PADC nuclear track detector for ion spectroscopy in laser-plasma acceleration

[EN] The transparent polymer polyallyl-diglycol-carbonate (PADC), also known as CR-39, is widely used as detector for heavy charged particles at low fluence. It allows for detection of single protons and ions via formation of microscopic tracks after etching in NaOH or KOH solutions. PADC combines a high sensitivity and high specificity with inertness towards electromagnetic noise. Present fields of application include laser-ion acceleration, inertial confinement fusion, radiobiological studies with cell cultures, and dosimetry of nuclear fragments in particle therapy. These require precise knowledge of the energy-dependent response of PADC to different ion species. We present calibration data for a new type of detector material, Radosys RS39, to protons (0.2-3 MeV) and carbon ions (0.6-12 MeV). RS39 is less sensitive to protons than other types of PADC. Its response to carbon ions, however, is similar to other materials. Our data indicate that RS39 allows for measuring carbon ion energies up to 10 MeV only from the track diameters. In addition, it can be used for discrimination between protons and carbon ions in a single etching process.Project funded by CSIC, Grant No. 2018501082, and by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovacion y Universidades, project MdM-2016-0692-17-2 via a predoctoral grant of type Maria de Maeztu FPI. Nuclear track detector material and readout equipment have been provided by Radosys Ldt. (Budapest). The authors acknowledge the contributions and commitment of the CNA accelerator operators. MS would like to thank L. Ballesteros and J. Ortiz for their support with precision equipment.Seimetz, M.; Peñas, J.; Llerena, JJ.; Benlliure, J.; García López, J.; Millán-Callado, MA.; Benlloch Baviera, JM. (2020). PADC nuclear track detector for ion spectroscopy in laser-plasma acceleration. Physica Medica. 76:72-76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejmp.2020.06.005S727676Kodaira, S., Kitamura, H., Kurano, M., Kawashima, H., & Benton, E. R. (2019). Contribution to dose in healthy tissue from secondary target fragments in therapeutic proton, He and C beams measured with CR-39 plastic nuclear track detectors. Scientific Reports, 9(1). doi:10.1038/s41598-019-39598-0Scampoli, P., Casale, M., Durante, M., Grossi, G., Pugliese, M., & Gialanella, G. (2001). Low-energy light ion irradiation beam-line for radiobiological studies. Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms, 174(3), 337-343. doi:10.1016/s0168-583x(00)00622-4WADA, S., KOBAYASHI, Y., FUNAYAMA, T., NATSUHORI, M., ITO, N., & YAMAMOTO, K. (2002). Detection of DNA Damage in Individual Cells Induced by Heavy-ion Irradiation with an Non-denaturing Comet Assay. 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Separated cross sections in \pi^0 electroproduction at threshold at Q^2 = 0.05 GeV^2/c^2

The differential cross sections \sigma_0=\sigma_T+\epsilon \sigma_L, \sigma_{LT}, and \sigma_{TT} of \pi^0 electroproduction from the proton were measured from threshold up to an additional center of mass energy of 40 MeV, at a value of the photon four-momentum transfer of Q^2= 0.05 GeV^2/c^2 and a center of mass angle of \theta=90^\circ. By an additional out-of-plane measurement with polarized electrons \sigma_{LT'} was determined. This showed for the first time the cusp effect above the \pi^+ threshold in the imaginary part of the s-wave. The predictions of Heavy Baryon Chiral Perturbation Theory are in disagreement with these data. On the other hand, the data are somewhat better predicted by the MAID phenomenological model and are in good agreement with the dynamical model DMT.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

Measurements of the \gamma * p --> \Delta(1232) reaction at low Q2

We report new p$(\vec{e},e^\prime p)\pi^\circ$ measurements in the $\Delta^{+}(1232)$ resonance at the low momentum transfer region utilizing the magnetic spectrometers of the A1 Collaboration at MAMI. The mesonic cloud dynamics are predicted to be dominant and appreciably changing in this region while the momentum transfer is sufficiently low to be able to test chiral effective calculations. The results disagree with predictions of constituent quark models and are in reasonable agreement with dynamical calculations with pion cloud effects, chiral effective field theory and lattice calculations. The reported measurements suggest that improvement is required to the theoretical calculations and provide valuable input that will allow their refinements

Final State Interaction Effects in pol 3He(pol e,e'p)

Asymmetries in quasi-elastic pol 3He(pol e,e'p) have been measured at a momentum transfer of 0.67 (GeV/c)^2 and are compared to a calculation which takes into account relativistic kinematics in the final state and a relativistic one-body current operator. With an exact solution of the Faddeev equation for the 3He-ground state and an approximate treatment of final state interactions in the continuum good agreement is found with the experimental data.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Phys. Lett. B, revised version, sensitivity study to relativity and NN-potential adde

Measurement of the Beam-Recoil Polarization in Low-Energy Virtual Compton Scattering from the Proton

Double-polarization observables in the reaction $\vec{e}p \rightarrow e'\vec{p'}\gamma{}$ have been measured at $Q^2=0.33 (GeV/c)^2$. The experiment was performed at the spectrometer setup of the A1 Collaboration using the 855 MeV polarized electron beam provided by the Mainz Microtron (MAMI) and a recoil proton polarimeter. From the double-polarization observables the structure function $P_{LT}^\perp$ is extracted for the first time, with the value $(-15.4 \pm 3.3 (stat.)^{+1.5}_{-2.4} (syst.)) GeV^{-2}$, using the low-energy theorem for Virtual Compton Sattering. This structure function provides a hitherto unmeasured linear combination of the generalized polarizabilities of the proton

Lowest Q^2 Measurement of the gamma*p -> Delta Reaction: Probing the Pionic Contribution

To determine nonspherical angular momentum amplitudes in hadrons at long ranges (low Q^2), data were taken for the p(\vec{e},e'p)\pi^0 reaction in the Delta region at Q^2=0.060 (GeV/c)^2 utilizing the magnetic spectrometers of the A1 Collaboration at MAMI. The results for the dominant transition magnetic dipole amplitude and the quadrupole to dipole ratios at W=1232 MeV are: M_{1+}^{3/2} = (40.33 +/- 0.63_{stat+syst} +/- 0.61_{model}) (10^{-3}/m_{\pi^+}),Re(E_{1+}^{3/2}/M_{1+}^{3/2}) = (-2.28 +/- 0.29_{stat+syst} +/- 0.20_{model})%, and Re(S_{1+}^{3/2}/M_{1+}^{3/2}) = (-4.81 +/- 0.27_{stat+syst} +/- 0.26_{model})%. These disagree with predictions of constituent quark models but are in reasonable agreement with lattice calculations with non-linear (chiral) pion mass extrapolations, with chiral effective field theory, and with dynamical models with pion cloud effects. These results confirm the dominance, and general Q^2 variation, of the pionic contribution at large distances.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, 1 tabl

Measurement of the LT-asymmetry in \pi^0 electroproduction at the energy of the \Delta (1232) resonance

The reaction p(e,e'p)pi^0 has been studied at Q^2=0.2 (GeV/c)^2 in the region of W=1232 MeV. From measurements left and right of q, cross section asymmetries \rho_LT have been obtained in forward kinematics \rho_LT(\theta_\pi^0=20deg) = (-11.68 +/- 2.36_stat +/- 2.36_sys)$ and backward kinematics \rho_LT(\theta_\pi^0=160deg) =(12.18 +/- 0.27_stat +/- 0.82_sys). Multipole ratios \Re(S_1+^* M_1+)/|M_1+|^2 and \Re(S_0+^* M_1+)/|M_1+|^2 were determined in the framework of the MAID2003 model. The results are in agreement with older data. The unusally strong negative \Re(S_0+^* M_1+)/|M_1+|^2 required to bring also the result of Kalleicher et al. in accordance with the rest of the data is almost excluded.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figures, 4 tables. Changed content. Accepted for publication in EPJ

Self energies of the pion and the delta isobar from the ^3He(e,e'pi^+)^3H reaction

In a kinematically complete experiment at the Mainz microtron MAMI, pion angular distributions of the $^3$He(e,e'$\pi^+)^3$H reaction have been measured in the excitation region of the $\Delta$ resonance to determine the longitudinal ($L$), transverse ($T$), and the $LT$ interference part of the differential cross section. The data are described only after introducing self-energy modifications of the pion and $\Delta$-isobar propagators. Using Chiral Perturbation Theory (ChPT) to extrapolate the pion self energy as inferred from the measurement on the mass shell, we deduce a reduction of the $\pi^+$ mass of $\Delta m_{\pi^+} = (-1.7^{+ 1.7}_{- 2.1})$ MeV/c$^2$ in the neutron-rich nuclear medium at a density of $\rho = (0.057^{+ 0.085}_{- 0.057})$ fm$^{-3}$. Our data are consistent with the $\Delta$ self energy determined from measurements of $\pi^0$ photoproduction from $^4$He and heavier nuclei.Comment: Elsart, 12 pages and 4 figures, Correspondent: Professor Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Achim Richter, [email protected], submitted to Phys. Rev. Let

Preparation and characterization of micro-nano engineered targets for high-power laser experiments

[EN] The continuous development of ultra-fast high-power lasers (HPL) technology with the ability of working at unprecedented repetition rates, between 1 and 10 Hz, is raising the target needs for experiments in the different areas of interest to the HPL community. Many target designs can be conceived according to specific scientific issues, however to guarantee manufacturing abilities that enable large number production and still allow for versatility in the design is the main barrier in the exploitation of these high repetition rate facilities. Here, we have applied MEMS based manufacturing processes for this purpose. In particular, we have focused on the fabrication and characterization of submicrometric conductive membranes embedded in a silicon frame. These kinds of solid targets are used for laser-driven particle acceleration through the so-called Target Normal Sheath Acceleration mechanism (TNSA). They were obtained by top-down fabrication alternating pattern transfer, atomic layer deposition, and selective material etching. The adaptability of the approach is then analyzed and discussed by evaluating different properties of targets for use in laser-driven particle acceleration experiments. These characteristics include the surface properties of membranes after fabrication and the high density of the target array. Finally, we were able to show their efficiency for laser-driven proton acceleration in a series of experiments with a 3 TW table-top laser facility, achieving stable proton acceleration up to 2 MeV.The authors highly appreciate the collaboration of Radosys (Budapest) which provided CR-39 detector material, etching bath, and readout equipment. This project has been financed by the Spanish Ministry for Economy and Competitiveness within the Retos-Colaboracion 2015 initiative, ref. RTC-2015-3278-1. P. Mur has received a grant of the Garantia Juvenil 2015 program. This work has made use of the Spanish ICTS Network MICRONANOFABS partially supported by MEINCOM.Zaffino, R.; Seimetz, M.; Quirión, D.; Ruiz-De La Cruz, A.; Sánchez, I.; Mur, P.; Benlliure, J.... (2018). Preparation and characterization of micro-nano engineered targets for high-power laser experiments. Microelectronic Engineering. 194:67-70. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mee.2018.03.011S677019

Measurement of the Electric Form Factor of the Neutron at Q^2 = 0.3-0.8 (GeV/c)^2

The electric form factor of the neutron, G_En, has been measured at the Mainz Microtron by recoil polarimetry in the quasielastic D(e_pol,e'n_pol)p reaction. Three data points have been extracted at squared four-momentum transfers Q^2 = 0.3, 0.6 and 0.8 (GeV/c)^2. Corrections for nuclear binding effects have been applied.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publication in EPJ