R. Cirio

Experimental study of the triple-gluon vertex

Abstract In four-jet events from e+e− →Z0 →multihadrons one can separate the three principal contributions from the triple-gluon vertex, double gluon-bremsstrahlung and the secondary quark-antiquark production, using the shape of the two-dimensional angular distributions in the generalized Nachtmann-Reiter angle θ NR ∗ and the opening angle of the secondary jets. Thus one can identify directly the contribution from the triple-gluon vertex without comparison with a specific non-QCD model. Applying this new method to events taken with the DELPHI-detector we get for the ratio of the colour factor Nc to the fermionic Casimir operator C F : N c C F = 2.55 ± 0.55 ( stat. ) ± 0.4 ( fragm. + models ) ± 0.2 ( error in bias ) in agreement with the value 2.25 expected in QCD from Nc=3 and C F = 4 3 .

Strip ionization chambers as 3-D detector for hadron therapy

Abstract The design and construction of a set of parallel plate ionization chambers with one of the electrodes segmented in strips are presented. The performances of the chambers as from a test on a 270 MeV/ u 12 C −16 beam are reported in view of their use in a 3-D dosimeter for therapeutical hadron beams.

PERFORMANCES OF A VLSI WIDE DYNAMIC RANGE CURRENT-TO-FREQUENCY CONVERTER FOR STRIP IONIZATION CHAMBERS

Abstract In this paper we report on the design and test of a 14-channel VLSI chip to perform the current to frequency conversion for parallel plate strip ionization chambers. The chambers measure the intensity and the geometrical characteristics of a therapeutical beam.

Construction and test of the final CMS Barrel Drift Tube Muon Chamber prototype

A prototype of the CMS Barrel Muon Detector incorporating all the features of the final chambers was built using the mass production assembly procedures and tools. The performance of this prototype was studied in a muon test beam at CERN and the results obtained are presented in this paper.

Performance of the forward electromagnetic calorimeter (FEMC) for the end caps of the DELPHI detector

Abstract We present the performance of the DELPHI lead glass calorimeter with vacuum phototriode readout. The behaviour of the counters in magnetic fields up to 1.1 T is discussed. Experimental results, obtained with an electron beam from 7 to 50 GeV/c, on noise, linearity, energy and position resolution are presented.

Monte Carlo simulation of ripple filters designed for proton and carbon ion beams in hadrontherapy with active scanning technique

Proton and carbon ion beams have a very sharp Bragg peak. For proton beams of energies smaller than 100 MeV, fitting with a gaussian the region of the maximum of the Bragg peak, the sigma along the beam direction is smaller than 1 mm, while for carbon ion beams, the sigma derived with the same technique is smaller than 1 mm for energies up to 360 MeV. In order to use low energy proton and carbon ion beams in hadrontherapy and to achieve an acceptable homogeneity of the spread out Bragg peak (SOBP) either the peak positions along the beam have to be quite close to each other or the longitudinal peak shape needs to be broaden at least few millimeters by means of a properly designed ripple filter. With a synchrotron accelerator in conjunction with active scanning techniques the use of a ripple filter is necessary to reduce the numbers of energy switches necessary to obtain a smooth SOBP, leading also to shorter overall irradiation times. We studied the impact of the design of the ripple filter on the dose uniformity in the SOBP region by means of Monte Carlo simulations, implemented using the package Geant4. We simulated the beam delivery line supporting both proton and carbon ion beams using different energies of the beams. We compared the effect of different kind of ripple filters and their advantages.

A method for the inter-calibration of a matrix of sensors

We present a quick and easy method for the calibration of a matrix of sensors. The algorithm is based on a three-step irradiation procedure which relies only on the constancy of the delivered fluence at each step. With this method the gain of each sensor is derived relative to a reference detector. The algorithm has been applied to a matrix of (32 x 32) ionization chambers. After the calibration coefficients have been applied, by comparing the response of the matrix of chambers to a reference detector over a large field, we determined that the fluence measurement of individual chambers is better than 0.7%. The algorithm solves the cumbersome problem of the relative gain calibration of a matrix of a large number of sensors.

Radiation damage studies of a recycling integrator VLSI chip for dosimetry and control of therapeutical beams

A VLSI chip based on a recycling integrator has been designed and built to be used as front-end readout of detectors for dosimetry and beam monitoring. The chip is suitable for measurements with both conventional radiotherapy accelerators (photon or electron beams) and with hadron accelerators (proton or light ion beams). As the chips might be located at few centimeters from the irradiation area and they are meant to be used in routine hospital practice, it is mandatory to assert their damage to both electromagnetic and neutron irradiation. We have tested a few chips on a X-ray beam and on thermal and fast neutron beams. Results of the tests are reported and an estimate of the expected lifetime of the chip for routine use is given.

The CNAO system to monitor and control hadron beams for therapy

Hadrotherapy might be the last chance option for patients with cancers growing deep in the body or surrounded by very sensitive organs. The Italian National Center of Oncological Hadrotherapy (CNAO) in Pavia is a synchrotron based center for the treatment of tumors with protons and carbon ion beams. The result of this sophisticated technique is strongly affected by the beam delivery performances. A powerful on-line system to monitor and deliver particles inside the target will be available at CNAO.

Quality assurance of carbon ion and proton beams: A feasibility study for using the 2D MatriXX detector

PURPOSE The quality assurance (QA) procedures in particle therapy centers with active beam scanning make extensive use of films, which do not provide immediate results. The purpose of this work is to verify whether the 2D MatriXX detector by IBA Dosimetry has enough sensitivity to replace films in some of the measurements. METHODS MatriXX is a commercial detector composed of 32×32 parallel plate ionization chambers designed for pre-treatment dose verification in conventional radiation therapy. The detector and GAFCHROMIC® films were exposed simultaneously to a 131.44MeV proton and a 221.45MeV/u carbon-ion therapeutic beam at the CNAO therapy center of Pavia - Italy, and the results were analyzed and compared. RESULTS The sensitivity MatriXX on the beam position, beam width and field flatness was investigated. For the first two quantities, a method for correcting systematic uncertainties, dependent on the beam size, was developed allowing to achieve a position resolution equal to 230μm for carbon ions and less than 100μm for protons. The beam size and the field flatness measured using MatriXX were compared with the same quantities measured with the irradiated film, showing a good agreement. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that a 2D detector such as MatriXX can be used to measure several parameters of a scanned ion beam quickly and precisely and suggest that the QA would benefit from a new protocol where the MatriXX detector is added to the existing systems.