2,391 research outputs found
Performance of Geant4 in simulating semiconductor particle detector response in the energy range below 1 MeV
Geant4 simulations play a crucial role in the analysis and interpretation of
experiments providing low energy precision tests of the Standard Model. This
paper focuses on the accuracy of the description of the electron processes in
the energy range between 100 and 1000 keV. The effect of the different
simulation parameters and multiple scattering models on the backscattering
coefficients is investigated. Simulations of the response of HPGe and
passivated implanted planar Si detectors to \beta{} particles are compared to
experimental results. An overall good agreement is found between Geant4
simulations and experimental data
Observation of magnetocoriolis waves in a liquid metal Taylor-Couette experiment
The first observation of fast and slow magnetocoriolis (MC) waves in a
laboratory experiment is reported. Rotating nonaxisymmetric modes arising from
a magnetized turbulent Taylor-Couette flow of liquid metal are identified as
the fast and slow MC waves by the dependence of the rotation frequency on the
applied field strength. The observed slow MC wave is damped but the observation
provides a means for predicting the onset of the Magnetorotational Instability
Measurement of the -asymmetry parameter of Cu in search for tensor type currents in the weak interaction
Precision measurements at low energy search for physics beyond the Standard
Model in a way complementary to searches for new particles at colliders. In the
weak sector the most general decay Hamiltonian contains, besides vector
and axial-vector terms, also scalar, tensor and pseudoscalar terms. Current
limits on the scalar and tensor coupling constants from neutron and nuclear
decay are on the level of several percent.
The goal of this paper is extracting new information on tensor coupling
constants by measuring the -asymmetry parameter in the pure Gamow-Teller
decay of Cu, thereby testing the V-A structure of the weak interaction.
An iron sample foil into which the radioactive nuclei were implanted was cooled
down to milliKelvin temperatures in a He-He dilution refrigerator. An
external magnetic field of 0.1 T, in combination with the internal hyperfine
magnetic field, oriented the nuclei. The anisotropic radiation was
observed with planar high purity germanium detectors operating at a temperature
of about 10\,K. An on-line measurement of the asymmetry of Cu
was performed as well for normalization purposes. Systematic effects were
investigated using Geant4 simulations.
The experimental value, = 0.587(14), is in agreement with the
Standard Model value of 0.5991(2) and is interpreted in terms of physics beyond
the Standard Model. The limits obtained on possible tensor type charged
currents in the weak interaction hamiltonian are -0.045
0.159 (90\% C.L.). The obtained limits are comparable to limits from other
correlation measurements in nuclear decay and contribute to further
constraining tensor coupling constants
Precision-microfabricated fiber-optic probe for intravascular pressure and temperature sensing
Small form-factor sensors are widely used in minimally invasive intravascular diagnostic procedures. Manufacturing complexities associated with miniaturizing current fiber-optic probes, particularly for multi-parameter sensing, severely constrain their adoption outside of niche fields. It is especially challenging to rapidly prototype and iterate upon sensor designs to optimize performance for medical devices. In this work, a novel technique to construct a microscale extrinsic fiber-optic sensor with a confined air cavity and sub-micron geometric resolution is presented. The confined air cavity is enclosed between a 3 μm thick pressure-sensitive distal diaphragm and a proximal temperature-sensitive plano-convex microlens segment unresponsive to changes in external pressure. Simultaneous pressure and temperature measurements are possible through optical interrogation via phase-resolved low-coherence interferometry(LCI). Upon characterization in a simulated intravascular environment, we find these sensors capable of detecting pressure changes down to 0.11 mmHg (in the range of 760 to 1060 mmHg) and temperature changes of 0.036°C (in the range 34 to 50°C). By virtue of these sensitivity values suited to intravascular physiological monitoring, and the scope of design flexibility enabled by the precision-fabricated photoresist microstructure, it is envisaged that this technique will enable construction of a wide range of fiber-optic sensors for guiding minimally invasive medical procedures
Photoacoustic imaging of intracardiac medical devices using internal illumination of carbon nanotube / PDMS composite coatings
Accurate localisation of medical devices is of crucial importance for a wide range of ultrasound-guided interventions. In this study, we investigated visualisation of medical devices by photoacoustic excitation of optically absorbing coatings. Photoacoustic excitation light was provided through optical fibres positioned within a cardiac needle and a steerable-tip catheter. Using a swine heart model, photoacoustic and B-mode ultrasound images were received with a clinical ultrasound scanner in conjunction with a transoesophageal imaging probe. In the photoacoustic images, prominent signals were obtained from the coatings. This study demonstrated that photoacoustic imaging could play a useful role with medical device imaging
Earth magnetic field effects on the cosmic electron flux as background for Cherenkov Telescopes at low energies
Cosmic ray electrons and positrons constitute an important component of the
background for imaging atmospheric Cherenkov Telescope Systems with very low
energy thresholds. As the primary energy of electrons and positrons decreases,
their contribution to the background trigger rate dominates over protons, at
least in terms of differential rates against actual energies. After event
reconstruction, this contribution might become comparable to the proton
background at energies of the order of few GeV. It is well known that the flux
of low energy charged particles is suppressed by the Earth's magnetic field.
This effect strongly depends on the geographical location, the direction of
incidence of the charged particle and its mass. Therefore, the geomagnetic
field can contribute to diminish the rate of the electrons and positrons
detected by a given array of Cherenkov Telescopes.
In this work we study the propagation of low energy primary electrons in the
Earth's magnetic field by using the backtracking technique. We use a more
realistic geomagnetic field model than the one used in previous calculations.
We consider some sites relevant for new generations of imaging atmospheric
Cherenkov Telescopes. We also study in detail the case of 5@5, a proposed low
energy Cherenkov Telescope array.Comment: To appear in Astroparticle Physic
Optical interferometric temperature sensors for intravascular blood flow measurements
Direct and continuous measurements of blood flow are of significant interest in many medical specialties. In cardiology, intravascular physiological measurements can be of critical importance to determine whether coronary stenting should be performed. Intravascular pressure is a physiological parameter that is frequently measured in clinical practice. An increasing body of evidence suggests that direct measurements of blood flow, as additional physiological parameters, could improve decision making. In this study, we developed a novel fibre optic intravascular flow sensor, which enabled time-of-flight measurements by upstream thermal tagging of blood. This flow sensor comprised a temperature sensitive polymer dome at the distal end of a single mode optical fibre. The dome was continuously interrogated by low coherence interferometry to measure thermally-induced length changes with nanometre-scale resolution. Flow measurements were performed by delivering heat upstream from the sensor with a separate optical fibre, and monitoring the temperature downstream at the dome with a sample rate of 50 Hz. A fabricated flow sensor was characterized and tested within a benchtop phantom, which comprised vessels with lumen diameters that ranged from 2.5 to 5 mm. Water was used as a blood mimicking fluid. For each vessel diameter, a pump provided constant volumetric flow at rates in the range of 5 to 200 ml/min. This range was chosen to represent flow rates encountered in healthy human vessels. Laser light pulses with a wavelength of 1470 nm and durations of 0.4 s were used to perform upstream thermal tagging. These pulses resulted in downstream temperature profiles that varied with the volumetric flow rate
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