Longitudinal and Transverse Wakefields Simulations and Studies in Dielectric-Coated Circular Waveguides

In recent years, there has been a growing interest and rapid experimental progress on the use of e.m. fields produced by electron beams passing through dielectric-lined structures and on the effects they might have on the drive and witness bunches. Short ultra-relativistic electron bunches can excite very intense wakefields, which provide an efficient acceleration through the dielectric wakefield accelerators (DWA) scheme with higher gradient than that in the conventional RF LINAC. These beams can also generate high power narrow band THz coherent Cherenkov radiation. These high gradient fields may create strong instabilities on the beam itself causing issues in plasma acceleration experiments (PWFA), plasma lensing experiments and in recent beam diagnostic applications. In this work we report the results of the simulations and studies of the wakefields generated by electron beams at different lengths and charges passing on and off axis in dielectric-coated circular waveguides. We also propose a semi-analytical method to calculate these high gradient fields without resorting to time consuming simulations

CARATTERIZZAZIONE ACUSTICA DI NANOBOLLE LIPIDICHE

Vengono riportate misure riguardo l’efficienza di scattering di nanobolle lipidiche con diametro medio di 200 nm contenenti tetradecafluoroesano; le misure, effettuate con la tecnica pulse-echo, rivelano un’attenuazione dipendente dalla concentrazione in soluzione delle nanobolle con valori che, per una concentrazione del 35% di nanobolle in hepes, raggiungono, a 14 MHz, il valore di circa 6 dB/cm. Tale valore è confrontabile con le attenuazioni prodotte da agenti di contrasto commercialmente disponibili come, ad esempio, il SonoVue®. È stata inoltre utilizzata una tecnica fotoacustica per la valutazione dell’efficacia di intrappolamento del gas all’interno delle nanobolle, riscontrando, anche in questo caso, valori simili a quelli misurati nel SonoVue®

Advanced stabilization methods of plasma devices for plasma-based acceleration

Towards the next generation of compact plasma-based accelerators, useful in several fields, such as basic research, medicine and industrial applications, a great effort is required to control the plasma creation, the necessity of producing a time-jitter free channel, and its stability namely uniformity and reproducibility. In this Letter, we describe an experimental campaign adopting a gas-filled discharge-capillary where the plasma and its generation are stabilized by triggering its ignition with an external laser pulse or an innovative technique based on the primary dark current (DC) in the accelerating structure of a linear accelerator (LINAC). The results show an efficient stabilization of the discharge pulse and plasma density with both pre-ionizing methods turning the plasma device into a symmetrical stable accelerating environment, especially when the external voltage is lowered near the breakdown value of the gas. The development of tens of centimeter long capillaries is enabled and, in turn, longer acceleration lengths can be adopted in a wide range of plasma-based acceleration experiments

Adiabatic plasma lens experiments at SPARC

Abstract Passive plasma lenses in the underdense regime have been shown to give extremely strong linear focusing, with strength proportional to the local plasma ion density. This technique has been proposed as the basis of a scheme for future linear colliders that mitigates the Oide effect through adiabatic focusing. In this scenario the plasma density in the lens is ramped slowly on the scale of betatron motion, to funnel the beam to its final focus while forgiving chromatic aberrations. We present to the physics design of an adiabatic plasma lens experiment to be performed at SPARC Lab. We illustrate the self-consistent plasma response and associated beam optics for symmetric beams in plasma, simulated by QuickPIC using exponentially rising density profiles. We discuss experimental plans including plasma source development and betatron-radiation-based beam diagnostics

Gas-filled Capillaries for Plasma-Based Accelerators

Plasma Wakefield Accelerators are based on the excitation of large amplitude plasma waves excited by either a laser or a particle driver beam. The amplitude of the waves, as well as their spatial dimensions and the consequent accelerating gradient depend strongly on the background electron density along the path of the accelerated particles. The process needs stable and reliable plasma sources, whose density profile must be controlled and properly engineered to ensure the appropriate accelerating mechanism. Plasma confinement inside gas filled capillaries have been studied in the past since this technique allows to control the evolution of the plasma, ensuring a stable and repeatable plasma density distribution during the interaction with the drivers. Moreover, in a gas filled capillary plasma can be pre-ionized by a current discharge to avoid ionization losses. Different capillary geometries have been studied to allow the proper temporal and spatial evolution of the plasma along the acceleration length. Results of this analysis obtained by varying the length and the number of gas inlets will be presented

Art therapy for Parkinson's disease.

Abstract Objective To explore the potential rehabilitative effect of art therapy and its underlying mechanisms in Parkinson's disease (PD). Methods Observational study of eighteen patients with PD, followed in a prospective, open-label, exploratory trial. Before and after twenty sessions of art therapy, PD patients were assessed with the UPDRS, Pegboard Test, Timed Up and Go Test (TUG), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Modified Fatigue Impact Scale and PROMIS-Self-Efficacy, Montreal Cognitive Assessment, Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test (RCFT), Benton Visual Recognition Test (BVRT), Navon Test, Visual Search, and Stop Signal Task. Eye movements were recorded during the BVRT. Resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) was also performed to assess functional connectivity (FC) changes within the dorsal attention (DAN), executive control (ECN), fronto-occipital (FOC), salience (SAL), primary and secondary visual (V1, V2) brain networks. We also tested fourteen age-matched healthy controls at baseline. Results At baseline, PD patients showed abnormal visual-cognitive functions and eye movements. Analyses of rs-fMRI showed increased functional connectivity within DAN and ECN in patients compared to controls. Following art therapy, performance improved on Navon test, eye tracking, and UPDRS scores. Rs-fMRI analysis revealed significantly increased FC levels in brain regions within V1 and V2 networks. Interpretation Art therapy improves overall visual-cognitive skills and visual exploration strategies as well as general motor function in patients with PD. The changes in brain connectivity highlight a functional reorganization of visual networks

Fast algorithm for real-time rings reconstruction

The GAP project is dedicated to study the application of GPU in several contexts in which real-time response is important to take decisions. The definition of real-time depends on the application under study, ranging from answer time of μs up to several hours in case of very computing intensive task. During this conference we presented our work in low level triggers [1] [2] and high level triggers [3] in high energy physics experiments, and specific application for nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) [4] [5] and cone-beam CT [6]. Apart from the study of dedicated solution to decrease the latency due to data transport and preparation, the computing algorithms play an essential role in any GPU application. In this contribution, we show an original algorithm developed for triggers application, to accelerate the ring reconstruction in RICH detector when it is not possible to have seeds for reconstruction from external trackers

Operational experience on the generation and control of high brightness electron bunch trains at SPARC-LAB

Sub-picosecond, high-brightness electron bunch trains are routinely produced at SPARC-LAB via the velocity bunching technique. Such bunch trains can be used to drive multi-color Free Electron Lasers (FELs) and plasma wake field accelerators. In this paper we present recent results at SPARC-LAB on the generation of such beams, highlighting the key points of our scheme. We will discuss also the on-going machine upgrades to allow driving FELs with plasma accelerated beams or with short electron pulses at an increased energy