, it has been successfully used in anesthetized rats for pharmacokinetics experiments and for the study of brain energetic metabolism. However, the ability of the technique to provide accurate quantitative measurements using 18F, 11C and 15O tracers is likely to suffer from the contribution of 511 keV gamma rays background to the signal and from the contribution of positrons from brain loci surrounding the locus of interest. The aim of the present paper is to provide a method of evaluating several parameters, which are supposed to affect the quantification of recordings performed in vivo with this methodology. We have developed realistic voxelized phantoms of the rat whole body and brain, and used them as input geometries for Monte Carlo simulations of previous β-microprobe reports. In the context of realistic experiments (binding of 11C-Raclopride to D2 dopaminergic receptors in the striatum; local glucose metabolic rate measurement with 18F-FDG and H2O15 blood flow measurements in the somatosensory cortex), we have calculated the detection efficiencies and corresponding contribution of 511 keV gammas from peripheral organs accumulation. We confirmed that the 511 keV gammas background does not impair quantification. To evaluate the contribution of positrons from adjacent structures, we have developed β-Assistant, a program based on a rat brain voxelized atlas and matrices of local detection efficiencies calculated by Monte Carlo simulations for several probe geometries. This program was used to calculate the 'apparent sensitivity' of the probe for each brain structure included in the detection volume. For a given localization of a probe within the brain, this allows us to quantify the different sources of beta signal. Finally, since stereotaxic accuracy is crucial for quantification in most microprobe studies, the influence of stereotaxic positioning error was studied for several realistic experiments in favorable and unfavorable experimental situations (binding of 11C-Raclopride to D2 dopaminergic receptors in the striatum; binding of 18F-MPPF to 5HT1A receptors in the dorsal raphe nucleus).

Monte Carlo modeling and optimization of buffer gas positron traps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marjanović, Srđan; Petrović, Zoran Lj

2017-02-01

Buffer gas positron traps have been used for over two decades as the prime source of slow positrons enabling a wide range of experiments. While their performance has been well understood through empirical studies, no theoretical attempt has been made to quantitatively describe their operation. In this paper we apply standard models as developed for physics of low temperature collision dominated plasmas, or physics of swarms to model basic performance and principles of operation of gas filled positron traps. The Monte Carlo model is equipped with the best available set of cross sections that were mostly derived experimentally by using the same type of traps that are being studied. Our model represents in realistic geometry and fields the development of the positron ensemble from the initial beam provided by the solid neon moderator through voltage drops between the stages of the trap and through different pressures of the buffer gas. The first two stages employ excitation of N2 with acceleration of the order of 10 eV so that the trap operates under conditions when excitation of the nitrogen reduces the energy of the initial beam to trap the positrons without giving them a chance to become annihilated following positronium formation. The energy distribution function develops from the assumed distribution leaving the moderator, it is accelerated by the voltage drops and forms beams at several distinct energies. In final stages the low energy loss collisions (vibrational excitation of CF4 and rotational excitation of N2) control the approach of the distribution function to a Maxwellian at room temperature but multiple non-Maxwellian groups persist throughout most of the thermalization. Optimization of the efficiency of the trap may be achieved by changing the pressure and voltage drops and also by selecting to operate in a two stage mode. The model allows quantitative comparisons and test of optimization as well as development of other properties.

Resistive plate chambers in positron emission tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crespo, Paulo; Blanco, Alberto; Couceiro, Miguel; Ferreira, Nuno C.; Lopes, Luís; Martins, Paulo; Ferreira Marques, Rui; Fonte, Paulo

2013-07-01

Resistive plate chambers (RPC) were originally deployed for high energy physics. Realizing how their properties match the needs of nuclear medicine, a LIP team proposed applying RPCs to both preclinical and clinical positron emission tomography (RPC-PET). We show a large-area RPC-PET simulated scanner covering an axial length of 2.4m —slightly superior to the height of the human body— allowing for whole-body, single-bed RPC-PET acquisitions. Simulations following NEMA (National Electrical Manufacturers Association, USA) protocols yield a system sensitivity at least one order of magnitude larger than present-day, commercial PET systems. Reconstruction of whole-body simulated data is feasible by using a dedicated, direct time-of-flight-based algorithm implemented onto an ordered subsets estimation maximization parallelized strategy. Whole-body RPC-PET patient images following the injection of only 2mCi of 18-fluorodesoxyglucose (FDG) are expected to be ready 7 minutes after the 6 minutes necessary for data acquisition. This compares to the 10-20mCi FDG presently injected for a PET scan, and to the uncomfortable 20-30minutes necessary for its data acquisition. In the preclinical field, two fully instrumented detector heads have been assembled aiming at a four-head-based, small-animal RPC-PET system. Images of a disk-shaped and a needle-like 22Na source show unprecedented sub-millimeter spatial resolution.

Evaluation of Timepix silicon detector for the detection of 18F positrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Q.; Tous, J.; Liu, Z.; Ziegler, S.; Shi, K.

2014-05-01

Timepix is an evolving energy and position sensitive pixel detector. It consists of a silicon detector (sensitive layer 300 μm thick) bump-bonded to the Timepix readout chip developed by the Medipix2 collaboration. This study aims to test the feasibility of using the acquired energy and position signals from Timepix for positron imaging. The signals of the commonly used fluorine-18 PET (positron emission tomography) tracer [18F]FDG were measured using Timepix operated both in single particle counting (Medipix) and in time over threshold (TOT) modes. The spatial resolution (SR) was measured using the absorber edge method (AEM) and was calculated from the over-sampled line spread function. The track of a positron in the Timepix detector was characterized as a cluster and the energy weighted centroid of each cluster was considered as readout for the position of the positron incidence. The measurement results were compared with theoretical predictions using Monte-Carlo simulations. In addition, imaging of a tissue slice of a mouse heart was analysed with reference to standard phosphor plate imaging. Our results show that the SR was improved from 177.1±4.1 μm (centroid without energy weighting) to 155.5±3.1 μm μm (centroid with energy weighting). About 12% enhancement of SR was achieved with energy information in TOT mode. The sensitivity of Timepix was 0.35 cps/Bq based on the measurements. The measuring background and the ratio between detected positrons and gamma rays were also evaluated and were found to be consistent with theoretical predictions. A small enhancement of image quality was also achieved by applying energy information to the data of the measured tissue sample. Our results show that the inclusion of energy information could slightly enhance the positron measurement compared to without energy information and the Timepix provides a high SR and sensitivity for positron detection. Thus, Timepix is a potentially effective tool for 2D positron imaging.

Optical spectroscopy of atomic and molecular positronium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mills, A. P., Jr.

2014-04-01

Positronium (Ps) is a purely leptonic hydrogen-like atom formed from an electron and a positron. Since the interactions of electrons and positrons are thought to be almost entirely electromagnetic, precision measurements of the Ps energy levels should constitute a good test of QED theory. The ultimate precision is limited by the rapid annihilation of the various Ps states and the number of Ps atoms available. Much progress in making better Ps sources has been made since the 1950's when Ps was discovered and its principle characteristics measured in by the pioneering experiments of Martin Deutsch. The most notable milestones were the first reproducible schemes for making slow positrons and Ps in vacuum by Canter and his co-workers in the 1970's and the discovery of the enabling technology for accumulating slow positrons by Surko and co-workers in 1989. These techniques have made it possible to generate high density bursts of slow Ps atoms that has led to the production of di-positronium molecules, Ps2, and the observation of the Lyman-alpha-like transition in Ps2 at a wavelength of 251 nm predicted by Varga and co-workers. The possibilities for 1S-2S spectroscopy of triplet and singlet Ps with precisions relevant to the proton charge radius problem and efficient production of slow Rydberg Ps atoms useful for measuring Ps free fall are discussed.

The production of molecular positronium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cassidy, D. B.; Mills, A. P.

2007-09-01

It has been known for many years that an electron and its antiparticle, the positron, may together form a metastable hydrogen-like atom, known as positronium or Ps (ref. 1). In 1946, Wheeler speculated that two Ps atoms may combine to form the di-positronium molecule (Ps2), with a binding energy of 0.4eV. More recently, this molecule has been studied theoretically; however, because Ps has a short lifetime and it is difficult to obtain low-energy positrons in large numbers, Ps2 has not previously been observed unambiguously. Here we show that when intense positron bursts are implanted into a thin film of porous silica, Ps2 is created on the internal pore surfaces. We found that molecule formation occurs much more efficiently than the competing process of spin exchange quenching, which appears to be suppressed in the confined pore geometry. This result experimentally confirms the existence of the Ps2 molecule and paves the way for further multi-positronium work. Using similar techniques, but with a more intense positron source, we expect to increase the Ps density to the point where many thousands of atoms interact and can undergo a phase transition to form a Bose-Einstein condensate. As a purely leptonic, macroscopic quantum matter-antimatter system this would be of interest in its own right, but it would also represent a milestone on the path to produce an annihilation gamma-ray laser.

The production of molecular positronium.

PubMed

Cassidy, D B; Mills, A P

2007-09-13

It has been known for many years that an electron and its antiparticle, the positron, may together form a metastable hydrogen-like atom, known as positronium or Ps (ref. 1). In 1946, Wheeler speculated that two Ps atoms may combine to form the di-positronium molecule (Ps2), with a binding energy of 0.4 eV. More recently, this molecule has been studied theoretically; however, because Ps has a short lifetime and it is difficult to obtain low-energy positrons in large numbers, Ps2 has not previously been observed unambiguously. Here we show that when intense positron bursts are implanted into a thin film of porous silica, Ps2 is created on the internal pore surfaces. We found that molecule formation occurs much more efficiently than the competing process of spin exchange quenching, which appears to be suppressed in the confined pore geometry. This result experimentally confirms the existence of the Ps2 molecule and paves the way for further multi-positronium work. Using similar techniques, but with a more intense positron source, we expect to increase the Ps density to the point where many thousands of atoms interact and can undergo a phase transition to form a Bose-Einstein condensate. As a purely leptonic, macroscopic quantum matter-antimatter system this would be of interest in its own right, but it would also represent a milestone on the path to produce an annihilation gamma-ray laser.

Time Dependence of the Electron and Positron Components of the Cosmic Radiation Measured by the PAMELA Experiment between July 2006 and December 2015.

PubMed

Adriani, O; Barbarino, G C; Bazilevskaya, G A; Bellotti, R; Boezio, M; Bogomolov, E A; Bongi, M; Bonvicini, V; Bottai, S; Bruno, A; Cafagna, F; Campana, D; Carlson, P; Casolino, M; Castellini, G; De Santis, C; Di Felice, V; Galper, A M; Karelin, A V; Koldashov, S V; Koldobskiy, S A; Krutkov, S Y; Kvashnin, A N; Leonov, A; Malakhov, V; Marcelli, L; Martucci, M; Mayorov, A G; Menn, W; Mergé, M; Mikhailov, V V; Mocchiutti, E; Monaco, A; Mori, N; Munini, R; Osteria, G; Panico, B; Papini, P; Pearce, M; Picozza, P; Ricci, M; Ricciarini, S B; Simon, M; Sparvoli, R; Spillantini, P; Stozhkov, Y I; Vacchi, A; Vannuccini, E; Vasilyev, G I; Voronov, S A; Yurkin, Y T; Zampa, G; Zampa, N; Potgieter, M S; Vos, E E

2016-06-17

Cosmic-ray electrons and positrons are a unique probe of the propagation of cosmic rays as well as of the nature and distribution of particle sources in our Galaxy. Recent measurements of these particles are challenging our basic understanding of the mechanisms of production, acceleration, and propagation of cosmic rays. Particularly striking are the differences between the low energy results collected by the space-borne PAMELA and AMS-02 experiments and older measurements pointing to sign-charge dependence of the solar modulation of cosmic-ray spectra. The PAMELA experiment has been measuring the time variation of the positron and electron intensity at Earth from July 2006 to December 2015 covering the period for the minimum of solar cycle 23 (2006-2009) until the middle of the maximum of solar cycle 24, through the polarity reversal of the heliospheric magnetic field which took place between 2013 and 2014. The positron to electron ratio measured in this time period clearly shows a sign-charge dependence of the solar modulation introduced by particle drifts. These results provide the first clear and continuous observation of how drift effects on solar modulation have unfolded with time from solar minimum to solar maximum and their dependence on the particle rigidity and the cyclic polarity of the solar magnetic field.

A simulation-based analytic model of radio galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hardcastle, M. J.

2018-04-01

I derive and discuss a simple semi-analytical model of the evolution of powerful radio galaxies which is not based on assumptions of self-similar growth, but rather implements some insights about the dynamics and energetics of these systems derived from numerical simulations, and can be applied to arbitrary pressure/density profiles of the host environment. The model can qualitatively and quantitatively reproduce the source dynamics and synchrotron light curves derived from numerical modelling. Approximate corrections for radiative and adiabatic losses allow it to predict the evolution of radio spectral index and of inverse-Compton emission both for active and `remnant' sources after the jet has turned off. Code to implement the model is publicly available. Using a standard model with a light relativistic (electron-positron) jet, subequipartition magnetic fields, and a range of realistic group/cluster environments, I simulate populations of sources and show that the model can reproduce the range of properties of powerful radio sources as well as observed trends in the relationship between jet power and radio luminosity, and predicts their dependence on redshift and environment. I show that the distribution of source lifetimes has a significant effect on both the source length distribution and the fraction of remnant sources expected in observations, and so can in principle be constrained by observations. The remnant fraction is expected to be low even at low redshift and low observing frequency due to the rapid luminosity evolution of remnants, and to tend rapidly to zero at high redshift due to inverse-Compton losses.

Dense GeV electron–positron pairs generated by lasers in near-critical-density plasmas

PubMed Central

Zhu, Xing-Long; Yu, Tong-Pu; Sheng, Zheng-Ming; Yin, Yan; Turcu, Ion Cristian Edmond; Pukhov, Alexander

2016-01-01

Pair production can be triggered by high-intensity lasers via the Breit–Wheeler process. However, the straightforward laser–laser colliding for copious numbers of pair creation requires light intensities several orders of magnitude higher than possible with the ongoing laser facilities. Despite the numerous proposed approaches, creating high-energy-density pair plasmas in laboratories is still challenging. Here we present an all-optical scheme for overdense pair production by two counter-propagating lasers irradiating near-critical-density plasmas at only ∼1022 W cm−2. In this scheme, bright γ-rays are generated by radiation-trapped electrons oscillating in the laser fields. The dense γ-photons then collide with the focused counter-propagating lasers to initiate the multi-photon Breit–Wheeler process. Particle-in-cell simulations indicate that one may generate a high-yield (1.05 × 1011) overdense (4 × 1022 cm−3) GeV positron beam using 10 PW scale lasers. Such a bright pair source has many practical applications and could be basis for future compact high-luminosity electron–positron colliders. PMID:27966530

Gravitational mass of positron from LEP synchrotron losses.

PubMed

Kalaydzhyan, Tigran

2016-07-27

General relativity(GR) is the current description of gravity in modern physics. One of the cornerstones of GR, as well as Newton's theory of gravity, is the weak equivalence principle (WEP), stating that the trajectory of a freely falling test body is independent of its internal structure and composition. WEP is known to be valid for the normal matter with a high precision. However, due to the rarity of antimatter and weakness of the gravitational forces, the WEP has never been confirmed for antimatter. The current direct bounds on the ratio between the gravitational and inertial masses of the antihydrogen do not rule out a repulsive nature for the antimatter gravity. Here we establish an indirect bound of 0.13% on the difference between the gravitational and inertial masses of the positron (antielectron) from the analysis of synchrotron losses at the Large Electron-Positron collider (LEP). This serves as a confirmation of the conventional gravitational properties of antimatter without common assumptions such as, e.g., coupling of gravity to virtual particles, dynamics of distant astrophysical sources and the nature of absolute gravitational potentials.

Gravitational mass of positron from LEP synchrotron losses

PubMed Central

Kalaydzhyan, Tigran

2016-01-01

General relativity(GR) is the current description of gravity in modern physics. One of the cornerstones of GR, as well as Newton’s theory of gravity, is the weak equivalence principle (WEP), stating that the trajectory of a freely falling test body is independent of its internal structure and composition. WEP is known to be valid for the normal matter with a high precision. However, due to the rarity of antimatter and weakness of the gravitational forces, the WEP has never been confirmed for antimatter. The current direct bounds on the ratio between the gravitational and inertial masses of the antihydrogen do not rule out a repulsive nature for the antimatter gravity. Here we establish an indirect bound of 0.13% on the difference between the gravitational and inertial masses of the positron (antielectron) from the analysis of synchrotron losses at the Large Electron-Positron collider (LEP). This serves as a confirmation of the conventional gravitational properties of antimatter without common assumptions such as, e.g., coupling of gravity to virtual particles, dynamics of distant astrophysical sources and the nature of absolute gravitational potentials. PMID:27461548

Effects of displacement damage and helium production rates on the nucleation and growth of helium bubbles - Positron annihilation spectroscopy aspects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krsjak, Vladimir; Degmova, Jarmila; Sojak, Stanislav; Slugen, Vladimir

2018-02-01

Fe-12 wt% Cr model alloy samples were implanted by 250 keV He2+ ions to three different fluencies (3 × 1017, 9 × 1017 and 1.5 × 1018 cm-2) at T < 100 °C. In a depth profile manner, the implantation impact according to defined peak profile was investigated using variable energy slow positrons, with the primary focus on the 2-13 dpa region. The obtained data were compared to published data on Optifer IX steel samples [1] irradiated in the frame of a two-years irradiation program of the Swiss Spallation Neutron Source. Bi-modal defect distribution represented by two defect components in positron lifetime spectrum reveals two distinct helium bubbles growth mechanisms. While at the lower helium production rate of the spallation environment, the bubbles grow primarily by migration and coalescence, at the high production rates of helium in the implanted samples, the results indicate this growth is driven by Ostwald ripening mechanism. A competitive growth process via emission of interstitial atoms (clusters) is discussed in terms of low-temperature He implantations.

Application of Positron Doppler Broadening Spectroscopy to the Measurement of the Uniformity of Composite Materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quarles, C. A.; Sheffield, Thomas; Stacy, Scott; Yang, Chun

2009-03-01

The uniformity of rubber-carbon black composite materials has been investigated with positron Doppler Broadening Spectroscopy (DBS). The number of grams of carbon black (CB) mixed into one hundred grams of rubber, phr, is used to characterize a sample. A typical concentration for rubber in tires is 50 phr. The S parameter measured by DBS has been found to depend on the phr of the sample as well as the type of rubber and carbon black. The variation in carbon black concentration within a surface area of about 5 mm diameter can be measured by moving a standard Na-22 or Ge-68 positron source over an extended sample. The precision of the concentration measurement depends on the dwell time at a point on the sample. The time required to determine uniformity over an extended sample can be reduced by running with much higher counting rate than is typical in DBS and correcting for the systematic variation of S parameter with counting rate. Variation in CB concentration with mixing time at the level of about 0.5% has been observed.

Compact D-D/D-T neutron generators and their applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lou, Tak Pui

2003-10-01

Neutron generators based on the 2H(d,n)3He and 3H(d,n)4He fusion reactions are the most commonly available neutron sources. The applications of current commercial neutron generators are often limited by their low neutron yield and their short operational lifetime. A new generation of D-D/D-T fusion-based neutron generators has been designed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) by using high current ion beams hitting on a self-loading target that has a large surface area to dissipate the heat load. This thesis describes the rationale behind the new designs and their potential applications. A survey of other neutron sources is presented to show their advantages and disadvantages compared to the fusion-based neutron generator. A prototype neutron facility was built at LBNL to test these neutron generators. High current ion beams were extracted from an RF-driven ion source to produce neutrons. With an average deuteron beam current of 24 mA and an energy of 100 keV, a neutron yield of >109 n/s has been obtained with a D-D coaxial neutron source. Several potential applications were investigated by using computer simulations. The computer code used for simulations and the variance reduction techniques employed were discussed. A study was carried out to determine the neutron flux and resolution of a D-T neutron source in thermal neutron scattering applications for condensed matter experiments. An error analysis was performed to validate the scheme used to predict the resolution. With a D-T neutron yield of 1014 n/s, the thermal neutron flux at the sample was predicted to be 7.3 x 105 n/cm2s. It was found that the resolution of cold neutrons was better than that of thermal neutrons when the duty factor is high. This neutron generator could be efficiently used for research and educational purposes at universities. Additional applications studied were positron production and Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT). The neutron flux required for positron production could not be provided with a single D-T neutron generator. Therefore, a subcritical fission multiplier was designed to increase the neutron yield. The neutron flux was increased by a factor of 25. A D-D driven fission multiplier was also studied for BNCT and a gain of 17 was obtained. The fission multiplier system gain was shown to be limited by the neutron absorption in the fuel and the reduction of source brightness. A brief discussion was also given regarding the neutron generator applications for fast neutron brachytherapy and neutron interrogation systems. It was concluded that new designs of compact D-D/D-T neutron generators are feasible and that superior quality neutron beams could be produced and used for various applications.

10 CFR 30.32 - Application for specific licenses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... of the source or device are adequate to protect health and minimize danger to life and property. Such... lower than the release fraction shown § 30.72 due to the chemical or physical form of the material; (iv..., educational institution, or Federal facility to produce Positron Emission Tomography (PET) radioactive drugs...

10 CFR 30.32 - Application for specific licenses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... of the source or device are adequate to protect health and minimize danger to life and property. Such... lower than the release fraction shown § 30.72 due to the chemical or physical form of the material; (iv..., educational institution, or Federal facility to produce Positron Emission Tomography (PET) radioactive drugs...

10 CFR 30.32 - Application for specific licenses.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... of the source or device are adequate to protect health and minimize danger to life and property. Such... the release fraction shown § 30.72 due to the chemical or physical form of the material; (iv) The..., educational institution, or Federal facility to produce Positron Emission Tomography (PET) radioactive drugs...

Elemental composition, isotopes, electrons and positrons in cosmic rays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Balasubrahmanyan, V. K.

1979-01-01

Papers presented at the 16th International Cosmic Ray Conference, Kyoto, Japan, dealing with the composition of cosmic rays are reviewed. Particular interest is given to data having bearing on nucleosynthesis sites, supernovae, gamma-process, comparison with solar system composition, multiplicity of sources, and the energy dependence of composition.

Positron annihilation and X-ray diffraction studies on tin oxide thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prabakar, K.; Abhaya, S.; Krishnan, R.; Kalavathi, S.; Dash, S.; Jayapandian, J.; Amarendra, G.

2009-04-01

Positron annihilation spectroscopy along with glancing incidence X-ray diffraction have been used to investigate tin oxide thin films grown on Si by pulsed laser deposition. The films were prepared at room temperature and at 670 K under oxygen partial pressure. As-grown samples are amorphous and are found to contain large concentration of open volume sites (vacancy defects). Post-deposition annealing of as-grown samples at 970 K is found to drastically reduce the number of open volume sites and the film becomes crystalline. However, film grown under elevated temperature and under partial pressure of oxygen is found to exhibit a lower S-parameter, indicating lower defect concentration. Based on the analysis of experimental positron annihilation results, the defect-sensitive S-parameter and the overlayer thickness of tin oxide thin films are deduced. S- W correlation plots exhibit distinct positron trapping defect states in three samples.

PAL spectroscopy of rare-earth doped Ga-Ge-Te/Se glasses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shpotyuk, Ya.; Ingram, A.; Shpotyuk, O.

2016-04-01

Positron annihilation lifetime (PAL) spectroscopy was applied for the first time to study free-volume void evolution in chalcogenide glasses of Ga-Ge-Te/Se cut-section exemplified by glassy Ga10Ge15Te75 and Ga10Ge15Te72Se3 doped with 500 ppm of Tb3+ or Pr3+. The collected PAL spectra reconstructed within two-state trapping model reveal decaying tendency in positron trapping efficiency in these glasses under rare-earth doping. This effect results in unchanged or slightly increased defect-related lifetimes τ2 at the cost of more strong decrease in I2 intensities, as well as reduced positron trapping rate in defects and fraction of trapped positrons. Observed changes are ascribed to rare-earth activated elimination of intrinsic free volumes associated mainly with negatively-charged states of chalcogen atoms especially those neighboring with Ga-based polyhedrons.

Method of using 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(carboxyphenyl)porphine for detecting cancers of the lung

DOEpatents

Cole, Dean A.; Moody, III, David C.; Ellinwood, L. Edward; Klein, M. Gerard

1992-01-01

Method using tetra-aryl porphyrins for and, in particular, 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)porphine as a fluorescent tracer for cancers of the lung, and as a radiotracer therefor as a complex with .sup.67 Cu. The latter complex also provides a source of beta radiation for selective destruction of lung malignancies as well as gamma radiation useful for image analysis of the situs thereof by single photon emission computed tomography, as an example, both in vivo. Copper-64 may be substituted for the .sup.67 Cu if only radiotracer characteristics are of interest. This lighter isotope of copper is a positron emitter, and positron emission tomography techniques cna be used to locate the malignant tissue mass.

Method using 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)porphine for treating cancers of the lung

DOEpatents

Cole, Dean A.; Moody, III, David C.; Ellinwood, L. Edward; Klein, M. Gerard

1995-01-01

Method using tetra-aryl porphyrins for and, in particular, 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)porphine as a fluorescent tracer for cancers of the lung, and as a radiotracer therefor as a complex with .sup.67 Cu. The latter complex also provides a source of beta radiation for selective destruction of lung malignancies as well as gamma radiation useful for image analysis of the situs thereof by single photon emission computed tomography, as an example, both in vivo. Copper-64 may be substituted for the .sup.67 Cu if only radiotracer characteristics are of interest. This lighter isotope of copper is a positron emitter, and positron emission tomography techniques can be used to locate the malignant tissue mass.

Multi-Source Learning for Joint Analysis of Incomplete Multi-Modality Neuroimaging Data

PubMed Central

Yuan, Lei; Wang, Yalin; Thompson, Paul M.; Narayan, Vaibhav A.; Ye, Jieping

2013-01-01

Incomplete data present serious problems when integrating largescale brain imaging data sets from different imaging modalities. In the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI), for example, over half of the subjects lack cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) measurements; an independent half of the subjects do not have fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) scans; many lack proteomics measurements. Traditionally, subjects with missing measures are discarded, resulting in a severe loss of available information. We address this problem by proposing two novel learning methods where all the samples (with at least one available data source) can be used. In the first method, we divide our samples according to the availability of data sources, and we learn shared sets of features with state-of-the-art sparse learning methods. Our second method learns a base classifier for each data source independently, based on which we represent each source using a single column of prediction scores; we then estimate the missing prediction scores, which, combined with the existing prediction scores, are used to build a multi-source fusion model. To illustrate the proposed approaches, we classify patients from the ADNI study into groups with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and normal controls, based on the multi-modality data. At baseline, ADNI’s 780 participants (172 AD, 397 MCI, 211 Normal), have at least one of four data types: magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), FDG-PET, CSF and proteomics. These data are used to test our algorithms. Comprehensive experiments show that our proposed methods yield stable and promising results. PMID:24014189

A fully automated and scalable timing probe-based method for time alignment of the LabPET II scanners

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samson, Arnaud; Thibaudeau, Christian; Bouchard, Jonathan; Gaudin, Émilie; Paulin, Caroline; Lecomte, Roger; Fontaine, Réjean

2018-05-01

A fully automated time alignment method based on a positron timing probe was developed to correct the channel-to-channel coincidence time dispersion of the LabPET II avalanche photodiode-based positron emission tomography (PET) scanners. The timing probe was designed to directly detect positrons and generate an absolute time reference. The probe-to-channel coincidences are recorded and processed using firmware embedded in the scanner hardware to compute the time differences between detector channels. The time corrections are then applied in real-time to each event in every channel during PET data acquisition to align all coincidence time spectra, thus enhancing the scanner time resolution. When applied to the mouse version of the LabPET II scanner, the calibration of 6 144 channels was performed in less than 15 min and showed a 47% improvement on the overall time resolution of the scanner, decreasing from 7 ns to 3.7 ns full width at half maximum (FWHM).

A gallium(III) Schiff base-curcumin complex that binds to amyloid-β plaques.

PubMed

Lange, Jaclyn L; Hayne, David J; Roselt, Peter; McLean, Catriona A; White, Jonathan M; Donnelly, Paul S

2016-09-01

Gallium-68 is a positron-emitting isotope that can be used in positron-emission tomography imaging agents. Alzheimer's disease is associated with the formation of plaques in the brain primarily comprised of aggregates of a 42 amino acid protein called amyloid-β. With the goal of synthesising charge neutral, low molecular weight, lipophilic gallium complexes with the potential to cross the blood-brain barrier and bind to Aβ plaques we have used an ancillary tetradentate N 2 O 2 Schiff base ligand and the β-diketone curcumin as a bidentate ligand to give a six-coordinate Ga 3+ complex. The tetradentate Schiff base ligand adopts the cis-β configuration with deprotonated curcumin acting as a bidentate ligand. The complex binds to amyloid-β plaques in human brain tissue and it is possible that extension of this chemistry to positron-emitting gallium-68 could provide useful imaging agents for Alzheimer's disease. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Background sources at PEP

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lynch, H.; Schwitters, R.F.; Toner, W.T.

Important sources of background for PEP experiments are studied. Background particles originate from high-energy electrons and positrons which have been lost from stable orbits, ..gamma..-rays emitted by the primary beams through bremsstrahlung in the residual gas, and synchrotron radiation x-rays. The effect of these processes on the beam lifetime are calculated and estimates of background rates at the interaction region are given. Recommendations for the PEP design, aimed at minimizing background are presented. 7 figs., 4 tabs.

The assessment of pore connectivity in hierarchical zeolites using positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy: instrumental and morphological aspects.

PubMed

Zubiaga, Asier; Warringham, Robbie; Boltz, Marilyne; Cooke, David; Crivelli, Paolo; Gidley, David; Pérez-Ramírez, Javier; Mitchell, Sharon

2016-04-07

Recent studies demonstrated the power of positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy (PALS) to characterise the connectivity and corresponding effectiveness of hierarchical pore networks in zeolites. This was based on the fractional escape of ortho-positronium (Ps), formed within the micropore framework, to vacuum. To further develop this technique, here we assess the impact of the positron implantation energy and of the zeolite crystal size and the particle morphology. Conventional measurements using fast positrons and beam measurements applying moderated positrons both readily distinguish purely microporous ZSM-5 zeolites comprised of single crystals or crystal aggregates. Unlike beam measurements, however, conventional measurements fail to discriminate model hierarchical zeolites with open or constricted mesopore architectures. Several steps are taken to rationalise these observations. The dominant contribution of Ps diffusion to the PALS response is confirmed by capping the external surface of the zeolite crystals with tetraethylorthosilicate, which greatly enhances the sensitivity to the micropore network. A one-dimensional model is constructed to predict the out-diffusion of Ps from a zeolite crystal, which is validated experimentally by comparing coffin-shaped single crystals of varying size. Calculation of the trends expected on the application of fast or moderated positrons indicates that the distinctions in the initial distribution of Ps at the crystal level cannot explain the limited sensitivity of the former to the mesopore architecture. Instead, we propose that the greater penetration of fast positrons within the sample increases the probability of Ps re-entry from intercrystalline voids into mesopores connected with the external surface of zeolite crystals, thereby reducing their fractional escape.

A General Quantum Mechanical Method to Predict Positron Spectroscopy

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-06-01

7 2.1 Positron Annihilation Spectroscopy . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 2.1.1 Positron Transport and Annihilation in Condensed Matter...8 2.1.2 Traditional Positron Annihilation Spectroscopy . . 10 2.1.3 Vibrational Feshbach Resonances of Positrons with... positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy system . . . 63 11. Tungsten positron lifetime spectrum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 12. K2B12H12

On the Energy Spectra of GeV/TeV Cosmic Ray Leptons

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stawarz, Lukasz; /KIPAC, Menlo Park /Jagiellonian U., Astron. Observ.; Petrosian, Vahe

2011-08-19

Recent observations of cosmic ray electrons from several instruments have revealed various degrees of deviation in the measured electron energy distribution from a simple power-law, in a form of an excess around 0.1 to 1 TeV energies. An even more prominent deviation and excess has been observed in the fraction of cosmic ray positrons around 10 and 100 GeV energies. These observations have received considerable attention and many theoretical models have been proposed to explain them. The models rely on either dark matter annihilation/decay or specific nearby astrophysical sources, and involve several additional assumptions regarding the dark matter distribution ormore » particle acceleration. In this paper we show that the observed excesses in the electron spectrum may be easily reproduced without invoking any unusual sources other than the general diffuse Galactic components of cosmic rays. The model presented here assumes a power-law injection of electrons (and protons) by supernova remnants, and evaluates their expected energy spectrum based on a simple kinetic equation describing the propagation of charged particles in the interstellar medium. The primary physical effect involved is the Klein-Nishina suppression of the electron cooling rate around TeV energies. With a very reasonable choice of the model parameters characterizing the local interstellar medium, we can reproduce the most recent observations by Fermi and HESS experiments. Interestingly, in our model the injection spectral index of cosmic ray electrons becomes comparable to, or even equal to that of cosmic ray protons. The Klein-Nishina effect may also affect the propagation of the secondary e{sup {+-}} pairs, and therefore modify the cosmic ray positron-to-electron ratio. We have explored this possibility by considering two mechanisms for production of e{sup {+-}} pairs within the Galaxy. The first is due to the decay of {pi}{sup {+-}}'s produced by interaction of cosmic ray nuclei with ambient protons. The second source discussed here is due to the annihilation of the diffuse Galactic {gamma}-rays on the stellar photon field. We find that high positron fraction increasing with energy, as claimed by the PAMELA experiment, cannot be explained in our model with the conservative set of the model parameters. We are able, however, to reproduce the PAMELA (as well as Fermi and HESS) results assuming high values of the starlight and interstellar gas densities, which would be more appropriate for vicinities of supernova remnants. A possible solution to this problem may be that cosmic rays undergo most of their interactions near their sources due to the efficient trapping in the far upstream of supernova shocks by self-generated, cosmic ray-driven turbulence.« less

ON THE ENERGY SPECTRA OF GeV/TeV COSMIC RAY LEPTONS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stawarz, Lukasz; Petrosian, Vahe; Blandford, Roger D., E-mail: stawarz@slac.stanford.ed

2010-02-10

Recent observations of cosmic ray (CR) electrons from several instruments have revealed various degrees of deviation in the measured electron energy distribution from a simple power law, in the form of an excess around 0.1-1 TeV energies. An even more prominent deviation and excess has been observed in the fraction of CR positrons around 10 and 100 GeV energies. These observations have received considerable attention and many theoretical models have been proposed to explain them. The models rely on either dark matter annihilation/decay or specific nearby astrophysical sources, and involve several additional assumptions regarding dark matter distribution or particle acceleration.more » In this paper, we show that the observed excesses in the electron spectrum may be easily re-produced without invoking any unusual sources other than the general diffuse Galactic components of CRs. The model presented here assumes a power-law injection of electrons (and protons) by supernova remnants (SNRs), and evaluates their expected energy spectrum based on a simple kinetic equation describing the propagation of charged particles in the interstellar medium (ISM). The primary physical effect involved is the Klein-Nishina suppression of the electron cooling rate around TeV energies. With a very reasonable choice of the model parameters characterizing the local ISM, we can reproduce the most recent observations by the Fermi and HESS experiments. Interestingly, in our model the injection spectral index of CR electrons becomes comparable to, or even equal to that of CR protons. The Klein-Nishina effect may also affect the propagation of the secondary e {sup +}- pairs, and therefore modify the CR positron-to-electron ratio. We have explored this possibility by considering two mechanisms for production of e {sup +}- pairs within the Galaxy. The first is due to the decay of pi{sup +}-'s produced by interaction of CR nuclei with ambient protons. The second source discussed here is due to the annihilation of the diffuse Galactic gamma-rays on the stellar photon field. We find that high positron fraction increasing with energy, as claimed by the PAMELA experiment, cannot be explained in our model with the conservative set of the model parameters. We are able, however, to reproduce the PAMELA (as well as the Fermi and HESS) results assuming high values of the starlight and interstellar gas densities, which would be more appropriate for vicinities of SNRs. A possible solution to this problem may be that CRs undergo most of their interactions near their sources due to the efficient trapping in the far upstream of supernova shocks by self-generated, CR-driven turbulence.« less

Positron depth profiling of the structural and electronic structure transformations of hydrogenated Mg-based thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eijt, S. W. H.; Kind, R.; Singh, S.; Schut, H.; Legerstee, W. J.; Hendrikx, R. W. A.; Svetchnikov, V. L.; Westerwaal, R. J.; Dam, B.

2009-02-01

We report positron depth-profiling studies on the hydrogen sorption behavior and phase evolution of Mg-based thin films. We show that the main changes in the depth profiles resulting from the hydrogenation to the respective metal hydrides are related to a clear broadening in the observed electron momentum densities in both Mg and Mg2Ni films. This shows that positron annihilation methods are capable of monitoring these metal-to-insulator transitions, which form the basis for important applications of these types of films in switchable mirror devices and hydrogen sensors in a depth-sensitive manner. Besides, some of the positrons trap at the boundaries of columnar grains in the otherwise nearly vacancy-free Mg films. The combination of positron annihilation and x-ray diffraction further shows that hydrogen loading at elevated temperatures, in the range of 480-600 K, leads to a clear Pd-Mg alloy formation of the Pd catalyst cap layer. At the highest temperatures, the hydrogenation induces a partial delamination of the ˜5 nm thin capping layer, as sensitively monitored by positron depth profiling of the fraction of ortho-positronium formed at interface with the cap layer. The delamination effectively blocks the hydrogen cycling. In Mg-Si bilayers, we investigated the reactivity upon hydrogen loading and heat treatments near 480 K, which shows that Mg2Si formation is fast relative to MgH2. The combination of positron depth profiling and transmission electron microscopy shows that hydrogenation promotes a complete conversion to Mg2Si for this destabilized metal hydride system, while a partially unreacted, Mg-rich amorphous prelayer remains on top of Mg2Si after a single heat treatment in an inert gas environment. Thin film studies indicate that the difficulty of rehydrogenation of Mg2Si is not primarily the result from slow hydrogen dissociation at surfaces, but is likely hindered by the presence of a barrier for removal of Mg from the readily formed Mg2Si.

Fast simulation of electromagnetic and hadronic showers in SpaCal calorimeter at the H1 experiment

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Raičević, Nataša, E-mail: raicevic@mail.desy.de; Glazov, Alexandre

2016-03-25

The fast simulation of showers induced by electrons (positrons) in the H1 lead/scintillating-fiber calorimeter, SpaCal, based on shower library technique has been presented previously. In this paper we show the results on linearity and uniformity of the reconstructed electron/positron cluster energy in electromagnetic section of Spacal for the simulations based on shower library and GFLASH shower parametrisation. The shapes of the clusters originating from photon and hadron candidates in SpaCal are analysed and experimental distributions compared with the two simulations.

Searching for New Physics at SuperB - The Super Flavor Factory

ScienceCinema

Hiltin, David

2018-01-05

SuperB – a Super Flavor Factory, an electron-positron collider with a luminosity of 1036 cm-2 s-1, can conduct conduct unique sensitive searches for New Physics effects such as lepton flavor violation and new sources of CP violation in the quark and lepton sectors.

Dark matter vs. astrophysics in the interpretation of AMS-02 electron and positron data

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mauro, Mattia Di; Donato, Fiorenza; Fornengo, Nicolao

We perform a detailed quantitative analysis of the recent AMS-02 electron and positron data. We investigate the interplay between the emission from primary astrophysical sources, namely Supernova Remnants and Pulsar Wind Nebulae, and the contribution from a dark matter annihilation or decay signal. Our aim is to assess the information that can be derived on dark matter properties when both dark matter and primary astrophysical sources are assumed to jointly contribute to the leptonic observables measured by the AMS-02 experiment. We investigate both the possibility to set robust constraints on the dark matter annihilation/decay rate and the possibility to lookmore » for dark matter signals within realistic models that take into account the full complexity of the astrophysical background. Our results show that AMS-02 data enable to probe efficiently vast regions of the dark matter parameter space and, in some cases, to set constraints on the dark matter annihilation/decay rate that are comparable or even stronger than the ones derived from other indirect detection channels.« less

Optimization of a Scintillator for the Measurement of Positrons from Trapped, Polarized 37K

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

France, Erin; Melconian, Dan

2011-10-01

Precision beta decay experiments can be used to test the Standard Model via their value of correlation parameters. The TRINAT Collaboration is performing such an experiment using a source of polarized 37K from a magneto optical trap. The momentum of an emitted positron will be detected using a Silicon strip detector backed by a plastic scintillator. The goal of my research was to optimize the readout of the scintillator by testing different experimental setups. The front face and sides of the scintillator and light guide were wrapped with various reflective materials to find which maximized the light output. We found that one layer of Teflon tape on the front face with a loose wrapping of 3M-ESR (Enhanced Spectral Reflector) on the sides was optimal. We then tested the position dependence of this detector by moving a collimated source of betas across the front face, showing only a (5.9 +/- 0.5)% reduction in light collection at the edge compared to the center. The product of this work will be used in the upcoming TRINAT experiment measuring the beta asymmetry of 37K.

Experimental Evaluation of Depth-of-Interaction Correction in a Small-Animal Positron Emission Tomography Scanner

PubMed Central

Green, Michael V.; Ostrow, Harold G.; Seidel, Jurgen; Pomper, Martin G.

2013-01-01

Human and small-animal positron emission tomography (PET) scanners with cylindrical geometry and conventional detectors exhibit a progressive reduction in radial spatial resolution with increasing radial distance from the geometric axis of the scanner. This “depth-of-interaction” (DOI) effect is sufficiently deleterious that many laboratories have devised novel schemes to reduce the magnitude of this effect and thereby yield PET images of greater quantitative accuracy. Here we examine experimentally the effects of a particular DOI correction method (dual-scintillator phoswich detectors with pulse shape discrimination) implemented in a small-animal PET scanner by comparing the same phantom and same mouse images with and without DOI correction. The results suggest that even this relatively coarse, two-level estimate of radial gamma ray interaction position significantly reduces the DOI parallax error. This study also confirms two less appreciated advantages of DOI correction: a reduction in radial distortion and radial source displacement as a source is moved toward the edge of the field of view and a resolution improvement detectable in the central field of view likely owing to improved spatial sampling. PMID:21084028

Experimental evaluation of depth-of-interaction correction in a small-animal positron emission tomography scanner.

PubMed

Green, Michael V; Ostrow, Harold G; Seidel, Jurgen; Pomper, Martin G

2010-12-01

Human and small-animal positron emission tomography (PET) scanners with cylindrical geometry and conventional detectors exhibit a progressive reduction in radial spatial resolution with increasing radial distance from the geometric axis of the scanner. This "depth-of-interaction" (DOI) effect is sufficiently deleterious that many laboratories have devised novel schemes to reduce the magnitude of this effect and thereby yield PET images of greater quantitative accuracy. Here we examine experimentally the effects of a particular DOI correction method (dual-scintillator phoswich detectors with pulse shape discrimination) implemented in a small-animal PET scanner by comparing the same phantom and same mouse images with and without DOI correction. The results suggest that even this relatively coarse, two-level estimate of radial gamma ray interaction position significantly reduces the DOI parallax error. This study also confirms two less appreciated advantages of DOI correction: a reduction in radial distortion and radial source displacement as a source is moved toward the edge of the field of view and a resolution improvement detectable in the central field of view likely owing to improved spatial sampling.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kawanaka, Norita; Ioka, Kunihito; Nojiri, Mihoko M., E-mail: norita.kawanaka@kek.j

We investigate the observed spectrum of cosmic ray electrons and positrons from astrophysical sources, especially pulsars, and the physical processes for making the spectrum spiky or smooth via continuous and multiple electron/positron injections. We find that (1) the average electron spectrum predicted from nearby pulsars is consistent with PAMELA, Fermi, and H.E.S.S. data. However, the ATIC/PPB-BETS peak around 500 GeV is hard to produce by the sum of multiple pulsar contributions and requires a single (or a few) energetic pulsar(s). (2) A continuous injection produces a broad peak and a high-energy tail above the peak, which can constrain the sourcemore » duration ({approx}<10{sup 5} years with the current data). (3) The H.E.S.S. data in the TeV range suggest that young sources with age less than {approx}6 x 10{sup 4} years are less energetic than {approx}10{sup 48} erg. (4) We also expect a large dispersion in the TeV spectrum due to the small number of sources that may cause the high-energy cutoff inferred by H.E.S.S. and potentially provide a smoking gun for the astrophysical origin. These spectral diagnostics can be refined in the near future by the CALET experiments to discriminate different astrophysical and dark matter origins.« less

Measurement techniques for low emittance tuning and beam dynamics at CESR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Billing, M. G.; Dobbins, J. A.; Forster, M. J.; Kreinick, D. L.; Meller, R. E.; Peterson, D. P.; Ramirez, G. A.; Rendina, M. C.; Rider, N. T.; Sagan, D. C.; Shanks, J.; Sikora, J. P.; Stedinger, M. G.; Strohman, C. R.; Williams, H. A.; Palmer, M. A.; Holtzapple, R. L.; Flanagan, J.

2018-03-01

After operating as a High Energy Physics electron-positron collider, the Cornell Electron-positron Storage Ring (CESR) has been converted to become a dedicated synchrotron light source for the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS). Over the course of several years CESR was adapted for accelerator physics research as a test accelerator, capable of studying topics relevant to future damping rings, colliders and light sources. Initially some specific topics were targeted for accelerator physic research with the storage ring in this mode, labeled CesrTA. These topics included 1) tuning techniques to produce low emittance beams, 2) the study of electron cloud (EC) development in a storage ring and 3) intra-beam scattering effects. The complete conversion of CESR to CesrTA occurred over a several year period, described elsewhere [1–3]. A number of specific instruments were developed for CesrTA. Much of the pre-existing instrumentation was modified to accommodate the scope of these studies and these are described in a companion paper [4]. To complete this research, a number of procedures were developed or modified, often requiring coordinated measurements among different instruments [5]. This paper provides an overview of types of measurements employed for the study of beam dynamics during the operation of CesrTA.

Positron transport in solids and the interaction of positrons with surfaces

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kong, Yuan.

1991-01-01

In studying positron transport in solids, a two-stream model is proposed to account for the epithermal positrons. Thus positron implantation, thermalization, and diffusion processes are completely modeled. Experimentally, positron mobility in thermally grown SiO[sub 2] is measured in a sandwiched structure by using the Doppler broadening technique. Positron drift motion and the electric field configuration in a Si surface buried under overlayers are measured with the positron annihilation [gamma]-ray centroid shift technique. These studies are not only important in measuring positron transport and other properties in complicated systems, they are also of practical significance for material characterizations. In studying positronmore » interactions with surfaces, a multiple-encounter picture is proposed of thermal positrons participating in the surface escape processes. Positron trapping into the surface image potential is also studied, considering the long-range nature of the image potential. Experimentally, the positron annihilation induced Auger electron spectroscopy (PAES) is used to study an ionic insulator surface KCl(100).« less

Design study of an in situ PET scanner for use in proton beam therapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Surti, S.; Zou, W.; Daube-Witherspoon, M. E.; McDonough, J.; Karp, J. S.

2011-05-01

Proton beam therapy can deliver a high radiation dose to a tumor without significant damage to surrounding healthy tissue or organs. One way of verifying the delivered dose distribution is to image the short-lived positron emitters produced by the proton beam as it travels through the patient. A potential solution to the limitations of PET imaging in proton beam therapy is the development of a high sensitivity, in situ PET scanner that starts PET imaging almost immediately after patient irradiation while the patient is still lying on the treatment bed. A partial ring PET design is needed for this application in order to avoid interference between the PET detectors and the proton beam, as well as restrictions on patient positioning on the couch. A partial ring also allows us to optimize the detector separation (and hence the sensitivity) for different patient sizes. Our goal in this investigation is to evaluate an in situ PET scanner design for use in proton therapy that provides tomographic imaging in a partial ring scanner design using time-of-flight (TOF) information and an iterative reconstruction algorithm. GEANT4 simulation of an incident proton beam was used to produce a positron emitter distribution, which was parameterized and then used as the source distribution inside a water-filled cylinder for EGS4 simulations of a PET system. Design optimization studies were performed as a function of crystal type and size, system timing resolution, scanner angular coverage and number of positron emitter decays. Data analysis was performed to measure the accuracy of the reconstructed positron emitter distribution as well as the range of the positron emitter distribution. We simulated scanners with varying crystal sizes (2-4 mm) and type (LYSO and LaBr3) and our results indicate that 4 mm wide LYSO or LaBr3 crystals (resulting in 4-5 mm spatial resolution) are adequate; for a full-ring, non-TOF scanner we predict a low bias (<0.6 mm) and a good precision (<1 mm) in the estimated range relative to the simulated positron distribution. We then varied the angular acceptance of the scanner ranging from 1/2 to 2/3 of 2π a partial ring TOF imaging with good timing resolution (<=600 ps) is necessary to produce accurate tomographic images. A two-third ring scanner with 300 ps timing resolution leads to a bias of 1.0 mm and a precision of 1.4 mm in the range estimate. With a timing resolution of 600 ps, the bias increases to 2.0 mm while the precision in the range estimate is similar. For a half-ring scanner design, more distortions are present in the image, which is characterized by the increased error in the profile difference estimate. We varied the number of positron decays imaged by the PET scanner by an order of magnitude and we observe some decrease in the precision of the range estimate for lower number of decays, but all partial ring scanner designs studied have a precision <=1.5 mm. The largest number tested, 150 M total positron decays, is considered realistic for a clinical fraction of delivered dose, while the range of positron decays investigated in this work covers a variable number of situations corresponding to delays in scan start time and the total scan time. Thus, we conclude that for partial ring systems, an angular acceptance of at least 1/2 (of 2π) together with timing resolution of 300 ps is needed to achieve accurate and precise range estimates. With 600 ps timing resolution an angular acceptance of 2/3 (of 2π) is required to achieve satisfactory range estimates. These results indicate that it would be feasible to develop a partial-ring dedicated PET scanner based on either LaBr3 or LYSO to accurately characterize the proton dose for therapy planning.

Importance of positron emission tomography for assessing the response of primary and metastatic lesions to induction treatments in T4 esophageal cancer.

PubMed

Makino, Tomoki; Yamasaki, Makoto; Tanaka, Koji; Tatsumi, Mitsuaki; Takiguchi, Shuji; Hatazawa, Jun; Mori, Masaki; Doki, Yuichiro

2017-10-01

There is no consensus strategy for treatment of T4 esophageal cancer, and because of this, a better evaluation of treatment response is crucial to establish personalized therapies. This study aimed to establish a useful system for evaluating treatment response in T4 esophageal cancer. This study included 130 patients with cT4 esophageal cancer without distant metastasis who underwent 18 F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography before and after a series of induction treatments comprising chemoradiation or chemotherapy. We evaluated the maximal standardized uptake value and treatment response. The mean ± standard deviation of standardized uptake value in the primary tumor before and after induction treatments were 13.8 ± 4.4 and 5.4 ± 4.1, respectively, and the mean standardized uptake value decrease was 58.4%. The most significant difference in survival between positron emission tomography-primary tumor responders and nonresponders was at a decrease of 60% standardized uptake value, based on every 10% stepwise cutoff analysis (2-year cause-specific survival: 60.2 vs 23.5%; hazard ratio = 2.705; P < .0001). With this cutoff value, the resectability (P = .0307), pathologic response (P = .0004), and pT stage (P < .0001) were associated with positron emission tomography-primary tumor response. Univariate analysis of 2-year cause-specific survival indicated a correlation between cause-specific survival and clinical stages according to TNM classification, esophageal perforation, positron emission tomography-primary tumor response, lymph node status evaluated by positron emission tomography before and after induction treatments, and operative resection. Multivariate analysis further identified positron emission tomography-primary tumor response (hazard ratio = 2.354; P = .0107), lymph node status evaluated by positron emission tomography after induction treatments (hazard ratio = 1.966; P = .0089), and operative resection (hazard ratio = 2.012; P = .0245) as independent prognostic predictors. Positron emission tomography evaluation of the response of primary and metastatic lesions to induction treatments is important to formulate treatment strategies for cT4 esophageal cancer. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen Positron Emission Tomography May Improve the Diagnostic Accuracy of Multiparametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Localized Prostate Cancer.

PubMed

Rhee, H; Thomas, P; Shepherd, B; Gustafson, S; Vela, I; Russell, P J; Nelson, C; Chung, E; Wood, G; Malone, G; Wood, S; Heathcote, P

2016-10-01

Positron emission tomography using ligands targeting prostate specific membrane antigen has recently been introduced. Positron emission tomography imaging with (68)Ga-PSMA-HBED-CC has been shown to detect metastatic prostate cancer lesions at a high rate. In this study we compare multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging and prostate specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography of the prostate with whole mount ex vivo prostate histopathology to determine the true sensitivity and specificity of these imaging modalities for detecting and locating tumor foci within the prostate. In a prospective clinical trial setting 20 patients with localized prostate cancer and a planned radical prostatectomy were recruited. All patients underwent multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging and positron emission tomography before surgery, and whole mount histopathology slides were directly compared to the images. European Society of Urogenital Radiology guidelines for reporting magnetic resonance imaging were used as a template for regional units of analysis. The uropathologist and radiologists were blinded to individual components of the study, and the final correlation was performed by visual and deformable registration analysis. A total of 50 clinically significant lesions were identified from the whole mount histopathological analysis. Based on regional analysis the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value for multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging were 44%, 94%, 81% and 76%, respectively. With prostate specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 49%, 95%, 85% and 88%, respectively. Prostate specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography yielded a higher specificity and positive predictive value. A significant proportion of cancers are potentially missed and underestimated by both imaging modalities. Prostate specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography may be used in addition to multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging to help improve local staging in those patients undergoing retropubic radical prostatectomy. Copyright © 2016 American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Method for photon activation positron annihilation analysis

DOEpatents

Akers, Douglas W.

2006-06-06

A non-destructive testing method comprises providing a specimen having at least one positron emitter therein; determining a threshold energy for activating the positron emitter; and determining whether a half-life of the positron emitter is less than a selected half-life. If the half-life of the positron emitter is greater than or equal to the selected half-life, then activating the positron emitter by bombarding the specimen with photons having energies greater than the threshold energy and detecting gamma rays produced by annihilation of positrons in the specimen. If the half-life of the positron emitter is less then the selected half-life, then alternately activating the positron emitter by bombarding the specimen with photons having energies greater then the threshold energy and detecting gamma rays produced by positron annihilation within the specimen.

Method of using 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(carboxyphenyl)porphine for detecting cancers of the lung

DOEpatents

Cole, D.A.; Moody, D.C. III; Ellinwood, L.E.; Klein, M.G.

1992-11-10

A method is described for using tetra-aryl porphyrins for and, in particular, 5,10,15,20-tetrakis(4-carboxyphenyl)porphine as a fluorescent tracer for cancers of the lung, and as a radiotracer therefor as a complex with [sup 67]Cu. The latter complex also provides a source of beta radiation for selective destruction of lung malignancies as well as gamma radiation useful for image analysis of the lungs by single photon emission computed tomography, as an example, both in vivo. Copper-64 may be substituted for the [sup 67]Cu if only radiotracer characteristics are of interest. This lighter isotope of copper is a positron emitter, and positron emission tomography techniques can be used to locate the malignant tissue mass. 1 figure.

Calculation of radiation therapy dose using all particle Monte Carlo transport

DOEpatents

Chandler, William P.; Hartmann-Siantar, Christine L.; Rathkopf, James A.

1999-01-01

The actual radiation dose absorbed in the body is calculated using three-dimensional Monte Carlo transport. Neutrons, protons, deuterons, tritons, helium-3, alpha particles, photons, electrons, and positrons are transported in a completely coupled manner, using this Monte Carlo All-Particle Method (MCAPM). The major elements of the invention include: computer hardware, user description of the patient, description of the radiation source, physical databases, Monte Carlo transport, and output of dose distributions. This facilitated the estimation of dose distributions on a Cartesian grid for neutrons, photons, electrons, positrons, and heavy charged-particles incident on any biological target, with resolutions ranging from microns to centimeters. Calculations can be extended to estimate dose distributions on general-geometry (non-Cartesian) grids for biological and/or non-biological media.

Vacancy-induced ferromagnetism in ZnO probed by spin-polarized positron annihilation spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maekawa, Masaki; Abe, Hiroshi; Miyashita, Atsumi; Sakai, Seiji; Yamamoto, Shunya; Kawasuso, Atsuo

2017-04-01

We investigated the ferromagnetism of ZnO induced by oxygen implantation by using spin-polarized positron annihilation spectroscopy together with magnetization measurements. The magnetization measurements showed the appearance of ferromagnetism after oxygen implantation and its disappearance during post-implantation annealing at temperatures above 573 K. The Doppler broadening of annihilation radiation (DBAR) spectrum showed asymmetry upon field reversal after oxygen implantation. The obtained differential DBAR spectrum between positive and negative magnetic fields was well-explained with a theoretical calculation considering zinc vacancies. The disappearance of the field-reversal asymmetry of the DBAR spectrum as a result of annealing agreed with the observations of ferromagnetism by magnetization measurements. These results suggest the radiation-induced zinc vacancies to be the source of the observed ferromagnetism of ZnO.

Calculation of radiation therapy dose using all particle Monte Carlo transport

DOEpatents

Chandler, W.P.; Hartmann-Siantar, C.L.; Rathkopf, J.A.

1999-02-09

The actual radiation dose absorbed in the body is calculated using three-dimensional Monte Carlo transport. Neutrons, protons, deuterons, tritons, helium-3, alpha particles, photons, electrons, and positrons are transported in a completely coupled manner, using this Monte Carlo All-Particle Method (MCAPM). The major elements of the invention include: computer hardware, user description of the patient, description of the radiation source, physical databases, Monte Carlo transport, and output of dose distributions. This facilitated the estimation of dose distributions on a Cartesian grid for neutrons, photons, electrons, positrons, and heavy charged-particles incident on any biological target, with resolutions ranging from microns to centimeters. Calculations can be extended to estimate dose distributions on general-geometry (non-Cartesian) grids for biological and/or non-biological media. 57 figs.

Design and Construction of a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Unit and Medical Applications with GEANT Detector Simulation Package

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Karagoz, Muge

1998-01-01

In order to investigate the possibility of the construction of a sample PET coincidence unit in our HEP laboratory, a setup with two face to face PMTs and two 2x8 Csi(Tl) scintillator matrices has been constructed. In this setup, 1-D projections of a pointlike 22 Na positron source at different angles have been measured. Using these projections a 2-D image has been formed. Monte Carlo studies of this setup have been implemented using the detector simulation tool in CERN program library, GEANT. Again with GEANT a sample human body is created to study the effects of proton therapy. Utilization ofmore » the simulation as a pretherapy tool is also investigated.« less

Photonuclear reactions triggered by lightning discharge.

PubMed

Enoto, Teruaki; Wada, Yuuki; Furuta, Yoshihiro; Nakazawa, Kazuhiro; Yuasa, Takayuki; Okuda, Kazufumi; Makishima, Kazuo; Sato, Mitsuteru; Sato, Yousuke; Nakano, Toshio; Umemoto, Daigo; Tsuchiya, Harufumi

2017-11-22

Lightning and thunderclouds are natural particle accelerators. Avalanches of relativistic runaway electrons, which develop in electric fields within thunderclouds, emit bremsstrahlung γ-rays. These γ-rays have been detected by ground-based observatories, by airborne detectors and as terrestrial γ-ray flashes from space. The energy of the γ-rays is sufficiently high that they can trigger atmospheric photonuclear reactions that produce neutrons and eventually positrons via β + decay of the unstable radioactive isotopes, most notably 13 N, which is generated via 14 N + γ →  13 N + n, where γ denotes a photon and n a neutron. However, this reaction has hitherto not been observed conclusively, despite increasing observational evidence of neutrons and positrons that are presumably derived from such reactions. Here we report ground-based observations of neutron and positron signals after lightning. During a thunderstorm on 6 February 2017 in Japan, a γ-ray flash with a duration of less than one millisecond was detected at our monitoring sites 0.5-1.7 kilometres away from the lightning. The subsequent γ-ray afterglow subsided quickly, with an exponential decay constant of 40-60 milliseconds, and was followed by prolonged line emission at about 0.511 megaelectronvolts, which lasted for a minute. The observed decay timescale and spectral cutoff at about 10 megaelectronvolts of the γ-ray afterglow are well explained by de-excitation γ-rays from nuclei excited by neutron capture. The centre energy of the prolonged line emission corresponds to electron-positron annihilation, providing conclusive evidence of positrons being produced after the lightning.

EM reconstruction of dual isotope PET using staggered injections and prompt gamma positron emitters

PubMed Central

Andreyev, Andriy; Sitek, Arkadiusz; Celler, Anna

2014-01-01

Purpose: The aim of dual isotope positron emission tomography (DIPET) is to create two separate images of two coinjected PET radiotracers. DIPET shortens the duration of the study, reduces patient discomfort, and produces perfectly coregistered images compared to the case when two radiotracers would be imaged independently (sequential PET studies). Reconstruction of data from such simultaneous acquisition of two PET radiotracers is difficult because positron decay of any isotope creates only 511 keV photons; therefore, the isotopes cannot be differentiated based on the detected energy. Methods: Recently, the authors have proposed a DIPET technique that uses a combination of radiotracer A which is a pure positron emitter (such as 18F or 11C) and radiotracer B in which positron decay is accompanied by the emission of a high-energy (HE) prompt gamma (such as 38K or 60Cu). Events that are detected as triple coincidences of HE gammas with the corresponding two 511 keV photons allow the authors to identify the lines-of-response (LORs) of isotope B. These LORs are used to separate the two intertwined distributions, using a dedicated image reconstruction algorithm. In this work the authors propose a new version of the DIPET EM-based reconstruction algorithm that allows the authors to include an additional, independent estimate of radiotracer A distribution which may be obtained if radioisotopes are administered using a staggered injections method. In this work the method is tested on simple simulations of static PET acquisitions. Results: The authors’ experiments performed using Monte-Carlo simulations with static acquisitions demonstrate that the combined method provides better results (crosstalk errors decrease by up to 50%) than the positron-gamma DIPET method or staggered injections alone. Conclusions: The authors demonstrate that the authors’ new EM algorithm which combines information from triple coincidences with prompt gammas and staggered injections improves the accuracy of DIPET reconstructions for static acquisitions so they reach almost the benchmark level calculated for perfectly separated tracers. PMID:24506645

Electron- and positron-impact atomic scattering calculations using propagating exterior complex scaling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartlett, P. L.; Stelbovics, A. T.; Rescigno, T. N.; McCurdy, C. W.

2007-11-01

Calculations are reported for four-body electron-helium collisions and positron-hydrogen collisions, in the S-wave model, using the time-independent propagating exterior complex scaling (PECS) method. The PECS S-wave calculations for three-body processes in electron-helium collisions compare favourably with previous convergent close-coupling (CCC) and time-dependent exterior complex scaling (ECS) calculations, and exhibit smooth cross section profiles. The PECS four-body double-excitation cross sections are significantly different from CCC calculations and highlight the need for an accurate representation of the resonant helium final-state wave functions when undertaking these calculations. Results are also presented for positron-hydrogen collisions in an S-wave model using an electron-positron potential of V12 = - (8 + (r1 - r2)2)-1/2. This model is representative of the full problem, and the results demonstrate that ECS-based methods can accurately calculate scattering, ionization and positronium formation cross sections in this three-body rearrangement collision.

A Positron Annihilation Study of Corrosion of Aluminum and Aluminum Alloy by NaOH

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Y. C.; Zhai, T.; Coleman, P. G.

2012-08-01

Corrosion of fully-annealed pure aluminum and a continuous-cast AA2037 aluminum alloy (solutionized and water quenched) in a 1M NaOH solution for various periods of time were analyzed with positron beam-based Doppler broadening spectroscopy. By varying the energy of the incident positron beam, corrosion-induced defects at different depths from the surface were detected. It was found that the Doppler-broadened annihilation line-width parameter was significantly increased near the surface of pure aluminum after corrosion, probably due to the interaction between positrons and nanometer-sized voids formed near the aluminum surface during corrosion. Examination by atomic force microscopy indicated that many pits were formed on the aluminum surface after corrosion. In contrast, a significant decrease in the line-width parameter was observed in AA2037 alloy after corrosion and interpreted as being caused by copper enrichment at the metal-oxide interface during corrosion; such enrichment at large cavity sites was confirmed by energy dispersion spectrometry.

Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging with 18F-based radiotracers

PubMed Central

Alauddin, Mian M

2012-01-01

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a nuclear medicine imaging technique that is widely used in early detection and treatment follow up of many diseases, including cancer. This modality requires positron-emitting isotope labeled biomolecules, which are synthesized prior to perform imaging studies. Fluorine-18 is one of the several isotopes of fluorine that is routinely used in radiolabeling of biomolecules for PET; because of its positron emitting property and favorable half-life of 109.8 min. The biologically active molecule most commonly used for PET is 2-deoxy-2-18F-fluoro-β-D-glucose (18F-FDG), an analogue of glucose, for early detection of tumors. The concentrations of tracer accumulation (PET image) demonstrate the metabolic activity of tissues in terms of regional glucose metabolism and accumulation. Other tracers are also used in PET to image the tissue concentration. In this review, information on fluorination and radiofluorination reactions, radiofluorinating agents, and radiolabeling of various compounds and their application in PET imaging is presented. PMID:23133802

Evolution of the electronic structure of La2-xSrxCuO4 with doping determined by positron-annihilation spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howell, R. H.; Sterne, P. A.; Fluss, M. J.; Kaiser, J. H.; Kitazawa, K.; Kojima, H.

1994-05-01

We have measured and calculated the electron-positron momentum distribution of La2-xSrxCuO4 samples for Sr concentrations of 0, 0.1, 0.13, and 0.2. Measured distributions were obtained at room temperature with high statistical precision, greater than 4×108 events, in the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory positron-annihilation angular correlation spectrometer on single-crystal samples fabricated using the traveling solvent floating zone technique. Corresponding theoretical momentum-density calculations were performed using the linear muffin-tin-orbital method. The momentum distribution of all samples contained features derived from the overlap of the positron distribution with the valence electrons. In addition, discontinuities typical of a Fermi surface are seen in the doped samples. The form and position of these features are in general agreement with the Fermi surface and overall momentum distributions as predicted by band theory. However, the evolution of the Fermi surface with doping differed significantly from expectations based on single electron band theories.

New generation electron-positron factories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zobov, Mikhail

2011-09-01

In 2010 we celebrate 50 years since commissioning of the first particle storage ring ADA in Frascati (Italy) that also became the first electron-positron collider in 1964. After that date the particle colliders have increased their intensity, luminosity and energy by several orders of magnitude. Namely, because of the high stored beam currents and high rate of useful physics events (luminosity) the modern electron-positron colliders are called "factories". However, the fundamental physics has required luminosities by 1-2 orders of magnitudes higher with respect to those presently achieved. This task can be accomplished by designing a new generation of factories exploiting the potential of a new collision scheme based on the Crab Waist (CW) collision concept recently proposed and successfully tested at Frascati. In this paper we discuss the performance and limitations of the present generation electron-positron factories and give a brief overview of new ideas and collision schemes proposed for further collider luminosity increase. In more detail we describe the CW collision concept and the results of the crab waist collision tests in DAϕNE, the Italian ϕ-factory. Finally, we briefly describe most advanced projects of the next generation factories based on the CW concept: SuperB in Italy, SuperKEKB in Japan and SuperC-Tau in Russia.

Two-component density functional theory calculations of positron lifetimes for small vacancy clusters in silicon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makhov, D. V.; Lewis, Laurent J.

2005-05-01

The positron lifetimes for various vacancy clusters in silicon are calculated within the framework of the two-component electron-positron density functional theory. The effect of the trapped positron on the electron density and on the relaxation of the structure is investigated. Our calculations show that, contrary to the usual assumption, the positron-induced forces do not compensate in general for electronic inward forces. Thus, geometry optimization is required in order to determine positron lifetime accurately. For the monovacancy and the divacancy, the results of our calculations are in good agreement with the experimental positron lifetimes, suggesting that this approach gives good estimates of positron lifetimes for larger vacancy clusters, required for their correct identification with positron annihilation spectroscopy. As an application, our calculations show that fourfold trivacancies and symmetric fourfold tetravacancies have positron lifetimes similar to monovacancies and divacancies, respectively, and can thus be confused in the interpretation of positron annihilation experiments.

Positron Emission Tomography - Computed Tomography (PET/CT)

MedlinePlus

... A-Z Positron Emission Tomography - Computed Tomography (PET/CT) Positron emission tomography (PET) uses small amounts of ... What is Positron Emission Tomography – Computed Tomography (PET/CT) Scanning? Positron emission tomography, also called PET imaging ...

Gravitational mass of positron from LEP synchrotron losses

DOE PAGES

Kalaydzhyan, Tigran

2016-07-27

General relativity(GR) is the current description of gravity in modern physics. One of the cornerstones of GR, as well as Newton’s theory of gravity, is the weak equivalence principle (WEP), stating that the trajectory of a freely falling test body is independent of its internal structure and composition. WEP is known to be valid for the normal matter with a high precision. However, due to the rarity of antimatter and weakness of the gravitational forces, the WEP has never been confirmed for antimatter. The current direct bounds on the ratio between the gravitational and inertial masses of the antihydrogen domore » not rule out a repulsive nature for the antimatter gravity. Here we establish an indirect bound of 0.13% on the difference between the gravitational and inertial masses of the positron (antielectron) from the analysis of synchrotron losses at the Large Electron-Positron collider (LEP). As a result, this serves as a confirmation of the conventional gravitational properties of antimatter without common assumptions such as, e.g., coupling of gravity to virtual particles, dynamics of distant astrophysical sources and the nature of absolute gravitational potentials.« less

Properties of the electron cloud in a high-energy positron and electron storage ring

DOE PAGES

Harkay, K. C.; Rosenberg, R. A.

2003-03-20

Low-energy, background electrons are ubiquitous in high-energy particle accelerators. Under certain conditions, interactions between this electron cloud and the high-energy beam can give rise to numerous effects that can seriously degrade the accelerator performance. These effects range from vacuum degradation to collective beam instabilities and emittance blowup. Although electron-cloud effects were first observed two decades ago in a few proton storage rings, they have in recent years been widely observed and intensely studied in positron and proton rings. Electron-cloud diagnostics developed at the Advanced Photon Source enabled for the first time detailed, direct characterization of the electron-cloud properties in amore » positron and electron storage ring. From in situ measurements of the electron flux and energy distribution at the vacuum chamber wall, electron-cloud production mechanisms and details of the beam-cloud interaction can be inferred. A significant longitudinal variation of the electron cloud is also observed, due primarily to geometrical details of the vacuum chamber. Furthermore, such experimental data can be used to provide realistic limits on key input parameters in modeling efforts, leading ultimately to greater confidence in predicting electron-cloud effects in future accelerators.« less

Electron-positron pairs in physics and astrophysics: From heavy nuclei to black holes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruffini, Remo; Vereshchagin, Gregory; Xue, She-Sheng

2010-02-01

Due to the interaction of physics and astrophysics we are witnessing in these years a splendid synthesis of theoretical, experimental and observational results originating from three fundamental physical processes. They were originally proposed by Dirac, by Breit and Wheeler and by Sauter, Heisenberg, Euler and Schwinger. For almost seventy years they have all three been followed by a continued effort of experimental verification on Earth-based experiments. The Dirac process, e+e-→2γ, has been by far the most successful. It has obtained extremely accurate experimental verification and has led as well to an enormous number of new physics in possibly one of the most fruitful experimental avenues by introduction of storage rings in Frascati and followed by the largest accelerators worldwide: DESY, SLAC etc. The Breit-Wheeler process, 2γ→e+e-, although conceptually simple, being the inverse process of the Dirac one, has been by far one of the most difficult to be verified experimentally. Only recently, through the technology based on free electron X-ray laser and its numerous applications in Earth-based experiments, some first indications of its possible verification have been reached. The vacuum polarization process in strong electromagnetic field, pioneered by Sauter, Heisenberg, Euler and Schwinger, introduced the concept of critical electric field Ec=me2c3/(eħ). It has been searched without success for more than forty years by heavy-ion collisions in many of the leading particle accelerators worldwide. The novel situation today is that these same processes can be studied on a much more grandiose scale during the gravitational collapse leading to the formation of a black hole being observed in Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs). This report is dedicated to the scientific race. The theoretical and experimental work developed in Earth-based laboratories is confronted with the theoretical interpretation of space-based observations of phenomena originating on cosmological scales. What has become clear in the last ten years is that all the three above mentioned processes, duly extended in the general relativistic framework, are necessary for the understanding of the physics of the gravitational collapse to a black hole. Vice versa, the natural arena where these processes can be observed in mutual interaction and on an unprecedented scale, is indeed the realm of relativistic astrophysics. We systematically analyze the conceptual developments which have followed the basic work of Dirac and Breit-Wheeler. We also recall how the seminal work of Born and Infeld inspired the work by Sauter, Heisenberg and Euler on effective Lagrangian leading to the estimate of the rate for the process of electron-positron production in a constant electric field. In addition to reviewing the intuitive semi-classical treatment of quantum mechanical tunneling for describing the process of electron-positron production, we recall the calculations in Quantum Electro-Dynamics of the Schwinger rate and effective Lagrangian for constant electromagnetic fields. We also review the electron-positron production in both time-alternating electromagnetic fields, studied by Brezin, Itzykson, Popov, Nikishov and Narozhny, and the corresponding processes relevant for pair production at the focus of coherent laser beams as well as electron-beam-laser collision. We finally report some current developments based on the general JWKB approach which allows us to compute the Schwinger rate in spatially varying and time varying electromagnetic fields. We also recall the pioneering work of Landau and Lifshitz, and Racah on the collision of charged particles as well as the experimental success of AdA and ADONE in the production of electron-positron pairs. We then turn to the possible experimental verification of these phenomena. We review: (A) the experimental verification of the e+e-→2γ process studied by Dirac. We also briefly recall the very successful experiments of e+e- annihilation to hadronic channels, in addition to the Dirac electromagnetic channel; (B) ongoing Earth-based experiments to detect electron-positron production in strong fields by focusing coherent laser beams and by electron-beam-laser collisions; and (C) the multiyear attempts to detect electron-positron production in Coulomb fields for a large atomic number Z>137 in heavy-ion collisions. These attempts follow the classical theoretical work of Popov and Zeldovich, and Greiner and their schools. We then turn to astrophysics. We first review the basic work on the energetics and electrodynamical properties of an electromagnetic black hole and the application of the Schwinger formula around Kerr-Newman black holes as pioneered by Damour and Ruffini. We only focus on black hole masses larger than the critical mass of neutron stars, for convenience assumed to coincide with the Rhoades and Ruffini upper limit of 3.2 M⊙. In this case the electron Compton wavelength is much smaller than the space-time curvature and all previous results invariantly expressed can be applied following well established rules of the equivalence principle. We derive the corresponding rate of electron-positron pair production and introduce the concept of dyadosphere. We review the recent progress in describing the evolution of optically thick electron-positron plasma in the presence of supercritical electric field, which is relevant both in astrophysics as well as in ongoing laser beam experiments. In particular we review the recent progress based on the Vlasov-Boltzmann-Maxwell equations to study the feedback of the created electron-positron pairs on the original constant electric field. We evidence the existence of plasma oscillations and its interaction with photons leading to energy and number equipartition of photons, electrons and positrons. We finally review the recent progress obtained by using the Boltzmann equations to study the evolution of an electron-positron-photon plasma towards thermal equilibrium and determination of its characteristic timescales. The crucial difference introduced by the correct evaluation of the role of two- and three-body collisions, direct and inverse, is especially evidenced. We then present some general conclusions. The results reviewed in this report are going to be submitted to decisive tests in the forthcoming years both in physics and astrophysics. To mention only a few of the fundamental steps in testing in physics we recall, the setting up of experimental facilities at the National Ignition Facility at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory as well as the corresponding French Laser Mega Joule project. In astrophysics these results will be tested in galactic and extragalactic black holes observed in binary X-ray sources, active galactic nuclei, microquasars and in the process of gravitational collapse to a neutron star and also of two neutron stars to a black hole giving rise to GRBs. The astrophysical description of the stellar precursors and the initial physical conditions leading to a gravitational collapse process will be the subject of a forthcoming report. As of today no theoretical description has yet been found to explain either the emission of the remnant for supernova or the formation of a charged black hole for GRBs. Important current progress toward the understanding of such phenomena as well as of the electrodynamical structure of neutron stars, the supernova explosion and the theories of GRBs will be discussed in the above mentioned forthcoming report. What is important to recall at this stage is only that both the supernovae and GRBs processes are among the most energetic and transient phenomena ever observed in the Universe: a supernova can attain an energy of ˜1054 ergs on a timescale of a few months and GRBs can have emission of up to ˜1054 ergs in a timescale as short as a few seconds. The central role of neutron stars in the description of supernovae, as well as of black holes and the electron-positron plasma, in the description of GRBs, pioneered by one of us (RR) in 1975, are widely recognized. Only the theoretical basis to address these topics are discussed in the present report.

The accelerator neutron source for boron neutron capture therapy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kasatov, D.; Koshkarev, A.; Kuznetsov, A.; Makarov, A.; Ostreinov, Yu; Shchudlo, I.; Sorokin, I.; Sycheva, T.; Taskaev, S.; Zaidi, L.

2016-11-01

The accelerator based epithermal neutron source for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) is proposed, created and used in the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics. In 2014, with the support of the Russian Science Foundation created the BNCT laboratory for the purpose to the end of 2016 get the neutron flux, suitable for BNCT. For getting 3 mA 2.3 MeV proton beam, was created a new type accelerator - tandem accelerator with vacuum isolation. On this moment, we have a stationary proton beam with 2.3 MeV and current 1.75 mA. Generation of neutrons is carried out by dropping proton beam on to lithium target as a result of threshold reaction 7Li(p,n)7Be. Established facility is a unique scientific installation. It provides a generating of neutron flux, including a monochromatic energy neutrons, gamma radiation, alpha-particles and positrons, and may be used by other research groups for carrying out scientific researches. The article describes an accelerator neutron source, presents and discusses the result of experiments and declares future plans.

Intrinsic radiolabeling of Titanium-45 using mesoporous silica nanoparticles.

PubMed

Chen, Feng; Valdovinos, Hector F; Hernandez, Reinier; Goel, Shreya; Barnhart, Todd E; Cai, Weibo

2017-06-01

Titanium-45 ( 45 Ti) with a three-hour half-life (t 1/2 =3.08 h), low maximum positron energy and high positron emission branching ratio, is a suitable positron emission tomography (PET) isotope whose potential has not yet been fully explored. Complicated radiochemistry and rapid hydrolysis continue to be major challenges to the development of 45 Ti compounds based on a traditional chelator-based radiolabeling strategy. In this study we introduced an intrinsic (or chelator-free) radiolabeling technique for the successful labeling of 45 Ti using mesoporous silica nanoparticle (MSN). We synthesized uniform MSN with an average particle size of ∼150 nm in diameter. The intrinsic 45 Ti-labeling was accomplished through strong interactions between 45 Ti (hard Lewis acid) and hard oxygen donors (hard Lewis bases), the deprotonated silanol groups (-Si-O-) from the outer surface and inner meso-channels of MSN. In vivo tumor-targeted PET imaging of as-developed PEGylated [ 45 Ti]MSN was further demonstrated in the 4T1 murine breast tumor-bearing mice. This MSN-based intrinsic radiolabeling strategy could open up new possibilities and speed up the biomedical applications of 45 Ti in the future.

Positron Emission Tomography: Principles, Technology, and Recent Developments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ziegler, Sibylle I.

2005-04-01

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a nuclear medical imaging technique for quantitative measurement of physiologic parameters in vivo (an overview of principles and applications can be found in [P.E. Valk, et al., eds. Positron Emission Tomography. Basic Science and Clinical Practice. 2003, Springer: Heidelberg]), based on the detection of small amounts of posi-tron-emitter-labelled biologic molecules. Various radiotracers are available for neuro-logical, cardiological, and oncological applications in the clinic and in research proto-cols. This overview describes the basic principles, technology, and recent develop-ments in PET, followed by a section on the development of a tomograph with ava-lanche photodiodes dedicated for small animal imaging as an example of efforts in the domain of high resolution tomographs.

Native point defects in GaSb

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kujala, J.; Segercrantz, N.; Tuomisto, F.; Slotte, J.

2014-10-01

We have applied positron annihilation spectroscopy to study native point defects in Te-doped n-type and nominally undoped p-type GaSb single crystals. The results show that the dominant vacancy defect trapping positrons in bulk GaSb is the gallium monovacancy. The temperature dependence of the average positron lifetime in both p- and n-type GaSb indicates that negative ion type defects with no associated open volume compete with the Ga vacancies. Based on comparison with theoretical predictions, these negative ions are identified as Ga antisites. The concentrations of these negatively charged defects exceed the Ga vacancy concentrations nearly by an order of magnitude. We conclude that the Ga antisite is the native defect responsible for p-type conductivity in GaSb single crystals.

Acceleration of a trailing positron bunch in a plasma wakefield accelerator

DOE PAGES

Doche, A.; Beekman, C.; Corde, S.; ...

2017-10-27

High gradients of energy gain and high energy efficiency are necessary parameters for compact, cost-efficient and high-energy particle colliders. Plasma Wakefield Accelerators (PWFA) offer both, making them attractive candidates for next-generation colliders. Here in these devices, a charge-density plasma wave is excited by an ultra-relativistic bunch of charged particles (the drive bunch). The energy in the wave can be extracted by a second bunch (the trailing bunch), as this bunch propagates in the wake of the drive bunch. While a trailing electron bunch was accelerated in a plasma with more than a gigaelectronvolt of energy gain, accelerating a trailing positronmore » bunch in a plasma is much more challenging as the plasma response can be asymmetric for positrons and electrons. We report the demonstration of the energy gain by a distinct trailing positron bunch in a plasma wakefield accelerator, spanning nonlinear to quasi-linear regimes, and unveil the beam loading process underlying the accelerator energy efficiency. A positron bunch is used to drive the plasma wake in the experiment, though the quasi-linear wake structure could as easily be formed by an electron bunch or a laser driver. Finally, the results thus mark the first acceleration of a distinct positron bunch in plasma-based particle accelerators.« less

Acceleration of a trailing positron bunch in a plasma wakefield accelerator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Doche, A.; Beekman, C.; Corde, S.

High gradients of energy gain and high energy efficiency are necessary parameters for compact, cost-efficient and high-energy particle colliders. Plasma Wakefield Accelerators (PWFA) offer both, making them attractive candidates for next-generation colliders. Here in these devices, a charge-density plasma wave is excited by an ultra-relativistic bunch of charged particles (the drive bunch). The energy in the wave can be extracted by a second bunch (the trailing bunch), as this bunch propagates in the wake of the drive bunch. While a trailing electron bunch was accelerated in a plasma with more than a gigaelectronvolt of energy gain, accelerating a trailing positronmore » bunch in a plasma is much more challenging as the plasma response can be asymmetric for positrons and electrons. We report the demonstration of the energy gain by a distinct trailing positron bunch in a plasma wakefield accelerator, spanning nonlinear to quasi-linear regimes, and unveil the beam loading process underlying the accelerator energy efficiency. A positron bunch is used to drive the plasma wake in the experiment, though the quasi-linear wake structure could as easily be formed by an electron bunch or a laser driver. Finally, the results thus mark the first acceleration of a distinct positron bunch in plasma-based particle accelerators.« less

Ion beam induced 18F-radiofluorination: straightforward synthesis of gaseous radiotracers for the assessment of regional lung ventilation using positron emission tomography.

PubMed

Gómez-Vallejo, V; Lekuona, A; Baz, Z; Szczupak, B; Cossío, U; Llop, J

2016-09-29

A simple, straightforward and efficient method for the synthesis of [ 18 F]CF 4 and [ 18 F]SF 6 based on an ion beam-induced isotopic exchange reaction is presented. Positron emission tomography ventilation studies in rodents using [ 18 F]CF 4 showed a uniform distribution of the radiofluorinated gas within the lungs and rapid elimination after discontinuation of the administration.

An intraoperative probe combining positron detection and OCT imaging for ovarian cancer detection and characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Yi; Wang, Tianheng; Biswal, Nrusingh; Kumavor, Patrick; Wang, Xiaohong; Karimeddini, Mozafareddin; Vento, John; Sanders, Melinda; Brewer, Molly; Zhu, Quing

2012-01-01

In this paper, we report an intraoperative approach by combining optical coherence tomography (OCT) and position detection to detect and characterize ovarian cancers. A total of 18 ovaries were studied ex vivo. Based on histopathology result, they were classified into normal and malignant groups, respectively. On average positron count rate of 8.0-fold higher was found between malignant and normal ovaries. OCT imaging of ovaries revealed many detailed morphologic features that could be potentially valuable for detecting early malignant changes in ovarian tissue. Optical scattering coefficients of these ovaries were estimated from OCT A-lines. Normal ovarian tissue showed higher scattering coefficient than that of malignant ovarian tissue. Using a threshold of 2.00 mm-1 for all ovaries, a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 100% were achieved. This initial data shows our intraoperative probe based on OCT and positron detection has a great potential for ovarian cancer detection and characterization.

Kinetic Analysis of Dynamic Positron Emission Tomography Data using Open-Source Image Processing and Statistical Inference Tools.

PubMed

Hawe, David; Hernández Fernández, Francisco R; O'Suilleabháin, Liam; Huang, Jian; Wolsztynski, Eric; O'Sullivan, Finbarr

2012-05-01

In dynamic mode, positron emission tomography (PET) can be used to track the evolution of injected radio-labelled molecules in living tissue. This is a powerful diagnostic imaging technique that provides a unique opportunity to probe the status of healthy and pathological tissue by examining how it processes substrates. The spatial aspect of PET is well established in the computational statistics literature. This article focuses on its temporal aspect. The interpretation of PET time-course data is complicated because the measured signal is a combination of vascular delivery and tissue retention effects. If the arterial time-course is known, the tissue time-course can typically be expressed in terms of a linear convolution between the arterial time-course and the tissue residue. In statistical terms, the residue function is essentially a survival function - a familiar life-time data construct. Kinetic analysis of PET data is concerned with estimation of the residue and associated functionals such as flow, flux, volume of distribution and transit time summaries. This review emphasises a nonparametric approach to the estimation of the residue based on a piecewise linear form. Rapid implementation of this by quadratic programming is described. The approach provides a reference for statistical assessment of widely used one- and two-compartmental model forms. We illustrate the method with data from two of the most well-established PET radiotracers, (15)O-H(2)O and (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose, used for assessment of blood perfusion and glucose metabolism respectively. The presentation illustrates the use of two open-source tools, AMIDE and R, for PET scan manipulation and model inference.

The role of FDG-PET in detecting rejection after liver transplantation.

PubMed

Watson, Ashley M; Bhutiani, Neal; Philips, Prejesh; Davis, Eric G; Eng, Mary; Cannon, Robert M; Jones, Christopher M

2018-05-15

The activation and increased metabolic activity of T cells in acute cellular rejection could allow fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography to be utilized for detection of acute cellular rejection. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography in detecting acute cellular rejection in the clinical setting. Fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography studies were performed on 88 orthotopic liver transplant patients at 7 and 17 days postoperatively (first positron emission tomography and second positron emission tomography, respectively). Additional studies were performed if patients had suspicion of rejection and at resolution of rejection (third positron emission tomography and fourth positron emission tomography, respectively). A circular region of interest was placed over the liver for semiquantitative evaluation of fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography images by means of standard uptake values. Eighteen of 88 patients in our study (20.5%) had histologically proven acute cellular rejection during a 16 ± 11 day follow-up. There was no significant difference between the standard uptake values of first positron emission tomography among non-rejecters versus rejecters (2.05 ±0.46 non-rejecters versus 1.82 ± 0.40 rejecters, P = .127). Within the rejection cohort, the standard uptake values from the third positron emission tomography (rejection) were higher compared to the first positron emission tomography (baseline) (2.41 ± 0.48 third positron emission tomography versus 1.82 ± 0.41 first positron emission tomography, P < .001). Increased signal on fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography over baseline is associated with acute cellular rejection in liver transplant recipients. Additional prospective validation studies are essential to define the role of fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography scan as an early marker for acute cellular rejection. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hogan, Mark

Plasma wakefield acceleration has the potential to dramatically shrink the size and cost of particle accelerators. Research at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory has demonstrated that plasmas can provide 1,000 times the acceleration in a given distance compared with current technologies. Developing revolutionary and more efficient acceleration techniques that allow for an affordable high-energy collider is the focus of FACET, a National User Facility at SLAC. The existing FACET National User Facility uses part of SLAC’s two-mile-long linear accelerator to generate high-density beams of electrons and positrons. FACET-II is a new test facility to develop advanced acceleration and coherent radiationmore » techniques with high-energy electron and positron beams. It is the only facility in the world with high energy positron beams. FACET-II provides a major upgrade over current FACET capabilities and the breadth of the potential research program makes it truly unique. It will synergistically pursue accelerator science that is vital to the future of both advanced acceleration techniques for High Energy Physics, ultra-high brightness beams for Basic Energy Science, and novel radiation sources for a wide variety of applications. The design parameters for FACET-II are set by the requirements of the plasma wakefield experimental program. To drive the plasma wakefield requires a high peak current, in excess of 10kA. To reach this peak current, the electron and positron design bunch size is 10μ by 10μ transversely with a bunch length of 10μ. This is more than 200 times better than what has been achieved at the existing FACET. The beam energy is 10 GeV, set by the Linac length available and the repetition rate is up to 30 Hz. The FACET-II project is scheduled to be constructed in three major stages. Components of the project discussed in detail include the following: electron injector, bunch compressors and linac, the positron system, the Sector 20 sailboat and W chicanes, and experimental area and infrastructure.« less

Applications of slow positrons to cancer research: Search for selectivity of positron annihilation to skin cancer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jean, Y. C.; Li, Ying; Liu, Gaung; Chen, Hongmin; Zhang, Junjie; Gadzia, Joseph E.

2006-02-01

Slow positrons and positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS) have been applied to medical research in searching for positron annihilation selectivity to cancer cells. We report the results of positron lifetime and Doppler broadening energy spectroscopies in human skin samples with and without cancer as a function of positron incident energy (up to 8 μm depth) and found that the positronium annihilates at a significantly lower rate and forms at a lower probability in the samples having either basal cell carcinoma (BCC) or squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) than in the normal skin. The significant selectivity of positron annihilation to skin cancer may open a new research area of developing positron annihilation spectroscopy as a novel medical tool to detect cancer formation externally and non-invasively at the early stages.

Manipulation of positron orbits in a dipole magnetic field with fluctuating electric fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saitoh, H.; Horn-Stanja, J.; Nißl, S.; Stenson, E. V.; Hergenhahn, U.; Pedersen, T. Sunn; Singer, M.; Dickmann, M.; Hugenschmidt, C.; Stoneking, M. R.; Danielson, J. R.; Surko, C. M.

2018-01-01

We report the manipulation of positron orbits in a toroidal dipole magnetic field configuration realized with electric fields generated by segmented electrodes. When the toroidal circulation motion of positrons in the dipole field is coupled with time-varying electric fields generated by azimuthally segmented outer electrodes, positrons undergo oscillations of their radial positions. This enables quick manipulation of the spatial profiles of positrons in a dipole field trap by choosing appropriate frequency, amplitude, phase, and gating time of the electric fields. According to numerical orbit analysis, we applied these electric fields to positrons injected from the NEPOMUC slow positron facility into a prototype dipole field trap experiment with a permanent magnet. Measurements with annihilation γ-rays clearly demonstrated the efficient compression effects of positrons into the strong magnetic field region of the dipole field configuration. This positron manipulation technique can be used as one of essential tools for future experiments on the formation of electron-positron plasmas.

Monte Carlo-based evaluation of S-values in mouse models for positron-emitting radionuclides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Tianwu; Zaidi, Habib

2013-01-01

In addition to being a powerful clinical tool, Positron emission tomography (PET) is also used in small laboratory animal research to visualize and track certain molecular processes associated with diseases such as cancer, heart disease and neurological disorders in living small animal models of disease. However, dosimetric characteristics in small animal PET imaging are usually overlooked, though the radiation dose may not be negligible. In this work, we constructed 17 mouse models of different body mass and size based on the realistic four-dimensional MOBY mouse model. Particle (photons, electrons and positrons) transport using the Monte Carlo method was performed to calculate the absorbed fractions and S-values for eight positron-emitting radionuclides (C-11, N-13, O-15, F-18, Cu-64, Ga-68, Y-86 and I-124). Among these radionuclides, O-15 emits positrons with high energy and frequency and produces the highest self-absorbed S-values in each organ, while Y-86 emits γ-rays with high energy and frequency which results in the highest cross-absorbed S-values for non-neighbouring organs. Differences between S-values for self-irradiated organs were between 2% and 3%/g difference in body weight for most organs. For organs irradiating other organs outside the splanchnocoele (i.e. brain, testis and bladder), differences between S-values were lower than 1%/g. These appealing results can be used to assess variations in small animal dosimetry as a function of total-body mass. The generated database of S-values for various radionuclides can be used in the assessment of radiation dose to mice from different radiotracers in small animal PET experiments, thus offering quantitative figures for comparative dosimetry research in small animal models.

Reflection of Low Energy Positrons from the Surface of Highly Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite and Single Layer Graphene.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Imam, S. K.; Chirayath, V. A.; Chrysler, M. D.; Fairchild, A. J.; Gladen, R. W.; Koymen, A. R.; Weiss, A. H.; UT Arlington Positron Surface Laboratory Team

A time of flight positron annihilation induced Auger electron spectrometer (TOF-PAES) was utilized to measure the reflection of positrons as a function of incident positron energy (0 to 10 eV) from the surface of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) and from a single layer graphene (SLG) on a Cu foil. A NaI scintillation detector was used to measure the annihilation gamma from the reflected positrons as a function of incident positron kinetic energy. The annihilation of the positrons on HOPG and SLG were simultaneously measured using another NaI detector near the sample. The Auger electrons emitted as a result of the annihilation of positrons from the surface of the sample were also measured concurrently. As the positron kinetic energy was increased, the number of reflected positrons calculated from the intensity under the annihilation gamma peak showed a steady decrease. The positronium formation measured at the sample using the gamma spectrum showed a peak at 6 eV. The intensity of the carbon KVV Auger peak showed a dip at the same energy. The correlation of the three signals, intensity of reflected positrons, positrons annihilating at the sample and the Auger intensity are discussed for both samples. This work was supported by NSF Grant No. DMR 1508719 and DMR 1338130.

Variable soft X-ray excesses in active galactic nuclei from nonthermal electron-positron pair cascades

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zdziarski, Andrzej A.; Coppi, Paolo S.

1991-01-01

In the present study of the formation of steep soft X-ray excesses that are superposed on flatter, hard X-ray power-law spectra in nonthermal electron-positron pair cascade sources, the soft excess in pair-cascade AGN models appears as a steep power law superposed on the tail of the UV bump and the flat nonthermal (hard X-ray) power law. The model-parameter space in which an excess in soft X-rays is visible is ascertained, and the time-variability of soft excesses in pair cascade models is examined. It is established that the parameter space in which soft excesses appear encompasses the range of preferred input parameters for a recently development Compton reflection model of UV and X-ray emission from the central engine of an AGN.

Positron annihilation in a metal-oxide semiconductor studied by using a pulsed monoenergetic positron beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uedono, A.; Wei, L.; Tanigawa, S.; Suzuki, R.; Ohgaki, H.; Mikado, T.; Ohji, Y.

1993-12-01

The positron annihilation in a metal-oxide semiconductor was studied by using a pulsed monoenergetic positron beam. Lifetime spectra of positrons were measured as a function of incident positron energy for a polycrystalline Si(100 nm)/SiO2(400 nm)/Si specimen. Applying a gate voltage between the polycrystalline Si film and the Si substrate, positrons implanted into the specimen were accumulated at the SiO2/Si interface. From the measurements, it was found that the annihilation probability of ortho-positronium (ortho-Ps) drastically decreased at the SiO2/Si interface. The observed inhibition of the Ps formation was attributed to an interaction between positrons and defects at the SiO2/Si interface.

Positron confinement in embedded lithium nanoclusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Huis, M. A.; van Veen, A.; Schut, H.; Falub, C. V.; Eijt, S. W.; Mijnarends, P. E.; Kuriplach, J.

2002-02-01

Quantum confinement of positrons in nanoclusters offers the opportunity to obtain detailed information on the electronic structure of nanoclusters by application of positron annihilation spectroscopy techniques. In this work, positron confinement is investigated in lithium nanoclusters embedded in monocrystalline MgO. These nanoclusters were created by means of ion implantation and subsequent annealing. It was found from the results of Doppler broadening positron beam analysis that approximately 92% of the implanted positrons annihilate in lithium nanoclusters rather than in the embedding MgO, while the local fraction of lithium at the implantation depth is only 1.3 at. %. The results of two-dimensional angular correlation of annihilation radiation confirm the presence of crystalline bulk lithium. The confinement of positrons is ascribed to the difference in positron affinity between lithium and MgO. The nanocluster acts as a potential well for positrons, where the depth of the potential well is equal to the difference in the positron affinities of lithium and MgO. These affinities were calculated using the linear muffin-tin orbital atomic sphere approximation method. This yields a positronic potential step at the MgO||Li interface of 1.8 eV using the generalized gradient approximation and 2.8 eV using the insulator model.

Corrosion of pure aluminium and aluminium alloy: a comparative study using a slow positron beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Y. C.; Li, P. H.; Xue, X. D.; Wang, S. J.; Kallis, A.; Coleman, P. G.; Zhai, T.

2011-01-01

Corrosion-related defects in pure Al and AA 2037 Al alloy have been investigated by positron beam-based Doppler broadening energy spectroscopy. Defect profiles have been analyzed by measuring the S parameter as a function of incident positron energy up to 30 keV. When pure Al samples are immersed in 1M NaOH for various times, a significant increase in the S parameter near the surface is observed. This implies that the corrosion process involves the creation of defects and nanometer voids. In contrast, a significant decrease in the S parameter is observed after the corrosion of water-quenched Al alloy by the same method, which is interpreted as being a result of Cu enrichment near the metal-oxide interface layer.

Design of An 18 MW Beam Dump for 500 GeV Electron/Positron Beams at An ILC

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Amann, John; /SLAC; Arnold, Ray

This article presents a report on the progress made in designing 18 MW water based Beam Dumps for electrons or positrons for an International Linear Collider (ILC). Multi-dimensional technology issues have to be addressed for the successful design of the Beam Dump. They include calculations of power deposition by the high energy electron/positron beam bunch trains, computational fluid dynamic analysis of turbulent water flow, mechanical design, process flow analysis, hydrogen/oxygen recombiners, handling of radioactive 7Be and 3H, design of auxiliary equipment, provisions for accident scenarios, remote window exchanger, radiation shielding, etc. The progress made to date is summarized, the currentmore » status, and also the issues still to be addressed.« less

Native point defects in GaSb

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kujala, J.; Segercrantz, N.; Tuomisto, F.

2014-10-14

We have applied positron annihilation spectroscopy to study native point defects in Te-doped n-type and nominally undoped p-type GaSb single crystals. The results show that the dominant vacancy defect trapping positrons in bulk GaSb is the gallium monovacancy. The temperature dependence of the average positron lifetime in both p- and n-type GaSb indicates that negative ion type defects with no associated open volume compete with the Ga vacancies. Based on comparison with theoretical predictions, these negative ions are identified as Ga antisites. The concentrations of these negatively charged defects exceed the Ga vacancy concentrations nearly by an order of magnitude.more » We conclude that the Ga antisite is the native defect responsible for p-type conductivity in GaSb single crystals.« less

Single-shot positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy with LYSO scintillators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alonso, A. M.; Cooper, B. S.; Deller, A.; Cassidy, D. B.

2016-08-01

We have evaluated the application of a lutetium yttrium oxyorthosilicate (LYSO) based detector to single-shot positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy. We compare this detector directly with a similarly configured PbWO4 scintillator, which is the usual choice for such measurements. We find that the signal to noise ratio obtained using LYSO is around three times higher than that obtained using PbWO4 for measurements of Ps excited to longer-lived (Rydberg) levels, or when they are ionized soon after production. This is due to the much higher light output for LYSO (75% and 1% of NaI for LYSO and PbWO4 respectively). We conclude that LYSO is an ideal scintillator for single-shot measurements of positronium production and excitation performed using a low-intensity pulsed positron beam.

PeneloPET, a Monte Carlo PET simulation tool based on PENELOPE: features and validation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

España, S; Herraiz, J L; Vicente, E; Vaquero, J J; Desco, M; Udias, J M

2009-03-01

Monte Carlo simulations play an important role in positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, as an essential tool for the research and development of new scanners and for advanced image reconstruction. PeneloPET, a PET-dedicated Monte Carlo tool, is presented and validated in this work. PeneloPET is based on PENELOPE, a Monte Carlo code for the simulation of the transport in matter of electrons, positrons and photons, with energies from a few hundred eV to 1 GeV. PENELOPE is robust, fast and very accurate, but it may be unfriendly to people not acquainted with the FORTRAN programming language. PeneloPET is an easy-to-use application which allows comprehensive simulations of PET systems within PENELOPE. Complex and realistic simulations can be set by modifying a few simple input text files. Different levels of output data are available for analysis, from sinogram and lines-of-response (LORs) histogramming to fully detailed list mode. These data can be further exploited with the preferred programming language, including ROOT. PeneloPET simulates PET systems based on crystal array blocks coupled to photodetectors and allows the user to define radioactive sources, detectors, shielding and other parts of the scanner. The acquisition chain is simulated in high level detail; for instance, the electronic processing can include pile-up rejection mechanisms and time stamping of events, if desired. This paper describes PeneloPET and shows the results of extensive validations and comparisons of simulations against real measurements from commercial acquisition systems. PeneloPET is being extensively employed to improve the image quality of commercial PET systems and for the development of new ones.

1995 second modulator-klystron workshop: A modulator-klystron workshop for future linear colliders

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1996-03-01

This second workshop examined the present state of modulator design and attempted an extrapolation for future electron-positron linear colliders. These colliders are currently viewed as multikilometer-long accelerators consisting of a thousand or more RF sources with 500 to 1,000, or more, pulsed power systems. The workshop opened with two introductory talks that presented the current approaches to designing these linear colliders, the anticipated RF sources, and the design constraints for pulse power. The cost of main AC power is a major economic consideration for a future collider, consequently the workshop investigated efficient modulator designs. Techniques that effectively apply the artmore » of power conversion, from the AC mains to the RF output, and specifically, designs that generate output pulses with very fast rise times as compared to the flattop. There were six sessions that involved one or more presentations based on problems specific to the design and production of thousands of modulator-klystron stations, followed by discussion and debate on the material.« less

Probing defects in chemically synthesized ZnO nanostrucures by positron annihilation and photoluminescence spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chaudhuri, S. K.; Ghosh, Manoranjan; Das, D.; Raychaudhuri, A. K.

2010-09-01

The present article describes the size induced changes in the structural arrangement of intrinsic defects present in chemically synthesized ZnO nanoparticles of various sizes. Routine x-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy have been performed to determine the shapes and sizes of the nanocrystalline ZnO samples. Detailed studies using positron annihilation spectroscopy reveals the presence of zinc vacancy. Whereas analysis of photoluminescence results predict the signature of charged oxygen vacancies. The size induced changes in positron parameters as well as the photoluminescence properties, has shown contrasting or nonmonotonous trends as size varies from 4 to 85 nm. Small spherical particles below a critical size (˜23 nm) receive more positive surface charge due to the higher occupancy of the doubly charge oxygen vacancy as compared to the bigger nanostructures where singly charged oxygen vacancy predominates. This electronic alteration has been seen to trigger yet another interesting phenomenon, described as positron confinement inside nanoparticles. Finally, based on all the results, a model of the structural arrangement of the intrinsic defects in the present samples has been reconciled.

Nonlinear Korteweg-de Vries-Burger equation for ion acoustic shock waves in a weakly relativistic electron-positron-ion plasma with thermal ions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saeed, R.; Shah, Asif

2010-03-01

The nonlinear propagation of ion acoustic waves in electron-positron-ion plasma comprising of Boltzmannian electrons, positrons, and relativistic thermal ions has been examined. The Korteweg-de Vries-Burger equation has been derived by reductive perturbation technique, and its shock like solution is determined analytically through tangent hyperbolic method. The effect of various plasma parameters on strength and structure of shock wave is investigated. The pert graphical view of the results has been presented for illustration. It is observed that strength and steepness of the shock wave enervate with an increase in the ion temperature, relativistic streaming factor, positron concentrations, electron temperature and they accrue with an increase in coefficient of kinematic viscosity. The convective, dispersive, and dissipative properties of the plasma are also discussed. It is determined that the electron temperature has remarkable influence on the propagation and structure of nonlinear wave in such relativistic plasmas. The numerical analysis has been done based on the typical numerical data from a pulsar magnetosphere.

Search for Magnetically Broadened Cascade Emission from Blazars with VERITAS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Archambault, S.; Griffin, S.; Archer, A.

2017-02-01

We present a search for magnetically broadened gamma-ray emission around active galactic nuclei (AGNs), using VERITAS observations of seven hard-spectrum blazars. A cascade process occurs when multi-TeV gamma-rays from an AGN interact with extragalactic background light (EBL) photons to produce electron–positron pairs, which then interact with cosmic microwave background photons via inverse-Compton scattering to produce gamma-rays. Due to the deflection of the electron–positron pairs, a non-zero intergalactic magnetic field (IGMF) would potentially produce detectable effects on the angular distribution of the cascade emission. In particular, an angular broadening compared to the unscattered emission could occur. Through non-detection of angularly broadenedmore » emission from 1ES 1218+304, the source with the largest predicted cascade fraction, we exclude a range of IGMF strengths around 10{sup −14} G at the 95% confidence level. The extent of the exclusion range varies with the assumptions made about the intrinsic spectrum of 1ES 1218+304 and the EBL model used in the simulation of the cascade process. All of the sources are used to set limits on the flux due to extended emission.« less

Theoretical survey on positronium formation and ionisation in positron atom scattering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Basu, Madhumita; Ghosh, A. S.

1990-01-01

The recent theoretical studies are surveyed and reported on the formation of exotic atoms in positron-hydrogen, positron-helium and positron-lithium scattering specially at intermediate energy region. The ionizations of these targets by positron impact was also considered. Theoretical predictions for both the processes are compared with existing measured values.

Present and future experiments using bright low-energy positron beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hugenschmidt, Christoph

2017-01-01

Bright slow positron beams enable not only experiments with drastically reduced measurement time and improved signal-to-noise ratio but also the realization of novel experimental techniques. In solid state physics and materials science positron beams are usually applied for the depth dependent analysis of vacancy-like defects and their chemical surrounding using positron lifetime and (coincident) Doppler broadening spectroscopy. For surface studies, annihilation induced Auger-electron spectroscopy allows the analysis of the elemental composition in the topmost atomic layer, and the atomic positions at the surface can be determined by positron diffraction with outstanding accuracy. In fundamental research low-energy positron beams are used for the production of e.g. cold positronium or positronium negative ions. All the aforementioned experiments benefit from the high intensity of present positron beam facilities. In this paper, we scrutinize the technical constraints limiting the achievable positron intensity and the available kinetic energy at the sample position. Current efforts and future developments towards the generation of high intensity spin-polarized slow positron beams paving the way for new positron experiments are discussed.

PREFACE: The International Workshop on Positron Studies of Defects 2014

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugita, Kazuki; Shirai, Yasuharu

2016-01-01

The International Workshop on Positron Studies of Defects 2014 (PSD-14) was held in Kyoto, Japan from 14-19 September, 2014. The PSD Workshop brought together positron scientists interested in studying defects to an international platform for presenting and discussing recent results and achievements, including new experimental and theoretical methods in the field. The workshop topics can be characterized as follows: • Positron studies of defects in semiconductors and oxides • Positron studies of defects in metals • New experimental methods and equipment • Theoretical calculations and simulations of momentum distributions, positron lifetimes and other characteristics for defects • Positron studies of defects in combination with complementary methods • Positron beam studies of defects at surfaces, interfaces, in sub-surface regions and thin films • Nanostructures and amorphous materials

Depth-dependent positron annihilation in different polymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, J.; Zhang, P.; Cheng, G. D.; Li, D. X.; Wu, H. B.; Li, Z. X.; Cao, X. Z.; Jia, Q. J.; Yu, R. S.; Wang, B. Y.

2013-09-01

Depth-dependent positron annihilation Doppler broadening measurements were conducted for polymers with different chemical compositions. Variations of the S parameter with respect to incident positron energy were observed. For pure hydrocarbons PP, HDPE and oxygen-containing polymer PC, S parameter rises with increasing positron implantation depth. While for PI and fluoropolymers like PTFE, ETFE and PVF, S parameter decreases with higher positron energy. For chlorine-containing polymer PVDC, S parameter remains nearly constant at all incident positron energies. It is suggested that these three variation trends are resulted from a competitive effect between the depth-dependent positronium formation and the influence of highly electronegative atoms on positron annihilation characteristics.

Elastic and inelastic scattering of positrons in gases and solids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mcgowan, J. W.

1972-01-01

Three apparatuses were designed and built: The first, which is now operative, was designed to study the details of positron thermalization in solids and the subsequent emission of the low energy positrons from moderating foils; The second apparatus now under test is a positron bottle similar in design to an electron trap. It was built to store positrons at a fixed energy and to look at the number of stored positrons (storage time) as a function of a scattering gas in the vacuum chamber. The third apparatus is a crossed beam apparatus where positron-, alkali scattering will be studied. Much of the apparatus is now under test with electrons.

Positron studies in catalysis research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

During the past eight months, the authors have made progress in several areas relevant to the eventual use of positron techniques in catalysis research. They have come closer to the completion of their positron microscope, and at the same time have performed several studies in their non-microscopic positron spectrometer which should ultimately be applicable to catalysis. The current status of the efforts in each of these areas is summarized in the following sections: Construction of the positron microscope (optical element construction, data collection software, and electronic sub-assemblies); Doppler broadening spectroscopy of metal silicide; Positron lifetime spectroscopy of glassy polymers; and Positron lifetime measurements of pore-sizes in zeolites.

Organ and effective dose rate coefficients for submersion exposure in occupational settings

DOE PAGES

Veinot, K. G.; Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge, TN; Dewji, S. A.; ...

2017-08-24

External dose coefficients for environmental exposure scenarios are often computed using assumption on infinite or semi-infinite radiation sources. For example, in the case of a person standing on contaminated ground, the source is assumed to be distributed at a given depth (or between various depths) and extending outwards to an essentially infinite distance. In the case of exposure to contaminated air, the person is modeled as standing within a cloud of infinite, or semi-infinite, source distribution. However, these scenarios do not mimic common workplace environments where scatter off walls and ceilings may significantly alter the energy spectrum and dose coefficients.more » In this study, dose rate coefficients were calculated using the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) reference voxel phantoms positioned in rooms of three sizes representing an office, laboratory, and warehouse. For each room size calculations using the reference phantoms were performed for photons, electrons, and positrons as the source particles to derive mono-energetic dose rate coefficients. Since the voxel phantoms lack the resolution to perform dose calculations at the sensitive depth for the skin, a mathematical phantom was developed and calculations were performed in each room size with the three source particle types. Coefficients for the noble gas radionuclides of ICRP Publication 107 (e.g., Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, and Rn) were generated by folding the corresponding photon, electron, and positron emissions over the mono-energetic dose rate coefficients. Finally, results indicate that the smaller room sizes have a significant impact on the dose rate per unit air concentration compared to the semi-infinite cloud case. For example, for Kr-85 the warehouse dose rate coefficient is 7% higher than the office dose rate coefficient while it is 71% higher for Xe-133.« less

Organ and effective dose rate coefficients for submersion exposure in occupational settings

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Veinot, K. G.; Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge, TN; Dewji, S. A.

External dose coefficients for environmental exposure scenarios are often computed using assumption on infinite or semi-infinite radiation sources. For example, in the case of a person standing on contaminated ground, the source is assumed to be distributed at a given depth (or between various depths) and extending outwards to an essentially infinite distance. In the case of exposure to contaminated air, the person is modeled as standing within a cloud of infinite, or semi-infinite, source distribution. However, these scenarios do not mimic common workplace environments where scatter off walls and ceilings may significantly alter the energy spectrum and dose coefficients.more » In this study, dose rate coefficients were calculated using the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) reference voxel phantoms positioned in rooms of three sizes representing an office, laboratory, and warehouse. For each room size calculations using the reference phantoms were performed for photons, electrons, and positrons as the source particles to derive mono-energetic dose rate coefficients. Since the voxel phantoms lack the resolution to perform dose calculations at the sensitive depth for the skin, a mathematical phantom was developed and calculations were performed in each room size with the three source particle types. Coefficients for the noble gas radionuclides of ICRP Publication 107 (e.g., Ne, Ar, Kr, Xe, and Rn) were generated by folding the corresponding photon, electron, and positron emissions over the mono-energetic dose rate coefficients. Finally, results indicate that the smaller room sizes have a significant impact on the dose rate per unit air concentration compared to the semi-infinite cloud case. For example, for Kr-85 the warehouse dose rate coefficient is 7% higher than the office dose rate coefficient while it is 71% higher for Xe-133.« less

Direct conversion semiconductor detectors in positron emission tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cates, Joshua W.; Gu, Yi; Levin, Craig S.

2015-05-01

Semiconductor detectors are playing an increasing role in ongoing research to improve image resolution, contrast, and quantitative accuracy in preclinical applications of positron emission tomography (PET). These detectors serve as a medium for direct detection of annihilation photons. Early clinical translation of this technology has shown improvements in image quality and tumor delineation for head and neck cancers, relative to conventional scintillator-based systems. After a brief outline of the basics of PET imaging and the physical detection mechanisms for semiconductor detectors, an overview of ongoing detector development work is presented. The capabilities of semiconductor-based PET systems and the current state of these devices are discussed.

Application Of Positron Beams For The Characterization Of Nano-scale Pores In Thin Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirata, K.; Ito, K.; Kobayashi, Y.; Suzuki, R.; Ohdaira, T.; Eijt, S. W. H.; Schut, H.; van Veen, A.

2003-08-01

We applied three positron annihilation techniques, positron 3γ-annihilation spectroscopy, positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy, and angular correlation of annihilation radiation, to the characterization of nano-scale pores in thin films by combining them with variable-energy positron beams. Characterization of pores in thin films is an important part of the research on various thin films of industrial importance. The results of our recent studies on pore characterization of thin films by positron beams will be reported here.

EM reconstruction of dual isotope PET using staggered injections and prompt gamma positron emitters

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Andreyev, Andriy, E-mail: andriy.andreyev-1@philips.com; Sitek, Arkadiusz; Celler, Anna

2014-02-15

Purpose: The aim of dual isotope positron emission tomography (DIPET) is to create two separate images of two coinjected PET radiotracers. DIPET shortens the duration of the study, reduces patient discomfort, and produces perfectly coregistered images compared to the case when two radiotracers would be imaged independently (sequential PET studies). Reconstruction of data from such simultaneous acquisition of two PET radiotracers is difficult because positron decay of any isotope creates only 511 keV photons; therefore, the isotopes cannot be differentiated based on the detected energy. Methods: Recently, the authors have proposed a DIPET technique that uses a combination of radiotracermore » A which is a pure positron emitter (such as{sup 18}F or {sup 11}C) and radiotracer B in which positron decay is accompanied by the emission of a high-energy (HE) prompt gamma (such as {sup 38}K or {sup 60}Cu). Events that are detected as triple coincidences of HE gammas with the corresponding two 511 keV photons allow the authors to identify the lines-of-response (LORs) of isotope B. These LORs are used to separate the two intertwined distributions, using a dedicated image reconstruction algorithm. In this work the authors propose a new version of the DIPET EM-based reconstruction algorithm that allows the authors to include an additional, independent estimate of radiotracer A distribution which may be obtained if radioisotopes are administered using a staggered injections method. In this work the method is tested on simple simulations of static PET acquisitions. Results: The authors’ experiments performed using Monte-Carlo simulations with static acquisitions demonstrate that the combined method provides better results (crosstalk errors decrease by up to 50%) than the positron-gamma DIPET method or staggered injections alone. Conclusions: The authors demonstrate that the authors’ new EM algorithm which combines information from triple coincidences with prompt gammas and staggered injections improves the accuracy of DIPET reconstructions for static acquisitions so they reach almost the benchmark level calculated for perfectly separated tracers.« less

Positron accumulation effect in particles embedded in a low-density matrix

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dryzek, Jerzy; Siemek, Krzysztof

2015-02-01

Systematic studies of the so-called positron accumulation effect for samples with particles embedded in a matrix are reported. This effect is related to energetic positrons which penetrate inhomogeneous medium. Due to differences in the linear absorption coefficient, different amounts of positrons are accumulated and annihilate in the identical volume of both materials. Positron lifetime spectroscopy and Doppler broadening of the annihilation line using Na-22 positrons were applied to the studies of the epoxy resin samples with embedded micro-sized particles of transition metals, i.e., Ni, Sn, Mo, W, and nonmetal particles, i.e., Si and NaF. The significant difference between the determined fraction of positrons annihilating in the particles and the particle volume fraction indicates the positron accumulation effect. The simple phenomenological model and Monte Carlo simulations are able to describe the main features of the obtained dependencies. The aluminum alloy with embedded Sn nanoparticles is also considered for demonstration differences between the accumulation and another related effect, i.e., the positron affinity.

PETPVC: a toolbox for performing partial volume correction techniques in positron emission tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thomas, Benjamin A.; Cuplov, Vesna; Bousse, Alexandre; Mendes, Adriana; Thielemans, Kris; Hutton, Brian F.; Erlandsson, Kjell

2016-11-01

Positron emission tomography (PET) images are degraded by a phenomenon known as the partial volume effect (PVE). Approaches have been developed to reduce PVEs, typically through the utilisation of structural information provided by other imaging modalities such as MRI or CT. These methods, known as partial volume correction (PVC) techniques, reduce PVEs by compensating for the effects of the scanner resolution, thereby improving the quantitative accuracy. The PETPVC toolbox described in this paper comprises a suite of methods, both classic and more recent approaches, for the purposes of applying PVC to PET data. Eight core PVC techniques are available. These core methods can be combined to create a total of 22 different PVC techniques. Simulated brain PET data are used to demonstrate the utility of toolbox in idealised conditions, the effects of applying PVC with mismatched point-spread function (PSF) estimates and the potential of novel hybrid PVC methods to improve the quantification of lesions. All anatomy-based PVC techniques achieve complete recovery of the PET signal in cortical grey matter (GM) when performed in idealised conditions. Applying deconvolution-based approaches results in incomplete recovery due to premature termination of the iterative process. PVC techniques are sensitive to PSF mismatch, causing a bias of up to 16.7% in GM recovery when over-estimating the PSF by 3 mm. The recovery of both GM and a simulated lesion was improved by combining two PVC techniques together. The PETPVC toolbox has been written in C++, supports Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems, is open-source and publicly available.

Measuring temporal stability of positron emission tomography standardized uptake value bias using long-lived sources in a multicenter network.

PubMed

Byrd, Darrin; Christopfel, Rebecca; Arabasz, Grae; Catana, Ciprian; Karp, Joel; Lodge, Martin A; Laymon, Charles; Moros, Eduardo G; Budzevich, Mikalai; Nehmeh, Sadek; Scheuermann, Joshua; Sunderland, John; Zhang, Jun; Kinahan, Paul

2018-01-01

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a quantitative imaging modality, but the computation of standardized uptake values (SUVs) requires several instruments to be correctly calibrated. Variability in the calibration process may lead to unreliable quantitation. Sealed source kits containing traceable amounts of [Formula: see text] were used to measure signal stability for 19 PET scanners at nine hospitals in the National Cancer Institute's Quantitative Imaging Network. Repeated measurements of the sources were performed on PET scanners and in dose calibrators. The measured scanner and dose calibrator signal biases were used to compute the bias in SUVs at multiple time points for each site over a 14-month period. Estimation of absolute SUV accuracy was confounded by bias from the solid phantoms' physical properties. On average, the intrascanner coefficient of variation for SUV measurements was 3.5%. Over the entire length of the study, single-scanner SUV values varied over a range of 11%. Dose calibrator bias was not correlated with scanner bias. Calibration factors from the image metadata were nearly as variable as scanner signal, and were correlated with signal for many scanners. SUVs often showed low intrascanner variability between successive measurements but were also prone to shifts in apparent bias, possibly in part due to scanner recalibrations that are part of regular scanner quality control. Biases of key factors in the computation of SUVs were not correlated and their temporal variations did not cancel out of the computation. Long-lived sources and image metadata may provide a check on the recalibration process.

Enhanced Compton Backscattering in a Periodic Mirror System for Polarized Positron Beam Generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miyahara, Yoshikazu

2002-05-01

By colliding a circularly polarized high power laser beam with a high-energy electron beam, intense circularly polarized γ-rays can be generated, which in turn can be used to produce a longitudinally polarized positron beam for a linear collider. In the present paper, an optical mirror system with periodic focal points is considered to generate intense polarized γ-rays. A CO2 laser beam propagates back and forth in a series of holed mirrors in a straight line. The diffraction loss through the holes is negligibly small, so that the laser beam can be used repeatedly for the collision. The beam size is reduced to 22 μm at a minimum and kept the same in 20 unit cells, ten of which are combined in series. A 5.8 GeV electron beam is focused to 30 μm at a minimum in a series of triplets of permanent quadrupole magnets to generate γ-rays of 60 MeV at a maximum. A γ-ray yield required for a positron beam in a linear collider can be obtained by 10 laser sources with a power of 3.1 kW each, which is considerably lower than the total power assumed in a previous proposal.

PAES study of the positron thermal desorption from a Ge(100) surface

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Soininen, E.; Schwab, A.; Lynn, K.G.

1991-02-01

Positron induced Auger electron spectroscopy (PAES) from a clean Ge(100) surface was studied as a function of temperature. Three low-energy Auger peaks were detected at 50 eV, 90 eV and 100--150 eV, attributed to M{sub 2,3}M{sub 4}M{sub 4}, M{sub 2,3}M{sub 4}V and M{sub 1}M{sub 4}M{sub 4} Auger transitions, respectively. An estimated 4({plus minus}1)% of the surface trapped positrons annihilate with Ge 3p level electrons. The PAES yield from a Ge(100) surface is reduced at elevated temperatures, in accordance with an activation process found earlier in several Ps fraction experiments. A desorption model adopted from these studies does not accurately describemore » the PAES intensity at higher temperatures ({gt}500 {degree}C), which levels off at 5% of the room temperature value. Possible sources for the discrepancy are discussed. On a Ge(100) surface, an upper limit for the Ps emission near the melting point is 97%. The error in calibration parameters due to the earlier assumption of 100% Ps emission from Ge surfaces seems to induce only small errors to the Ps fraction measurements.« less

Properties of an ideal PET perfusion tracer: new PET tracer cases and data.

PubMed

Maddahi, Jamshid

2012-02-01

An ideal positron emission tomography (PET) tracer should be highly extractable by the myocardium and able to provide high-resolution images, should enable quantification of absolute myocardial blood flow (MBF), should be compatible with both pharmacologically induced and exercise-induced stress imaging, and should not require an on-site cyclotron. The PET radionuclides nitrogen-13 ammonia and oxygen-15 water require an on-site cyclotron. Rubidium-82 may be available locally due to the generator source, but greater utilization is limited because of its relatively low myocardial extraction fraction, long positron range, and generator cost. Flurpiridaz F 18, a novel PET tracer in development, has a high-extraction fraction, short positron range, and relatively long half-life (as compared to currently available tracers), and may be produced at regional cyclotrons. Results of early clinical trials suggest that both pharmacologically and exercise-induced stress PET imaging protocols can be completed more rapidly and with lower patient radiation exposure than with single-photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) tracers. As compared to SPECT images in the same patients, flurpiridaz F 18 PET images showed better defect contrast. Flurpiridaz F 18 is a potentially promising tracer for assessment of myocardial perfusion, measurement of absolute MBF, calculation of coronary flow reserves, and assessment of cardiac function at the peak of the stress response.

Slow positron applications at slow positron facility of institute of materials structure science, KEK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hyodo, Toshio; Mochizuki, Izumi; Wada, Ken; Toge, Nobukazu; Shidara, Tetsuo

2018-05-01

Slow Positron Facility at High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK) is a user dedicated facility with an energy-tunable (0.1 - 35 keV) slow positron beam created by a dedicated ˜ 50 MeV linac. It operates in a short pulse (width 1-12 ns, variable, 5×106 e+/s) and a long pulse (width 1.2 µs, 5×107 e+/s) modes of 50 Hz. High energy positrons from pair creation are moderated by reemission after thermalization in W foils. The reemitted positrons are then electrostatically accelerated to a desired energy up to 35 keV and magnetically transported. A pulse-stretching section (pulse stretcher) is installed in the middle of the beamline. It stretches the slow positron pulse for the experiments where too many positrons annihilating in the sample at the same time has to be avoided. Four experiment stations for TRHEPD (total-reflection high-energy positron diffraction), LEPD (low-energy positron diffraction), Ps- (positronium negative ion), and Ps-TOF (positronium time-of-flight) experiments are connected to the beamline branches, SPF-A3, SPF-A4, SPF-B1 and SPF-B2, respectively. Recent results of these stations are briefly described.

Positron annihilation study of the high- Tc (Bi,Pb) 2Sr 2Ca 2Cu 3O x superconductor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lim, H. J.; Byrne, J. G.

1997-03-01

Positron lifetime spectroscopy (PLS) and positron Doppler-broadening spectroscopy (PDBS) were applied to the high- Tc lead-doped Bi 2Sr 2Ca 2Cu 3O x (BPSCCO 2223) superconductor as a function of temperature. Neither positron lifetimes nor Doppler parameters ( S, W, and{S}/{W}) showed significant change through Tc. This may result from having the highest positron density in the open BiO 2 double layers and no significant positron density in the superconducting CuO 2 layers where positrons, if mainly present, are known to be sensitive to the transition in other high- Tc superconductors. Doppler parameters showed that the probability of positron annihilations with core electrons in the lattice slightly increased and that the probability of positron annihilations with conduction electrons slightly decreased as temperature decreased from ambient temperature to 20 K. The lifetime associated with positron annihilations in the perfect lattice of the sample ( τ1) was 209 ps and, due to the annihilations at internal surfaces or voids in the sample ( τ2) was about 540 ps, independent of temperature. Finally, the mean lifetime for BSCCO 2223 was about 307 ps.

The Crystal Zero Degree Detector at BESIII

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koch, L.; Denig, A.; Drexler, P.; Garillon, B.; Johansson, T.; Kühn, W.; Lange, S.; Lauth, W.; Liang, Y.; Marciniewski, P.; Rathmann, T.; Redmer, C.

2017-07-01

The BESIII experiment at the BEPCII electron positron collider at IHEP (Beijing) is collecting data in the charm-τ mass region. Electron positron collisions are a very well suited environment for the study of initial state radiation (ISR). However, the photons from ISR are strongly peaked towards small polar angles and are currently detected with limited efficiency. In order to increase the detection efficiency of ISR photons, we are developing small-size calorimeters to be placed in the very forward and backward regions. Each detector will consist of two 4×3 arrays of 1×1×14 cm3 LYSO crystals. A 1 cm gap separating each of the two arrays will reduce the contamination from background at very low angles. The scintillation light will be collected by silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs). The expected event rate in the MHz range requires flash ADCs recording the preamplified SiPM outputs.The digitized waveforms will be analyzed in realtime yielding data reduction and pile-up detection. This high bandwidth data stream will be transmitted via optical fibers to FPGA-based hardware performing sub-event building, buffering, and event correlation with the BESIII trigger. The sub-events with a corresponding trigger will be sent to the BESIII event builder via TCP/IP. A single crystal equipped with a SiPM was instrumented as a prototype detector. Tests with radioactive sources were performed successfully.

Positron beam studies of solids and surfaces: A summary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coleman, P. G.

2006-02-01

A personal overview is given of the advances in positron beam studies of solids and surfaces presented at the 10th International Workshop on Positron Beams, held in Doha, Qatar, in March 2005. Solids studied include semiconductors, metals, alloys and insulators, as well as biophysical systems. Surface studies focussed on positron annihilation-induced Auger electron spectroscopy (PAES), but interesting applications of positron-surface interactions in fields as diverse as semiconductor technology and studies of the interstellar medium serve to illustrate once again the breadth of scientific endeavour covered by slow positron beam investigations.

Fast Radio Bursts from the Collapse of Strange Star Crusts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yue; Geng, Jin-Jun; Huang, Yong-Feng

2018-05-01

Fast radio bursts (FRBs) are transient radio sources at cosmological distances. No counterparts in other bands have been observed for non-repeating FRBs. Here we suggest the collapse of strange star (SS) crusts as a possible origin for FRBs. SSs, which are composed of almost equal numbers of u, d, and s quarks, may be encapsulated by a thin crust of normal hadronic matter. When a SS accretes matter from its environment, the crust becomes heavier and heavier. It may finally collapse, leading to the release of a large amount of magnetic energy and plenty of electron/positron pairs on a very short timescale. Electron/positron pairs in the polar cap region of the SS can be accelerated to relativistic velocities, streaming along the magnetic field lines to form a thin shell. FRBs are produced by coherent emission from these electrons when the shell is expanding. Basic characteristics of observed FRBs can be explained in our model.

INTEGRAL/SPI Limits on Electron-Positron Annihilation Radiation from the Galactic Plane

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Teegarden, B. J.; Watanabe, K.; Jean, P.; Knoedlseder, J.; Lonjou, V.; Roques, J. P.; Skinner, G. K.; vonBallmoos, P.; Weidenspointner, G.; Bazzano, A.

2005-01-01

The center of our Galaxy is a known strong source of electron-positron 511- keV annihilation radiation. Thus far, however, there have been no reliable detections of annihilation radiation outside of the central radian of our Galaxy. One of the primary objectives of the INTEGRAL (INTErnational Gamma-RAy Astrophysics Laboratory) mission, launched in Oct. 2002, is the detailed study of this radiation. The Spectrometer on INTEGRAL (SPI) is a high resolution coded-aperture gamma-ray telescope with an unprecedented combination of sensitivity, angular resolution and energy resolution. We report results from the first 10 months of observation. During this period a significant fraction of the observing time was spent in or near the Galactic Plane. No positive annihilation flux was detected outside of the central region (|l| greater than 40 degrees) of our Galaxy. In this paper we describe the observations and data analysis methods and give limits on the 511-keV flux.

High-precision γ -ray spectroscopy of the cardiac PET imaging isotope Rb 82 and its impact on dosimetry

DOE PAGES

Nino, M. N.; McCutchan, E. A.; Smith, S. V.; ...

2016-02-01

82Rb is a positron-emitting isotope used in cardiac positron emission tomography (PET) imaging which has been reported to deliver a significantly lower effective radiation dose than analogous imaging isotopes like 201Tl and 99mTc sestamibi. High-quality β-decay data are essential to accurately appraise the total dose received by the patients. A source of 82Sr was produced at the Brookhaven Linac Isotope Producer (BLIP), transported to Argonne National Laboratory, and studied with the Gammasphere facility. Significant revisions have been made to the level scheme of 82Kr including 12 new levels, 50 new γ-ray transitions, and the determination of many new spin assignmentsmore » through angular correlations. Lastly, these new high-quality data allow a precise reappraisal of the β-decay strength function and thus the consequent dose received by patients.« less

Digitized detection of gamma-ray signals concentrated in narrow time windows for transient positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kinomura, A.; Suzuki, R.; Oshima, N.; O'Rourke, B. E.; Nishijima, T.; Ogawa, H.

2014-12-01

A pulsed slow-positron beam generated by an electron linear accelerator was directly used for positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy without any positron storage devices. A waveform digitizer was introduced to simultaneously capture multiple gamma-ray signals originating from positron annihilation events during a single accelerator pulse. The positron pulse was chopped and bunched with the chopper signals also sent to the waveform digitizer. Time differences between the annihilation gamma-ray and chopper peaks were calculated and accumulated as lifetime spectra in a computer. The developed technique indicated that positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy can be performed in a 20 μs time window at a pulse repetition rate synchronous with the linear accelerator. Lifetime spectra of a Kapton sheet and a thermally grown SiO2 layer on Si were successfully measured. Synchronization of positron lifetime measurements with pulsed ion irradiation was demonstrated by this technique.

The Buffer-Gas Positron Accumulator and Resonances in Positron-Molecule Interactions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Surko, C.M.

2007-01-01

This is a personal account of the development of our buffer-gas positron trap and the new generation of cold beams that these traps enabled. Dick Drachman provided much appreciated advice to us from the time we started the project. The physics underlying trap operation is related to resonances (or apparent resonances) in positron-molecule interactions. Amusingly, experiments enabled by the trap allowed us to understand these processes. The positron-resonance "box score" to date is one resounding "yes," namely vibrational Feshbach resonances in positron annihilation on hydrocarbons; a "probably" for positron-impact electronic excitation of CO and NZ;an d a "maybe" for vibrational excitation of selected molecules. Two of these processes enabled the efficient operation of the trap, and one almost killed it in infancy. We conclude with a brief overview of further applications of the trapping technology discussed here, such as "massive" positron storage and beams with meV energy resolution.

Proceedings of Symposium F on New Aspects on the Growth, Characterization and Applications of CdTe and Related Cd Rich Alloys of the 1992 E-MRS Spring Conference held in Strasbourg, France on June 2 - 5, 1992

DTIC Science & Technology

1992-01-01

Bridgman method VI - with (VBZ) and without (VB) a cadmium source can be 1- observed. In VB crystals grown from a slightly tellurium-rich melt the axial...CdTe epilayers will be performed ex 3. Results situ. Light sources are, respectively, a low power HeNe laser emitting at 633 nm and a 75 W xenon lamp for...Positrons can be used as a probe of vacancy-type recorded about 2 x 106 annihilations. After source and defects in semiconductors by studying their

The electronics system for the LBNL positron emission mammography (PEM) camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moses, W. W.; Young, J. W.; Baker, K.; Jones, W.; Lenox, M.; Ho, M. H.; Weng, M.

2001-06-01

Describes the electronics for a high-performance positron emission mammography (PEM) camera. It is based on the electronics for a human brain positron emission tomography (PET) camera (the Siemens/CTI HRRT), modified to use a detector module that incorporates a photodiode (PD) array. An application-specified integrated circuit (ASIC) services the photodetector (PD) array, amplifying its signal and identifying the crystal of interaction. Another ASIC services the photomultiplier tube (PMT), measuring its output and providing a timing signal. Field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and lookup RAMs are used to apply crystal-by-crystal correction factors and measure the energy deposit and the interaction depth (based on the PD/PMT ratio). Additional FPGAs provide event multiplexing, derandomization, coincidence detection, and real-time rebinning. Embedded PC/104 microprocessors provide communication, real-time control, and configure the system. Extensive use of FPGAs make the overall design extremely flexible, allowing many different functions (or design modifications) to be realized without hardware changes. Incorporation of extensive onboard diagnostics, implemented in the FPGAs, is required by the very high level of integration and density achieved by this system.

Accelerator and Fusion Research Division. Annual report, October 1978-September 1979

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Not Available

1980-03-01

Topics covered include: Super HILAC and Bevalac operations; high intensity uranium beams line item; advanced high charge state ion source; 184-inch synchrocyclotron; VENUS project; positron-electron project; high field superconducting accelerator magnets; beam cooling; accelerator theory; induction linac drivers; RF linacs and storage rings; theory; neutral beam systems development; experimental atomic physics; neutral beam plasma research; plasma theory; and the Tormac project. (GHT)

Galactic cosmic ray composition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meyer, J. P.

1986-01-01

An assessment is given of the galactic cosmic ray source (GCRS) elemental composition and its correlation with first ionization potential. The isotopic composition of heavy nuclei; spallation cross sections; energy spectra of primary nuclei; electrons; positrons; local galactic reference abundances; comparison of solar energetic particles and solar coronal compositions; the hydrogen; lead; nitrogen; helium; and germanium deficiency problems; and the excess of elements are among the topics covered.

AUSTRALIA TELESCOPE COMPACT ARRAY RADIO CONTINUUM 1384 AND 2368 MHz OBSERVATIONS OF SAGITTARIUS B

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jones, David I.; Protheroe, Raymond J.; Crocker, Roland M.

2011-03-15

We present images of the Sagittarius (Sgr) B giant molecular cloud at 1384 and 2368 MHz obtained using new, multi-configuration Australia Telescope Compact Array observations. We have combined these observations with archival single-dish observations yielding images at resolutions of 47'' x 14'' and 27'' x 8'' at 1384 and 2368 MHz, respectively. These observations were motivated by our theoretical work indicating the possibility that synchrotron emission from secondary electrons and positrons created in hadronic cosmic ray (CR) collisions with the ambient matter of the Sgr B2 cloud could provide a detectable (and possibly linearly polarized) non-thermal radio signal. We findmore » that the only detectable non-thermal emission from the Sgr B region is from a strong source to the south of Sgr B2, which we label Sgr B2 Southern Complex (SC). We find Sgr B2(SC) integrated flux densities of 1.2 {+-} 0.2 Jy at 1384 MHz and 0.7 {+-} 0.1 Jy at 2368 MHz for a source of FWHM size at 1384 MHz of {approx}54''. Despite its non-thermal nature, the synchrotron emission from this source is unlikely to be dominated due to secondary electrons and positrons. Failing to find clear evidence of non-thermal emission due to secondary electrons and positrons, we use polarization data to place 5{sigma} upper limits on the level of polarized intensity from the Sgr B2 cloud of 3.5 and 3 mJybeam{sup -1} at 1384 and 2368 MHz, respectively. We also use the angular distribution of the total intensity of archival 330 MHz Very Large Array and the total intensity and polarized emission of our new 1384 and 2368 MHz data to constrain the diffusion coefficient for transport of the parent hadronic CRs into the dense core of Sgr B2 to be no larger than about 1% of that in the Galactic disk. Finally, we have also used the data to perform a spectral and morphological study of the features of the Sgr B cloud and compare and contrast these to previous studies.« less

Nondestructive monitoring of fatigue damage evolution in austenitic stainless steel by positron-lifetime measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holzwarth, Uwe; Schaaff, Petra

2004-03-01

Positron-lifetime measurements have been performed on austenitic stainless steel during (i) stress- and (ii) strain-controlled fatigue experiments for different applied stress and strain amplitudes, respectively. For this purpose a generator-detector assembly with a 72Se/72As positron generator [maximum activity 25 μCi (0.9 MBq)] has been mounted on mechanical testing machines in order to measure the positron lifetime without removing the specimens from the load train. The average positron lifetime has been determined by a β+-γ coincidence. The feasibility to use the average positron lifetime for monitoring the evolution of fatigue damage and to predict early failure has been examined. In strain- and stress-controlled experiments the average positron lifetime shows a pronounced increase within the first 10% and 40% of the fatigue life, respectively. In stress-controlled experiments the average positron lifetime at failure depends significantly on the applied stress amplitude. In strain-controlled experiments significantly different positron lifetimes for different applied plastic strain amplitudes are obtained within the first 1.000 fatigue cycles, whereas differences get wiped out during further cycling until failure.

The Correlation Between Dislocations and Vacancy Defects Using Positron Annihilation Spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pang, Jinbiao; Li, Hui; Zhou, Kai; Wang, Zhu

2012-07-01

An analysis program for positron annihilation lifetime spectra is only applicable to isolated defects, but is of no use in the presence of defective correlations. Such limitations have long caused problems for positron researchers in their studies of complicated defective systems. In order to solve this problem, we aim to take a semiconductor material, for example, to achieve a credible average lifetime of single crystal silicon under plastic deformation at different temperatures using positron life time spectroscopy. By establishing reasonable positron trapping models with defective correlations and sorting out four lifetime components with multiple parameters, as well as their respective intensities, information is obtained on the positron trapping centers, such as the positron trapping rates of defects, the density of the dislocation lines and correlation between the dislocation lines, and the vacancy defects, by fitting with the average lifetime with the aid of Matlab software. These results give strong grounds for the existence of dislocation-vacancy correlation in plastically deformed silicon, and lay a theoretical foundation for the analysis of positron lifetime spectra when the positron trapping model involves dislocation-related defects.

Positron Spectroscopy of Hydrothermally Grown Actinide Oxides

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-03-27

POSITRON SPECTROSCOPY OF HYDROTHERMALLY GROWN ACTINIDE OXIDES THESIS Edward C. Schneider...United States Government. AFIT-ENP-14-M-33 POSITRON SPECTROSCOPY OF HYDROTHERMALLY GROWN ACTINIDE OXIDES THESIS...33 POSITRON SPECTROSCOPY OF HYDROTHERMALLY GROWN ACTINIDE OXIDES Edward C. Schneider, BS Captain, USAF Approved

Positron Annihilation in Insulating Materials

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Asoka-Kumar, P; Sterne, PA

2002-10-18

We describe positron results from a wide range of insulating materials. We have completed positron experiments on a range of zeolite-y samples, KDP crystals, alkali halides and laser damaged SiO{sub 2}. Present theoretical understanding of positron behavior in insulators is incomplete and our combined theoretical and experimental approach is aimed at developing a predictive understanding of positrons and positronium annihilation characteristics in insulators. Results from alkali halides and alkaline-earth halides show that positrons annihilate with only the halide ions, with no apparent contribution from the alkali or alkaline-earth cations. This contradicts the results of our existing theory for metals, whichmore » predicts roughly equal annihilation contributions from cation and anion. We also present result obtained using Munich positron microprobe on laser damaged SiO{sub 2} samples.« less

Direct Imaging of Radionuclide-Produced Electrons and Positrons with an Ultrathin Phosphor

PubMed Central

Chen, Liying; Gobar, Lisa S.; Knowles, Negar G.; Liu, Zhonglin; Gmitro, Arthur F.; Barrett, Harrison H.

2008-01-01

Current electron detectors are either unable to image in vivo or lack sufficient spatial resolution because of electron scattering in thick detector materials. This study was aimed at developing a sensitive high-resolution system capable of detecting electron-emitting isotopes in vivo. Methods The system uses a lens-coupled charge-coupled-device camera to capture the scintillation light excited by an electron-emitting object near an ultrathin phosphor. The spatial resolution and sensitivity of the system were measured with a 3.7-kBq 90Y/90Sr β-source and a 70-µm resin bead labeled with 99mTc. Finally, we imaged the 99mTc-pertechnetate concentration in the mandibular gland of a mouse in vivo. Results Useful images were obtained with only a few hundred emitted β particles from the 90Y/90Sr source or conversion electrons from the 99mTc bead source. The in vivo image showed a clear profile of the mandibular gland and many fine details with exposures of as low as 30 s. All measurements were consistent with a spatial resolution of about 50 µm, corresponding to 2.5 detector pixels with the current camera. Conclusion Our new electron-imaging system can image electron-emitting isotope distributions at high resolution and sensitivity. The system is useful for in vivo imaging of small animals and small, exposed regions on humans. The ability to image β particles, positrons, and conversion electrons makes the system applicable to most isotopes. PMID:18552136

Digitized detection of gamma-ray signals concentrated in narrow time windows for transient positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kinomura, A., E-mail: a.kinomura@aist.go.jp; Suzuki, R.; Oshima, N.

2014-12-15

A pulsed slow-positron beam generated by an electron linear accelerator was directly used for positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy without any positron storage devices. A waveform digitizer was introduced to simultaneously capture multiple gamma-ray signals originating from positron annihilation events during a single accelerator pulse. The positron pulse was chopped and bunched with the chopper signals also sent to the waveform digitizer. Time differences between the annihilation gamma-ray and chopper peaks were calculated and accumulated as lifetime spectra in a computer. The developed technique indicated that positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy can be performed in a 20 μs time window at amore » pulse repetition rate synchronous with the linear accelerator. Lifetime spectra of a Kapton sheet and a thermally grown SiO{sub 2} layer on Si were successfully measured. Synchronization of positron lifetime measurements with pulsed ion irradiation was demonstrated by this technique.« less

Slow positron beam production by a 14 MeV C.W. electron accelerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Begemann, M.; Gräff, G.; Herminghaus, H.; Kalinowsky, H.; Ley, R.

1982-10-01

A 14 MeV c.w. electron accelerator is used for pair production in a tungsten target of 0.7 radiation lengths thickness. A small fraction of the positrons is thermalized and diffuses out of the surface ofsurface of a well annealed tungsten foil coated with MgO which is positioned immediately behind the target. The slow positrons are extracted from the target region and magnetically guided over a distance of 10 m onto a channelplate multiplier at the end of an S-shaped solenoid. The positrons are identified by their annihilation radiation using two NaI-detectors. The intensity of the slow positrons is proportional to the accelerator electron beam current. The maximum intensity of 2.2 × 10 5 slow positrons per second reaching thedetector at an accelerator current of 15 μA was limited by the power deposited in the uncooled target. The energy of the positrons is concentrated in a small region at about 1 eV and clearly demonstrates the emission of thermal positrons.

Monte Carlo simulation study of positron generation in ultra-intense laser-solid interactions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Yonghong; Wu, Yuchi; Zhao, Zongqing; Teng, Jian; Yu, Jinqing; Liu, Dongxiao; Dong, Kegong; Wei, Lai; Fan, Wei; Cao, Leifeng; Yao, Zeen; Gu, Yuqiu

2012-02-01

The Monte Carlo transport code Geant4 has been used to study positron production in the transport of laser-produced hot electrons in solid targets. The dependence of the positron yield on target parameters and the hot-electron temperature has been investigated in thick targets (mm-scale), where only the Bethe-Heitler process is considered. The results show that Au is the best target material, and an optimal target thickness exists for generating abundant positrons at a given hot-electron temperature. The positron angular distributions and energy spectra for different hot electron temperatures were studied without considering the sheath field on the back of the target. The effect of the target rear sheath field for positron acceleration was studied by numerical simulation while including an electrostatic field in the Monte Carlo model. It shows that the positron energy can be enhanced and quasi-monoenergetic positrons are observed owing to the effect of the sheath field.

A next generation positron microscope and a survey of candidate samples for future positron studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dull, Terry Lou

A positron microscope has been constructed and is nearing the conclusion of its assembly and testing. The instrument is designed to perform positron and electron microscopy in both scanning and magnifying modes. In scanning mode, a small beam of particles is rastered across the target and the amplitude of a positron or electron related signal is recorded as a function of position. For positrons this signal may come from Doppler Broadening Spectroscopy, Reemitted Positron Spectroscopy or Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy. For electrons this signal may come from the number of secondary electrons or Auger Electron Spectroscopy. In magnifying mode an incident beam of particles is directed onto the target and emitted particles, either secondary electrons or reemitted positrons, are magnified to form an image. As a positron microscope the instrument will primarily operate in magnifying mode, as a positron reemission microscope. As an electron microscope the instrument will be able to operate in both magnifying and scanning modes. Depth-profiled Doppler Broadening Spectroscopy studies using a non-microscopic low-energy positron beam have also been performed on a series of samples to ascertain the applicability of positron spectroscopies and/or microscopy to their study. All samples have sub-micron film and/or feature size and thus are only susceptible to positron study with low-energy beams. Several stoichiometries and crystallinities of chalcogenide thin films (which can be optically reversibly switched between crystalline states) were studied and a correlation was found to exist between the amorphous/FCC S-parameter difference and the amorphous/FCC switching time. Amorphous silicon films were studied in an attempt to observe the well-established Staebler-Wronski effect as well as the more controversial photodilatation effect. However, DBS was not able to detect either effect. The passive oxide films on titanium and aluminum were studied in an attempt to verify the Point Defect Model, a detailed, but as yet microscopically unconfirmed, theory of the corrosive breakdown of passive films. DBS results supportive of the PDM were observed. Graphitic carbon fibers were also studied and DBS indicated the presence of a 200 nm thick outer fiber skin possibly characterized by a high degree of graphitic crystallite alignment.

Slow positrons in single-crystal samples of Al and Al-AlxOy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lynn, K. G.; Lutz, H.

1980-11-01

Well-characterized Al(111) and Al(100) samples were studied with monoenergetic positrons before and after exposure to oxygen. Both positronium-formation and positron-emission curves were obtained for various incident positron energies at sample temperatures ranging from 160-900 K. The orthopositronium decay signal provides a unique signature that the positron has emerged from the surface region of a clean metal. In the clean Al crystals part of the positronium formed near the surface is found to be associated with a temperature-activated process described as the thermally activated detrapping of a positron from a surface state. A simple positron diffusion model, including surface and vacancy trapping, is fitted to the positronium data and an estimate of the binding energy of the positron in this trap is made. The positron diffusion constant is found to have a negative temperature dependence before the onset of positron trapping at thermally generated monovacancies (>500 K), in reasonable agreement with theoretical predictions. The depth of the positron surface state is reduced or positronium is formed in the chemisorbed layer as oxygen is adsorbed on both Al sample surfaces, thus increasing the positronium fraction and decreasing the positron emission. At higher oxygen exposures [>500 L (1 L = 10-6 torr sec)] positron or positronium traps are generated in the overlayer and the positronium fraction is reduced. The amorphous-to-crystalline surface transition of AlxOy on Al is observed between 650 and 800 K by the change in the positronium fraction and is interpreted as the removal of trapping centers in the metal-oxide overlayer. At the higher temperatures and incident energies vacancy trapping is observed by the decrease in the positron diffusion length in both the clean and the underlying Al of the oxygen-exposed samples. Similar vacancy formation enthalpies for Al are extracted in both the clean and oxygen-covered samples by a simple model and are in good agreement with those measured by other experimental methods. This technique provides a new experimental means for the study of interfaces and thin films and the vacancy-type defects associated with them.

Production of Highly Polarized Positrons Using Polarized Electrons at MeV Energies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbott, D.; Adderley, P.; Adeyemi, A.; Aguilera, P.; Ali, M.; Areti, H.; Baylac, M.; Benesch, J.; Bosson, G.; Cade, B.; Camsonne, A.; Cardman, L. S.; Clark, J.; Cole, P.; Covert, S.; Cuevas, C.; Dadoun, O.; Dale, D.; Dong, H.; Dumas, J.; Fanchini, E.; Forest, T.; Forman, E.; Freyberger, A.; Froidefond, E.; Golge, S.; Grames, J.; Guèye, P.; Hansknecht, J.; Harrell, P.; Hoskins, J.; Hyde, C.; Josey, B.; Kazimi, R.; Kim, Y.; Machie, D.; Mahoney, K.; Mammei, R.; Marton, M.; McCarter, J.; McCaughan, M.; McHugh, M.; McNulty, D.; Mesick, K. E.; Michaelides, T.; Michaels, R.; Moffit, B.; Moser, D.; Muñoz Camacho, C.; Muraz, J.-F.; Opper, A.; Poelker, M.; Réal, J.-S.; Richardson, L.; Setiniyaz, S.; Stutzman, M.; Suleiman, R.; Tennant, C.; Tsai, C.; Turner, D.; Ungaro, M.; Variola, A.; Voutier, E.; Wang, Y.; Zhang, Y.; PEPPo Collaboration

2016-05-01

The Polarized Electrons for Polarized Positrons experiment at the injector of the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility has demonstrated for the first time the efficient transfer of polarization from electrons to positrons produced by the polarized bremsstrahlung radiation induced by a polarized electron beam in a high-Z target. Positron polarization up to 82% have been measured for an initial electron beam momentum of 8.19 MeV /c , limited only by the electron beam polarization. This technique extends polarized positron capabilities from GeV to MeV electron beams, and opens access to polarized positron beam physics to a wide community.

Production of Highly Polarized Positrons Using Polarized Electrons at MeV Energies

DOE PAGES

Abbott, D.; Adderley, P.; Adeyemi, A.; ...

2016-05-27

The Polarized Electrons for Polarized Positrons experiment at the injector of the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility has demonstrated for the first time the efficient transfer of polarization from electrons to positrons produced by the polarized bremsstrahlung radiation induced by a polarized electron beam in a high-Z target. Positron polarization up to 82% have been measured for an initial electron beam momentum of 8.19~MeV/c, limited only by the electron beam polarization. We report that this technique extends polarized positron capabilities from GeV to MeV electron beams, and opens access to polarized positron beam physics to a wide community.

Positron states and annihilation characteristics of surface-trapped positrons at the oxidized Cu(110) surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fazleev, N. G.; Olenga, Antoine; Weiss, A. H.

2013-03-01

The process by which oxide layers are formed on metal surfaces is still not well understood. In this work we present the results of theoretical studies of positron states and annihilation characteristics of surface-trapped positrons at the oxidized Cu(110) surface. An ab-initio investigation of stability and associated electronic properties of different adsorption phases of oxygen on Cu(110) has been performed on the basis of density functional theory and using DMOl3 code. The changes in the positron work function and the surface dipole moment when oxygen atoms occupy on-surface and sub-surface sites have been attributed to charge redistribution within the first two layers, buckling effects within each layer and interlayer expansion. The computed positron binding energy, positron surface state wave function, and annihilation probabilities of surface trapped positrons with relevant core electrons demonstrate their sensitivity to oxygen coverage, elemental content, atomic structure of the topmost layers of surfaces, and charge transfer effects. Theoretical results are compared with experimental data obtained from studies of oxidized transition metal surfaces using positron annihilation induced Auger electron spectroscopy. This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation Grant DMR-0907679.

Positrons in surface physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hugenschmidt, Christoph

2016-12-01

Within the last decade powerful methods have been developed to study surfaces using bright low-energy positron beams. These novel analysis tools exploit the unique properties of positron interaction with surfaces, which comprise the absence of exchange interaction, repulsive crystal potential and positron trapping in delocalized surface states at low energies. By applying reflection high-energy positron diffraction (RHEPD) one can benefit from the phenomenon of total reflection below a critical angle that is not present in electron surface diffraction. Therefore, RHEPD allows the determination of the atom positions of (reconstructed) surfaces with outstanding accuracy. The main advantages of positron annihilation induced Auger-electron spectroscopy (PAES) are the missing secondary electron background in the energy region of Auger-transitions and its topmost layer sensitivity for elemental analysis. In order to enable the investigation of the electron polarization at surfaces low-energy spin-polarized positrons are used to probe the outermost electrons of the surface. Furthermore, in fundamental research the preparation of well defined surfaces tailored for the production of bound leptonic systems plays an outstanding role. In this report, it is envisaged to cover both the fundamental aspects of positron surface interaction and the present status of surface studies using modern positron beam techniques.

Positron astrophysics and areas of relation to low-energy positron physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guessoum, Nidhal

2014-05-01

I briefly review our general knowledge of positron astrophysics, focusing mostly on the theoretical and modelling aspects. The experimental/observational aspects of the topic have recently been reviewed elsewhere [E. Churazov et al., Mon. Nat. R. Astron. Soc. 411, 1727 (2011); N. Prantazos et al., Rev. Mod. Phys. 83, 1001 (2011)]. In particular, I highlight the interactions and cross sections of the reactions that the positrons undergo in various cosmic media. Indeed, these must be of high interest to both the positron astrophysics community and the low-energy positron physics community in trying to find common areas of potential collaboration for the future or areas of research that will help the astrophysics community make further progress on the problem. The processes undergone by positrons from the moments of their birth to their annihilation (in the interstellar medium or other locations) are thus examined. The physics of the positron interactions with gases and solids (dust grains) and the physical conditions and characteristics of the environments where the processes of energy loss, positronium formation, and annihilation take place, are briefly reviewed. An explanation is given about how all the relevant physical information is taken into account in order to calculate annihilation rates and spectra of the 511 keV emission in the ISM; special attention is paid to positron interactions with dust and with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. In particular, an attempt is made to show to what extent the interactions between positrons and interstellar dust grains are similar to laboratory experiments in which beams of low-energy positrons impinge upon solids and surfaces. Sample results are shown for the effect of dust grains on positron annihilation spectra in some phases of the ISM which, together with high resolution spectra measured by satellites, can be used to infer useful knowledge about the environment where the annihilation is predominantly taking place, and ultimately about the birth place and history of positrons in the Galaxy. The important complementarity between work done by the astrophysical and the positron physics communities is emphasised, and attempts are made to suggest avenues of future research for progress in the two fields. Contribution to the Topical Issue "Electron and Positron Induced Processes", edited by Michael Brunger, Radu Campeanu, Masamitsu Hoshino, Oddur Ingólfsson, Paulo Limão-Vieira, Nigel Mason, Yasuyuki Nagashima and Hajime Tanuma.

77 FR 71802 - Guidance on Investigational New Drug Applications for Positron Emission Tomography Drugs...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-12-04

...] Guidance on Investigational New Drug Applications for Positron Emission Tomography Drugs; Availability... Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Drugs.'' The guidance is intended to assist manufacturers of PET drugs... ``Investigational New Drug Applications for Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Drugs.'' The guidance summarizes the...

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Positron Scanning

Science.gov Websites

National Laboratory 'Positron Emission Tomography ... [is a medical imaging technique that] can track human brain.' Edited excerpts from from Medical Applications of Non-Medical Research: Applications Technical Report, November 1988 High-resolution PET (Positron Emission Tomography) for Medical Science

Energy Spectrum of Cosmic-Ray Electron and Positron from 10 GeV to 3 TeV Observed with the Calorimetric Electron Telescope on the International Space Station.

PubMed

Adriani, O; Akaike, Y; Asano, K; Asaoka, Y; Bagliesi, M G; Bigongiari, G; Binns, W R; Bonechi, S; Bongi, M; Brogi, P; Buckley, J H; Cannady, N; Castellini, G; Checchia, C; Cherry, M L; Collazuol, G; Di Felice, V; Ebisawa, K; Fuke, H; Guzik, T G; Hams, T; Hareyama, M; Hasebe, N; Hibino, K; Ichimura, M; Ioka, K; Ishizaki, W; Israel, M H; Javaid, A; Kasahara, K; Kataoka, J; Kataoka, R; Katayose, Y; Kato, C; Kawanaka, N; Kawakubo, Y; Krawczynski, H S; Krizmanic, J F; Kuramata, S; Lomtadze, T; Maestro, P; Marrocchesi, P S; Messineo, A M; Mitchell, J W; Miyake, S; Mizutani, K; Moiseev, A A; Mori, K; Mori, M; Mori, N; Motz, H M; Munakata, K; Murakami, H; Nakahira, S; Nishimura, J; de Nolfo, G A; Okuno, S; Ormes, J F; Ozawa, S; Pacini, L; Palma, F; Papini, P; Penacchioni, A V; Rauch, B F; Ricciarini, S B; Sakai, K; Sakamoto, T; Sasaki, M; Shimizu, Y; Shiomi, A; Sparvoli, R; Spillantini, P; Stolzi, F; Takahashi, I; Takayanagi, M; Takita, M; Tamura, T; Tateyama, N; Terasawa, T; Tomida, H; Torii, S; Tsunesada, Y; Uchihori, Y; Ueno, S; Vannuccini, E; Wefel, J P; Yamaoka, K; Yanagita, S; Yoshida, A; Yoshida, K; Yuda, T

2017-11-03

First results of a cosmic-ray electron and positron spectrum from 10 GeV to 3 TeV is presented based upon observations with the CALET instrument on the International Space Station starting in October, 2015. Nearly a half million electron and positron events are included in the analysis. CALET is an all-calorimetric instrument with total vertical thickness of 30 X_{0} and a fine imaging capability designed to achieve a large proton rejection and excellent energy resolution well into the TeV energy region. The observed energy spectrum over 30 GeV can be fit with a single power law with a spectral index of -3.152±0.016 (stat+syst). Possible structure observed above 100 GeV requires further investigation with increased statistics and refined data analysis.

Positron Emission Tomography: Current Challenges and Opportunities for Technological Advances in Clinical and Preclinical Imaging Systems.

PubMed

Vaquero, Juan José; Kinahan, Paul

2015-01-01

Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging is based on detecting two time-coincident high-energy photons from the emission of a positron-emitting radioisotope. The physics of the emission, and the detection of the coincident photons, give PET imaging unique capabilities for both very high sensitivity and accurate estimation of the in vivo concentration of the radiotracer. PET imaging has been widely adopted as an important clinical modality for oncological, cardiovascular, and neurological applications. PET imaging has also become an important tool in preclinical studies, particularly for investigating murine models of disease and other small-animal models. However, there are several challenges to using PET imaging systems. These include the fundamental trade-offs between resolution and noise, the quantitative accuracy of the measurements, and integration with X-ray computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. In this article, we review how researchers and industry are addressing these challenges.

Application of the weighted-density approximation to the accurate description of electron-positron correlation effects in materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Callewaert, Vincent; Saniz, Rolando; Barbiellini, Bernardo; Bansil, Arun; Partoens, Bart

2017-08-01

We discuss positron-annihilation lifetimes for a set of illustrative bulk materials within the framework of the weighted-density approximation (WDA). The WDA can correctly describe electron-positron correlations in strongly inhomogeneous systems, such as surfaces, where the applicability of (semi-)local approximations is limited. We analyze the WDA in detail and show that the electrons which cannot screen external charges efficiently, such as the core electrons, cannot be treated accurately via the pair correlation of the homogeneous electron gas. We discuss how this problem can be addressed by reducing the screening in the homogeneous electron gas by adding terms depending on the gradient of the electron density. Further improvements are obtained when core electrons are treated within the LDA and the valence electron using the WDA. Finally, we discuss a semiempirical WDA-based approach in which a sum rule is imposed to reproduce the experimental lifetimes.

Measurement of the total spectrum of electrons and positrons in the energy range of 300–1500 GeV in the PAMELA experiment with the aid of a sampling calorimeter and a neutron detector

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Karelin, A. V., E-mail: karelin@hotbox.ru; Voronov, S. A.; Galper, A. M.

2015-03-15

A method based on the use of a sampling calorimeter was developed for measuring the total energy spectrum of electrons and positrons from high-energy cosmic rays in the PAMELA satellite-borne experiment. This made it possible to extend the range of energies accessible to measurements by the magnetic system of the PAMELA spectrometer. Themethod involves a procedure for selecting electrons on the basis of features of a secondary-particle shower in the calorimeter. The results obtained by measuring the total spectrum of cosmic-ray electrons and positrons in the energy range of 300–1500 GeV by the method in question are presented on themore » basis of data accumulated over a period spanning 2006 and 2013.« less

Positron Emission Tomography: Current Challenges and Opportunities for Technological Advances in Clinical and Preclinical Imaging Systems

PubMed Central

Vaquero, Juan José; Kinahan, Paul

2017-01-01

Positron emission tomography (PET) imaging is based on detecting two time-coincident high-energy photons from the emission of a positron-emitting radioisotope. The physics of the emission, and the detection of the coincident photons, give PET imaging unique capabilities for both very high sensitivity and accurate estimation of the in vivo concentration of the radiotracer. PET imaging has been widely adopted as an important clinical modality for oncological, cardiovascular, and neurological applications. PET imaging has also become an important tool in preclinical studies, particularly for investigating murine models of disease and other small-animal models. However, there are several challenges to using PET imaging systems. These include the fundamental trade-offs between resolution and noise, the quantitative accuracy of the measurements, and integration with X-ray computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. In this article, we review how researchers and industry are addressing these challenges. PMID:26643024

Electron-positron momentum density in Tl 2Ba 2CuO 6

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barbiellini, B.; Gauthier, M.; Hoffmann, L.; Jarlborg, T.; Manuel, A. A.; Massidda, S.; Peter, M.; Triscone, G.

1994-08-01

We present calculations of the electron-positron momentum density for the high- Tc superconductor Tl 2Ba 2CuO 6, together with some preliminary two-dimensional angular correlation of the annihilation radiation (2D-ACAR) measurements. The calculations are based on the first-principles electronic structure obtained using the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave (FLAPW) and the linear muffin-tin orbital (LMTO) methods. We also use a linear combination of the atomic orbitals-molecular orbital method (LCAO-MO) to discuss orbital contributions to the anisotropies. Some agreement between calculated and measured 2D-ACAR anisotropies encourage sample improvement for further Fermi surface investigations. Indeed, our results indicate a non-negligle overlap of the positron wave function with the CuOo 2 plane electrons. Therefore, this compound may be well suited for investigating the relevant CuO 2 Fermi surface by 2D-ACAR.

Energy Spectrum of Cosmic-Ray Electron and Positron from 10 GeV to 3 TeV Observed with the Calorimetric Electron Telescope on the International Space Station

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adriani, O.; Akaike, Y.; Asano, K.; Asaoka, Y.; Bagliesi, M. G.; Bigongiari, G.; Binns, W. R.; Bonechi, S.; Bongi, M.; Brogi, P.; Buckley, J. H.; Cannady, N.; Castellini, G.; Checchia, C.; Cherry, M. L.; Collazuol, G.; di Felice, V.; Ebisawa, K.; Fuke, H.; Guzik, T. G.; Hams, T.; Hareyama, M.; Hasebe, N.; Hibino, K.; Ichimura, M.; Ioka, K.; Ishizaki, W.; Israel, M. H.; Javaid, A.; Kasahara, K.; Kataoka, J.; Kataoka, R.; Katayose, Y.; Kato, C.; Kawanaka, N.; Kawakubo, Y.; Krawczynski, H. S.; Krizmanic, J. F.; Kuramata, S.; Lomtadze, T.; Maestro, P.; Marrocchesi, P. S.; Messineo, A. M.; Mitchell, J. W.; Miyake, S.; Mizutani, K.; Moiseev, A. A.; Mori, K.; Mori, M.; Mori, N.; Motz, H. M.; Munakata, K.; Murakami, H.; Nakahira, S.; Nishimura, J.; de Nolfo, G. A.; Okuno, S.; Ormes, J. F.; Ozawa, S.; Pacini, L.; Palma, F.; Papini, P.; Penacchioni, A. V.; Rauch, B. F.; Ricciarini, S. B.; Sakai, K.; Sakamoto, T.; Sasaki, M.; Shimizu, Y.; Shiomi, A.; Sparvoli, R.; Spillantini, P.; Stolzi, F.; Takahashi, I.; Takayanagi, M.; Takita, M.; Tamura, T.; Tateyama, N.; Terasawa, T.; Tomida, H.; Torii, S.; Tsunesada, Y.; Uchihori, Y.; Ueno, S.; Vannuccini, E.; Wefel, J. P.; Yamaoka, K.; Yanagita, S.; Yoshida, A.; Yoshida, K.; Yuda, T.; Calet Collaboration

2017-11-01

First results of a cosmic-ray electron and positron spectrum from 10 GeV to 3 TeV is presented based upon observations with the CALET instrument on the International Space Station starting in October, 2015. Nearly a half million electron and positron events are included in the analysis. CALET is an all-calorimetric instrument with total vertical thickness of 30 X0 and a fine imaging capability designed to achieve a large proton rejection and excellent energy resolution well into the TeV energy region. The observed energy spectrum over 30 GeV can be fit with a single power law with a spectral index of -3.152 ±0.016 (stat+syst ). Possible structure observed above 100 GeV requires further investigation with increased statistics and refined data analysis.

Positron annihilation induced Auger electron spectroscopy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weiss, Alex; Koymen, A. R.; Mehl, David; Jensen, K. O.; Lei, Chun; Lee, K. H.

1990-01-01

Recently, Weiss et al. have demonstrated that it is possible to excite Auger transitions by annihilating core electrons using a low energy (less than 30eV) beam of positrons. This mechanism makes possible a new electron spectroscopy, Positron annihilation induced Auger Electron Spectroscopy (PAES). The probability of exciting an Auger transition is proportional to the overlap of the positron wavefunction with atomic core levels. Since the Auger electron energy provides a signature of the atomic species making the transition, PAES makes it possible to determine the overlap of the positron wavefunction with a particular element. PAES may therefore provide a means of detecting positron-atom complexes. Measurements of PAES intensities from clean and adsorbate covered Cu surfaces are presented which indicate that approx. 5 percent of positrons injected into CU at 25eV produce core annihilations that result in Auger transitions.

Positron annihilation in the nuclear outflows of the Milky Way

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panther, Fiona H.; Crocker, Roland M.; Birnboim, Yuval; Seitenzahl, Ivo R.; Ruiter, Ashley J.

2018-02-01

Observations of soft gamma rays emanating from the Milky Way from SPI/INTEGRAL reveal the annihilation of ˜2 × 1043 positrons every second in the Galactic bulge. The origin of these positrons, which annihilate to produce a prominent emission line centred at 511 keV, has remained mysterious since their discovery almost 50 yr ago. A plausible origin for the positrons is in association with the intense star formation ongoing in the Galactic centre. Moreover, there is strong evidence for a nuclear outflow in the Milky Way. We find that advective transport and subsequent annihilation of positrons in such an outflow cannot simultaneously replicate the observed morphology of positron annihilation in the Galactic bulge and satisfy the requirement that 90 per cent of positrons annihilate once the outflow has cooled to 104 K.

Understanding the effect of nanoporosity on optimizing the performance of self-healing materials for anti-corrosion applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sellaiyan, S.; Smith, S. V.; Hughes, A. E.; Miller, A.; Jenkins, D. R.; Uedono, A.

2011-01-01

The chromate-based epoxy primer film was prepared on glass and metal surfaces using various graded doctor blades. The quality and consistency of the films was assessed using scanning electron microscopy and the porosity within the film characterized by positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy. The positron lifetime (τ) distribution for the epoxy polymer matrix was resolved using the CONTIN program. The free volume was found from the ortho-positronium component. The optimum thickness for the films was established for future structure/activity studies.

Lean body mass correction of standardized uptake value in simultaneous whole-body positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jochimsen, Thies H.; Schulz, Jessica; Busse, Harald; Werner, Peter; Schaudinn, Alexander; Zeisig, Vilia; Kurch, Lars; Seese, Anita; Barthel, Henryk; Sattler, Bernhard; Sabri, Osama

2015-06-01

This study explores the possibility of using simultaneous positron emission tomography—magnetic resonance imaging (PET-MRI) to estimate the lean body mass (LBM) in order to obtain a standardized uptake value (SUV) which is less dependent on the patients' adiposity. This approach is compared to (1) the commonly-used method based on a predictive equation for LBM, and (2) to using an LBM derived from PET-CT data. It is hypothesized that an MRI-based correction of SUV provides a robust method due to the high soft-tissue contrast of MRI. A straightforward approach to calculate an MRI-derived LBM is presented. It is based on the fat and water images computed from the two-point Dixon MRI primarily used for attenuation correction in PET-MRI. From these images, a water fraction was obtained for each voxel. Averaging over the whole body yielded the weight-normalized LBM. Performance of the new approach in terms of reducing variations of 18F-Fludeoxyglucose SUVs in brain and liver across 19 subjects was compared with results using predictive methods and PET-CT data to estimate the LBM. The MRI-based method reduced the coefficient of variation of SUVs in the brain by 41  ± 10% which is comparable to the reduction by the PET-CT method (35  ± 10%). The reduction of the predictive LBM method was 29  ± 8%. In the liver, the reduction was less clear, presumably due to other sources of variation. In conclusion, employing the Dixon data in simultaneous PET-MRI for calculation of lean body mass provides a brain SUV which is less dependent on patient adiposity. The reduced dependency is comparable to that obtained by CT and predictive equations. Therefore, it is more comparable across patients. The technique does not impose an overhead in measurement time and is straightforward to implement.

Lean body mass correction of standardized uptake value in simultaneous whole-body positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging.

PubMed

Jochimsen, Thies H; Schulz, Jessica; Busse, Harald; Werner, Peter; Schaudinn, Alexander; Zeisig, Vilia; Kurch, Lars; Seese, Anita; Barthel, Henryk; Sattler, Bernhard; Sabri, Osama

2015-06-21

This study explores the possibility of using simultaneous positron emission tomography--magnetic resonance imaging (PET-MRI) to estimate the lean body mass (LBM) in order to obtain a standardized uptake value (SUV) which is less dependent on the patients' adiposity. This approach is compared to (1) the commonly-used method based on a predictive equation for LBM, and (2) to using an LBM derived from PET-CT data. It is hypothesized that an MRI-based correction of SUV provides a robust method due to the high soft-tissue contrast of MRI. A straightforward approach to calculate an MRI-derived LBM is presented. It is based on the fat and water images computed from the two-point Dixon MRI primarily used for attenuation correction in PET-MRI. From these images, a water fraction was obtained for each voxel. Averaging over the whole body yielded the weight-normalized LBM. Performance of the new approach in terms of reducing variations of (18)F-Fludeoxyglucose SUVs in brain and liver across 19 subjects was compared with results using predictive methods and PET-CT data to estimate the LBM. The MRI-based method reduced the coefficient of variation of SUVs in the brain by 41 ± 10% which is comparable to the reduction by the PET-CT method (35 ± 10%). The reduction of the predictive LBM method was 29 ± 8%. In the liver, the reduction was less clear, presumably due to other sources of variation. In conclusion, employing the Dixon data in simultaneous PET-MRI for calculation of lean body mass provides a brain SUV which is less dependent on patient adiposity. The reduced dependency is comparable to that obtained by CT and predictive equations. Therefore, it is more comparable across patients. The technique does not impose an overhead in measurement time and is straightforward to implement.

Study of cluster shapes in a monolithic active pixel detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maçzewski, ł.; Adamus, M.; Ciborowski, J.; Grzelak, G.; łużniak, P.; Nieżurawski, P.; Żarnecki, A. F.

2009-11-01

Beamstrahlung will constitute an important source of background in a pixel vertex detector at the future International Linear Collider. Electron and positron tracks of this origin impact the pixel planes at angles generally larger than those of secondary hadrons and the corresponding clusters are elongated. We report studies of cluster characteristics using test beam electron tracks incident at various angles on a MIMOSA-5 monolithic active pixel sensor matrix.

Advanced Photon Source accelerator ultrahigh vacuum guide

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, C.; Noonan, J.

1994-03-01

In this document the authors summarize the following: (1) an overview of basic concepts of ultrahigh vacuum needed for the APS project, (2) a description of vacuum design and calculations for major parts of APS, including linac, linac waveguide, low energy undulator test line, positron accumulator ring (PAR), booster synchrotron ring, storage ring, and insertion devices, and (3) cleaning procedures of ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) components presently used at APS.

Summary of the Physics Opportunities Working Group

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Pisin; McDonald, K.T.

The Physics Opportunities Working Group was convened with the rather general mandate to explore physic opportunities that may arise as new accelerator technologies and facilities come into play. Five topics were considered during the workshop: QED at critical field strength, novel positron sources, crystal accelerators, suppression of beamstrahlung, and muon colliders. Of particular interest was the sense that a high energy muon collider might be technically feasible and certainly deserves serious study.

Low emittance electron storage rings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Levichev, E. B.

2018-01-01

Low-emittance electron (positron) beams are essential for synchrotron light sources, linear collider damping rings, and circular Crab Waist colliders. In this review, the principles and methods of emittance minimization are discussed, prospects for developing relativistic electron storage rings with small beam phase volume are assessed, and problems related to emittance minimization are examined together with their possible solutions. The special features and engineering implementation aspects of various facilities are briefly reviewed.

DoD Source Selection: Competencies, Deficiencies, and Remedies

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-04-30

University, Ministry of National Defense, Republic of China Strategic Planning and Management in Defense Systems Acquisition Stanley Rosen, Defense... systems procurement officer. He was employed in purchasing management for prime contractors on NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, DoE’s Positron Electron...was living the good life, “he … was squandering precious tax dollars for, among other things, systems the military didn’t ask for, didn’t need and

Summary of the Physics Opportunities Working Group

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Pisin; McDonald, K.T.

1992-12-01

The Physics Opportunities Working Group was convened with the rather general mandate to explore physic opportunities that may arise as new accelerator technologies and facilities come into play. Five topics were considered during the workshop: QED at critical field strength, novel positron sources, crystal accelerators, suppression of beamstrahlung, and muon colliders. Of particular interest was the sense that a high energy muon collider might be technically feasible and certainly deserves serious study.

Water-sensitive positron trapping modes in nanoporous magnesium aluminate ceramics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Filipecki, J.; Ingram, A.; Klym, H.; Shpotyuk, O.; Vakiv, M.

2007-08-01

The water-sensitive positron trapping modes in nanoporous MgAl2O4 ceramics with a spinel structure are studied. It is shown that water-sorption processes in magnesium aluminate ceramics leads to corresponding increase in positron trapping rates of extended defects located near intergranual boundaries. This catalytic affect has reversible nature, being strongly dependent on sorption water fluxes in ceramics. The fixation of all water-dependent positron trapping inputs allow to refine the most significant changes in positron trapping rate of extended defects.

Positron lifetime beam for defect studies in thin epitaxial semiconductor structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Laakso, A.; Saarinen, K.; Hautojärvi, P.

2001-12-01

Positron annihilation spectroscopies are methods for direct identification of vacancy-type defects by measuring positron lifetime and Doppler broadening of annihilation radiation and providing information about open volume, concentration and atoms surrounding the defect. Both these techniques are easily applied to bulk samples. Only the Doppler broadening spectroscopy can be employed in thin epitaxial samples by utilizing low-energy positron beams. Here we describe the positron lifetime beam which will provide us with a method to measure lifetime in thin semiconductor layers.

Investigation of Positron Sticking to the Surfaces of Topological Insulators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shastry, K.; Joglekar, P. V.; Olenga, A. Y.; Fazleev, N. G.; Weiss, A. H.; Barniellini, B.

2013-03-01

We describe experiments aimed at probing the sticking of positrons to the surfaces of topological insulators. In these experiments, a magnetically beam will be used to deposit positrons at the surface of Bi2Te2Se. The energy spectra and intensities of electrons emitted as a result of Positron Annihilation induced Auger electron Spectroscopy (PAES) provides a distinct element specific signal which can be used to determine if positrons can be trapped efficiently into a surface localized bound state. The experiments are aimed at determining the practicality of using positron annihilation to selectively probe the critically important top most layer of topological insulator system. Welch Y1100, NSF DMR 0907679

Positron lifetime spectrometer using a DC positron beam

DOEpatents

Xu, Jun; Moxom, Jeremy

2003-10-21

An entrance grid is positioned in the incident beam path of a DC beam positron lifetime spectrometer. The electrical potential difference between the sample and the entrance grid provides simultaneous acceleration of both the primary positrons and the secondary electrons. The result is a reduction in the time spread induced by the energy distribution of the secondary electrons. In addition, the sample, sample holder, entrance grid, and entrance face of the multichannel plate electron detector assembly are made parallel to each other, and are arranged at a tilt angle to the axis of the positron beam to effectively separate the path of the secondary electrons from the path of the incident positrons.

Studies of Oxidation of the Cu(100) Surface Using Low Energy Positrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fazleev, N. G.; Maddox, W. B.; Nadesalingam, M.; Rajeshwar, K.; Weiss, A. H.

2009-03-01

Changes in the surface of an oxidized Cu(100) single crystal resulting from vacuum annealing have been investigated using positron annihilation induced Auger electron spectroscopy (PAES). PAES measurements show a large increase in the intensity of the positron annihilation induced Cu M2,3VV Auger peak as the sample is subjected to a series of isochronal anneals in vacuum up to annealing temperature 300° C. The intensity then decreases monotonically as the annealing temperature is increased to ˜600° C. Experimental PAES results are analyzed by performing calculations of positron surface states and annihilation probabilities of surface-trapped positrons with relevant core electrons taking into account the charge redistribution at the surface, surface reconstructions, and electron-positron correlations effects. Possible explanation for the observed behavior of the intensity of positron annihilation induced Cu M2,3VV Auger peak with changes of the annealing temperature is proposed.

Studies of oxidation of the Cu(100) surface using low energy positrons.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maddox, W. B.; Fazleev, N. G.; Weiss, A. H.

2009-03-01

Changes in the surface of an oxidized Cu(100) single crystal resulting from vacuum annealing have been investigated using positron annihilation induced Auger electron spectroscopy (PAES). PAES measurements show a large increase in the intensity of the positron annihilation induced Cu M2,3VV Auger peak as the sample is subjected to a series of isochronal anneals in vacuum up to annealing temperature 300^o C. The intensity then decreases monotonically as the annealing temperature is increased to ˜600^o C. Experimental PAES results are analyzed by performing calculations of positron surface states and annihilation probabilities of surface-trapped positrons with relevant core electrons taking into account the charge redistribution at the surface, surface reconstructions, and electron-positron correlations effects. Possible explanation for the observed behavior of the intensity of positron annihilation induced Cu M2,3VV Auger peak with changes of the annealing temperature is proposed.

Improving depth resolutions in positron beam spectroscopy by concurrent ion-beam sputtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

John, Marco; Dalla, Ayham; Ibrahim, Alaa M.; Anwand, Wolfgang; Wagner, Andreas; Böttger, Roman; Krause-Rehberg, Reinhard

2018-05-01

The depth resolution of mono-energetic positron annihilation spectroscopy using a positron beam is shown to improve by concurrently removing the sample surface layer during positron beam spectroscopy. During ion-beam sputtering with argon ions, Doppler-broadening spectroscopy is performed with energies ranging from 3 keV to 5 keV allowing for high-resolution defect studies just below the sputtered surface. With this technique, significantly improved depth resolutions could be obtained even at larger depths when compared to standard positron beam experiments which suffer from extended positron implantation profiles at higher positron energies. Our results show that it is possible to investigate layered structures with a thickness of about 4 microns with significantly improved depth resolution. We demonstrated that a purposely generated ion-beam induced defect profile in a silicon sample could be resolved employing the new technique. A depth resolution of less than 100 nm could be reached.

Recovering the triple coincidence of non-pure positron emitters in preclinical PET

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Hsin-Hon; Chuang, Keh-Shih; Chen, Szu-Yu; Jan, Meei-Ling

2016-03-01

Non-pure positron emitters, with their long half-lives, allow for the tracing of slow biochemical processes which cannot be adequately examined by the commonly used short-lived positron emitters. Most of these isotopes emit high-energy cascade gamma rays in addition to positron decay that can be detected and create a triple coincidence with annihilation photons. Triple coincidence is discarded in most scanners, however, the majority of the triple coincidence contains true photon pairs that can be recovered. In this study, we propose a strategy for recovering triple coincidence events to raise the sensitivity of PET imaging for non-pure positron emitters. To identify the true line of response (LOR) from a triple coincidence, a framework utilizing geometrical, energy and temporal information is proposed. The geometrical criterion is based on the assumption that the LOR with the largest radial offset among the three sub pairs of triple coincidences is least likely to be a true LOR. Then, a confidence time window is used to test the valid LOR among those within triple coincidence. Finally, a likelihood ratio discriminant rule based on the energy probability density distribution of cascade and annihilation gammas is established to identify the true LOR. An Inveon preclinical PET scanner was modeled with GATE (GEANT4 application for tomographic emission) Monte Carlo software. We evaluated the performance of the proposed method in terms of identification fraction, noise equivalent count rates (NECR), and image quality on various phantoms. With the inclusion of triple coincidence events using the proposed method, the NECR was found to increase from 11% to 26% and 19% to 29% for I-124 and Br-76, respectively, when 7.4-185 MBq of activity was used. Compared to the reconstructed images using double coincidence, this technique increased the SNR by 5.1-7.3% for I-124 and 9.3-10.3% for Br-76 within the activity range of 9.25-74 MBq, without compromising the spatial resolution or contrast. We conclude that the proposed method can improve the counting statistics of PET imaging for non-pure positron emitters and is ready to be implemented on current PET systems. Parts of this work were presented at the 2012 Annual Congress of the European Association of Nuclear Medicine.

An experimental approach to improve the Monte Carlo modelling of offline PET/CT-imaging of positron emitters induced by scanned proton beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bauer, J.; Unholtz, D.; Kurz, C.; Parodi, K.

2013-08-01

We report on the experimental campaign carried out at the Heidelberg Ion-Beam Therapy Center (HIT) to optimize the Monte Carlo (MC) modelling of proton-induced positron-emitter production. The presented experimental strategy constitutes a pragmatic inverse approach to overcome the known uncertainties in the modelling of positron-emitter production due to the lack of reliable cross-section data for the relevant therapeutic energy range. This work is motivated by the clinical implementation of offline PET/CT-based treatment verification at our facility. Here, the irradiation induced tissue activation in the patient is monitored shortly after the treatment delivery by means of a commercial PET/CT scanner and compared to a MC simulated activity expectation, derived under the assumption of a correct treatment delivery. At HIT, the MC particle transport and interaction code FLUKA is used for the simulation of the expected positron-emitter yield. For this particular application, the code is coupled to externally provided cross-section data of several proton-induced reactions. Studying experimentally the positron-emitting radionuclide yield in homogeneous phantoms provides access to the fundamental production channels. Therefore, five different materials have been irradiated by monoenergetic proton pencil beams at various energies and the induced β+ activity subsequently acquired with a commercial full-ring PET/CT scanner. With the analysis of dynamically reconstructed PET images, we are able to determine separately the spatial distribution of different radionuclide concentrations at the starting time of the PET scan. The laterally integrated radionuclide yields in depth are used to tune the input cross-section data such that the impact of both the physical production and the imaging process on the various positron-emitter yields is reproduced. The resulting cross-section data sets allow to model the absolute level of measured β+ activity induced in the investigated targets within a few per cent. Moreover, the simulated distal activity fall-off positions, representing the central quantity for treatment monitoring in terms of beam range verification, are found to agree within 0.6 mm with the measurements at different initial beam energies in both homogeneous and heterogeneous targets. Based on work presented at the Third European Workshop on Monte Carlo Treatment Planning (Seville, 15-18 May 2012).

Radiation Belts of Antiparticles in Planetary Magnetospheres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pugacheva, G. I.; Gusev, A. A.; Jayanthi, U. B.; Martin, I. M.; Spjeldvik, W. N.

2007-05-01

The Earth's radiation belts could be populated, besides with electrons and protons, also by antiparticles, such as positrons (Basilova et al., 1982) and antiprotons (pbar). Positrons are born in the decay of pions that are directly produced in nuclear reactions of trapped relativistic inner zone protons with the residual atmosphere at altitudes in the range of about 500 to 3000 km over the Earth's surface. Antiprotons are born by high energy (E > 6 GeV) cosmic rays in p+p - p+p+p+ pbar and in p+p - p+p+n+nbar reactions. The trapping and storage of these charged anti-particles in the magnetosphere result in radiation belts similar to the classical Van Allen belts of protons and electrons. We describe the mathematical techniques used for numerical simulation of the trapped positron and antiproton belt fluxes. The pion and antiproton yields were simulated on the basis of the Russian nuclear reaction computer code MSDM, a Multy Stage Dynamical Model, Monte Carlo code, (i.e., Dementyev and Sobolevsky, 1999). For estimates of positron flux there we have accounted for ionisation, bremsstrahlung, and synchrotron energy losses. The resulting numerical estimates show that the positron flux with energy >100 MeV trapped into the radiation belt at L=1.2 is of the order ~1000 m-2 s-1 sr-1, and that it is very sensitive to the shape of the trapped proton spectrum. This confined positron flux is found to be greater than that albedo, not trapped, mixed electron/positron flux of about 50 m-2 s-1 sr-1 produced by CR in the same region at the top of the geomagnetic field line at L=1.2. As we show in report, this albedo flux also consists mostly of positrons. The trapped antiproton fluxes produced by CR in the Earth's upper rarified atmosphere were calculated in the energy range from 10 MeV to several GeV. In the simulations we included a mathematic consideration of the radial diffusion process, both an inner and an outer antiproton source, losses of particles due to ionization process, annihilation, and nuclear interactions with the ambient matter. We have found that the Earth's antiproton belt possesses about 6-60 times larger antiproton fluxes compared to the galactic fluxes in interplanetary space during minimum and maximum solar activity at all energies in confinement zone. The radiation belt antiproton fluxes are spread into a wider L-shell range than its generation location around L=1.2. This is due to diffusion processes, and it demonstrates that radial diffusion as a relatively significant process for antimatter, even in the inner magnetosphere. Antimatter accumulated in the magnetospheres of solar system bodies may be of significance for space travel. It could be used as a propulsion for space missions to the outer planets and beyond. Antimatter has an energy density more than ten orders of magnitude higher than the best chemical propellants currently used in rocket systems. References: Basilova, R. N., A.A. Gusev, G.I. Pugacheva , Geom. and Aeronom. V. 22, p. 671-673, 1982.Chen, J., T. Dementyev, A.V., Sobolevsky, N.M. Radiation Measurements, 30, 553, 1999.

Positron Annihilation Ratio Spectroscopy (PsARS) Applied to Positronium Formation Studies

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-03-01

POSITRON ANNIHILATION RATIO SPECTROSCOPY (PsARS) APPLIED TO POSITRONIUM FORMATION STUDIES THESIS...AFIT/GNE/ENP/10-M07 POSITRON ANNIHILATION RATIO SPECTROSCOPY (PsARS) APPLIED TO POSITRONIUM FORMATION STUDIES ...lifetime studies in local electric field experiments. High local electric fields can polarize a positron -electron pair, which may result in an extended

Positron studies of metal-oxide-semiconductor structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Au, H. L.; Asoka-Kumar, P.; Nielsen, B.; Lynn, K. G.

1993-03-01

Positron annihilation spectroscopy provides a new probe to study the properties of interface traps in metal-oxide semiconductors (MOS). Using positrons, we have examined the behavior of the interface traps as a function of gate bias. We propose a simple model to explain the positron annihilation spectra from the interface region of a MOS capacitor.

The stationary non-equilibrium plasma of cosmic-ray electrons and positrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tomaschitz, Roman

2016-06-01

The statistical properties of the two-component plasma of cosmic-ray electrons and positrons measured by the AMS-02 experiment on the International Space Station and the HESS array of imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes are analyzed. Stationary non-equilibrium distributions defining the relativistic electron-positron plasma are derived semi-empirically by performing spectral fits to the flux data and reconstructing the spectral number densities of the electronic and positronic components in phase space. These distributions are relativistic power-law densities with exponential cutoff, admitting an extensive entropy variable and converging to the Maxwell-Boltzmann or Fermi-Dirac distributions in the non-relativistic limit. Cosmic-ray electrons and positrons constitute a classical (low-density high-temperature) plasma due to the low fugacity in the quantized partition function. The positron fraction is assembled from the flux densities inferred from least-squares fits to the electron and positron spectra and is subjected to test by comparing with the AMS-02 flux ratio measured in the GeV interval. The calculated positron fraction extends to TeV energies, predicting a broad spectral peak at about 1 TeV followed by exponential decay.

Scattering of positrons and electrons by alkali atoms

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stein, T. S.; Kauppila, W. E.; Kwan, C. K.; Lukaszew, R. A.; Parikh, S. P.; Wan, Y. J.; Zhou, S.; Dababneh, M. S.

1990-01-01

Absolute total scattering cross sections (Q sub T's) were measured for positrons and electrons colliding with sodium, potassium, and rubidium in the 1 to 102 eV range, using the same apparatus and experimental approach (a beam transmission technique) for both projectiles. The present results for positron-sodium and -rubidium collisions represent the first Q sub T measurements reported for these collision systems. Features which distinguish the present comparisons between positron- and electron-alkali atom Q sub T's from those for other atoms and molecules (room-temperature gases) which have been used as targets for positrons and electrons are the proximity of the corresponding positron- and electron-alkali atom Q sub T's over the entire energy range of overlap, with an indication of a merging or near-merging of the corresponding positron and electron Q sub T's near (and above) the relatively low energy of about 40 eV, and a general tendency for the positron-alkali atom Q sub T's to be higher than the corresponding electron values as the projectile energy is decreased below about 40 eV.

Positron annihilation lifetime study of polyvinylpyrrolidone for nanoparticle-stabilizing pharmaceuticals.

PubMed

Shpotyuk, O; Bujňáková, Z; Baláž, P; Ingram, A; Shpotyuk, Y

2016-01-05

Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy was applied to characterize free-volume structure of polyvinylpyrrolidone used as nonionic stabilizer in the production of many nanocomposite pharmaceuticals. The polymer samples with an average molecular weight of 40,000 g mol(-1) were pelletized in a single-punch tableting machine under an applied pressure of 0.7 GPa. Strong mixing in channels of positron and positronium trapping were revealed in the polyvinylpyrrolidone pellets. The positron lifetime spectra accumulated under normal measuring statistics were analysed in terms of unconstrained three- and four-term decomposition, the latter being also realized under fixed 0.125 ns lifetime proper to para-positronium self-annihilation in a vacuum. It was shown that average positron lifetime extracted from each decomposition was primary defined by long-lived ortho-positronium component. The positron lifetime spectra treated within unconstrained three-term fitting were in obvious preference, giving third positron lifetime dominated by ortho-positronium pick-off annihilation in a polymer matrix. This fitting procedure was most meaningful, when analysing expected positron trapping sites in polyvinylpyrrolidone-stabilized nanocomposite pharmaceuticals. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evidence for a positron bound state on the surface of a topological insulator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shastry, K.; Weiss, A. H.; Barbiellini, B.; Assaf, B. A.; Lim, Z. H.; Joglekar, P. V.; Heiman, D.

2015-06-01

We describe experiments aimed at probing the sticking of positrons to the surfaces of topological insulators using the Positron Annihilation induced Auger Electron Spectrometer (PAES). A magnetically guided beam was used to deposit positrons at the surface of Bi2Te2Se sample at energy of ∼2eV. Peaks observed in the energy spectra and intensities of electrons emitted as a result of positron annihilation showed peaks at energies corresponding to Auger peaks in Bi, Teand Se providing clear evidence of Auger emission associated with the annihilation of positrons in a surface bound state. Theoretical estimates of the binding energy of this state are compared with estimates obtained by measuring the incident beam energy threshold for secondary electron emission and the temperature dependence positronium(Ps) emission. The experiments provide strong evidence for the existence of a positron bound state at the surface of Bi2Te2Se and indicate the practicality of using positron annihilation to selectively probe the critically important top most layer of topological insulator system.

Studies of the oxidized Cu(100) surface using positron annihilation induced Auger electron spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maddox, W.; Fazleev, N. G.; Nadesalingam, M. P.; Weiss, A. H.

2008-03-01

We discuss recent progress in studies of an oxidized Cu(100) single crystal subjected to vacuum annealing over a temperature range from 293K to 1073K using positron annihilation induced Auger electron spectroscopy (PAES). The PAES measurements show a large monotonic increase in the intensity of the positron annihilation induced Cu M2,3 VV Auger peak as the sample is subjected to a series of isochronal anneals in vacuum up to annealing temperature 573 K. The intensity then decreases monotonically as the annealing temperature is increased to 873 K. Experimental PAES results are analyzed by performing calculations of positron surface states and annihilation probabilities of surface-trapped positrons with relevant core electrons taking into account the charge redistribution at the surface, surface reconstructions, and electron-positron correlations effects. The effects of oxygen adsorption and surface reconstruction on localization of positron surface state wave functions and annihilation characteristics are analyzed. Possible explanations are provided for the observed behavior of the intensity of positron annihilation induced Cu M2,3VV Auger peak with changes of the annealing temperature.

Study of SiO2-Si and metal-oxide-semiconductor structures using positrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Leung, T. C.; Asoka-Kumar, P.; Nielsen, B.; Lynn, K. G.

1993-01-01

Studies of SiO2-Si and metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) structures using positrons are summarized and a concise picture of the present understanding of positrons in these systems is provided. Positron annihilation line-shape S data are presented as a function of the positron incident energy, gate voltage, and annealing, and are described with a diffusion-annihilation equation for positrons. The data are compared with electrical measurements. Distinct annihilation characteristics were observed at the SiO2-Si interface and have been studied as a function of bias voltage and annealing conditions. The shift of the centroid (peak) of γ-ray energy distributions in the depletion region of the MOS structures was studied as a function of positron energy and gate voltage, and the shifts are explained by the corresponding variations in the strength of the electric field and thickness of the depletion layer. The potential role of the positron annihilation technique as a noncontact, nondestructive, and depth-sensitive characterization tool for the technologically important, deeply buried interface is shown.

Proposal for a slow positron facility at Jefferson National Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mills, Allen P.

2018-05-01

One goal of the JPos-17 International Workshop on Physics with Positrons was to ascertain whether it would be a good idea to expand the mission of the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (JLab) to include science with low energy (i.e. "slow") spin polarized positrons. It is probably true that experimentation with slow positrons would potentially have wide-ranging benefits comparable to those obtained with neutron and x-ray scattering, but it is certain that the full range of these benefits will never be fully available without an infrastructure comparable to that of existing neutron and x-ray facilities. The role for Jefferson Laboratory would therefore be to provide and maintain (1) a dedicated set of machines for making and manipulating high intensity, high brightness beams of polarized slow positrons; (2) a suite of unique and easily used instruments of wide utility that will make efficient use of the positrons; and (3) a group of on-site positron scientists to provide scientific leadership, instrument development, and user support. In this note some examples will be given of the science that might make a serious investment in a positron facility worthwhile. At the same time, the lessons learned from various proposed and successful positron facilities will be presented for consideration.

Characterization of a transmission positron/positronium converter for antihydrogen production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aghion, S.; Amsler, C.; Ariga, T.; Bonomi, G.; Brusa, R. S.; Caccia, M.; Caravita, R.; Castelli, F.; Cerchiari, G.; Comparat, D.; Consolati, G.; Demetrio, A.; Di Noto, L.; Doser, M.; Ereditato, A.; Evans, C.; Ferragut, R.; Fesel, J.; Fontana, A.; Gerber, S.; Giammarchi, M.; Gligorova, A.; Guatieri, F.; Haider, S.; Hinterberger, A.; Holmestad, H.; Kellerbauer, A.; Krasnický, D.; Lagomarsino, V.; Lansonneur, P.; Lebrun, P.; Malbrunot, C.; Mariazzi, S.; Matveev, V.; Mazzotta, Z.; Müller, S. R.; Nebbia, G.; Nedelec, P.; Oberthaler, M.; Pacifico, N.; Pagano, D.; Penasa, L.; Petracek, V.; Povolo, L.; Prelz, F.; Prevedelli, M.; Ravelli, L.; Resch, L.; Rienäcker, B.; Robert, J.; Røhne, O. M.; Rotondi, A.; Sacerdoti, M.; Sandaker, H.; Santoro, R.; Scampoli, P.; Simon, M.; Smestad, L.; Sorrentino, F.; Testera, G.; Tietje, I. C.; Widmann, E.; Yzombard, P.; Zimmer, C.; Zmeskal, J.; Zurlo, N.; Andersen, S. L.; Chevallier, J.; Uggerhøj, U. I.; Lyckegaard, F.

2017-09-01

In this work a characterization study of forward emission from a thin, meso-structured silica positron/positronium (Ps) converter following implantation of positrons in light of possible antihydrogen production is presented. The target consisted of a ∼1 μm thick ultraporous silica film e-gun evaporated onto a 20 nm carbon foil. The Ps formation and emission was studied via Single Shot Positron Annihilation Lifetime Spectroscopy measurements after implantation of pulses with 3 - 4 ·107 positrons and 10 ns temporal width. The forward emission of implanted positrons and secondary electrons was investigated with a micro-channel plate - phosphor screen assembly, connected either to a CCD camera for imaging of the impinging particles, or to a fast photomultiplier tube to extract information about their time of flight. The maximum Ps formation fraction was estimated to be ∼10%. At least 10% of the positrons implanted with an energy of 3.3 keV are forward-emitted with a scattering angle smaller than 50° and maximum kinetic energy of 1.2 keV. At least 0.1-0.2 secondary electrons per implanted positron were also found to be forward-emitted with a kinetic energy of a few eV. The possible application of this kind of positron/positronium converter for antihydrogen production is discussed.

Oxidation and thermal reduction of the Cu(1 0 0) surface as studied using positron annihilation induced Auger electron spectroscopy (PAES)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fazleev, N. G.; Nadesalingam, M. P.; Maddox, W.; Mukherjee, S.; Rajeshwar, K.; Weiss, A. H.

2010-01-01

Changes in the surface of an oxidized Cu(1 0 0) single crystal resulting from vacuum annealing have been investigated using positron annihilation induced Auger electron spectroscopy (PAES). PAES measurements show a large increase in the intensity of the annihilation induced Cu M 2,3VV Auger peak as the sample is subjected to a series of isochronal anneals in vacuum up to annealing temperature 300 °C. The intensity then decreases monotonically as the annealing temperature is increased to ˜600 °C. Experimental probabilities of annihilation of surface-trapped positrons with Cu 3p and O 1s core-level electrons are estimated from the measured intensities of the positron annihilation induced Cu M 2,3VV and O KLL Auger transitions. Experimental PAES results are analyzed by performing calculations of positron surface states and annihilation probabilities of surface-trapped positrons with relevant core electrons taking into account the charge redistribution at the surface, surface reconstructions, and electron-positron correlations effects. The effects of oxygen adsorption on localization of positron surface state wave function and annihilation characteristics are also analyzed. Possible explanation is proposed for the observed behavior of the intensity of positron annihilation induced Cu M 2,3VV and O KLL Auger peaks and probabilities of annihilation of surface-trapped positrons with Cu 3p and O 1s core-level electrons with changes of the annealing temperature.

Enhanced positron trapping by Ag nanoclusters at low temperatures: A challenge of positron sensitivity to quantum dots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zou, B.; Qi, N.; Liu, Z. W.; Chen, Z. Q.; Liu, H. Q.; Yi, D. Q.; Tang, Z.

2017-03-01

Microstructure evolution of three Al-Ag alloys with different Ag contents (1 wt. % Ag, 5 wt. % Ag, and 15 wt. % Ag) was studied by positron annihilation spectroscopy during the aging process. In situ measurements of the positron lifetime and Doppler broadening of annihilation radiation indicate the fast formation of Ag-rich clusters during natural aging of the alloys. The formation of Ag-rich clusters was further confirmed by coincidence Doppler broadening measurements. The Ag signal reflected by the Coincidence Doppler broadening spectrum increases with increasing Ag content and is further enhanced after subsequent artificial aging at 140 °C. This might be due to the increase in the size of Ag clusters. The temperature dependence of the Doppler broadening spectra between 10 K and 290 K was measured for the Al-Ag alloys after natural and artificial aging. Detrapping of positrons from Ag clusters with increasing temperature was observed for all the three Al-Ag alloys after natural aging and for the Al-1 wt. % Ag after artificial aging. This indicates that Ag clusters act as shallow positron trapping centers. The thermal detrapping of positrons becomes ambiguous with increasing Ag content in the alloy and is nearly invisible in the artificially aged Al-5 wt. % Ag and Al-15 wt. % Ag. The positron binding energy of the Ag cluster is roughly estimated to be about 18.8 meV and 50 meV in the Al-1 wt. % Ag sample after natural aging and artificial aging at 140 °C, respectively, which suggests that the confinement of positrons in the quantum-dot like state depends on the size or chemical composition of clusters. Theoretical calculations confirm positron trapping by Ag nanoclusters, and the confinement of positrons is enhanced with increasing Ag cluster size.

Atomic physics research with second and third generation synchrotron light sources

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Johnson, B.M.

1990-10-01

This contribution to these proceedings is intended to provide an introduction and overview for other contributions on atomic (and related) physics research at existing and planned synchrotron light sources. The emphasis will be on research accomplishments and future opportunities, but a comparison will be given of operating characteristics for first, second, and third generation machines. First generation light sources were built to do research with the primary electron and positron beams, rather than with the synchrotron radiation itself. Second generation machines were specifically designed to be dedicated synchrotron-radiation facilities, with an emphasis on the use of bending-magnet radiation. The newmore » third generation light sources are being designed to optimize radiation from insertion devices, such as undulators and wigglers. Each generation of synchrotron light source offers useful capabilities for forefront research in atomic physics and many other disciplines. 27 refs., 1 fig., 3 tabs.« less

Charged and Neutral Particles Channeling Phenomena Channeling 2008

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dabagov, Sultan B.; Palumbo, Luigi

2010-04-01

On the discovery of coherent Bremsstrahlung in a single crystal at the Frascati National Laboratories / C. Barbiellini, G. P. Murtas and S. B. Dabagov -- Advances in coherent Bremsstrahlung and LPM-effect studies (to the lOOth anniversary from the birth of L. D. Landau) / N. F. Shul'ga -- Spectra of radiation and created particles at intermediate energy in oriented crystal taking into account energy loss / V. N. Baier and V. M. Katkov -- The coherent Bremsstrahlung beam at MAX-lab facility / K. Fissum ... [et al.] -- Radiation from thin, structured targets (CERN NA63) / A. Dizdar -- Hard incoherent radiation in thick crystals / N. F. Shul'ga, V. V. Syshchenko and A. I. Tarnovsky -- Coherent Bremsstrahlung in periodically deformed crystals with a complex base / A. R. Mkrtchyan, A. A. Saharian and V. V. Parazian -- Induction of coherent x-ray Bremsstrahlung in crystals under the influence of acoustic waves / A. R. Mkrtchyan and V. V. Parazian -- Coherent processes in bent single crystals / V. A. Maisheev -- Experimental and theoretical investigation of complete transfer phenomenon for media with various heat exchange coefficients / A. R. Mkrtchyan, A. E. Movsisyan and V. R. Kocharyan -- Coherent pair production in crystals / A. R. Mkrtchyan, A. A. Saharian and V. V. Parazian -- Negative particle planar and axial channeling and channeling collimation / R. A. Carrigan, Jr. -- CERN crystal-based collimation in modern hadron colliders / W. Scandale -- Studies and application of bent crystals for beam steering at 70 GeV IHEP accelerator / A. G. Afonin ... [et al.] -- Crystal collimation studies at the Tevatron (T-980) / N. V. Mokhov ... [et al.] -- Fabrication of crystals for channeling of particles in accellerators / A. Mazzolari ... [et al.] -- New possibilities to facilitate collimation of both positively and negatively charged particle beams by crystals / V. Guidi, A. Mazzolari and V. V. Tikhomirov -- Increase of probability of particle capture into the channeling regime by a buried oxide layer / V. Guidi, A. Mazzolari and V. V. Tikhomirov -- A positron source using channeling in crystals for linear colliders / X. Artru ... [et al.] -- Parametric channeling and collapse of charged particles beams in crystals / M. Vysotskyy and V. Vysotskii.The formation and usage of coherent correlated charged particles states in the physics of channeling in crystals / S. V. Adamenko, V. I. Vysotskii and M. V. Vysotskyy -- Surface channeling of magnetic-charged particles on multilayer surface / S. V. Adamenko and V. I. Vysotskii -- Coherent creation of anti-hydrogen atoms in a crystal by relativistic antiproton / Yu. P. Kunashenko -- Thermal equilibrium of light ions in heavy crystals / E. Tsyganov -- Photon emission of electrons in a crystalline undulator / H. Backe ... [et al.] -- Channeling radiation from relativistic electrons in a crystal target as complementary x-ray and gamma ray source at synchrotron light facilities / K. B. Korotchenko, Yu. L. Pivovarov and T. A. Tukhfatullin -- Diffracted channeling radiation and other compound radiation processes / H. Nitta -- Collective scattering on the atom planes under the condition of full transition / A. R. Mkrtchyan ... [et al.] -- The proposal of the experiment on the research of the diffracted channeling radiation / D. A. Baklanov ... [et al.] -- Positron channeling at the DaOne BTF Facility: the cup experiment / L. Quintieri ... [et al.] -- Radiation spectra of 200 MeV electrons in diamond and silicon crystals at axial and planar orientations / K. Fissum ... [et al.] -- Channeling experiments with electrons at the Mainz Microtron Mami / W. Lauth ... [et al.] -- Dechanneling of positrons by dislocations: effects of anharmonic interactions / J. George and A. P. Pathak -- Diffracted channeling radiation from axially channeled relativistic electrons / K. B. Korotchenko ... [et al.] -- Intensive quasi-monochromatic, directed x-ray radiation of planar channeled positron bunch / L. Gevorgian -- Probing channeling radiation influenced by ultrasound / W. Wagner ... [et al.] -- Radiation characteristics under electrons planar channeling and quasichanneling in complex crystals / L. Gevorgian -- Formation of relativistic positron atoms by axially channeled positrons and their decay on [symbol]-rays / A. Gevorkyan, A. R. Mkrtchyan and K. Oganesyan -- New features of diffracted channeling radiation from electrons in Si and LiF Crystals / K. B. Korotchenko, Yu. L. Pivovarov and T. A. Tukhfatullin -- Modulated particle beam in a crystal channel / A. Kostyuk ... [et al.] -- Computer simulations of resonant coherent excitation of heavy hydrogenlike ions under planar channeling / A. A. Babaev and Yu. L. Pivovarov -- Parametric x-ray and diffracted transition radiation of 4.5 GeV electrons in diamond / R. O. Avakian ... [et al.] -- Possible use of small accelerators in student laboratory for engineering education / I. Endo, M. Tanaka and T. Yoshimura.The Status of the SPARC Project / A. Cianchi -- Laser-plasma acceleration: first experimental results from the Plasmon-X Project / L. A. Gizzi ... [et al.] -- The powerful nanosecond duration electron beam effect on the crystalline tungsten target / Y. N. Adischev ... [et al.] -- "Shadowing" of the electromagnetic field of a relativistic electron / G. Naumenko ... [et al.] -- The acceleration of the charged particles in a low temperature acoustoplasma / A. S. Abrahamyan, A. R. Mkrtchyan and R. B. Kostanyan -- The experimental study of the surface current excitation by a relativistic electron electromagnetic field / G. A. Naumenko ... [et al.] -- Synchrotron radiation from a charge moving along helical orbit around a dielectric cylinder / A. A. Saharian and A. S. Kotanjyan -- Particle acceleration in a helical wave guide / X. Artru and C. Ray -- Effect of heavy ion charge fluctuations on Cherenkov radiation / V. S. Malyshevsky -- Hard photons powerful radiation of electron bunch interacting with plasma beat waves / A. Shamamian and L. Gevorgian -- Diffraction radiation as a diagnostics tool at flash / M. Castellano, E. Chiadroni and A. Cianchi -- Methods of charged particle beam cooling / E. G. Bessonov -- Ray tracing calculation of PXR produced in curved and flat crystals by electron beams with large emittance / K. A. Ispirian ... [et al.] -- On dynamic effects in coherent x-radiation of relativistic electron in Bragg scattering geometry / S. V. Blazhevich and A. V. Noskov -- Optimization of relativistic electron diffracted transition radiation yield / S. V. Blazhevich and A. V. Noskov -- Geometrical effect of target crystal on PXR generation as a coherent x-ray source / Y. Hayakawa ... [et al.] -- Observation of dynamical maxima of parametric x-ray radiation for 20 Me V electron energy beam / A. R. Mkrtchyan ... [et al.] -- The comparison of monochromatic x-ray sources based on compact electron accelerators and x-ray tube / Yu. N. Adischev ... [et al.] -- Labsync: a project to develop a European facility based on a table-top synchrotron light source / G. Di Domenico ... [et al.] -- New experimental results with optical diffraction radiation diagnostics / E. Chiadroni ... [et al.] -- The radiation yield in different spectral ranges from low density structured laser plasma with different high Z-admixture / V. Rozanov and G. Vergunova -- Time and angular distributions of ions transmitted through insulating capillaries / F. F. Komarov and A. S. Kamyshan -- X-ray propagation in multiwall carbon nanotubes / P. A. Childs ... [et al.] -- Tunable x-ray source based on mosaic crystals using for medicine applications / D. A. Baklanov ... [et al.] -- Capillary optics based x-ray micro-imaging elemental analysis / D. Hampai ... [et al.] -- Neutron number enhancement in uranium thin film waveguides / S. P. Pogossian -- Schwinger scattering of fast neutrons in aligned crystal / Yu. P. Kunashenko and Yu. L. Pivovarov -- Experimental investigation of Smith-Purcell radiation focusing by using the parabolic gratings / G. A. Naumenko ... [et al.] -- Plasma channels in air produced by UV laser beam: mechanisms of photoionization and possible applications/ V. D. Zvorykin ... [et al.].

Positronium formation in Ss state in e+-Li scattering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sarkar, K. P.; Basu, D.; Basu, Madhumita

1990-01-01

There are ample theoretical reasons to investigate positron-alkali atom scattering. Moreover, recent measurement on positron-alkali atom system by a Detroit group has renewed much interest in investigating these processes. Positronium (Ps) formation in excited 2s state in positron-Li scattering at intermediate and high energies were studied including second order effects following Basu and Ghosh.

What is the fate of runaway positrons in tokamaks?

DOE PAGES

Liu, Jian; Qin, Hong; Fisch, Nathaniel J.; ...

2014-06-19

In this study, massive runaway positrons are generated by runaway electrons in tokamaks. The fate of these positrons encodes valuable information about the runaway dynamics. The phase space dynamics of a runaway position is investigated using a Lagrangian that incorporates the tokamak geometry, loop voltage, radiation and collisional effects. It is found numerically that runaway positrons will drift out of the plasma to annihilate on the first wall, with an in-plasma annihilation possibility less than 0.1%. The dynamics of runaway positrons provides signatures that can be observed as diagnostic tools.

What is the fate of runaway positrons in tokamaks?

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, Jian; Qin, Hong, E-mail: hongqin@ustc.edu.cn; Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08543

2014-06-15

Massive runaway positrons are generated by runaway electrons in tokamaks. The fate of these positrons encodes valuable information about the runaway dynamics. The phase space dynamics of a runaway position is investigated using a Lagrangian that incorporates the tokamak geometry, loop voltage, radiation and collisional effects. It is found numerically that runaway positrons will drift out of the plasma to annihilate on the first wall, with an in-plasma annihilation possibility less than 0.1%. The dynamics of runaway positrons provides signatures that can be observed as diagnostic tools.

ANTICOOL: Simulating positron cooling and annihilation in atomic gases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Green, D. G.

2018-03-01

The Fortran program ANTICOOL, developed to simulate positron cooling and annihilation in atomic gases for positron energies below the positronium-formation threshold, is presented. Given positron-atom elastic scattering phase shifts, normalised annihilation rates Zeff, and γ spectra as a function of momentum k, ANTICOOL enables the calculation of the positron momentum distribution f(k , t) as a function of time t, the time-varying normalised annihilation rate Z¯eff(t) , the lifetime spectrum and time-varying annihilation γ spectra. The capability and functionality of the program is demonstrated via a tutorial-style example for positron cooling and annihilation in room temperature helium gas, using accurate scattering and annihilation cross sections and γ spectra calculated using many-body theory as input.

Binding matter with antimatter: the covalent positron bond.

PubMed

Charry, Jorge Alfonso; Varella, Marcio T Do N; Reyes, Andrés

2018-05-16

We report sufficient theoretical evidence of the energy stability of the e⁺H₂²⁻ molecule, formed by two H⁻ anions and one positron. Analysis of the electronic and positronic densities of the latter compound undoubtedly points out the formation of a positronic covalent bond between the otherwise repelling hydride anions. The lower limit for the bonding energy of the e⁺H₂²⁻ molecule is 74 kJ/mol (0.77 eV), accounting for the zero-point vibrational correction. The formation of a non electronic covalent bond is fundamentally distinct from positron attachment to stable molecules, as the latter process is characterized by a positron affinity, analogous to the electron affinity. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

INSTRUMENTS AND METHODS OF INVESTIGATION: Positron annihilation spectroscopy in materials structure studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grafutin, Viktor I.; Prokop'ev, Evgenii P.

2002-01-01

A relatively new method of materials structure analysis — positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS) — is reviewed. Measurements of positron lifetimes, the determination of positron 3γ- and 2γ-annihilation probabilities, and an investigation of the effects of different external factors on the fundamental characteristics of annihilation constitute the basis for this promising method. The ways in which the positron annihilation process operates in ionic crystals, semiconductors, metals and some condensed matter systems are analyzed. The scope of PAS is described and its prospects for the study of the electronic and defect structures are discussed. The applications of positron annihilation spectroscopy in radiation physics and chemistry of various substances as well as in physics and chemistry of solutions are exemplified.

Addressing the third gamma problem in PET

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schueller, M. J.; Mulnix, T. L.; Christian, B. T.; Jensen, M.; Holm, S.; Oakes, T. R.; Roberts, A. D.; Dick, D. W.; Martin, C. C.; Nickles, R. J.

2003-02-01

PET brings the promise of quantitative imaging of the in-vivo distribution of any positron emitting nuclide, a list with hundreds of candidates. All but a few of these, the "pure positron" emitters, have isotropic coincident gamma rays that give rise to misrepresented events in the sinogram and in the resulting reconstructed image. Of particular interest are /sup 10/C, /sup 14/O, /sup 38/K, /sup 52m/Mn, /sup 60/Cu, /sup 61/Cu, /sup 94m/Tc, and /sup 124/I, each having high-energy gammas that are Compton-scattered down into the 511 keV window. The problems arising from the "third gamma," and its accommodation by standard scatter correction algorithms, were studied empirically, employing three scanner models (CTI 933/04, CTI HR+ and GE Advance), imaging three phantoms (line source, NEMA scatter and contrast/detail), with /sup 18/F or /sup 38/K and /sup 72/As mimicking /sup 14/O and /sup 10/C, respectively, in 2-D and 3-D modes. Five findings emerge directly from the image analysis. The third gamma: 1) does, obviously, tax the single event rate of the PET scanners, particularly in the absence of septa, from activity outside of the axial field of view; 2) does, therefore, tax the random rate, which is second order in singles, although the gamma is a prompt coincidence partner; 3) does enter the sinogram as an additional flat background, like randoms, but unlike scatter; 4) is not seriously misrepresented by the scatter algorithm which fits the correction to the wings of the sinogram; and 5) does introduce additional statistical noise from the subsequent subtraction, but does not seriously compromise the detectability of lesions as seen in the contrast/detail phantom. As a safeguard against the loss of accuracy in image quantitation, fiducial sources of known activity are included in the field of view alongside of the subject. With this precaution, a much wider selection of imaging agents can enjoy the advantages of positron emission tomography.

Detection of Instrumental Drifts in the PEP II LER BPM System

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wittmer, W.; Fisher, A.S.; Martin, D.J.

2007-11-07

During the last PEP-II run a major goal was to bring the Low-Energy Ring optics as close as possible to the design. A large number of BPMs exhibited sudden artificial jumps that interfered with this effort. The source of the majority of these jumps had been traced to the filter-isolator boxes (FIBs) near the BPM buttons. A systematic approach to find and repair the failing units had been developed and implemented. Despite this effort, the instrumental orbit jumps never completely disappeared. To trace the source of this behavior a test setup, using a spare Bergoz MX-BPM processor (kindly provided bymore » SPEAR III at SSRL), was connected in parallel to various PEP-II BPM processors. In the course of these measurements a slow instrumental orbit drift was found which was clearly not induced by a moving positron beam. Based on the size of the system and the limited time before PEP-II closes in Oct.2008, an accelerator improvement project was initiated to install BERGOZ BPM-MX processors close to all sextupoles.« less

Positron Annihilation in Thunderstorms Observed by ILDAS.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kochkin, P.; Sarria, D., Sr.; Van Deursen, A.; de Boer, A.; Bardet, M.; Allasia, C.; Flourens, F.; Østgaard, N.

2017-12-01

Positron clouds within thunderstorms were for the first time reported in 2015 [Dwyer et al. 2015]. The observation was made by the Airborne Detector for Energetic Lightning Emissions (ADELE) in 2009 at 14.1 km altitude. Strong 511 keV line enhancement was recorded synchronously with nearby electrical activity. It lasted at least 0.2 s and was modeled as annihilation from disperse positron cloud more than a kilometer across. Different positron generation mechanisms were proposed in the paper. In January 2016 an Airbus A340 factory test aircraft was intentionally flying through thunderstorms over Northern Australia. The aircraft was equipped with a dedicated in-flight lightning detection system ILDAS (http://ildas.nlr.nl). The system contains two gamma-ray scintillation detectors each with 38x38 mm cylinder LaBr3 crystals. Total 9 video cameras were installed on-board to monitor the outer surfaces. When the aircraft flew at 12 km inside an active thundercloud, the ambient electric field was strong enough to trigger electrical discharges from the sharp edges. One sequence of such discharges was accompanied with enhancements of 511 keV line, each lasted for 0.5 - 1.0 s and total duration over 15 s. The video cameras recorded electrical discharges attached to the aircraft during this process. ILDAS reported brief 100 A current pulses in association with these discharges. Ground-based lightning location networks, i.e. WWLLN and local Australian LIAS, have not detected any sferics from this region. A detailed Geant4 model of the aircraft was created. The model was used to test different production mechanisms for the observed emission. In this presentation we will show a detailed reconstruction ofthe events with precise mapping on infrared cloud snapshot. Videos from the cameras at the positron detection moment will be shown. The results of the Geant4 simulation will be presented and discussed. References: 1. Dwyer, Joseph R., et al. "Positron clouds within thunderstorms." Journal of Plasma Physics 81.4 (2015).

A novel phoswich imaging detector for simultaneous beta and coincidence-gamma imaging of plant leaves.

PubMed

Wu, Heyu; Tai, Yuan-Chuan

2011-09-07

To meet the growing demand for functional imaging technology for use in studying plant biology, we are developing a novel technique that permits simultaneous imaging of escaped positrons and coincidence gammas from annihilation of positrons within an intake leaf. The multi-modality imaging system will include two planar detectors: one is a typical PET detector array and the other is a phoswich imaging detector that detects both beta and gamma. The novel phoswich detector is made of a plastic scintillator, a lutetium oxyorthosilicate (LSO) array, and a position sensitive photomultiplier tube (PS-PMT). The plastic scintillator serves as a beta detector, while the LSO array serves as a gamma detector and light guide that couples scintillation light from the plastic detector to the PMT. In our prototype, the PMT signal was fed into the Siemens QuickSilver electronics to achieve shaping and waveform sampling. Pulse-shape discrimination based on the detectors' decay times (2.1 ns for plastic and 40 ns for LSO) was used to differentiate beta and gamma events using the common PMT signals. Using our prototype phoswich detector, we simultaneously measured a beta image and gamma events (in single mode). The beta image showed a resolution of 1.6 mm full-width-at-half-maximum using F-18 line sources. Because this shows promise for plant-scale imaging, our future plans include development of a fully functional simultaneous beta-and-coincidence-gamma imager with sub-millimeter resolution imaging capability for both modalities.

New Results from Fermi-LAT and Their Implications for the Nature of Dark Matter and the Origin of Cosmic Rays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Moiseev, Alexander

2009-01-01

The measured spectrum is compatible with a power law within our current systematic errors. The spectral index (-3.04) is harder than expected from previous experiments and simple theoretical considerations. "Pre-Fermi" diffusive model requires a harder electron injection spectrum (by 0.12) to fit the Fermi data, but inconsistent with positron excess reported by Pamela if it extends to higher energy. Additional component of electron flux from local source(s) may solve the problem; its origin, astrophysical or exotic, is still unclear. Valuable contribution to the calculation of IC component of diffuse gamma radiation.

Amplitude modulation of quantum-ion-acoustic wavepackets in electron-positron-ion plasmas: Modulational instability, envelope modes, extreme wavesa)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahman, Ata-ur-; Kerr, Michael Mc; El-Taibany, Wael F.; Kourakis, Ioannis; Qamar, A.

2015-02-01

A semirelativistic fluid model is employed to describe the nonlinear amplitude modulation of low-frequency (ionic scale) electrostatic waves in an unmagnetized electron-positron-ion plasma. Electrons and positrons are assumed to be degenerated and inertialess, whereas ions are warm and classical. A multiscale perturbation method is used to derive a nonlinear Schrödinger equation for the envelope amplitude, based on which the occurrence of modulational instability is investigated in detail. Various types of localized ion acoustic excitations are shown to exist, in the form of either bright type envelope solitons (envelope pulses) or dark-type envelope solitons (voids, holes). The plasma configurational parameters (namely, the relativistic degeneracy parameter, the positron concentration, and the ionic temperature) are shown to affect the conditions for modulational instability significantly, in fact modifying the associated threshold as well as the instability growth rate. In particular, the relativistic degeneracy parameter leads to an enhancement of the modulational instability mechanism. Furthermore, the effect of different relevant plasma parameters on the characteristics (amplitude, width) of these envelope solitary structures is also presented in detail. Finally, the occurrence of extreme amplitude excitation (rogue waves) is also discussed briefly. Our results aim at elucidating the formation and dynamics of nonlinear electrostatic excitations in superdense astrophysical regimes.

Investigation of hydrogen interaction with defects in zirconia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melikhova, O.; Kuriplach, J.; Čížek, J.; Procházka, I.; Brauer, G.; Anwand, W.

2010-04-01

Defect studies of a ZrO2 + 9 mol. % Y2O3 single crystal were performed in this work using a high resolution positron lifetime spectroscopy combined with slow positron implantation spectroscopy. In order to elucidate the nature of positron trapping sites observed experimentally, the structural relaxations of several types of vacancy-like defects in zirconia were performed and positron characteristics for them were calculated. Relaxed atomic configurations of studied defects were obtained by means of ab initio pseudopotential method within the supercell approach. Theoretical calculations indicated that neither oxygen vacancies nor their neutral complexes with substitute yttrium atoms are capable of positron trapping. On the other hand, zirconium vacancies are deep positron traps and are most probably responsible for the saturated positron trapping observed in yttria stabilized zirconia single crystals. However, the calculated positron lifetime for zirconium vacancy is apparently longer than the experimental value corresponding to a single-component spectrum measured for the cubic ZrO2 + 9 mol. % Y2O3 single crystal. It was demonstrated that this effect can be explained by hydrogen trapped in zirconium vacancies. On the basis of structure relaxations, we found that zirconium vacancy - hydrogen complexes represent deep positron traps with the calculated lifetime close to the experimental one. In zirconium vacancy - hydrogen complexes the hydrogen atom forms an O-H bond with one of the nearest neighbour oxygen atoms. The calculated bond length is close to 1 Å.

Studies of Positrons Trapped at Quantum-Dot Like Particles Embedded in Metal Surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fazleev, N. G.; Nadesalingam, M. P.; Weiss, A. H.

2009-03-01

Experimental studies of the positron annihilation induced Auger electron (PAES) spectra from the Fe-Cu alloy surfaces with quantum-dot like Cu nanoparticles embedded in Fe show that the PAES signal from Cu increase rapidly as the concentration of Cu is enhanced by vacuum annealing. These measurements indicate that almost 75% of positrons that annihilate with core electrons due so with Cu even though the surface concentration of Cu as measured by EAES is only 6%. This result suggests that positrons become localized at sites at the surface containing high concentration of Cu atoms before annihilation. These experimental results are investigated theoretically by performing calculations of the "image-potential" positron surface states and annihilation characteristics of the surface trapped positrons with relevant Fe and Cu core-level electrons for the clean Fe(100) and Cu(100) surfaces and for the Fe(100) surface with quantum-dot like Cu nanoparticles embedded in the top atomic layers of the host substrate. Estimates of the positron binding energy and positron annihilation characteristics reveal their strong sensitivity to the nanoparticle coverage. Computed core annihilation probabilities are compared with experimental ones estimated from the measured Auger peak intensities. The observed behavior of the Fe and Cu PAES signal intensities is explained by theoretical calculations as being due to trapping of positrons in the regions of Cu nanoparticles embedded in the top atomic layers of Fe.

Electron emission from surfaces resulting from low energy positron bombardment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mukherjee, Saurabh

Measurements of the secondary electron energy spectra resulting from very low energy positron bombardment of a polycrystalline Au and Cu (100) surfaces are presented that provide evidence for a single step transition from an unbound scattering state to an image potential bound state. The primary positron energy threshold for secondary electron emission and energy cutoff of the positron induced secondary electron energy peak are consistent with an Auger like process in which an incident positron make a transition from a scattering state to a surface-image potential bound while transferring all of the energy difference to an outgoing secondary electron. We term this process: the Auger mediated quantum sticking effect (AQSE). The intensities of the positron induced secondary electron peak are used to estimate the probability of this process as a function of incident positron energy. Positron annihilation induced Auger spectra (PAES) of Cu and Au are presented that are free of all primary beam induced secondary electron background. This background was eliminated by setting the positron beam energy below AQSE threshold. The background free PAES spectra obtained include the first measurements of the low energy tail of CVV Auger transitions all the way down to zero kinetic energy. The integrated intensity of this tail is several times larger than Auger peak itself which provides strong evidence for multi-electron Auger processes.

Spectra of electrons emitted as a result of the sticking and annihilation of low energy positrons to the surfaces of graphene and highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chrysler, M.; Chirayath, V.; McDonald, A.; Lim, Z.; Shastry, K.; Gladen, R.; Fairchild, A.; Koymen, A.; Weiss, A.

Positron annihilation induced Auger electron spectroscopy (PAES) was used to study the positron induced low energy electron spectra from HOPG and a sample composed of 6-8 layers of graphene grown on polycrystalline copper. A low energy (~2eV) beam of positrons was used to implant positrons into a surface localized state on the graphene and HOPG samples. Measurements of the energy spectra of the positron induced electrons obtained using a TOF spectrometer indicate the presence of an annihilation induced KLL C Auger peak (at ~263 eV) along with a narrow low energy secondary peak due to an Auger mediated positron sticking (AMPS) process. A broad spectral feature was also observed below ~15 eV which we believe may be due to a VVV C Auger transition not previously observed. The energy dependence of the integrated intensity of the AMPS peak was measured for a series of incident positron kinetic energies ranging from ~1.5 eV up to 11 eV from which the binding energy of the surface localized positron state on graphene and HOPG was estimated. The implication of our results regarding the applicability of AMPS and PAES to the study of graphene surfaces and interfaces will be discussed. This work was supported by NSF Grant No. DMR 1508719 and DMR 1338130.

R&D status of linear collider technology at KEK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urakawa, Junji

1992-02-01

This paper gives an outline of the Japan Linear Collider (JLC) project, especially JLC-I. The status of the various R&D works is particularly presented for the following topics: (1) electron and positron sources, (2) S-band injector linacs, (3) damping rings, (4) high power klystrons and accelerating structures, (5) the final focus system. Finally, the status of the construction and design studies for the Accelerator Test Facility (ATF) is summarized.

Positron-rubidium scattering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mceachran, R. P.; Horbatsch, M.; Stauffer, A. D.

1990-01-01

A 5-state close-coupling calculation (5s-5p-4d-6s-6p) was carried out for positron-Rb scattering in the energy range 3.7 to 28.0 eV. In contrast to the results of similar close-coupling calculations for positron-Na and positron-K scattering the (effective) total integrated cross section has an energy dependence which is contrary to recent experimental measurements.

Physics perspectives at JLab with a polarized positron beam

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Voutier, Eric J.-M.

2014-06-01

Polarized positron beams are in some respect mandatory complements to polarized electron beams. The advent of the PEPPo concept for polarized positron production opens the possibility for the developement at the Jefferson Laboratory of a continuous polarized positron beam. The benefits of such a beam for hadronic structure studies are discussed, together with the technical and technological challenges to face.

Study of positron annihilation with core electrons at the clean and oxygen covered Ag(001) surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joglekar, P.; Shastry, K.; Olenga, A.; Fazleev, N. G.; Weiss, A. H.

2013-03-01

In this paper we present measurements of the energy spectrum of electrons emitted as a result of Positron Annihilation Induce Auger Electron Emission from a clean and oxygen covered Ag (100) surface using a series of incident beam energies ranging from 20 eV down to 2 eV. A peak was observed at ~ 40 eV corresponding to the N23VV Auger transition in agreement with previous PAES studies. Experimental results were investigated theoretically by calculations of positron states and annihilation probabilities of surface-trapped positrons with relevant core electrons at the clean and oxygen covered Ag(100) surface. An ab-initio investigation of stability and associated electronic properties of different adsorption phases of oxygen on Ag(100) has been performed on the basis of density functional theory and using DMOl3 code. The computed positron binding energy, positron surface state wave function, and positron annihilation probabilities of surface trapped positrons with relevant core electrons demonstrate their sensitivity to oxygen coverage, elemental content, atomic structure of the topmost layers of surfaces, and charge transfer effects. Theoretical results are compared with experimental data. This work was supported in part by the National Science Foundation Grant # DMR-0907679.

Probing the defects in nano-semiconductors using positrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nambissan, P. M. G.

2011-01-01

Positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS) is a very useful tool to study the defect properties of nanoscale materials. The ability of thermalized positrons to diffuse over to the surfaces of nanocrystallites prior to annihilation helps to explore the disordered atomic arrangement over there and is very useful in understanding the structure and properties of nanomaterials. As examples, the results of studies on FeS2 nanorods and ZnS nanoparticles are presented. In semiconductor nanoparticles, there are positron trapping sites within the grains also and these are characterised by using appropriate models on the measured positron lifetimes. We have observed vivid changes in the measured positron lifetimes and Doppler broadened gamma ray spectral lineshapes during structural transformations prompted by substitutional effects in Mn2+-doped ZnS nanorods. Interestingly, the nanoparticles did not exhibit the transformation, implying the morphologies of the nanosystems playing a decisive role. Quantum confinement effect in CdS nanoparticles was another phenomenon that could be seen through positron annihilation experiments. Coincidence Doppler broadening measurements have been useful to identify the elemental environment around the vacancy clusters that trap positrons. Recent studies on nanocrystalline oxide and sulphide semiconductors are also discussed.

Studies of high coverage oxidation of the Cu(100) surface using low energy positrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fazleev, N. G.; Maddox, W. B.; Weiss, A. H.

2012-02-01

The study of oxidation of single crystal metal surfaces is important in understanding the corrosive and catalytic processes associated with thin film metal oxides. The structures formed on oxidized transition metal surfaces vary from simple adlayers of chemisorbed oxygen to more complex structures which result from the diffusion of oxygen into subsurface regions. In this work we present the results of theoretical studies of positron surface and bulk states and annihilation probabilities of surface-trapped positrons with relevant core electrons at the oxidized Cu(100) surface under conditions of high oxygen coverage. Calculations are performed for various high coverage missing row structures ranging between 0.50 and 1.50 ML oxygen coverage. The results of calculations of positron binding energy, positron work function, and annihilation characteristics of surface trapped positrons with relevant core electrons as function of oxygen coverage are compared with experimental data obtained from studies of oxidation of the Cu(100) surface using positron annihilation induced Auger electron spectroscopy (PAES).

Theoretical aspects of studies of oxide and semiconductor surfaces using low energy positrons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fazleev, N. G.; Maddox, W. B.; Weiss, A. H.

2011-01-01

This paper presents the results of a theoretical study of positron surface and bulk states and annihilation characteristics of surface trapped positrons at the oxidized Cu(100) single crystal and at both As- and Ga-rich reconstructed GaAs(100) surfaces. The variations in atomic structure and chemical composition of the topmost layers of the surfaces associated with oxidation and reconstructions and the charge redistribution at the surfaces are found to affect localization and spatial extent of the positron surface-state wave functions. The computed positron binding energy, work function, and annihilation characteristics reveal their sensitivity to charge transfer effects, atomic structure and chemical composition of the topmost layers of the surfaces. Theoretical positron annihilation probabilities with relevant core electrons computed for the oxidized Cu(100) surface and the As- and Ga-rich reconstructed GaAs(100) surfaces are compared with experimental ones estimated from the positron annihilation induced Auger peak intensities measured from these surfaces.

Efficient and surface site-selective ion desorption by positron annihilation.

PubMed

Tachibana, Takayuki; Yamashita, Takashi; Nagira, Masaru; Yabuki, Hisakuni; Nagashima, Yasuyuki

2018-05-08

We compared positron- and electron-stimulated desorption (e + SD and ESD) of positive ions from a TiO 2 (110) surface. Although desorption of O + ions was observed in both experiments, the desorption efficiency caused by positron bombardment was larger by one order of magnitude than that caused by electron bombardment at an incident energy of 500 eV. e + SD of O + ions remained highly efficient with incident positron energies between 10 eV and 600 eV. The results indicate that e + SD of O + ions is predominantly caused by pair annihilation of surface-trapped positrons with inner-shell electrons. We also tested e + SD from water chemisorbed on the TiO 2 surface and found that the desorption of specific ions was enhanced by positron annihilation, above the ion yield with electron bombardment. This finding corroborates our conclusion that annihilation-site selectivity of positrons results in site-selective ion desorption from a bombarded surface.

Free Volume Structure of Acrylic-Type Dental Nanocomposites Tested with Annihilating Positrons.

PubMed

Shpotyuk, Olha; Ingram, Adam; Shpotyuk, Oleh

2016-12-01

Positron annihilation spectroscopy in lifetime measuring mode exploring conventional fast-fast coincidence ORTEC system is employed to characterize free volume structure of commercially available acrylic-type dental restorative composite Charisma® (Heraeus Kulzer GmbH, Germany). The measured lifetime spectra for uncured and light-cured composites are reconstructed from unconstrained x3-term fitting and semi-empirical model exploring x3-x2-coupling decomposition algorithm. The governing channel of positron annihilation in the composites studied is ascribed to mixed positron-Ps trapping, where Ps decaying in the third component is caused entirely by input from free-volume holes in polymer matrix, while the second component is defined by free positron trapping in interfacial free-volume holes between filler nanoparticles and surrounded polymer matrix. Microstructure scenario of the photopolymerization shrinkage includes cross-linking of structural chains in polymer matrix followed by conversion of bound positron-electron (positronium) traps in positron-trapping interfacial free-volume voids in a vicinity of agglomerated filler nanoparticles.

Dipole configuration for confinement of positrons and electron-positron plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stenson, E. V.; Saitoh, H.; Horn-Stanja, J.; Hergenhahn, U.; Paschkowski, N.; Sunn Pedersen, T.; Stoneking, M. R.; Dickmann, M.; Singer, M.; Vohburger, S.; Hugenschmidt, C.; Schweikhard, L.; Danielson, J. R.; Surko, C. M.

2016-10-01

Laboratory creation and confinement of electron-positron plasmas, which are expected to exhibit atypical plasma physics characteristics, would enable tests of many theory and simulation predictions (e.g., the stabilization of anomalous transport mechanisms). This is the goal of APEX/PAX (A Positron-Electron eXperiment/Positron Accumulation eXperiment). Following demonstration of efficient (38%) E ×B injection and subsequent confinement (τ = 3-5 ms) of cold positrons in a dipole magnetic field, the system is undergoing upgrades from a supported permanent magnet to a supported HTSC (high-temperature superconductor) coil, then to a levitated HTSC coil suitable for the simultaneous confinement of electrons and positrons. This contribution will report on the design and testing of the new systems and subsystems (e.g., for cooling, excitation, and levitation) and, if available, on results of upcoming experiments using a ``rotating wall'' to generate inward particle flux deeper into the confinement region. on behalf of the APEX/PAX team and collaborators.

Studies of Oxidation of the Cu(100) Surface Using Low Energy Positrons

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fazleev, N. G.; Kazan State University, Kazan 420008; Maddox, W. B.

2009-03-10

Changes in the surface of an oxidized Cu(100) single crystal resulting from vacuum annealing have been investigated using positron annihilation induced Auger electron spectroscopy (PAES). PAES measurements show a large increase in the intensity of the positron annihilation induced Cu M{sub 2,3}VV Auger peak as the sample is subjected to a series of isochronal anneals in vacuum up to annealing temperature 300 deg. C. The intensity then decreases monotonically as the annealing temperature is increased to {approx}600 deg. C. Experimental PAES results are analyzed by performing calculations of positron surface states and annihilation probabilities of surface-trapped positrons with relevant coremore » electrons taking into account the charge redistribution at the surface, surface reconstructions, and electron-positron correlations effects. Possible explanation for the observed behavior of the intensity of positron annihilation induced Cu M{sub 2,3}VV Auger peak with changes of the annealing temperature is proposed.« less

Positronium formation in SiO2 films grown on Si substrates studied by monoenergetic positron beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uedono, A.; Wei, L.; Tanigawa, S.; Suzuki, R.; Ohgaki, H.; Mikado, T.; Kawano, T.; Ohji, Y.

1994-04-01

The annihilation characteristics of positrons in SiO2 films grown on Si substrates were studied by using monoenergetic positron beams. Doppler broadening profiles of the annihilation radiation and lifetime spectra of positrons were measured as a function of incident positron energy for SiO2 (166 nm)/Si specimens fabricated by thermal oxidation. From the measurements, it was found that about 90% of positrons implanted into the SiO2 film annihilate from positronium (Ps) states. This fact was due to the trapping of positrons by open-space defects and a resultant enhanced formation of Ps in such regions. For the SiO2 film grown at 650 °C, the lifetime of ortho-Ps was found to be shorter than that in the film grown at 1000 °C. This result suggests that the volume of open-space defects in the SiO2 film decreased with decreasing the growth rate of the SiO2 film.

An overview of Laser-Produced Relativistic Positrons in the Laboratory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Edghill, Brandon; Williams, Gerald; Chen, Hui; Beg, Farhat

2017-10-01

The production of relativistic positrons using ultraintense lasers can facilitate studies of fundamental pair plasma science in the relativistic regime and laboratory studies of scaled energetic astrophysical mechanisms such as gamma ray bursts. The positron densities and spatial scales required for these applications, however, are larger than current capabilities. Here, we present an overview of the experimental laser-produced positron results and their respective modeling for both the direct laser-irradiated process and the indirect process (laser wakefield accelerated electrons irradiating a high-Z converter). Conversion efficiency into positrons and positron beam characteristics are compared, including total pair yield, mean energy, angular divergence, and inferred pair density for various laser and target conditions. Prospects towards increasing positron densities and beam repetition rates will also be discussed. This work was performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344, and funded by LDRD (#17-ERD-010).

Use of multidimensional, multimodal imaging and PACS to support neurological diagnoses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wong, Stephen T. C.; Knowlton, Robert C.; Hoo, Kent S.; Huang, H. K.

1995-05-01

Technological advances in brain imaging have revolutionized diagnosis in neurology and neurological surgery. Major imaging techniques include magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to visualize structural anatomy, positron emission tomography (PET) to image metabolic function and cerebral blood flow, magnetoencephalography (MEG) to visualize the location of physiologic current sources, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) to measure specific biochemicals. Each of these techniques studies different biomedical aspects of the brain, but there lacks an effective means to quantify and correlate the disparate imaging datasets in order to improve clinical decision making processes. This paper describes several techniques developed in a UNIX-based neurodiagnostic workstation to aid the noninvasive presurgical evaluation of epilepsy patients. These techniques include online access to the picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) multimedia archive, coregistration of multimodality image datasets, and correlation and quantitation of structural and functional information contained in the registered images. For illustration, we describe the use of these techniques in a patient case of nonlesional neocortical epilepsy. We also present out future work based on preliminary studies.

Quantum chemical approach for positron annihilation spectra of atoms and molecules beyond plane-wave approximation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ikabata, Yasuhiro; Aiba, Risa; Iwanade, Toru; Nishizawa, Hiroaki; Wang, Feng; Nakai, Hiromi

2018-05-01

We report theoretical calculations of positron-electron annihilation spectra of noble gas atoms and small molecules using the nuclear orbital plus molecular orbital method. Instead of a nuclear wavefunction, the positronic wavefunction is obtained as the solution of the coupled Hartree-Fock or Kohn-Sham equation for a positron and the electrons. The molecular field is included in the positronic Fock operator, which allows an appropriate treatment of the positron-molecule repulsion. The present treatment succeeds in reproducing the Doppler shift, i.e., full width at half maximum (FWHM) of experimentally measured annihilation (γ-ray) spectra for molecules with a mean absolute error less than 10%. The numerical results indicate that the interpretation of the FWHM in terms of a specific molecular orbital is not appropriate.

Slow positrons in the study of surface and near-surface defects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lynn, K. G.

A general theoretical model is presented which includes the probability of a positron diffusing back to the surface after implantation, and thermalization in samples containing various defects. This model incorporates surface state and thermal desorption from this state, as well as reflection back into the bulk. With this model vacancy formation enthalpies, activation energies of positrons from surface states, and specific trapping rates are deduced from the positronium fraction data. An amorphous Al/sub x/O/sub y/ overlayer on Al is discussed as an example of trapping in overlayers. In well-annealed single crystal samples, the positron is shown to be freely diffusing at low temperatures, whereas in a neutron-irradiatied Al single crystal sample the positron is localized at low positron binding energy defects presumably created during irradiation.

Positrons as interface-sensitive probes of polar semiconductor heterostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makkonen, I.; Snicker, A.; Puska, M. J.; Mäki, J.-M.; Tuomisto, F.

2010-07-01

Group-III nitrides in their wurtzite crystal structure are characterized by large spontaneous polarization and significant piezoelectric contributions in heterostructures formed of these materials. Polarization discontinuities in polar heterostructures grown along the (0001) direction result in huge built-in electric fields on the order of megavolt per centimeter. We choose the III-nitride heterostructures as archetypal representatives of polar heterostructures formed of semiconducting or insulating materials and study the behavior of positrons in these structures using first-principles electronic-structure theory supported by positron annihilation experiments for bulk systems. The strong electric fields drive positrons close to interfaces, which is clearly seen in the predicted momentum distributions of annihilating electron-positron pairs as changes relative to the constituent bulk materials. Implications of the effect to positron defect studies of polar heterostructures are addressed.

Observation of interface defects in thermally oxidized SiC using positron annihilation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dekker, James; Saarinen, Kimmo; Ólafsson, Halldór; Sveinbjörnsson, Einar Ö.

2003-03-01

Positron annihilation has been applied to study thermally oxidized 4H- and 6H-SiC. The SiC/SiO2 interface is found to contain a high density of open-volume defects. The positron trapping at the interface defects correlates with the charge of the interface determined by capacitance-voltage experiments. For oxides grown on n-SiC substrates, the positron annihilation characteristics at these defects are nearly indistinguishable from those of a silicon/oxide interface, with no discernable contribution from C-related bonds or carbon clusters. These results indicate that those defects at the SiC/oxide interface, which are visible to positrons, are similar to those at the Si/oxide interface. The positron annihilation characteristics suggest that these defects are vacancies surrounded by oxygen atoms.

Possible detection of flare-generated positrons by Helios 1 on 3 Jun 1982

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kirsch, E.; Keppler, E.; Richter, K.

1985-01-01

The production of neutrons and gamma-ray lines by solar particles in the photosphere has been studied. The principal positron emiters which lead to the 0.51 MeV gamma-line are C-11 0-14, 0-15, N-13, Ne-19. The energies of the positrons form radioactive nuclei are of the order of few hundred keV. Positrons resulting from the pi(+) decay have energies of approx 10-100 MeV and cannot be measured by the MPAe-detector. Most of the positrons annihilate in the photosphere. A fraction however should be able to escape into the interplanetary space. Proton, electron and , for the first time, positron measurements (E = 152-546 keV) obtained by the MPAe-particle detector on board of Helios 1 are presented.

Observation of a shape resonance of the positronium negative ion

PubMed Central

Michishio, Koji; Kanai, Tsuneto; Kuma, Susumu; Azuma, Toshiyuki; Wada, Ken; Mochizuki, Izumi; Hyodo, Toshio; Yagishita, Akira; Nagashima, Yasuyuki

2016-01-01

When an electron binds to its anti-matter counterpart, the positron, it forms the exotic atom positronium (Ps). Ps can further bind to another electron to form the positronium negative ion, Ps− (e−e+e−). Since its constituents are solely point-like particles with the same mass, this system provides an excellent testing ground for the three-body problem in quantum mechanics. While theoretical works on its energy level and dynamics have been performed extensively, experimental investigations of its characteristics have been hampered by the weak ion yield and short annihilation lifetime. Here we report on the laser spectroscopy study of Ps−, using a source of efficiently produced ions, generated from the bombardment of slow positrons onto a Na-coated W surface. A strong shape resonance of 1Po symmetry has been observed near the Ps (n=2) formation threshold. The resonance energy and width measured are in good agreement with the result of three-body calculations. PMID:26983496

Instrumentation for the study of low emittance tuning and beam dynamics at CESR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Billing, M. G.; Dobbins, J. A.; Forster, M. J.; Kreinick, D. L.; Meller, R. E.; Peterson, D. P.; Ramirez, G. A.; Rendina, M. C.; Rider, N. T.; Sagan, D. C.; Shanks, J.; Sikora, J. P.; Stedinger, M. G.; Strohman, C. R.; Williams, H. A.; Palmer, M. A.; Holtzapple, R. L.; Flanagan, J.

2017-11-01

The Cornell Electron-positron Storage Ring (CESR) has been converted from a High Energy Physics electron-positron collider to operate as a dedicated synchrotron light source for the Cornell High Energy Synchrotron Source (CHESS) and to conduct accelerator physics research as a test accelerator, capable of studying topics relevant to future damping rings, colliders and light sources. Some of the specific topics that were targeted for the initial phase of operation of the storage ring in this mode for CESR as a Test Accelerator (CesrTA) included 1) tuning techniques to produce low emittance beams, 2) the study of electron cloud development in a storage ring and 3) intra-beam scattering effects. The complete conversion of CESR to CesrTA occurred over a several year period, described elsewhere [1-3]. In addition to instrumentation for the storage ring, which was created for CesrTA, existing instrumentation was modified to facilitate the entire range of investigations to support these studies. Procedures were developed, often requiring coordinated measurements among different instruments [4]. This paper describes the instruments utilized for the study of beam dynamics during the operation of CesrTA. The treatment of these instruments will remain fairly general in this paper as it focusses on an overview of the instruments themselves. Their interaction and inter-relationships during sequences of observations is found in a companion paper describing the associated measurement techniques. More detailed descriptions and detailed operational performance for some of the instrumentation may be found elsewhere and these will be referenced in the related sections of this paper.

Bayesian analysis of the break in DAMPE lepton spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niu, Jia-Shu; Li, Tianjun; Ding, Ran; Zhu, Bin; Xue, Hui-Fang; Wang, Yang

2018-04-01

Recently, DAMPE has released its first results on the high-energy cosmic-ray electrons and positrons (CREs) from about 25 GeV to 4.6 TeV, which directly detect a break at ˜1 TeV . This result gives us an excellent opportunity to study the source of the CREs excess. In this work, we used the data for proton and helium flux (from AMS-02 and CREAM), p ¯/p ratio (from AMS-02), positron flux (from AMS-02) and CREs flux (from DAMPE without the peak signal point at ˜1.4 TeV ) to do global fitting simultaneously, which can account for the influence from the propagation model, the nuclei and electron primary source injection, and the secondary lepton production precisely. For an extra source to interpret the excess in lepton spectrum, we consider two separate scenarios (pulsar and dark matter annihilation via leptonic channels) to construct the bump (≳100 GeV ) and the break at ˜1 TeV . The result shows that (i) in the pulsar scenario, the spectral index of the injection should be νpsr˜0.65 and the cut-off should be Rc˜650 GV ; (ii) in dark matter scenario, the dark matter particle's mass is mχ˜1208 GeV , and the cross section is ⟨σ v ⟩˜1.48 ×10-23 cm3 s-1 . Moreover, in the dark matter scenario, the τ τ ¯ annihilation channel is highly suppressed, and a DM model is built to satisfy the fitting results.

Particle physics. Positrons ride the wave

DOE PAGES

Piot, Philippe

2015-08-26

Here, experiments reveal that positrons — the antimatter equivalents of electrons — can be rapidly accelerated using a plasma wave. The findings pave the way to high-energy electron–positron particle colliders.

Duoplasmatron source modifications for 3He+ operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schmidt, C. W.; Popovic, M.

1998-02-01

A duoplasmatron ion source is used to produce 25 mA of 3He+ with a pulse width of ˜80 ms at 360 Hz for acceleration to 10.5 MeV. At this energy, 3He striking water or carbon targets can produce short lived isotopes of 11C, 13N, 15O, and 18F for medical positron emission tomography (PET). A duoplasmatron ion source was chosen originally since it is capable of a sufficient singly charged helium beam with an acceptable gas consumption. Stable long-term operation of the source required a change in the filament material to molybdenum, and a careful understanding of the oxide filament conditioning, operation and geometry. Other improvements, particularly in the electronics, were helpful to increasing the reliability. The source has operated for many months at ˜2.5% duty factor without significant problems and with good stability. We report here the effort that was done to make this source understandable and reliable.

Monitoring Energy Calibration Drift Using the Scintillator Background Radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conti, Maurizio; Eriksson, Lars; Hayden, Charles

2011-06-01

Scintillating materials commonly used in nuclear medicine can contain traces of isotopes that naturally emit gamma or beta radiation. Examples of these are 138La contained in LaBr3 and other Lanthanum based scintillators, and 176Lu contained in LSO, LYSO, LuYAP and other Lutetium based scintillators. In particular,176Lu decays into 176Hf and emits a beta particle with maximum energy 589 keV, and a cascade of gamma rays of energies 307 keV, 202 keV and 88 keV. We propose to use the background radiation for monitoring of detector calibration drift and for self-calibration of detectors in complex detector systems. A calibration drift due to random or systematic changes in photomultiplier tube (PMT) gain was studied in a Siemens PET scanner, based on LSO blocks. Both a conventional radioactive source (68Ge, 511 keV photons from electron-positron annihilation) and the LSO background radiation were used for calibration. The difference in the calibration peak shift at 511 keV estimated with the two methods was less than 10%.

Positron-Induced Luminescence.

PubMed

Stenson, E V; Hergenhahn, U; Stoneking, M R; Pedersen, T Sunn

2018-04-06

We report on the observation that low-energy positrons incident on a phosphor screen produce significantly more luminescence than electrons do. For two different wide-band-gap semiconductor phosphors (ZnS:Ag and ZnO:Zn), we compare the luminescent response to a positron beam with the response to an electron beam. For both phosphors, the positron response is significantly brighter than the electron response, by a factor that depends strongly on incident energy (0-5 keV). Positrons with just a few tens of electron-volts of energy (for ZnS:Ag) or less (for ZnO:Zn) produce as much luminescence as is produced by electrons with several kilo-electron-volts. We attribute this effect to valence band holes and excited electrons produced by positron annihilation and subsequent Auger processes. These results demonstrate a valuable approach for addressing long-standing questions about luminescent materials.

Positron-Induced Luminescence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stenson, E. V.; Hergenhahn, U.; Stoneking, M. R.; Pedersen, T. Sunn

2018-04-01

We report on the observation that low-energy positrons incident on a phosphor screen produce significantly more luminescence than electrons do. For two different wide-band-gap semiconductor phosphors (ZnS:Ag and ZnO:Zn), we compare the luminescent response to a positron beam with the response to an electron beam. For both phosphors, the positron response is significantly brighter than the electron response, by a factor that depends strongly on incident energy (0-5 keV). Positrons with just a few tens of electron-volts of energy (for ZnS:Ag) or less (for ZnO:Zn) produce as much luminescence as is produced by electrons with several kilo-electron-volts. We attribute this effect to valence band holes and excited electrons produced by positron annihilation and subsequent Auger processes. These results demonstrate a valuable approach for addressing long-standing questions about luminescent materials.

Ultra-Intense Short-Pulse Pair Creation Using the Texas Petawatt Laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Edison; Henderson, Alexander; Clarke, Taylor; Taylor, Devin; Chaguine, Petr; Serratto, Kristina; Riley, Nathan; Dyer, Gilliss; Donovan, Michael; Ditmire, Todd

2013-10-01

We report results from the 2012 pair creation experiment using the Texas Petawatt Laser. Up to 1011 positrons per steradian were detected using 100 Joule pulses from the Texas Petawatt Laser to irradiate gold targets, with peak laser intensities up to 1.9 × 1021W/cm2 and pulse durations as short as 130 fs. Positron-to-electron ratios exceeding 20% were measured on some shots. The positron energy, positron yield per unit laser energy, and inferred positron density are significantly higher than those reported in previous experiments. This confirms that, for a given laser energy, higher intensity and shorter pulses irradiating thicker targets are more favorable for pair creation. Narrow-band high-energy positrons up to 23 MeV were observed from thin targets. Supported by DOE Grant DE-SC-0001481 and Rice FIF.

Surface states and annihilation characteristics of positrons trapped at the oxidized Cu(100) surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fazleev, N. G.; Weiss, A. H.

2013-06-01

In this work we present the results of theoretical studies of positron surface and bulk states and annihilation probabilities of surface-trapped positrons with relevant core electrons at the oxidized Cu(100) surface under conditions of high oxygen coverage. Oxidation of the Cu(100) surface has been studied by performing an ab-initio investigation of the stability and electronic structure of the Cu(100) missing row reconstructed surface at various on-surface and subsurface oxygen coverages ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 monolayers using density functional theory (DFT). All studied structures have been found to be energetically more favorable as compared to structures formed by purely on-surface oxygen adsorption. The observed decrease in the positron work function when oxygen atoms occupy on-surface and subsurface sites has been attributed to a significant charge redistribution within the first two layers, buckling effects within each layer and an interlayer expansion. The computed positron binding energy, positron surface state wave function, and annihilation probabilities of the surface trapped positrons with relevant core electrons demonstrate their sensitivity to oxygen coverage, atomic structure of the topmost layers of surfaces, and charge transfer effects. Theoretical results are compared with experimental data obtained from studies of oxidation of the Cu(100) surface using positron annihilation induced Auger electron spectroscopy (PAES). The results presented provide an explanation for the changes observed in the probability of annihilation of surface trapped positrons with Cu 3p core-level electrons as a function of annealing temperature.

Positron probes of the Ge(1 0 0) surface: The effects of surface reconstructions and electron positron correlations on positron trapping and annihilation characteristics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fazleev, N. G.; Jung, E.; Weiss, A. H.

2007-08-01

Positron annihilation induced Auger electron spectroscopy (PAES) has been applied to study the Ge(1 0 0) surface. The high-resolution PAES spectrum from the Ge(1 0 0) surface displays several strong Auger peaks corresponding to M4,5N1N2,3, M2,3M4,5M4,5, M2,3M4,5V and M1M4,5M4,5 Auger transitions. The integrated peak intensities of Auger transitions are used to obtain experimental annihilation probabilities for the Ge 3d and 3p core level electrons. These experimental results are analyzed by performing calculations of positron surface states and annihilation characteristics of surface trapped positrons with relevant Ge core-level electrons for the non-reconstructed and reconstructed Ge(1 0 0)-p(2 × 1), Ge(1 0 0)-p(2 × 2) and Ge(1 0 0)-c(4 × 2) surfaces. It is found that the positron surface state wave function extends into the Ge lattice in the regions where atoms are displaced from their ideal terminated positions due to reconstructions. Estimates of the positron binding energy and the positron annihilation characteristics reveal their sensitivity to the specific atomic structure of the topmost layers of Ge(1 0 0). A comparison with PAES data reveals an agreement with theoretical core annihilation probabilities for the Auger transitions considered.

The Australian government's review of positron emission tomography: evidence-based policy-making in action.

PubMed

Ware, Robert E; Francis, Hilton W; Read, Kenneth E

2004-06-21

The Commonwealth Government constituted the Medicare Services Advisory Committee (MSAC) to implement its commitment to entrench the principles of evidence-based medicine in Australian clinical practice. With its recent review of positron emission tomography (PETReview), the Commonwealth intervened in an established MSAC process, and sanctioned the stated objective to restrict expenditure on the technology. In our opinion: The evaluation of evidence by PETReview was fundamentally compromised by a failure to meet the terms of reference, poor science, poor process and unique decision-making benchmarks. By accepting the recommendations of PETReview, the Commonwealth is propagating information which is not of the highest quality. The use of inferior-quality information for decision-making by doctors, patients and policy-makers is likely to harm rather than enhance healthcare outcomes.

Infiltration and Selective Interactions at the Interface in Polymer-Oxide Hybrid Solar Cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferragut, R.; Aghion, S.; Moia, F.; Binda, M.; Canesi, E. V.; Lanzani, G.; Petrozza, A.

2013-06-01

Positron annihilation spectroscopy was used to characterize polymer-based hybrid solar cells formed by poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) finely infiltrated in a porous TiO2 skeleton. A step-change improvement in the device performance is enabled by engineering the hybrid interface by the insertion of a proper molecular interlayer namely 4-mercaptopyridine (4-MP). In order to obtain depth-resolved data, positrons were implanted in the sample using a variable-energy positron beam. The characteristics of the partially filled nanoporous structures were evaluated in terms of the depth profile of the positronium yield and the S-parameter. A quantitative evaluation of the pore filling in the deep region is given from the analysis of Coincidence Doppler Broadening taken at fixed implantation energy. We note a remarkable difference in terms of the positronium yield when the 4-MP interlayer is introduced, which means a better covering of P3HT on the porous surface.

Syntheses of precursors and reference compounds of the melanin-concentrating hormone receptor 1 (MCHR1) tracers [¹¹C]SNAP-7941 and [¹⁸F]FE@SNAP for positron emission tomography.

PubMed

Schirmer, Eva; Shanab, Karem; Datterl, Barbara; Neudorfer, Catharina; Mitterhauser, Markus; Wadsak, Wolfgang; Philippe, Cécile; Spreitzer, Helmut

2013-09-30

The MCH receptor has been revealed as a target of great interest in positron emission tomography imaging. The receptor's eponymous substrate melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) is a cyclic peptide hormone, which is located predominantly in the hypothalamus with a major influence on energy and weight regulation as well as water balance and memory. Therefore, it is thought to play an important role in the pathophysiology of adiposity, which is nowadays a big issue worldwide. Based on the selective and high-affinity MCH receptor 1 antagonist SNAP-7941, a series of novel SNAP derivatives has been developed to provide different precursors and reference compounds for the radiosyntheses of the novel PET radiotracers [(11)C]SNAP-7941 and [(18)F]FE@SNAP. Positron emission tomography promotes a better understanding of physiologic parameters on a molecular level, thus giving a deeper insight into MCHR1 related processes as adiposity.

Generation of zonal flows by electrostatic drift waves in electron-positron-ion plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kaladze, T. D.; I. Vekua Institute of Applied Mathematics, Tbilisi State University, 2 University Str., 0186 Tbilisi; Shad, M.

2010-02-15

Generation of large-scale zonal flows by comparatively small-scale electrostatic drift waves in electron-positron-ion plasmas is considered. The generation mechanism is based on the parametric excitation of convective cells by finite amplitude drift waves having arbitrary wavelengths (as compared with the ion Larmor radius of plasma ions at the plasma electron temperature). Temperature inhomogeneity of electrons and positrons is taken into account assuming ions to be cold. To describe the generation of zonal flow generalized Hasegawa-Mima equation containing both vector and two scalar (of different nature) nonlinearities is used. A set of coupled equations describing the nonlinear interaction of drift wavesmore » and zonal flows is deduced. Explicit expressions for the maximum growth rate as well as for the optimal spatial dimensions of the zonal flows are obtained. Enriched possibilities of zonal flow generation with different growth rates are revealed. The present theory can be used for interpretations of drift wave observations in laboratory and astrophysical plasmas.« less

Magnetoencephalography with temporal spread imaging to visualize propagation of epileptic activity.

PubMed

Shibata, Sumiya; Matsuhashi, Masao; Kunieda, Takeharu; Yamao, Yukihiro; Inano, Rika; Kikuchi, Takayuki; Imamura, Hisaji; Takaya, Shigetoshi; Matsumoto, Riki; Ikeda, Akio; Takahashi, Ryosuke; Mima, Tatsuya; Fukuyama, Hidenao; Mikuni, Nobuhiro; Miyamoto, Susumu

2017-05-01

We describe temporal spread imaging (TSI) that can identify the spatiotemporal pattern of epileptic activity using Magnetoencephalography (MEG). A three-dimensional grid of voxels covering the brain is created. The array-gain minimum-variance spatial filter is applied to an interictal spike to estimate the magnitude of the source and the time (Ta) when the magnitude exceeds a predefined threshold at each voxel. This calculation is performed through all spikes. Each voxel has the mean Ta () and spike number (N sp ), which is the number of spikes whose source exceeds the threshold. Then, a random resampling method is used to determine the cutoff value of N sp for the statistically reproducible pattern of the activity. Finally, all the voxels where the source exceeds the threshold reproducibly shown on the MRI with a color scale representing . Four patients with intractable mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) were analyzed. In three patients, the common pattern of the overlap between the propagation and the hypometabolism shown by fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) was identified. TSI can visualize statistically reproducible patterns of the temporal and spatial spread of epileptic activity. TSI can assess the statistical significance of the spatiotemporal pattern based on its reproducibility. Copyright © 2017 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Attallah, R., E-mail: reda.attallah@univ-annaba.dz

High-energy cosmic-ray electrons reveal some remarkable spectral features, the most noteworthy of which is the rise in the positron fraction above 10 GeV. Due to strong energy loss during propagation, these particles can reach Earth only from nearby sources. Yet, the exact nature of these sources, which most likely manifest themselves in the observed anomalies, remains elusive. The many explanations put forward to resolve this case range from standard astrophysics to exotic physics. In this paper, we discuss the possible astrophysical origin of high-energy cosmic-ray electrons through a fully three-dimensional time-dependent Monte Carlo simulation. This approach, which takes advantage ofmore » the intrinsic random nature of cosmic-ray diffusive propagation, provides valuable information on the electron-by-electron fluctuations, making it particularly suitable for analyzing in depth the single-source scenario.« less

Frontiers of X-ray research at the Advanced Photon Source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dehmer, J.J.

1995-12-31

With providential timing, the Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne National Laboratory has begun to produce x-rays during the centennial year of Wilhelm Rongtgen`s discovery of a {open_quotes}new kind of rays.{close_quotes} When complete, this third-generation, 7-GeV positron storage ring will produce nearly one hundred intense x-ray beams, with a major emphasis on the laser-like (highly collimated, locally coherent) beams from undulator sources. This talk will provide an overview of (1) the important properties of the synchrotron radiation to be produced by the APS, (2) the major classes of experimental approaches that use x-rays, and (3) some speculation on the impactsmore » of the APS on the materials, chemical, biological, and environmental sciences.« less

42 CFR 414.68 - Imaging accreditation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

...) Computed tomography. (iii) Nuclear medicine. (iv) Positron emission tomography. CMS-approved accreditation... if CMS takes an adverse action based on accreditation findings. (vi) Notify CMS, in writing... organization must permit its surveyors to serve as witnesses if CMS takes an adverse action based on...

42 CFR 414.68 - Imaging accreditation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

...) Computed tomography. (iii) Nuclear medicine. (iv) Positron emission tomography. CMS-approved accreditation... if CMS takes an adverse action based on accreditation findings. (vi) Notify CMS, in writing... organization must permit its surveyors to serve as witnesses if CMS takes an adverse action based on...

42 CFR 414.68 - Imaging accreditation.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

...) Computed tomography. (iii) Nuclear medicine. (iv) Positron emission tomography. CMS-approved accreditation... if CMS takes an adverse action based on accreditation findings. (vi) Notify CMS, in writing... organization must permit its surveyors to serve as witnesses if CMS takes an adverse action based on...

Positron and electron energy bands in several ionic crystals using restricted Hartree-Fock method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kunz, A. B.; Waber, J. T.

1981-08-01

Using a restricted Hartree-Fock formalism and suitably localized and symmetrized wave functions, both the positron and electron energy bands were calculated for NaF, MgO and NiO. The lowest positron state at Γ 1 lies above the vacuum level and negative work functions are predicted. Positron annihilation rates were calculated and found to be in good agreement with measured lifetimes.

Studies of oxidation and thermal reduction of the Cu(100) surface using a slow positron beam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maddox, W. B.; Fazleev, N. G.; Nadesalingam, M. P.; Weiss, A. H.

2007-10-01

Positron probes of surfaces of oxides that play a fundamental role in modern science and technology are capable to non-destructively provide information that is both unique to the probe and complimentary to that extracted using other more standard techniques. We discuss recent progress in studies of oxidation and thermal reduction of the Cu(100) surface using positron-annihilation-induced Auger-electron spectroscopy (PAES). PAES measurements show a large increase in the intensity of the Cu M2,3VV Auger peak as the sample is subjected to a series of isochronal anneals in vacuum up to annealing temperature 300 C. The intensity then decreases monotonically as the annealing temperature is increased to 600 C. Experimental PAES results are analyzed by performing calculations of positron surface states and annihilation probabilities of surface-trapped positrons with relevant core electrons taking into account the charge redistribution at the surface and surface reconstruction. The effects of oxygen adsorption and defects on localization of the positron surface state wave function and positron annihilation characteristics are also analyzed. Possible explanations are provided for the observed behavior of the intensity of the positron annihilation induced Cu M2,3VV Auger peak with changes of the annealing temperature.

High sensitivity of positrons to oxygen vacancies and to copper-oxygen chain disorder in YBa2Cu3O(7-x)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

von Stetten, E. C.; Berko, S.; Li, X. S.; Lee, R. R.; Brynestad, J.

1988-05-01

Temperature-dependent positron-electron momentum densities have been studied by two-dimensional angular correlation of annihilation radiation from 10 to 320 K in YBa2Cu3O(7-x) samples. The positron ground-state charge density, computed by the linearized augmented-plane-wave method, indicates that in YBa2Cu3O7 delocalized positrons sample preferentially the linear copper-oxygen chains. Positron localization due to disorder in these chains is invoked to explain the striking differences observed between superconducting (x = about 0.02) and nonsuperconducting (x = about 0.70) samples.

Cation vacancies in ferroelectric PbTiO3 and Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 : A positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keeble, D. J.; Singh, S.; Mackie, R. A.; Morozov, M.; McGuire, S.; Damjanovic, D.

2007-10-01

Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy measurements identify A - and B -site cation vacancies in ferroelectric perovskite oxides (ABO3) . Crystal PbTiO3 and ceramic lead zirconium titanate (PZT) were studied and gave consistent values for the lifetime resulting from positron localization at lead vacancies VPb . Positron trapping to B -site vacancies was inferred in PZT. Temperature dependent studies showed that the defect specific trapping rate was higher for VB compared to VPb , consistent with the larger negative charge. Doping PZT with Fe increased the fraction positron trapping to VB compared to VPb -type defects.

Simulation and Modeling of Positrons and Electrons in advanced Time-of-Flight Positron Annihilation Induced Auger Electron Spectroscopy Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joglekar, Prasad; Shastry, Karthik; Satyal, Suman; Weiss, Alexander

2011-10-01

Time of Flight Positron Annihilation Induced Auger Electron Spectroscopy (T-O-F PAES) is a highly surface selective analytical technique in which elemental identification is accomplished through a measurement of the flight time distributions of Auger electrons resulting from the annihilation of core electron by positrons. SIMION charged particle optics simulation software was used to model the trajectories both the incident positrons and outgoing electrons in our existing T-O-F PAES system as well as in a new system currently under construction in our laboratory. The implication of these simulation regarding the instrument design and performance are discussed.

Measurement of positron annihilation lifetimes for positron burst by multi-detector array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, B. Y.; Kuang, P.; Liu, F. Y.; Han, Z. J.; Cao, X. Z.; Zhang, P.

2018-03-01

It is currently impossible to exploit the timing information in a gamma-ray pulse generated within nanoseconds when a high-intensity positron burst annihilation event occurs in a target using conventional single-detector methods. A state-of-the-art solution to the problem is proposed in this paper. In this approach, a multi-detector array composed of many independent detection cells mounted spherically around the target is designed to detect the time distribution of the annihilated gamma rays generated following, in particular, a positron burst emitting huge amounts of positrons in a short pulse duration, even less than a few nano- or picoseconds.

Clinical applications with the HIDAC positron camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frey, P.; Schaller, G.; Christin, A.; Townsend, D.; Tochon-Danguy, H.; Wensveen, M.; Donath, A.

1988-06-01

A high density avalanche chamber (HIDAC) positron camera has been used for positron emission tomographic (PET) imaging in three different human studies, including patients presenting with: (I) thyroid diseases (124 cases); (II) clinically suspected malignant tumours of the pharynx or larynx (ENT) region (23 cases); and (III) clinically suspected primary malignant and metastatic tumours of the liver (9 cases, 19 PET scans). The positron emitting radiopharmaceuticals used for the three studies were Na 124I (4.2 d half-life) for the thyroid, 55Co-bleomycin (17.5 h half-life) for the ENT-region and 68Ga-colloid (68 min half-life) for the liver. Tomographic imaging was performed: (I) 24 h after oral Na 124I administration to the thyroid patients, (II) 18 h after intraveneous administration of 55Co-bleomycin to the ENT patients and (III) 20 min following the intraveneous injection of 68Ga-colloid to the liver tumour patients. Three different imaging protocols were used with the HIDAC positron camera to perform appropriate tomographic imaging in each patient study. Promising results were obtained in all three studies, particularly in tomographic thyroid imaging, where a significant clinical contribution is made possible for diagnosis and therapy planning by the PET technique. In the other two PET studies encouraging results were obtained for the detection and precise localisation of malignant tumour disease including an estimate of the functional liver volume based on the reticulo-endothelial-system (RES) of the liver, obtained in vivo, and the three-dimensional display of liver PET data using shaded graphics techniques. The clinical significance of the overall results obtained in both the ENT and the liver PET study, however, is still uncertain and the respective role of PET as a new imaging modality in these applications is not yet clearly established. To appreciate the clinical impact made by PET in liver and ENT malignant tumour staging needs further investigation, and more detailed data on a larger number of clinical and experimental PET scans will be necessary for definitive evaluation. Nevertheless, the HIDAC positron camera may be used for clinical PET imaging in well-defined patient cases, particularly in situations where both high spatial resolution is desired in the reconstructed image of the examined pathological condition and at the same time "static" PET imaging may be adequate, as is the case in thyroid-, ENT- and liver tomographic imaging using the HIDAC positron camera.

Dynamic behavior of ion acoustic waves in electron-positron-ion magnetoplasmas with superthermal electrons and positrons

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Saha, Asit, E-mail: asit-saha123@rediffmail.com, E-mail: prasantachatterjee1@rediffmail.com; Department of Mathematics, Siksha Bhavana, Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan-731235; Pal, Nikhil

The dynamic behavior of ion acoustic waves in electron-positron-ion magnetoplasmas with superthermal electrons and positrons has been investigated in the framework of perturbed and non-perturbed Kadomtsev-Petviashili (KP) equations. Applying the reductive perturbation technique, we have derived the KP equation in electron-positron-ion magnetoplasma with kappa distributed electrons and positrons. Bifurcations of ion acoustic traveling waves of the KP equation are presented. Using the bifurcation theory of planar dynamical systems, the existence of the solitary wave solutions and the periodic traveling wave solutions has been established. Two exact solutions of these waves have been derived depending on the system parameters. Then, usingmore » the Hirota's direct method, we have obtained two-soliton and three-soliton solutions of the KP equation. The effect of the spectral index κ on propagations of the two-soliton and the three-soliton has been shown. Considering an external periodic perturbation, we have presented the quasi periodic behavior of ion acoustic waves in electron-positron-ion magnetoplasmas.« less

CIRCULAR POLARIZATION OF PULSAR WIND NEBULAE AND THE COSMIC-RAY POSITRON EXCESS

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Linden, Tim, E-mail: trlinden@uchicago.edu

2015-02-01

Recent observations by the PAMELA and AMS-02 telescopes have uncovered an anomalous rise in the positron fraction at energies above 10 GeV. One possible explanation for this excess is the production of primary electron/positron pairs through electromagnetic cascades in pulsar magnetospheres. This process results in a high multiplicity of electron/positron pairs within the wind-termination shock of pulsar wind nebulae (PWNe). A consequence of this scenario is that no circular polarization should be observed within PWNe, since the contributions from electrons and positrons exactly cancel. Here we note that current radio instruments are capable of setting meaningful limits on the circular polarizationmore » of synchrotron radiation in PWNe, which observationally test the model for pulsar production of the local positron excess. The observation of a PWN with detectable circular polarization would cast strong doubt on pulsar interpretations of the positron excess, while observations setting strong limits on the circular polarization of PWNe would lend credence to these models. Finally, we indicate which PWNe are likely to provide the best targets for observational tests of the AMS-02 excess.« less

Low energy positrons as probes of reconstructed semiconductor surfaces.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fazleev, Nail G.; Weiss, Alex H.

2007-03-01

Positron probes of semiconductor surfaces that play a fundamental role in modern science and technology are capable to non-destructively provide information that is both unique to the probe and complimentary to that extracted using other more standard techniques. We discuss recent progress in studies of the reconstructed Si(100), Si(111), Ge(100), and Ge(111) surfaces, clean and exposed to hydrogen and oxygen, using a surface characterization technique, Positron-Annihilation-Induced Auger-Electron Spectroscopy (PAES). Experimental PAES results are analyzed by performing first-principles calculations of positron surface states and annihilation probabilities of surface-trapped positrons with relevant core electrons for the reconstructed surfaces, taking into account discrete lattice effects, the electronic reorganization due to bonding, and charge redistribution effects at the surface. Effects of the hydrogen and oxygen adsorption on semiconductor surfaces on localization of positron surface state wave functions and annihilation characteristics are also analyzed. Theoretical calculations confirm that PAES intensities, which are proportional to annihilation probabilities of the surface trapped positrons that results in a core hole, are sensitive to the crystal face, surface structure and elemental content of the semiconductors.

Experimental determination of positron-related surface characteristics of 6H-SiC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nangia, A.; Kim, J. H.; Weiss, A. H.; Brauer, G.

2002-03-01

The positron work function of 6H-SiC was determined to be -2.1±0.1 eV from an analysis of the energy spectrum of positrons reemitted from the surface. The positron reemission yield, highest in the sample inserted into vacuum after atmospheric exposure and cleaning with ethanol, was significantly reduced after sputtering with 3 keV, 125 μA min Ne+ ions. The yield was not recovered even after annealing at 900 °C, presumably due to the stability of sputter induced defects. Sputtering at lower energies caused a smaller decrease in the reemission yield that was largely recovered after annealing at 850 °C. Analysis using electron induced Auger electron spectroscopy and positron-annihilation-induced Auger electron spectroscopy indicated that the surface was Si enriched after sputtering and C enriched after subsequent annealing. Values of positron diffusion length and mobility in the unsputtered material were extracted from the dependence of the reemission yield on the beam energy. The application of SiC as a field-assisted positron moderator is discussed.

The scaling of electron and positron generation in intense laser-solid interactions

DOE PAGES

Chen, Hui; Link, A.; Sentoku, Y.; ...

2015-05-27

This study presents experimental scalings of the electrons and positrons produced by intense laser-target interactions at relativistic laser intensities (10 18–10 20 W cm -2). The data were acquired from three short-pulse laser facilities with laser energies ranging from 80 to 1500 J. We found a non-linear (≈E L 2) scaling of positron yield [Chen et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, 215001 (2015)] and a linear scaling of electron yield with the laser energy. These scalings are explained by theoretical and numerical analyses. Positron acceleration by the target sheath field is confirmed by the positron energy spectrum, which has amore » pronounced peak at energies near the sheath potential, as determined by the observed maximum energies of accelerated protons. The parameters of laser-produced electron-positron jets are summarized together with the theoretical energy scaling. Finally, the measured energy-squared scaling of relativistic electron-positron jets indicates the possibility to create an astrophysically relevant experimental platform with such jets using multi-kilojoule high intensity lasers currently under construction.« less

The scaling of electron and positron generation in intense laser-solid interactions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chen, Hui; Link, A.; Fiuza, F.

2015-05-15

This paper presents experimental scalings of the electrons and positrons produced by intense laser-target interactions at relativistic laser intensities (10{sup 18}–10{sup 20} W cm{sup −2}). The data were acquired from three short-pulse laser facilities with laser energies ranging from 80 to 1500 J. We found a non-linear (≈E{sub L}{sup 2}) scaling of positron yield [Chen et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 114, 215001 (2015)] and a linear scaling of electron yield with the laser energy. These scalings are explained by theoretical and numerical analyses. Positron acceleration by the target sheath field is confirmed by the positron energy spectrum, which has a pronouncedmore » peak at energies near the sheath potential, as determined by the observed maximum energies of accelerated protons. The parameters of laser-produced electron-positron jets are summarized together with the theoretical energy scaling. The measured energy-squared scaling of relativistic electron-positron jets indicates the possibility to create an astrophysically relevant experimental platform with such jets using multi-kilojoule high intensity lasers currently under construction.« less

Calculation of positron binding energies using the generalized any particle propagator theory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Romero, Jonathan; Charry, Jorge A.; Flores-Moreno, Roberto

2014-09-21

We recently extended the electron propagator theory to any type of quantum species based in the framework of the Any-Particle Molecular Orbital (APMO) approach [J. Romero, E. Posada, R. Flores-Moreno, and A. Reyes, J. Chem. Phys. 137, 074105 (2012)]. The generalized any particle molecular orbital propagator theory (APMO/PT) was implemented in its quasiparticle second order version in the LOWDIN code and was applied to calculate nuclear quantum effects in electron binding energies and proton binding energies in molecular systems [M. Díaz-Tinoco, J. Romero, J. V. Ortiz, A. Reyes, and R. Flores-Moreno, J. Chem. Phys. 138, 194108 (2013)]. In this work,more » we present the derivation of third order quasiparticle APMO/PT methods and we apply them to calculate positron binding energies (PBEs) of atoms and molecules. We calculated the PBEs of anions and some diatomic molecules using the second order, third order, and renormalized third order quasiparticle APMO/PT approaches and compared our results with those previously calculated employing configuration interaction (CI), explicitly correlated and quantum Montecarlo methodologies. We found that renormalized APMO/PT methods can achieve accuracies of ∼0.35 eV for anionic systems, compared to Full-CI results, and provide a quantitative description of positron binding to anionic and highly polar species. Third order APMO/PT approaches display considerable potential to study positron binding to large molecules because of the fifth power scaling with respect to the number of basis sets. In this regard, we present additional PBE calculations of some small polar organic molecules, amino acids and DNA nucleobases. We complement our numerical assessment with formal and numerical analyses of the treatment of electron-positron correlation within the quasiparticle propagator approach.« less