3,323 research outputs found
Search for anisotropic gravitational-wave backgrounds using data from Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo's first three observing runs
We report results from searches for anisotropic stochastic gravitational-wave backgrounds using data from the first three observing runs of the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors. For the first time, we include Virgo data in our analysis and run our search with a new efficient pipeline called pystoch on data folded over one sidereal day. We use gravitational-wave radiometry (broadband and narrow band) to produce sky maps of stochastic gravitational-wave backgrounds and to search for gravitational waves from point sources. A spherical harmonic decomposition method is employed to look for gravitational-wave emission from spatially-extended sources. Neither technique found evidence of gravitational-wave signals. Hence we derive 95% confidence-level upper limit sky maps on the gravitational-wave energy flux from broadband point sources, ranging from Fα,Θ < (0.013-7.6) × 10−8 erg cm−2s−1 Hz−1, and on the (normalized) gravitational-wave energy density spectrum from extended sources, ranging from Ωα,Θ < (0.57–9.3) × 10−9 sr−1, depending on direction (Θ) and spectral index (α). These limits improve upon previous limits by factors of 2.9–3.5. We also set 95% confidence level upper limits on the frequency-dependent strain amplitudes of quasimonochromatic gravitational waves coming from three interesting targets, Scorpius X-1, SN 1987A and the Galactic Center, with best upper limits range from h0 <(1.7–2.1) × 10−25, a factor of ≥ 2.0 improvement compared to previous stochastic radiometer searches
Proton radiography to improve proton radiotherapy: Simulation study at different proton beam energies
To improve the quality of cancer treatment with protons, a translation of
X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) images into a map of the proton stopping powers
needs to be more accurate. Proton stopping powers determined from CT images
have systematic uncertainties in the calculated proton range in a patient of
typically 3-4\% and even up to 10\% in region containing
bone~\cite{USchneider1995,USchneider1996,WSchneider2000,GCirrone2007,HPaganetti2012,TPlautz2014,GLandry2013,JSchuemann2014}.
As a consequence, part of a tumor may receive no dose, or a very high dose can
be delivered in healthy ti\-ssues and organs at risks~(e.g. brain
stem)~\cite{ACKnopf2013}. A transmission radiograph of high-energy protons
measuring proton stopping powers directly will allow to reduce these
uncertainties, and thus improve the quality of treatment.
The best way to obtain a sufficiently accurate radiograph is by tracking
individual protons traversing the phantom
(patient)~\cite{GCirrone2007,TPlautz2014,VSipala2013}. In our simulations we
have used an ideal position sensitive detectors measuring a single proton
before and after a phantom, while the residual energy of a proton was detected
by a BaF crystal. To obtain transmission radiographs, diffe\-rent phantom
materials have been irradiated with a 3x3~cm scattered proton beam, with
various beam energies. The simulations were done using the Geant4 simulation
package~\cite{SAgostinelli2003}.
In this study we focus on the simulations of the energy loss radiographs for
various proton beam energies that are clinically available in proton
radiotherapy.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures, Presented at Jagiellonian Symposium on
Fundamental and Applied Subatomic Physics, 7-12 June, 2015, Krak\'ow, Polan
Latent risk factors in operating theatres and intensive care units
The safety of an organization can be improved by investigating and correcting the many processes that shape performance at the __sharp end__. Errors do not occur of themselves, but arise within the context of the work environment. Where the environment is one that makes errors by individuals more likely, we can identify the underlying problems that will have been present in the system, often recognized but long tolerated. The factors that make errors more likely, can be characterized as Latent Risk Factors (LRFs). The prospective identification of LRFs can lead to removal of error-inducing conditions before they can contribute to patient injury. Identifying LRFs will improve patient safety by improving the conditions that set the working environment for the occurrence of errors. Interventions aimed at unfavorable LRFs may contribute to patient safety in the Operating Theatre. Staff from Operating Theatre and Intensive Care Unit is able to detect these shortcomings but differ in their scope of the present risks. Unfavorable LRFs can act as stressful triggers at the workplace. If staff cannot control such stress this may negatively affect their well-being. The key to a healthy workplace is to control the deficiencies in the structure of the working environment.UBL - phd migration 201
Characterisation of Medipix3 Silicon Detectors in a Charged-Particle Beam
While designed primarily for X-ray imaging applications, the Medipix3 ASIC
can also be used for charged-particle tracking. In this work, results from a
beam test at the CERN SPS with irradiated and non-irradiated sensors are
presented and shown to be in agreement with simulation, demonstrating the
suitability of the Medipix3 ASIC as a tool for characterising pixel sensors.Comment: 16 pages, 13 figure
Precision scans of the pixel cell response of double sided 3D pixel detectors to pion and x-ray beams
hree-dimensional (3D) silicon sensors offer potential advantages over standard planar sensors for radiation hardness in future high energy physics experiments and reduced charge-sharing for X-ray applications, but may introduce inefficiencies due to the columnar electrodes. These inefficiencies are probed by studying variations in response across a unit pixel cell in a 55μm pitch double-sided 3D pixel sensor bump bonded to TimePix and Medipix2 readout ASICs. Two complementary characterisation techniques are discussed: the first uses a custom built telescope and a 120GeV pion beam from the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) at CERN; the second employs a novel technique to illuminate the sensor with a micro-focused synchrotron X-ray beam at the Diamond Light Source, UK. For a pion beam incident perpendicular to the sensor plane an overall pixel efficiency of 93.0±0.5% is measured. After a 10o rotation of the device the effect of the columnar region becomes negligible and the overall efficiency rises to 99.8±0.5%. The double-sided 3D sensor shows significantly reduced charge sharing to neighbouring pixels compared to the planar device. The charge sharing results obtained from the X-ray beam study of the 3D sensor are shown to agree with a simple simulation in which charge diffusion is neglected. The devices tested are found to be compatible with having a region in which no charge is collected centred on the electrode columns and of radius 7.6±0.6μm. Charge collection above and below the columnar electrodes in the double-sided 3D sensor is observed
Timing performance of the Timepix4 front-end
A characterisation of the Timepix4 pixel front-end with a strong focus on
timing performance is presented. Externally generated test pulses were used to
probe the per-pixel time-to-digital converter (TDC) and measure the time-bin
sizes by precisely controlling the test-pulse arrival time in steps of 10 ps.
The results indicate that the TDC can achieve a time resolution of 60 ps,
provided that a calibration is performed to compensate for frequency variation
in the voltage controlled oscillators of the pixel TDCs. The internal clock
distribution system of Timepix4 was used to control the arrival time of
internally generated analog test pulses in steps of about 20 ps. The analog
test pulse mechanism injects a controlled amount of charge directly into the
analog front-end (AFE) of the pixel, and was used to measure the time
resolution as a function of signal charge, independently of the TDC. It was
shown that for the default configuration, the AFE time resolution in the
hole-collecting mode is limited to 105 ps. However, this can be improved up to
about 60 ps by increasing the preamplifier bias-current at the cost of
increased power dissipation. For the electron-collecting mode, an AFE time
resolution of 47 ps was measured for a bare Timepix4 device at a signal charge
of 21 ke. It was observed that additional input capacitance from a bonded
sensor reduces this figure to 62 ps
Performance of the LHCb Vertex Detector Alignment Algorithm determined with Beam Test Data
LHCb is the dedicated heavy flavour experiment at the Large Hadron Collider
at CERN. The partially assembled silicon vertex locator (VELO) of the LHCb
experiment has been tested in a beam test. The data from this beam test have
been used to determine the performance of the VELO alignment algorithm. The
relative alignment of the two silicon sensors in a module and the relative
alignment of the modules has been extracted. This alignment is shown to be
accurate at a level of approximately 2 micron and 0.1 mrad for translations and
rotations, respectively in the plane of the sensors. A single hit precision at
normal track incidence of about 10 micron is obtained for the sensors. The
alignment of the system is shown to be stable at better than the 10 micron
level under air to vacuum pressure changes and mechanical movements of the
assembled system.Comment: accepted for publication in NIM
Sustainable heating requires integral approach
In the Netherlands, large amounts of natural gas are used to heat houses and offices. This leads to a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions. As such, developing sustainable heating alternatives is an important part of the Dutch energy and climate policy, to create a climate neutral energy supply in 2050. For most sustainable heating alternatives, the energy carrier of the heating system changes. As a consequence, the related energy infrastructure should be involved as well. In other words, decision makers need to think outside of the building's 'box'
Identification of particles with Lorentz factor up to with Transition Radiation Detectors based on micro-strip silicon detectors
This work is dedicated to the study of a technique for hadron identification
in the TeV momentum range, based on the simultaneous measurement of the
energies and of the emission angles of the Transition Radiation (TR) X-rays
with respect to the radiating particles. A detector setup has been built and
tested with particles in a wide range of Lorentz factors (from about to
about crossing different types of radiators. The measured
double-differential (in energy and angle) spectra of the TR photons are in a
reasonably good agreement with TR simulation predictions.Comment: 31 pages, 12 figures, paper published on Nuclear Instruments &
Methods
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