Medical imaging based on the radiation emitted by unstable nuclei is used on a daily basis as a fundamental tool in medical diagnosis, particularly thanks to techniques such as PET (Positron Emission Tomography) or SPECT (Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography). This has led to an increase in the demand of nuclear radio-isotopes, with the production typically being done at conventional...
Since the development of the Chirped Pulse Amplification (CPA) technique, both the generation of ultra-short and ultra-intense laser pulses, and its applications in nuclear physics have become a very active field of research. When a laser pulse of these characteristics impinges on a solid target, different particle acceleration mechanisms can take place depending on several parameters such as...
In-beam Positron Emission Tomography is a promising technique aimed to solve the problem of range verification in proton therapy. In this work we report the first results using a novel in-beam portable PET system that can detect and process on-the-fly the β+ activity produced during and after irradiation.
The specific PET setup consisted of 6 phoswich detector blocks with 338 pixels each,...
Proton therapy requires precise knowledge of the patient's anatomy to guarantee an accurate dose delivery [1]. X-ray computed tomography (CT) images are used nowadays to calculate the relative stopping power (RSP) needed for proton therapy treatment planning [2]. Recent studies indicate that tomographic imaging using protons has the potential to provide a more accurate and direct measurement...
In this talk, we will start presenting the infrastructure available at the Centro Nacional de Aceleradores to perform Accelerator Mass Spectrometry. This infrastructure is based on a 1 MV Tandetrom system used for the determination of minute amounts of long-lived cosmogenic and artificial radionuclides in a great variety of matrixes and a compact system called Micadas designed and used...
Although proton therapy is advantageous over more traditional radiotherapy from the point of view of dose delivery and sparing of organs at risk, its full potential has not been reached yet [1]. A lot of effort is focused on proton range verification techniques to improve dose localization. Several of these techniques profit from secondary emissions induced by protons to determine the proton...
In proton therapy, Positron Emission Tomography (PET) range verification, which is based on the detection of the short-lived (online monitoring) or the long-lived (offline monitoring) $\beta^{+}$ emitters produced in the body of the patient, has been proved to be a well-suited technique to monitor the beam range [1]. This technique requires the comparison of the observed activity distribution...
Since the beginning of the industrial revolution, the ocean has absorbed about one third of the carbon dioxide (CO2) released by human activity. This has led to an acidification of the oceans, which influences the physiology of aquatic organisms and, in general, the ecology of marine ecosystems. This is often called the other CO2 problem. The REMO project focuses on the study of marine species...
High-power lasers with ultrashort pulses are emerging as a promising alternative to conventional accelerators for the production of neutron beams. Laser-driven neutron sources (LDNS) are particularly attractive for nuclear physics applications based on the time-of-flight technique due to their short pulse and high instantaneous flux. However, the experimental conditions associated with this...
Predicting the antineutrino spectrum from reactors is relevant for a range of applications from the study of neutrino oscillations parameters to non-proliferation. Two methods for reconstructing the antineutrino spectrum have been used in the past: the conversion method [1,2], based on the measurements of Schreckenbach and collaborators [1], the summation method [3,4] or a combination of both...
Neutrons are produced in underground facilities from nuclear reactions induced by the intrinsic radioactivity of the materials in the rock and cavity walls. These radiogenic neutrons constitute a background which is a limiting factor for underground physics, in particular low counting rate experiments in nuclear astrophysics, dark matter and neutrino searches. On the other hand, neutrons are...
Hadrontherapy employs high-energy beams of charged particles (protons and heavier ions) to treat deep-seated tumours: these particles have a favourable depth-dose distribution in tissue characterized by a low dose in the entrance channel and a sharp maximum (Bragg peak) near the end of their path.
Moreover, Carbon and Oxygen ions have an enhanced biological effect allowing to successfully...
Ion beams with MeV energies offer great possibilities for the characterization and investigation of different types of materials, from inorganic thin films to tissue sections. Using different primary ions and detectors, elemental or molecular composition, thickness, and depth profiles can be determined.
Most of the ion beam techniques are based on the interaction of light ions, such as...
In this talk, we will first briefly present the infrastructure available at the Centro Nacional de Aceleradores, based on a 3 MV tandem accelerator and a compact cyclotron, which are employed for different Nuclear Physics applications, as the characterization and modification of materials using Ion Beams, the development of nuclear instrumentation, the irradiation of electronic devices and the...
In recent decades, there has been a growing interest in laser-driven ion acceleration as an alternative to conventional accelerators currently in use, thanks to a comparatively compact size and reduced costs [1]. The ultrashort, large flux ion beams produced are advantageous in several fields, such as medicine, for FLASH therapy, or proton radiography of micro and nano structures [2]....
The automated process for the production and purification of copper and zirconium radioisotopes produced by irradiating solid targets in the variable energy (14-19 MeV) cyclotron (TR19, ACSI Canada) has been optimized, using a commercially available automated solid target system comprising modules for electrodeposition, pneumatic transfer, irradiation, dissolving and purification (Alceo 2.0,...
Several laser-Compton scattering (LCS) sources of quasi-monochromatic γ-ray beams are operational around the world, either as standalone facilities or as beam line developments at synchrotron facilities. Knowledge of the γ-ray beam intensity is a critical parameter at all the γ-ray beam facilities and considerable efforts were directed towards implementing new measurement instruments and...
In modern medicine, researchers are designing and testing radiopharmaceuticals for various cancers and tumors with targetable molecules on their cell surface and a good blood supply. Thus, cancer can be treated with targeted molecules that can carry potent radioactive compounds or isotopes for killing cancer cells and visualize them.
Cu-64 and Cu-67 are the most promising isotopes for both,...
The molecules of certain boranes like aminoborane or decaborane have an extraordinarily high hydrogen density. These particle densities exist without externally acting forces and are stable. The hydrogen nuclei may be replaced by deuterium. On the average a molecule of decaborane contains two atoms of 10B due to its natural abundance. This isotope has a thermal neutron capture x-section of ...
