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At least 37 records · Page 2

SU-E-T-415: Experimental Determination of the Relative Stopping Power of TRUFILL N-BCA Liquid Embolic System in a Clinical Proton Beam

Purpose: Patients who undergo n-BCA glue embolization as part of treatment for AVMs are later referred for proton therapy. Knowing the relative stopping power of the glue accurately allows us to perform accurate dose calculations. In this study we experimentally determine the relative stopping power of an n-BCA mixture in a 126 MeV and 149.6 MeV proton beams. Methods: One unit of the TRUFILL™ n-BCA liquid embolic system consists of 1g unit of n-BCA, 1g unit of Tantalum powder and one 10mL vial of Ethiodized oil. The physician mixed 3:1 Ethiodized oil to n-BCA. Five units (20cc) of the n-BCA liquid embolic glue were prepared and placed in a 6cm x 3cm x3cm Lucite container. The container was placed in front of a water tank in the proton beam path. A diamond detector (active volume 0.004mm3) was used to measure distal edge of depth dose of a modulated 126 MeV proton beam collimated using a 3cm brass aperture. The procedure was repeated with a container carrying the same amount of water placed in front of the water tank. The difference in the depth dose measured with glue and with water was used to determine the relative stopping power of the glue. The same determination was done earlier at 149.6 MeV using a different smaller sample (4cc) of n-BCA. Results: The relative stopping power of this particular n-BCA mixture was determined to be 1.06 at both 126 MeV and 149.6 MeV. We are working on obtaining the composition data of the n-BCA glue so we can perform Monte Carlo calculations. Conclusion: Accurate value of the stopping power of the n-BCA glue in the proton beam was determined to be 1.06. It will improve the accuracy of dose calculations in proton radiosurgery procedures on AVM patients with n-BCA embolization.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Stopping power measurements with the Time-of-Flight (ToF) technique

In our review of measurements of the stopping power of ions in matter is presented along with new measurements of the stopping powers of O, Si, Ti, and Au ions in self-supporting thin foils of SiO 2 , Nb 2 O 5 , and Ta 2 O 5 . Moreover, a Time-of-Flight system at the Ion Beam Materials Laboratory at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, was used in transmission geometry in order to reduce experimental uncertainties. Finally, the resulting stopping powers show good precision and accuracy and corroborate previously quoted values in the literature. New stopping data are determined.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Influence of a strong laser field on Coulomb explosion and stopping power of energetic H{sub 3}{sup +} clusters in plasmas

The influence of a high-intensity laser field on the Coulomb explosion and stopping power for a swift H{sub 3}{sup +} cluster ion in a plasma target is studied by means of the molecular dynamic (MD) method based on the linearized Vlasov-Poisson theory. Excitations of the plasma are described by the classical plasma dielectric function. In the presence of the laser field, the general expressions for the induced potential in the target and the interaction force among the ions within the cluster are derived. Based on the numerical solution of the equations of motion for the constituent ions, the Coulomb explosion patterns and the cluster's stopping power are discussed for a range of laser parameters. Numerical results show that the laser field affects the correlation between the ions and contributes to weaken the wake effect and the stopping power as compared to the laser-free case. On the other hand, the stopping power ratio of H{sub 3}{sup +} cluster is higher than the situation of dicluster of H{sub 2}{sup +} due to the vicinage effect in the cluster.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Intermediate energy proton stopping power for hydrogen molecules and monoatomic helium gas

Stopping power in the intermediate energy region (100 keV to 1 MeV) was investigated, based on the work of Lindhard and Winther, and on the local plasma model. The theory is applied to calculate stopping power of hydrogen molecules and helium gas for protons of energy ranging from 100 keV to 2.5 MeV. Agreement with the experimental data is found to be within 10 percent.

Xu, Y. J.↗

Intermediate energy proton stopping power for hydrogen molecules and monoatomic helium gas

Stopping power in the intermediate energy region (100 keV to 1 MeV) was investigated, based on the work of Lindhard and Winther, and on the local plasma model. The theory is applied to calculate stopping power of hydrogen molecules and helium gas for protons of energy ranging from 100 keV to 2.5 MeV. Agreement with the experimental data is found to be within 10 percent. Previously announced in STAR as N84-16955

Xu, Y. J.↗

Time-dependent orbital-free density functional theory for electronic stopping power: Comparison to the Mermin-Kohn-Sham theory at high temperatures

Electronic stopping power in warm dense matter can affect energy transport and heating in astrophysical processes and internal confinement fusion. For cold condensed matter systems, stopping power can be modeled from first-principles using real-time time-dependent density functional theory (DFT). However, high temperatures (10's to 100's of eV) may be computationally prohibitive for traditional Mermin-Kohn-Sham DFT. New experimental measurements in the warm dense regime motivates the development of first-principles approaches, which can reach these temperatures. Here, we have developed a time-dependent orbital-free density functional theory, which includes a novel nonadiabatic and temperature-dependent kinetic energy density functional, for the simulation of stopping power at any temperature. The approach is nonlinear with respect to the projectile perturbation, includes all ions and electrons, and does not require a priori determination of screened interaction potentials. Finally, our results compare favorably with Kohn-Sham for temperatures in the WDM regime, especially nearing 100 eV.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Reproducibility of real-time time-dependent density functional theory calculations of electronic stopping power in warm dense matter

Real-time time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) is widely considered to be the most accurate available method for calculating electronic stopping powers from first principles, but there have been relatively few assessments of the consistency of its predictions across different implementations. This problem is particularly acute in the warm dense regime, where computational costs are high and experimental validation is rare and resource intensive. We report a comprehensive cross-verification of stopping power calculations in conditions relevant to inertial confinement fusion conducted using four different TDDFT implementations. We find excellent agreement among both the post-processed stopping powers and relevant time-resolved quantities for alpha particles in warm dense hydrogen. We also analyze sensitivities to a wide range of methodological details, including the exchange-correlation model, pseudopotentials, initial conditions, observable from which the stopping power is extracted, averaging procedures, projectile trajectory, and finite-size effects. We show that among these details, pseudopotentials, trajectory-dependence, and finite-size effects have the strongest influence, and we discuss different strategies for controlling the latter two considerations.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Sci-Sat AM: Radiation Dosimetry and Practical Therapy Solutions - 11: Commissioning of a system for the measurement of electron stopping powers

Purpose: To develop the techniques required to experimentally determine electron stopping powers for application in primary standards and dosimetry protocols. Method and Materials: A large-volume HPGe detector system (>80% efficiency) was commissioned for the measurement of high energy (5–35 MeV) electron beams. As a proof of principle the system was used with a Y-90/Sr-90 radioactive source. Thin plates of absorbing material (< 0.1 gcm-2) were then placed between the source and detector and the emerging electron spectrum was acquired. The full experimental geometry was modelled using the EGSnrc package to validate the detector design, optimize the experimental setup and compare measured and calculated spectra. Results: The biggest challenge using a beta source was to identify a robust spectral parameter to determine for each measurement. An end-point-fitting routine was used to determine the maximum energy, Emax, of the beta spectrum for each absorber thickness t. The parameter dEmax/dt is related to the electron stopping power and the same routine was applied to both measured and simulated spectra. Although the standard uncertainty in dEmax/dt was of the order of 5 %, by taking the ratio of measured and Monte Carlo values for dEmax/dt the uncertainty of the fitting routine was eliminated and the uncertainty was reduced to less than 2 %. The agreement between measurement and simulation was within this uncertainty estimate. Conclusion: The investigation confirmed the experimental approach and demonstrated that EGSnrc could accurately determine correction factors that will be required for the final measurement setup in a linac beam.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗

Effects of Coulomb coupling on stopping power and a link to macroscopic transport

Molecular dynamics simulations are used to assess the influence of Coulomb coupling on the energy evolution of charged projectiles in the classical one-component plasma. The average projectile kinetic energy is found to decrease linearly with time when ν α /ω p ≲ 10 –2 , where να is the Coulomb collision frequency between the projectile and the medium, and ω p is the plasma frequency. Stopping power is obtained from the slope of this curve. In comparison to the weakly coupled limit, strong Coulomb coupling causes the magnitude of the dimensionless stopping power, ( a/k B T ) dE / dx , to increase, the Bragg peak to shift to several times the plasma thermal speed, and for the stopping power curve to broaden substantially. The rate of change of the total projectile kinetic energy averaged over many independent simulations is shown to consist of two measurable components: a component associated with a one-dimensional friction force and a thermal energy exchange rate. In the limit of a slow and massive projectile, these can be related to the macroscopic transport rates of self-diffusion and temperature relaxation in the plasma. Simulation results are compared with available theoretical models for stopping power, self-diffusion, and temperature relaxation.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

SU-F-J-195: On the Performance of Four Dual Energy CT Formalisms for Extracting Proton Stopping Powers

Purpose: Dual energy CT can predict stopping power ratios (SPR) for ion therapy treatment planning. Several approaches have been proposed recently, however accuracy and practicability in a clinical workflow are unaddressed. The aim of this work is to provide a fair comparison of available approaches in a human-like phantom to find the optimal method for tissue characterization in a clinical situation. Methods: The SPR determination accuracy is investigated using simulated DECT images. A virtual human-like phantom is created containing 14 different standard human tissues. SECT (120 kV) and DECT images (100 kV and 140 kV Sn) are simulated using the software ImaSim. The single energy CT (SECT) stoichiometric calibration method and four recently published calibration-based DECT methods are implemented and used to predict the SPRs from simulated images. The difference between SPR predictions and theoretical SPR are compared pixelwize. Mean, standard deviation and skewness of the SPR difference distributions are used as measures for bias, dispersion and symmetry. Results: The average SPR differences and standard deviations are (0.22 ± 1.27)% for SECT, and A) (−0.26 ± 1.30)%, B) (0.08 ± 1.12)%, C) (0.06 ± 1.15)% and D) (−0.05 ± 1.05)% for the four DECT methods. While SPR prediction using SECT is showing a systematic error on SPR, the DECT methods B, C and D are unbiased. The skewness of the SECT distribution is 0.57%, and A) −0.19%, B) −0.56%, C) −0.29% and D) −0.07% for DECT methods respectively. Conclusion: The here presented DECT methods B, C and D outperform the commonly used SECT stoichiometric calibration. These methods predict SPR accurately without a bias and within ± 1.2% (68th percentile). This indicates that DECT potentially improves accuracy of range predictions in proton therapy. A validation of these findings using clinical CT images of real tissues is necessary.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Theoretical studies on the stopping power of deuterium-tritium mixed with uranium plasmas for α particles

The stopping power of a compressed and highly ionized deuterium-tritium (DT) and uranium (U) plasma for α particles at very high temperatures (T = 5 keV) is examined theoretically with the dimensional continuation method. We show that with increasing density of U, both the magnitude and width of the resonance peak in the stopping power (as a function of the α particle energy), increases because of the ions, while the penetration distance of the α particles decreases. A simple relation of decreasing penetration distance as a function of plasma density is observed, which may be useful for inertial confinement fusion experiments. Moreover, by comparing the results with the case of a DT plasma mixed with beryllium, we find that the effect of a higher Z plasma is stronger, with regard to energy loss as well as the penetration distance of α particles, than that of a lower Z plasma.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

SU-E-J-37: Combining Proton Radiography and X-Ray CT Information to Better Estimate Relative Proton Stopping Power in a Clinical Environment

Purpose: In standard proton therapy clinical practice, proton stopping power uncertainties are in the order of 3.5%, which affects the ability of placing the proton Bragg peak at the edge of the tumor. The innovating idea of this project is to approach the uncertainty problem in RSP by using combined information from X-ray CT and proton radiography along a few beam angles. In addition, this project aims to quantify the systematic error introduced by the theoretical models (Janni, ICRU49, Bischel) for proton stopping power in media. Methods: A 3D phantom of 36 cm3 composed of 9 materials randomly placed is created. Measured RSP values are obtained using a Gammex phantom with a proton beam. Theoretical RSP values are calculated with Beth-Block equation in combination with three databases (Janni, ICRU49 and Bischel). Clinical RSP errors are simulated by introducing a systematic (1.5%, 2.5%, 3.5%) and a random error (+/−0.5%) to the theoretical RSP. A ray-tracing algorithm uses each of these RSP tables to calculate energy loss for proton crossing the phantom through various directions. For each direction, gradient descent (GD) method is done on the clinical RSP table to minimize the residual energy difference between the simulation with clinical RSP and with theoretical RSP. The possibility of a systematic material dependent error is investigated by comparing measured RSP to theoretical RSP as calculated from the three models. Results: Using 10,000 iterations on GD algorithm, RSP differences between theoretical values and clinical RSP have converged (<1%) for each error introduced. Results produced with ICRU49 have the smallest average difference (0.021%) to the measured RSP. Janni (1.168%) and Bischel (−0.372%) database shows larger systematic errors. Conclusion: Based on these results, ray-tracing optimisation using information from proton radiography and X-ray CT demonstrates a potential to improve the proton range accuracy in a clinical environment.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗

The influence of magnetic fields on the wake field and stopping power of an ion-beam pulse in plasmas

We performed two-dimensional particle-in-cell simulations to investigate how a magnetic field affects the wake field and stopping power of an ion-beam pulse moving in plasmas. The corresponding density of plasma electrons is investigated. At a weak magnetic field, the wakes exhibit typical V-shaped cone structures. As the magnetic field strengthens, the wakes spread and lose their typical V-shaped structures. At a sufficiently strong magnetic field, the wakes exhibit conversed V-shaped structures. Additionally, strengthening the magnetic field reduces the stopping power in regions of low and high beam density. However, the influence of the magnetic field becomes complicated in regions of moderate beam density. The stopping power increases in a weak magnetic field, but it decreases in a strong magnetic field. At high beam density and moderate magnetic field, two low-density channels of plasma electrons appear on both sides of the incident beam pulse trajectory. This is because electrons near the beam pulses will be attracted and move along with the beam pulses, while other electrons nearby are restricted by the magnetic field and cannot fill the gap.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

SU-F-J-193: Efficient Dose Extinction Method for Water Equivalent Path Length (WEPL) of Real Tissue Samples for Validation of CT HU to Stopping Power Conversion

Purpose: For proton therapy, an accurate model of CT HU to relative stopping power (RSP) conversion is essential. In current practice, validation of these models relies solely on measurements of tissue substitutes with standard compositions. Validation based on real tissue samples would be much more direct and can address variations between patients. This study intends to develop an efficient and accurate system based on the concept of dose extinction to measure WEPL and retrieve RSP in biological tissue in large number of types. Methods: A broad AP proton beam delivering a spread out Bragg peak (SOBP) is used to irradiate the samples with a Matrixx detector positioned immediately below. A water tank was placed on top of the samples, with the water level controllable in sub-millimeter by a remotely controlled dosing pump. While gradually lowering the water level with beam on, the transmission dose was recorded at 1 frame/sec. The WEPL were determined as the difference between the known beam range of the delivered SOBP (80%) and the water level corresponding to 80% of measured dose profiles in time. A Gammex 467 phantom was used to test the system and various types of biological tissue was measured. Results: RSP for all Gammex inserts, expect the one made with lung-450 material (<2% error), were determined within ±0.5% error. Depends on the WEPL of investigated phantom, a measurement takes around 10 min, which can be accelerated by a faster pump. Conclusion: Based on the concept of dose extinction, a system was explored to measure WEPL efficiently and accurately for a large number of samples. This allows the validation of CT HU to stopping power conversions based on large number of samples and real tissues. It also allows the assessment of beam uncertainties due to variations over patients, which issue has never been sufficiently studied before.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Study of stopping power for a proton moving in a plasma with arbitrary degeneracy

Excitation of bulk solid electrons with arbitrary degeneracy, by external charged particles, is investigated by a two-dimensional nonlinear quantum hydrodynamic (QHD) model. The nonlinear stopping power and wake potential are calculated by solving the nonlinear QHD equations with the flux corrected transport numerical method. Two cases of fully degenerated and partially degenerated electrons are compared and discussed in the same self-consistent QHD model. Our results are consistent with the well known dielectric calculation of the stopping power at higher velocity, but include the nonlinear terms of the interactions and give larger stopping power at smaller velocity.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Measuring stopping power in warm dense matter plasmas at OMEGA

A platform has been developed for accurately measuring the stopping power of high energy protons through warm dense matter (WDM) plasmas characterized by x-ray Thomson scattering. Here, in this work, stopping power measurements were successfully made through both WDM Beryllium and Boron plasmas. In the Boron experiments, an increase in stopping was observed over their cold target counter-parts. This increase in stopping was shown to agree well with models that account for the partial ionization of the plasma.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Nonlinear wake potential and stopping power for charged particles interacting with a one-dimensional electron gas

We examine the interaction of particles with a one-dimensional electron gas by employing the quantum hydrodynamic (QHD) theory, where the nonlinear wake potential and stopping power have been numerically calculated by solving the nonlinear QHD equations with flux corrected transport (FCT) numerical method. In our calculation, the nonlinear effects on the wake potential and stopping power are clearly observed and presented. In the moving coordinate, comparisons are made between the nonlinear and linear wake potentials, in which the maximum values are larger and more oscillations appear behind the projectile in a nonlinear case in contrast to that in a linear case. The nonlinear wake potentials show a clear dependence on time, that is, the FCT algorithm solves the nonlinear QHD equations by time integration starting from the initial time. It is shown that the nonlinear effects can enhance the wake potential and stopping power for particle velocities greater than a few Bohr velocities.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗