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At least 487 records · Page 27
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2016

High intensity multi beam design of SANS instrument for Dhruva reactor

A new and versatile design of Small Angle Neutron Scattering (SANS) instrument based on utilization of multi-beam is presented. The multi-pinholes and multi-slits as SANS collimator for medium flux Dhruva rearctor have been proposed and their designs have been validated using McStas simulations. Various instrument configurations to achieve different minimum wave vector transfers in scattering experiments are envisioned. These options enable smooth access to minimum wave vector transfers as low as ~ 6×10{sup −4} Å{sup −1} with a significant improvement in neutron intensity, allowing faster measurements. Such angularly well defined and intense neutron beam will allow faster SANS studies of agglomerates larger than few tens of nm.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

NSLS-II beamline scattered gas bremsstrahlung radiation shielding calculation

National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) is a new state-of-the-art 3rd generation synchrotron. The NSLS-II facility is shielded up to 3 GeV electron beam energy at 500 mA. When the gas bremsstrahlung (GB) from the storage ring is scattered by the beamline components in the first optical enclosure (FOE), the scattered radiation will pose additional radiation hazard (bypassing primary GB collimators and stops) and challenge the FOE shielding. The scattered GB radiation hazard can be mitigated by supplementary shielding or with an exclusion zone downstream of the FOE.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Sequential x-ray diffraction topography at 1-BM x-ray optics testing beamline at the advanced photon source

We report progress on implementation and commissioning of sequential X-ray diffraction topography at 1-BM Optics Testing Beamline of the Advanced Photon Source to accommodate growing needs of strain characterization in diffractive crystal optics and other semiconductor single crystals. The setup enables evaluation of strain in single crystals in the nearly-nondispersive double-crystal geometry. Si asymmetric collimator crystals of different crystallographic orientations were designed, fabricated and characterized using in-house capabilities. Imaging the exit beam using digital area detectors permits rapid sequential acquisition of X-ray topographs at different angular positions on the rocking curve of a crystal under investigation. Results on sensitivity and spatial resolution are reported based on experiments with high-quality Si and diamond crystals. The new setup complements laboratory-based X-ray topography capabilities of the Optics group at the Advanced Photon Source.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2016

Development of the radial neutron camera system for the HL-2A tokamak

A new radial neutron camera system has been developed and operated recently in the HL-2A tokamak to measure the spatial and time resolved 2.5 MeV D-D fusion neutron, enhancing the understanding of the energetic-ion physics. The camera mainly consists of a multichannel collimator, liquid-scintillation detectors, shielding systems, and a data acquisition system. Measurements of the D-D fusion neutrons using the camera have been successfully performed during the 2015 HL-2A experiment campaign. The measurements show that the distribution of the fusion neutrons in the HL-2A plasma has a peaked profile, suggesting that the neutral beam injection beam ions in the plasma have a peaked distribution. It also suggests that the neutrons are primarily produced from beam-target reactions in the plasma core region. The measurement results from the neutron camera are well consistent with the results of both a standard {sup 235}U fission chamber and NUBEAM neutron calculations. In this paper, the new radial neutron camera system on HL-2A and the first experimental results are described.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2016

A high performance neutron powder diffractometer at 3 MW Triga Mark-II research reactor in Bangladesh

A high performance neutron diffractometer called Savar Neutron Diffractometer (SAND) was built and installed at radial beam port-2 of TRIGA Mark II research reactor at AERE, Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Structural studies of materials are being done by this technique to characterize materials crystallograpohically and magnetically. The micro-structural information obtainable by neutron scattering method is very essential for determining its technological applications. This technique is unique for understanding the magnetic behavior in magnetic materials. Ceramic, steel, electronic and electric industries can be benefited from this facility for improving their products and fabrication process. This instrument consists of a Popovicimonochromator with a large linear position sensitive detector array. The monochromator consists of nine blades of perfect single crystal of silicon with 6 mm thickness each. The monochromator design was optimized to provide maximum flux on 3 mm diameter cylindrical sample with a relatively flat angular dependence of resolution. Five different wave lengths can be selected by orienting the crystal at various angles. A sapphire filter was used before the primary collimator to minimize the first neutron. The detector assembly is composed of 15 linear position sensitive proportional counters placed at either 1.1 m or 1.6 m from the sample position and enclosed in a air pad supported high density polythene shield. Position sensing is obtained by charge division using 1-wide NIM position encoding modules (PEM). The PEMs communicate with the host computer via USB. The detector when placed at 1.1 m, subtends 30° (2θ) at each step and covers 120° in 4 steps. When the detector is placed at 1.6 m it subtends 20° at each step and covers 120° in 6 steps. The instrument supports both low and high temperature sample environment. The instrument supports both low and high temperature sample environment. The diffractometer is a state-of-the art technology for diffraction study in our country.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2016

A fiber-coupled displacement measuring interferometer for determination of the posture of a reflective surface

A fiber-coupled displacement measuring interferometer capable of determining of the posture of a reflective surface of a measuring mirror is proposed. The newly constructed instrument combines fiber-coupled displacement and angular measurement technologies. The proposed interferometer has advantages of both the fiber-coupled and the spatially beam-separated interferometer. A portable dual-position sensitive detector (PSD)-based unit within this proposed interferometer measures the parallelism of the two source beams to guide the fiber-coupling adjustment. The portable dual PSD-based unit measures not only the pitch and yaw of the retro-reflector but also measures the posture of the reflective surface. The experimental results of displacement calibration show that the deviations between the proposed interferometer and a reference one, Agilent 5530, at two different common beam directions are both less than ±35 nm, thus verifying the effectiveness of the beam parallelism measurement. The experimental results of angular calibration show that deviations of pitch and yaw with the auto-collimator (as a reference) are less than ±2 arc sec, thus proving the proposed interferometer’s effectiveness for determination of the posture of a reflective surface.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2016

A novel double-focusing time-of-flight mass spectrometer for absolute recoil ion cross sections measurements

In this work, the inclusion of an Einzel-like lens inside the time-of-flight drift tube of a standard mass spectrometer coupled to a gas cell—to study ionization of atoms and molecules by electron impact—is described. Both this lens and a conical collimator are responsible for further focalization of the ions and charged molecular fragments inside the spectrometer, allowing a much better resolution at the time-of-flight spectra, leading to a separation of a single mass-to-charge unit up to 100 a.m.u. The procedure to obtain the overall absolute efficiency of the spectrometer and micro-channel plate detector is also discussed.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

Compensating slice emittance growth in high brightness photoinjectors using sacrificial charge

Achieving maximum electron beam brightness in photoinjectors requires detailed control of the 3D bunch shape and precise tuning of the beam focusing. Even in state-of-the-art designs, slice emittance growth due to nonlinear space charge forces and partial nonlaminarity often remains non-negligible. In this work, we introduce a new means to linearize the transverse slice phase space: a sacrificial portion of the bunch’s own charge distribution, formed into a wavebroken shock front by highly nonlinear space charge forces within the gun, whose downstream purpose is to dynamically linearize the desired bunch core. We show that linearization of an appropriately prepared bunch can be achieved via strongly nonlaminar focusing of the sacrificial shock front, while the inner core focuses laminarly. This leads to a natural spatial separation of the two distributions: a dense core surrounded by a diffuse halo of sacrificial charge that can be collimated. Multiobjective genetic algorithm optimizations of the ultracompact x-ray free electron laser injector employ this concept, and we interpret it with an analytic model that agrees well with the simulations. In simulation, we demonstrate a final bunch charge of 100 pC, peak current ∼ 30 A, and a sacrificial charge of 150 pC (250 pC total emitted from cathode) with normalized emittance growth of < 20 nm rad due to space charge. This implies a maximum achievable brightness approximately an order of magnitude greater than existing free electron laser injector designs. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Analytic descriptions of parabolic X-ray mirrors

On X-ray beamlines and telescopes, glancing-incidence mirrors with parabolic profiles are used to collimate, focus, and collect light. Here, analytic descriptions for paraboloidal, plane-parabolic, and parabolic cylindrical mirrors in several congruent geometries that are commonly used in fabrication, metrology, and modeling are provided. The exact expressions are derived directly from Fermat's principle, without coordinate transformations, in several mirror-centered coordinate systems, including one with the surface tangent to the central point of intersection. Coefficients for a sixth-order polynomial series approximation are calculated for that coordinate system.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Characterization of a Pixelated Cadmium Telluride Detector System Using a Polychromatic X-Ray Source and Gold Nanoparticle-Loaded Phantoms for Benchtop X-Ray Fluorescence Imaging

In this paper, the imaging dose and scan time have been considered as the two major constraints for routine benchtop x-ray fluorescence computed tomography (XFCT) imaging. One way to address this issue is to acquire x-ray fluorescence (XRF) signals in parallel through a 2D array of single-crystal detectors or a pixelated detector along with the cone-beam x-ray source. To identify a detector system suitable for this purpose, a commercially available, fully spectroscopic cadmium telluride (CdTe) pixelated detector, HEXITEC (High-Energy X-ray Imaging Technology), was tested under the experimental conditions optimized for benchtop XFCT imaging of gold nanoparticles (GNPs). Specifically, two different parallel-hole stainless steel collimators were fabricated and coupled with the detector for seamless integration into our existing benchtop cone-beam XFCT system. After the detector deployment, this benchtop XFCT system was used to detect XRF photons from GNP-loaded phantoms. A pixel-merging algorithm was introduced to enhance the sensitivity of XRF photon detection thereby minimizing the scan time. The effect of pixel-level charge sharing correction algorithms was investigated within the context of benchtop XFCT imaging. The detector energy resolution, in terms of the full width at half maximum (FWHM) values at different gold K-shell XRF energies, was also determined. Of the two charge sharing correction algorithms examined, the charge sharing addition gave better sensitivity than the charge sharing discrimination (csd). On the other hand, under the current experimental conditions, the energy resolution of the HEXITEC detector was the best with the csd and estimated to be 1.56 keV FWHM at 66-69 keV photon energy. Overall, despite some degradation of the detector energy resolution (compared with typical single crystal CdTe detectors), the HEXITEC detector enabled parallel data acquisition under the experimental conditions typical of benchtop XFCT imaging and operated well within our benchtop XFCT setup.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2015

Practical dose point-based methods to characterize dose distribution in a stationary elliptical body phantom for a cone-beam C-arm CT system

Purpose: To propose new dose point measurement-based metrics to characterize the dose distributions and the mean dose from a single partial rotation of an automatic exposure control-enabled, C-arm-based, wide cone angle computed tomography system over a stationary, large, body-shaped phantom. Methods: A small 0.6 cm{sup 3} ion chamber (IC) was used to measure the radiation dose in an elliptical body-shaped phantom made of tissue-equivalent material. The IC was placed at 23 well-distributed holes in the central and peripheral regions of the phantom and dose was recorded for six acquisition protocols with different combinations of minimum kVp (109 and 125 kVp) and z-collimator aperture (full: 22.2 cm; medium: 14.0 cm; small: 8.4 cm). Monte Carlo (MC) simulations were carried out to generate complete 2D dose distributions in the central plane (z = 0). The MC model was validated at the 23 dose points against IC experimental data. The planar dose distributions were then estimated using subsets of the point dose measurements using two proposed methods: (1) the proximity-based weighting method (method 1) and (2) the dose point surface fitting method (method 2). Twenty-eight different dose point distributions with six different point number cases (4, 5, 6, 7, 14, and 23 dose points) were evaluated to determine the optimal number of dose points and their placement in the phantom. The performances of the methods were determined by comparing their results with those of the validated MC simulations. The performances of the methods in the presence of measurement uncertainties were evaluated. Results: The 5-, 6-, and 7-point cases had differences below 2%, ranging from 1.0% to 1.7% for both methods, which is a performance comparable to that of the methods with a relatively large number of points, i.e., the 14- and 23-point cases. However, with the 4-point case, the performances of the two methods decreased sharply. Among the 4-, 5-, 6-, and 7-point cases, the 7-point case (1.0% [±0.6%] difference) and the 6-point case (0.7% [±0.6%] difference) performed best for method 1 and method 2, respectively. Moreover, method 2 demonstrated high-fidelity surface reconstruction with as few as 5 points, showing pixelwise absolute differences of 3.80 mGy (±0.32 mGy). Although the performance was shown to be sensitive to the phantom displacement from the isocenter, the performance changed by less than 2% for shifts up to 2 cm in the x- and y-axes in the central phantom plane. Conclusions: With as few as five points, method 1 and method 2 were able to compute the mean dose with reasonable accuracy, demonstrating differences of 1.7% (±1.2%) and 1.3% (±1.0%), respectively. A larger number of points do not necessarily guarantee better performance of the methods; optimal choice of point placement is necessary. The performance of the methods is sensitive to the alignment of the center of the body phantom relative to the isocenter. In body applications where dose distributions are important, method 2 is a better choice than method 1, as it reconstructs the dose surface with high fidelity, using as few as five points.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

Paddle-based rotating-shield brachytherapy

Purpose: The authors present a novel paddle-based rotating-shield brachytherapy (P-RSBT) method, whose radiation-attenuating shields are formed with a multileaf collimator (MLC), consisting of retractable paddles, to achieve intensity modulation in high-dose-rate brachytherapy. Methods: Five cervical cancer patients using an intrauterine tandem applicator were considered to assess the potential benefit of the P-RSBT method. The P-RSBT source used was a 50 kV electronic brachytherapy source (Xoft Axxent™). The paddles can be retracted independently to form multiple emission windows around the source for radiation delivery. The MLC was assumed to be rotatable. P-RSBT treatment plans were generated using the asymmetric dose–volume optimization with smoothness control method [Liu et al., Med. Phys. 41(11), 111709 (11pp.) (2014)] with a delivery time constraint, different paddle sizes, and different rotation strides. The number of treatment fractions (fx) was assumed to be five. As brachytherapy is delivered as a boost for cervical cancer, the dose distribution for each case includes the dose from external beam radiotherapy as well, which is 45 Gy in 25 fx. The high-risk clinical target volume (HR-CTV) doses were escalated until the minimum dose to the hottest 2 cm{sup 3} (D{sub 2cm{sup 3}}) of either the rectum, sigmoid colon, or bladder reached their tolerance doses of 75, 75, and 90 Gy{sub 3}, respectively, expressed as equivalent doses in 2 Gy fractions (EQD2 with α/β = 3 Gy). Results: P-RSBT outperformed the two other RSBT delivery techniques, single-shield RSBT (S-RSBT) and dynamic-shield RSBT (D-RSBT), with a properly selected paddle size. If the paddle size was angled at 60°, the average D{sub 90} increases for the delivery plans by P-RSBT on the five cases, compared to S-RSBT, were 2.2, 8.3, 12.6, 11.9, and 9.1 Gy{sub 10}, respectively, with delivery times of 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 min/fx. The increases in HR-CTV D{sub 90}, compared to D-RSBT, were 16.6, 12.9, 7.2, 3.7, and 1.7 Gy{sub 10}, respectively. P-RSBT HR-CTV D{sub 90}-values were insensitive to the paddle size for paddles angled at less than 60°. Increasing the paddle angle from 5° to 60° resulted in only a 0.6 Gy{sub 10} decrease in HR-CTV D{sub 90} on average for five cases when the delivery times were set to 15 min/fx. The HR-CTV D{sub 90} decreased to 2.5 and 11.9 Gy{sub 10} with paddle angles of 90° and 120°, respectively. Conclusions: P-RSBT produces treatment plans that are dosimetrically and temporally superior to those of S-RSBT and D-RSBT, although P-RSBT systems may be more mechanically challenging to develop than S-RSBT or D-RSBT. A P-RSBT implementation with 4–6 shield paddles would be sufficient to outperform S-RSBT and D-RSBT if delivery times are constrained to less than 15 min/fx.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

Technical Note: Motion-perturbation method applied to dosimetry of dynamic MLC target tracking—A proof-of-concept

Purpose: Previous studies show that dose to a moving target can be estimated using 4D measurement-guided dose reconstruction based on a process called virtual motion simulation, or VMS. A potential extension of VMS is to estimate dose during dynamic multileaf collimator (MLC)-tracking treatments. The authors introduce a modified VMS method and quantify its performance as proof-of-concept for tracking applications. Methods: Direct measurements with a moving biplanar diode array were used to verify accuracy of the VMS dose estimates. A tracking environment for variably sized circular MLC apertures was simulated by sending preprogrammed control points to the MLC while simultaneously moving the accelerator treatment table. Sensitivity of the method to simulated tracking latency (0–700 ms) was also studied. Potential applicability of VMS to fast changing beam apertures was evaluated by modeling, based on the demonstrated dependence of the cumulative dose on the temporal dose gradient. Results: When physical and virtual latencies were matched, the agreement rates (2% global/2 mm gamma) between the VMS and the biplanar dosimeter were above 96%. When compared to their own reference dose (0 induced latency), the agreement rates for VMS and biplanar array track closely up to 200 ms of induced latency with 10% low-dose cutoff threshold and 300 ms with 50% cutoff. Time-resolved measurements suggest that even in the modulated beams, the error in the cumulative dose introduced by the 200 ms VMS time resolution is not likely to exceed 0.5%. Conclusions: Based on current results and prior benchmarks of VMS accuracy, the authors postulate that this approach should be applicable to any MLC-tracking treatments where leaf speeds do not exceed those of the current Varian accelerators.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2015

Multipinhole SPECT helical scan parameters and imaging volume

Purpose: The authors developed SPECT imaging capability on an animal PET scanner using a multiple-pinhole collimator and step-and-shoot helical data acquisition protocols. The objective of this work was to determine the preferred helical scan parameters, i.e., the angular and axial step sizes, and the imaging volume, that provide optimal imaging performance. Methods: The authors studied nine helical scan protocols formed by permuting three rotational and three axial step sizes. These step sizes were chosen around the reference values analytically calculated from the estimated spatial resolution of the SPECT system and the Nyquist sampling theorem. The nine helical protocols were evaluated by two figures-of-merit: the sampling completeness percentage (SCP) and the root-mean-square (RMS) resolution. SCP was an analytically calculated numerical index based on projection sampling. RMS resolution was derived from the reconstructed images of a sphere-grid phantom. Results: The RMS resolution results show that (1) the start and end pinhole planes of the helical scheme determine the axial extent of the effective field of view (EFOV), and (2) the diameter of the transverse EFOV is adequately calculated from the geometry of the pinhole opening, since the peripheral region beyond EFOV would introduce projection multiplexing and consequent effects. The RMS resolution results of the nine helical scan schemes show optimal resolution is achieved when the axial step size is the half, and the angular step size is about twice the corresponding values derived from the Nyquist theorem. The SCP results agree in general with that of RMS resolution but are less critical in assessing the effects of helical parameters and EFOV. Conclusions: The authors quantitatively validated the effective FOV of multiple pinhole helical scan protocols and proposed a simple method to calculate optimal helical scan parameters.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

Quantifying the performance of in vivo portal dosimetry in detecting four types of treatment parameter variations

Purpose: To quantify the ability of electronic portal imaging device (EPID) dosimetry used during treatment (in vivo) in detecting variations that can occur in the course of patient treatment. Methods: Images of transmitted radiation from in vivo EPID measurements were converted to a 2D planar dose at isocenter and compared to the treatment planning dose using a prototype software system. Using the treatment planning system (TPS), four different types of variability were modeled: overall dose scaling, shifting the positions of the multileaf collimator (MLC) leaves, shifting of the patient position, and changes in the patient body contour. The gamma pass rate was calculated for the modified and unmodified plans and used to construct a receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve to assess the detectability of the different parameter variations. The detectability is given by the area under the ROC curve (AUC). The TPS was also used to calculate the impact of the variations on the target dose–volume histogram. Results: Nine intensity modulation radiation therapy plans were measured for four different anatomical sites consisting of 70 separate fields. Results show that in vivo EPID dosimetry was most sensitive to variations in the machine output, AUC = 0.70 − 0.94, changes in patient body habitus, AUC = 0.67 − 0.88, and systematic shifts in the MLC bank positions, AUC = 0.59 − 0.82. These deviations are expected to have a relatively small clinical impact [planning target volume (PTV) D{sub 99} change <7%]. Larger variations have even higher detectability. Displacements in the patient’s position and random variations in MLC leaf positions were not readily detectable, AUC < 0.64. The D{sub 99} of the PTV changed by up to 57% for the patient position shifts considered here. Conclusions: In vivo EPID dosimetry is able to detect relatively small variations in overall dose, systematic shifts of the MLC’s, and changes in the patient habitus. Shifts in the patient’s position which can introduce large changes in the target dose coverage were not readily detected.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

Investigation of imaging properties for submillimeter rectangular pinholes

Purpose: Recently, a multipinhole collimator with inserts that have both rectangular apertures and rectangular fields of view (FOVs) has been proposed for SPECT imaging since it can tile the projection onto the detector efficiently and the FOVs in transverse and axial directions become separable. The purpose of this study is to investigate the image properties of rectangular-aperture pinholes with submillimeter apertures sizes. Methods: In this work, the authors have conducted sensitivity and FOV experiments for 18 replicates of a prototype insert fabricated in platinum/iridium (Pt/Ir) alloy with submillimeter square-apertures. A sin{sup q}θ fit to the experimental sensitivity has been performed for these inserts. For the FOV measurement, the authors have proposed a new formula to calculate the projection intensity of a flood image on the detector, taking into account the penumbra effect. By fitting this formula to the measured projection data, the authors obtained the acceptance angles. Results: The mean (standard deviation) of fitted sensitivity exponents q and effective edge lengths w{sub e} were, respectively, 10.8 (1.8) and 0.38 mm (0.02 mm), which were close to the values, 7.84 and 0.396 mm, obtained from Monte Carlo calculations using the parameters of the designed inserts. For the FOV measurement, the mean (standard deviation) of the transverse and axial acceptances were 35.0° (1.2°) and 30.5° (1.6°), which are in good agreement with the designed values (34.3° and 29.9°). Conclusions: These results showed that the physical properties of the fabricated inserts with submillimeter aperture size matched our design well.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

BrachyView, a novel in-body imaging system for HDR prostate brachytherapy: Experimental evaluation

Purpose: This paper presents initial experimental results from a prototype of high dose rate (HDR) BrachyView, a novel in-body source tracking system for HDR brachytherapy based on a multipinhole tungsten collimator and a high resolution pixellated silicon detector array. The probe and its associated position estimation algorithms are validated and a comprehensive evaluation of the accuracy of its position estimation capabilities is presented. Methods: The HDR brachytherapy source is moved through a sequence of positions in a prostate phantom, for various displacements in x, y, and z. For each position, multiple image acquisitions are performed, and source positions are reconstructed. Error estimates in each dimension are calculated at each source position and combined to calculate overall positioning errors. Gafchromic film is used to validate the accuracy of source placement within the phantom. Results: More than 90% of evaluated source positions were estimated with an error of less than one millimeter, with the worst-case error being 1.3 mm. Experimental results were in close agreement with previously published Monte Carlo simulation results. Conclusions: The prototype of HDR BrachyView demonstrates a satisfactory level of accuracy in its source position estimation, and additional improvements are achievable with further refinement of HDR BrachyView’s image processing algorithms.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2015

Proton minibeam radiation therapy: Experimental dosimetry evaluation

Purpose: Proton minibeam radiation therapy (pMBRT) is a new radiotherapy (RT) approach that allies the inherent physical advantages of protons with the normal tissue preservation observed when irradiated with submillimetric spatially fractionated beams. This dosimetry work aims at demonstrating the feasibility of the technical implementation of pMBRT. This has been performed at the Institut Curie - Proton Therapy Center in Orsay. Methods: Proton minibeams (400 and 700 μm-width) were generated by means of a brass multislit collimator. Center-to-center distances between consecutive beams of 3200 and 3500 μm, respectively, were employed. The (passive scattered) beam energy was 100 MeV corresponding to a range of 7.7 cm water equivalent. Absolute dosimetry was performed with a thimble ionization chamber (IBA CC13) in a water tank. Relative dosimetry was carried out irradiating radiochromic films interspersed in a IBA RW3 slab phantom. Depth dose curves and lateral profiles at different depths were evaluated. Peak-to-valley dose ratios (PVDR), beam widths, and output factors were also assessed as a function of depth. Results: A pattern of peaks and valleys was maintained in the transverse direction with PVDR values decreasing as a function of depth until 6.7 cm. From that depth, the transverse dose profiles became homogeneous due to multiple Coulomb scattering. Peak-to-valley dose ratio values extended from 8.2 ± 0.5 at the phantom surface to 1.08 ± 0.06 at the Bragg peak. This was the first time that dosimetry in such small proton field sizes was performed. Despite the challenge, a complete set of dosimetric data needed to guide the first biological experiments was achieved. Conclusions: pMBRT is a novel strategy in order to reduce the side effects of RT. This works provides the experimental proof of concept of this new RT method: clinical proton beams might allow depositing a (high) uniform dose in a brain tumor located in the center of the brain (7.5 cm depth, the worst scenario), while a spatial fractionation of the dose is retained in the normal tissues in the beam path, potentially leading to a gain in tissue sparing. This is the first complete experimental implementation of this promising technique. Biological experiments are needed in order to confirm the clinical potential of pMBRT.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗