3,352 research outputs found
Structure and vacancy distribution in copper telluride nanoparticles influence plasmonic activity in the near-infrared
Copper chalcogenides find applications in different domains including photonics, photothermal therapy and photovoltaics. CuTe nanocrystals have been proposed as an alternative to noble metal particles for plasmonics. Although it is known that deviations from stoichiometry are a prerequisite for plasmonic activity in the near-infrared, an accurate description of the material and its (optical) properties is hindered by an insufficient understanding of the atomic structure and the influence of defects, especially for materials in their nanocrystalline form. We demonstrate that the structure of Cu1.5±xTe nanocrystals can be determined using electron diffraction tomography. Real-space high-resolution electron tomography directly reveals the three-dimensional distribution of vacancies in the structure. Through first-principles density functional theory, we furthermore demonstrate that the influence of these vacancies on the optical properties of the nanocrystals is determined. Since our methodology is applicable to a variety of crystalline nanostructured materials, it is expected to provide unique insights concerning structure–property correlations
Monte Carlo flattening filter design to high energy intraoperative electron beam homogenization
[EN] Intraoperative radiotherapy using mobile linear accelerators is used for a wide variety of malignancies. However, when large fields are used in combination with high energies, a deterioration of the flatness dose profile is measured with respect to smaller fields and lower energies. Indeed, for the LIAC HWL of Sordina, this deterioration is observed for the 12 MeV beam combined with 10 cm (or larger) diameter applicator. Aimed to solve this problem, a flattening filter has been designed and validated evaluating the feasibility of its usage at the upper part of the applicator. The design of the filter was based on Monte Carlo simulations because of its accuracy in modeling components of clinical devices, among other purposes. The LIAC 10 cm diameter applicator was modeled and simulated independently by two different research groups using two different MC codes, reproducing the heterogeneity of the 12 MeV energy beam. Then, an iterative process of filter design was carried out. Finally, the MC designed conical filter with the optimal size and height to obtain the desired flattened beam was built in-house using a 3D printer. During the experimental validation of the applicator-filter, percentage depth dose, beam profiles, absolute and peripheral dose measurements were performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the filter addition in the applicator. These measurements conclude that the beam has been flattened, from 5.9% with the standard configuration to 1.6% for the configuration with the filter, without significant increase of the peripheral dose. Consequently, the new filter-applicator LIAC configuration can be used also in a conventional surgery room. A reduction of 16% of the output dose and a reduction of 1.1 mm in the D50 of the percentage depth dose was measured with respect to the original configuration. This work is a proof-of-concept that demonstrates that it is possible to add a filter able to flatten the beam delivered by the Sordina LIAC HWL. Future studies will focus on more refined technical solutions fully compatible with the integrity of the applicator, including its sterilization, to be safely introduced in the clinical practice.The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Giuseppe Felici reports a relationship with S.I.T. Sordina IORT Technologies S.p.A. that includes: employment. We thank the professionals and facilities at the 3D printing and metrology department in the Mechanics Unit at IFIC. JV thanks I. Diaz for measuring the PLA density. We thank S.I.T. SORDINA IORT Tech-nologies SpA for providing the applicator used for testing the filter during the measurements. JV, FB, and JP would like to acknowledge the Spanish "Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion" (MCIN) grant PID2021-125096NB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039 and the "Generalitat Valenciana" (GVA) grant PROMETEO/2021/064.Oliver-Gil, S.; Vijande, J.; Tejedor-Aguilar, N.; Miró Herrero, R.; Rovira-Escutia, JJ.; Ballester, F.; Juste-Vidal, B.... (2023). Monte Carlo flattening filter design to high energy intraoperative electron
beam homogenization. Radiation Physics and Chemistry. 212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radphyschem.2023.11110221
Search for the glueball candidates f0(1500) and fJ(1710) in gamma gamma collisions
Data taken with the ALEPH detector at LEP1 have been used to search for gamma
gamma production of the glueball candidates f0(1500) and fJ(1710) via their
decay to pi+pi-. No signal is observed and upper limits to the product of gamma
gamma width and pi+pi- branching ratio of the f0(1500) and the fJ(1710) have
been measured to be Gamma_(gamma gamma -> f0(1500)). BR(f0(1500)->pi+pi-) <
0.31 keV and Gamma_(gamma gamma -> fJ(1710)). BR(fJ(1710)->pi+pi-) < 0.55 keV
at 95% confidence level.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure
Search for supersymmetry with a dominant R-parity violating LQDbar couplings in e+e- collisions at centre-of-mass energies of 130GeV to 172 GeV
A search for pair-production of supersymmetric particles under the assumption
that R-parity is violated via a dominant LQDbar coupling has been performed
using the data collected by ALEPH at centre-of-mass energies of 130-172 GeV.
The observed candidate events in the data are in agreement with the Standard
Model expectation. This result is translated into lower limits on the masses of
charginos, neutralinos, sleptons, sneutrinos and squarks. For instance, for
m_0=500 GeV/c^2 and tan(beta)=sqrt(2) charginos with masses smaller than 81
GeV/c^2 and neutralinos with masses smaller than 29 GeV/c^2 are excluded at the
95% confidence level for any generation structure of the LQDbar coupling.Comment: 32 pages, 30 figure
A search for charged massive long-lived particles
We report on a search for charged massive long-lived particles (CMLLPs),
based on 5.2 fb of integrated luminosity collected with the D0 detector
at the Fermilab Tevatron collider. We search for events in which one
or more particles are reconstructed as muons but have speed and ionization
energy loss inconsistent with muons produced in beam collisions.
CMLLPs are predicted in several theories of physics beyond the standard model.
We exclude pair-produced long-lived gaugino-like charginos below 267 GeV and
higgsino-like charginos below 217 GeV at 95% C.L., as well as long-lived scalar
top quarks with mass below 285 GeV.Comment: submitted to Phys. Rev. Letter
Zgamma production and limits on anomalous ZZgamma and Zgammagamma couplings in ppbar collisions at sqrt(s)=1.96 TeV
We present a measurement of ppbar->Zgamma->ll+gamma (l = e, mu) production
with a data sample corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 6.2 fb^{-1}
collected by the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron ppbar Collider. The
results of the electron and muon channels are combined, and we measure the
total production cross section and the differential cross section
dsigma/dp_T^gamma, where p_T^gamma is the momentum of the photon in the plane
transverse to the beamline. The results obtained are consistent with the
standard model predictions from next-to-leading order calculations. We use the
transverse momentum spectrum of the photon to place limits on anomalous ZZgamma
and Zgammagamma couplings
Search for Decay
We have searched for the charmless hadronic decay of B0 mesons into two
neutral pions. Using 9.13fb^-1 taken at the Upsilon(4S) with the CLEO detector,
we obtain an improved upper limit for the branching fraction BR(B0-->pi0pi0) <
5.7*10^-6 at the 90% confidence level.Comment: pages postscript, also available through
http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLN
Search for a Narrow ttbar Resonance in ppbar Collisions at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV
We report a search for a narrow ttbar resonance that decays into a
lepton+jets final state based on an integrated luminosity of 5.3/fb of
proton-antiproton collisions at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV collected by the D0
Collaboration at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider. We set upper limits on the
production cross section of such a resonance multiplied by its branching
fraction to ttbar which we compare to predictions for a leptophobic topcolor Z'
boson. We exclude such a resonance at the 95% confidence level for masses below
835 GeV.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Physical Review Letter
Search for Zgamma events with large missing transverse energy in ppbar collisions at sqrt(s)=1.96 TeV
We present the first search for supersymmetry (SUSY) in Zgamma final states
with large missing transverse energy using data corresponding to an integrated
luminosity of 6.2 fb-1 collected with the D0 experiment in ppbar collisions at
sqrt(s)=1.96 TeV. This signature is predicted in gauge-mediated SUSY-breaking
models, where the lightest neutralino is the next-to-lightest supersymmetric
particle (NLSP) and is produced in pairs, possibly through decay from heavier
supersymmetric particles. The NLSP can decay either to a Z boson or a photon
and an associated gravitino that escapes detection. We exclude this model at
the 95% C.L. for SUSY breaking scales of Lambda < 87 TeV, corresponding to
neutralino masses of < 151 GeV.Comment: submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
Search for first generation leptoquark pair production in the electron + missing energy + jets final state
We present a search for the pair production of first generation scalar
leptoquarks (LQ) in data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.4
fb collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider in
ppbar collisions at TeV. In the channel , where q, q' are u or d quarks, no significant excess
of data over background is observed, and we set a 95% C.L. lower limit of 326
GeV on the leptoquark mass, assuming equal probabilities of leptoquark decays
to eq and .Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures, submitted to PRD-R
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