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This presentation is a part of the DHS LSS spectroscopy training course and presents an overview of the following concepts: identification and measurement of gamma rays; use of gamma counts and energies in research. Understanding the basic physics of how gamma rays interact with matter can clarify how certain features in a spectrum were produced.
Microtron-based Compact, Portable Gamma-Ray Source. The objective of Phase I of this project was to produce a conceptual design of a prototype compact microtron electron accelerator, which could be designed, built, and demonstrated in Phase II of the project. The conceptual design study included an analysis of the parameters of the microtron and its components, and the expected performance of the prototype microtron as a source of x-rays and/or RF neutrons in the MeV energy range. The major components of the microtron are the magnet, the accelerating system, the power system, the vacuum system, the control system, the beam extraction system and the targets to produce x-rays (and/or neutrons). Our objectives for the design of the prototype were for it to be compact, cost-effective, capable of producing high intensity x-ray (an/or neutron) fluxes. In addition, the prototype was to be easily assembled and disassembled so that components could be easily replaced. The main parameters for the prototype are the following: the range of electron kinetic energies, the output power, the RF frequency band (X-band, C-band, or S-Band), the type of injection (Type I or Type II), the magnet type, i.e. permanent magnet, electromagnet, or a hybrid combination of permanent and electromagnet. The results of the Phase I study and analysis for a prototype microtron are the following: The electron energy range can be varied from below 6 MeV to 9 MeV, the optimal frequency range is S-Band (2-4 GHz) RF frequency, Type II injection (described below), and the magnet type is the hybrid version. The prototype version will be capable of producing gamma ray doses of ~1800 R/min-m and neutron fluxes of up to ~6 x 10 10 n/s with appropriate targets. The results of the Phase I study and analysis are provided below. The proposed Phase II plan was to demonstrate the prototype at low beam power. In the subsequent Phase III, high power tests would be performed, and the design of commercial versions of microtrons with various energies, sizes and types would be produced and marketed, including a more compact and more portable 6 MeV battery-powered model that more closely meets the requirements in the original FOA topic description. In the course of the Phase I study, we also identified another microtron version, one that was larger (not compact) and more powerful than that of the Phase II prototype, which could serve as an intense source of photo- neutrons, up to 4 x 10 12 n/s for use in nuclear medicine, short-lived isotope production, or other applications. In addition, it could produce gamma dose rates up to 130 kR/min-m with a heavy metal bremsstrahlung target. The results and specifications of this were submitted to IPAC16 (Reference [12]) the paper is included in Addendum B. Because this version was beyond the scope of the Phase I project, there is no additional description in the Final Report.
The ARGO-YBJ detector, located at the Yangbajing Cosmic Ray Laboratory (4300 m a. s. l., Tibet, China), was a “full coverage” (central carpet with an active area of ∼93%) air shower array dedicated to gamma-ray astronomy and cosmic-ray studies. The wide field of view (∼2 sr) and high duty cycle (>86%), made ARGO-YBJ suitable to search for short and unexpected gamma-ray emissions like gamma-ray bursts (GRBs). Between 2007 November 6 and 2013 February 7, 156 satellite-triggered GRBs (24 of them with known redshift) occurred within the ARGO-YBJ field of view (zenith angle θ ≤ 45°). A search for possible emission associated with these GRBs has been made in the two energy ranges 10–100 GeV and 10–1000 GeV. No significant excess has been found in time coincidence with the satellite detections nor in a set of different time windows inside the interval of one hour after the bursts. Taking into account the EBL absorption, upper limits to the energy fluence at a 99% confidence level have been evaluated, with values ranging from ∼10{sup −5} erg cm{sup −2} to ∼10{sup −1} erg cm{sup −2}. The Fermi -GBM burst GRB 090902B, with a high-energy photon of 33.4 GeV detected by Fermi -LAT, is discussed in detail.
2HWC J1928+177 is a Galactic TeV gamma-ray source detected by the High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) Observatory up to ~56 TeV. The HAWC source, later confirmed by the High Energy Stereoscopic System, still remains unidentified as a dark accelerator since there is no apparent supernova remnant or pulsar wind nebula detected in the lower-energy bands. The radio pulsar PSR J1928+1746, coinciding with the HAWC source position, has no X-ray counterpart. In this work, our SED modeling shows that inverse Compton scattering in the putative pulsar wind nebula can account for the TeV emission only if the unseen nebula is extended beyond $r\sim 4^{\prime} $. Alternatively, TeV gamma-rays may be produced by hadronic interactions between relativistic protons from an undetected supernova remnant associated with the radio pulsar and a nearby molecular cloud G52.9+0.1. NuSTAR and Chandra observations detected a variable X-ray point source within the HAWC error circle, potentially associated with a bright infrared (IR) source. The X-ray spectra can be fitted with an absorbed power-law model with N H = (9 ± 3) × 10 22 cm –2 and Γ X = 1.6 ± 0.3 and exhibit long-term X-ray flux variability over the last decade. If the X-ray source, possibly associated with the IR source (likely an O star), is the counterpart of the HAWC source, it may be a new TeV gamma-ray binary powered by collisions between the pulsar wind and stellar wind. Follow-up X-ray observations are warranted to search for diffuse X-ray emission and determine the nature of the HAWC source.
The electroweak production of $Z\left(\nu \overline{\nu}\right)\gamma jj$ in association with two jets is studied in a regime with a photon of high transverse momentum above 150 GeV using proton–proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV at the Large Hadron Collider. The analysis uses a data sample with an integrated luminosity of 139 fb –1 collected by the ATLAS detector during the 2015–2018 LHC data-taking period. This process is an important probe of the electroweak symmetry breaking mechanism in the Standard Model and is sensitive to quartic gauge boson couplings via vector-boson scattering. The fiducial $Z\left(\nu \overline{\nu}\right)\gamma jj$ cross section for electroweak production is measured to be ${0.77}_{-0.30}^{+0.34}$ fb and is consistent with the Standard Model prediction. Evidence of electroweak $Z\left(\nu \overline{\nu}\right)\gamma jj$ production is found with an observed significance of 3.2σ for the background-only hypothesis, compared with an expected significance of 3.7σ. The combination of this result with the previously published ATLAS observation of electroweak $Z\left(\nu \overline{\nu}\right)\gamma jj$ production yields an observed (expected) signal significance of 6.3σ (6.6σ). Limits on anomalous quartic gauge boson couplings are obtained in the framework of effective field theory with dimension-8 operators.
A [h00] oriented Co-based superalloy single crystal was crept under tension at 940 °C=100 MPa, resulting in a P-type raft morphology with extensive particle coalescence along the [h00] loading direction. However, particle coalescence was also observed in two perpendicular directions on the (h00) plane, normal to the loading axis. Tensile creep experiments were performed with in-situ neutron diffraction at 800 °C=500 MPa on this initially rafted $\gamma$ microstructure, and for comparison at (i) 900 °C=260 MPa, and at (ii) 750 °C=875 MPa, both with initially cuboidal $\gamma$ microstructures. The alloy was shown to exhibit a positive lattice parameter misfit, and during the first hour of creep at 900 °C=260 MPa, the lattice parameter evolution indicated changes in phase composition associated with $\gamma$ dissolution as the alloy achieved phase equilibrium at 900 °C. For all three in-situ creep measurements, there was a significant divergence of the $\gamma$ and g lattice parameters as creep proceeded. The lattice parameter misfit values between the precipitates and the matrix approached their unconstrained values during creep, and were notably large compared to those of Ni-based superalloys. This is indicative of a loss of coherency at the precipitate/matrix interfaces. Such a loss of coherency at the precipitate/matrix interfaces will likely degrade certain mechanical properties such as fatigue resistance, as has been shown for the Ni-based superalloys.
A sample of 47 Ca produced through isotope harvesting at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory was used to measure branching ratios of 7.17(5)%, 7.11(5)%, and 75.0(5)% for the 489.2, 807.9, and 1297.1 keV characteristic gamma rays, respectively. Based on these updated branching ratios, the ground state to ground state 47 Ca to 47 Sc beta decay branching ratio has been indirectly measured as 17.7(5)% and the ground state to 1297.1 keV excited state as 82.2(5)%. Here these values represent a greatly increased precision for all five branching ratios compared to the currently accepted values. The measurements presented here were made relative to the ingrown 47Sc daughter in a 47 Ca sample and the well-established 159.4 keV gamma-ray branching ratio and the half-life for the decay of 47 Sc. These measurements were supported by verifying that the half-lives measured from characteristic gamma-ray peaks over multiple spectra for both 47 Ca and 47 Sc were consistent with previously reported values. Additionally, the half-lives of both 47 Ca and 47 Sc were independently measured with Liquid Scintillation Counting to reverify the previously reported values used in this study to find updated gamma-ray branching ratio values.
Highlights: • EgtA is essential for gamma-glutamylcysteine biosynthesis. • EgtE is not essential for ergothioneine biosynthesis. • EgtC is partially compensated for in ergothioneine biosynthesis. • The production of gamma-glutamylcysteine is elevated in thiol-deficient M. tuberculosis mutants. • Gamma-glutamylcysteine protects thiol-deficient M. tuberculosis mutants. Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M.tb.), the causative agent of tuberculosis (TB), cannot synthesize GSH, but synthesizes two major low molecular weight thiols namely mycothiol (MSH) and ergothioneine (ERG). Gamma-glutamylcysteine (GGC), an intermediate in GSH synthesis, has been implicated in the protection of lactic acid bacteria from oxidative stress in the absence of GSH. In mycobacteria, GGC is an intermediate in ERG biosynthesis, and its formation is catalysed by EgtA (GshA). GGC is subsequently used by EgtB in the formation of hercynine-sulphoxide-GGC. In this study, M.tb. mutants harbouring unmarked, in-frame deletions in each of the fives genes involved in ERG biosynthesis (egtA, egtB, egtC, egtD and egtE) or a marked deletion of the mshA gene (required for MSH biosynthesis) were generated. Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry analyses (LC-MS) revealed that the production of GGC was elevated in the MSH-deficient and the ERG-deficient mutants. The ERG-deficient ΔegtB mutant which accumulated GGC was more resistant to oxidative and nitrosative stress than the ERG-deficient, GGC-deficient ΔegtA mutant. This implicates GGC in the detoxification of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in M.tb.
Recent efforts have been made to improve the prompt fission neutron spectrum and nu-bar measurements for Uranium and Plutonium isotopes particularly in the keV region. A system has been designed at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) utilizing an array of EJ-301 liquid scintillators as well as lithium glass and plastic scintillators to experimentally determine these values. An array of BaF2 detectors was recently obtained from Oak Ridge National Laboratory to be used in conjunction with the neutron detectors. The system uses a novel gamma tagging method for fission which can offer an improvement over conventional fission chambers due to increased sample mass. A coincidence requirement on the gamma detectors from prompt fission gammas is used as the fission tag for the system as opposed to fission fragments in a conventional fission chamber. The system utilizes pulse digitization using Acqiris 8 bit digitizer boards which allow for gamma/neutron pulse height discrimination on the liquid scintillators during post processing. Additionally, a 252Cf fission chamber was designed and constructed at RPI which allowed for optimization and testing of the system without the need for an external neutron source. The characteristics of the gamma tagging method such as false detection rate and detection efficiency were determined using this fission chamber and verified using MCNP Polimi modeling. Prompt fission neutron spectrum data has been taken using the fission chamber focusing on the minimum detectable neutron energy for each of the various detectors. Plastic scintillators were found to offer a significant improvement over traditional liquid scintillators allowing energy measurements down to 50 keV. Background was also characterized for all detectors and will be discussed.
We present that a solution-based technique for growing large-volume stilbene scintillators was developed in 2013; crystals up to diameters of 10 cm, or larger, have been grown while preserving excellent pulse shape discrimination (PSD) properties. The goal of this study is to evaluate the PSD capabilities of 5.08 by 5.08-cm stilbene crystals grown by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Inrad Optics when exposed to a 1000 to 1 gamma ray-neutron ratio and operating at a 100-kHz count rate. Results were compared to an equivalent EJ-309 liquid scintillation detector. 252 Cf neutron pulses were recorded in two experiments where 60 Co and 137 Cs sources created the high-gamma field. The high count rate created numerous double pulses that were cleaned using fractional and template approaches designed to remove double pulses while preserving neutron counts. PSD was performed at a threshold of 42 keVee (440-keV proton) for stilbene and 60 keVee (610-keV proton) for EJ-309 liquid. The lower threshold in stilbene resulted in a neutron intrinsic efficiency of approximately 14.5%, 10% higher than EJ-309 liquid, for bare 252 Cf and 13% for 252 Cf in the high-gamma field. Despite the lower threshold, the gamma misclassification rate in stilbene was approximately 3×10 $-$6 , nearly a factor-of-five lower than what we found with the EJ-309 liquid.
This paper presents the non-destructive assay of two AmLi sources used for detector characterization and active interrogation at PNNL, identified as MRC-101 and MRC-103. First, a detailed description of the internal configuration of 2724-BT encapsulated MRC sources is established. X-ray radiographs of the AmLi sources are reported for the first time to verify the dimensions and orientation of the encapsulation. Notably, a density variation was observed as a contrast change across the height of the source cavities. Contrary to commonly made assumptions in literature, it is indirectly observed that the AmLi source/target material only occupies a portion of the source cavity. The intensity of the prompt gamma-rays resulting from the inelastic scatter of alpha particles on 7Li was used to calculate the mass ratios of LiH:AmO2. The gamma-ray spectra revealed the presence of numerous impurities in both source and target material (243Am, 237Np, 154Eu, 23Na, and 9Be). Neutron-gamma production ratios were applied to the intensity of the Doppler-broadened peaks from alpha-induced reactions with 7Li, 9Be, and 23Na to calculate neutron rates for both sources. A neutron/alpha production yield (derived in this work) was then related to the atomic concentration of these isotopes to find the approximate masses within each source. Ultimately, the AmLi source density was estimated with prompt gamma analysis based on partial source volumes as 0.45±0.08 g/cm^3.
UCGretina, a geant4 simulation of the GRETINA gamma-ray tracking array of highly-segmented high-purity germanium detectors is described. We have developed a model of the array, in particular of the Quad Module and the capsules, that gives good agreement between simulated and measured photopeak efficiencies over a broad range of gamma-ray energies and reproduces the shape of the measured Compton continuum. Both of these features are needed in order to accurately extract gamma-ray yields from spectra collected in in-beam gamma-ray spectroscopy measurements with beams traveling at v / c ≳0.3 at the National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory and the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams. In the process of developing the model, we determined that millimeter-scale layers of passive germanium surrounding the active volumes of the simulated crystals must be included in order to reproduce measured photopeak efficiencies. In conclusion, we adopted a simple model of effective passive layers and developed heuristic methods of determining passive-layer thicknesses by comparison of simulations and measurements for a single crystal and for the full array. Prospects for future development of the model are discussed.
Gamma-ray detection and spectroscopy is the quantitative determination of their energy spectra, and is of critical value and critically important in diverse technological and scientific fields. Here we report an improved melt growth method for cesium lead bromide and a special detector design with asymmetrical metal electrode configuration that leads to a high performance at room temperature. As-grown centimeter-sized crystals possess extremely low impurity levels (below 10 p.p.m. for total 69 elements) and detectors achieve 3.9% energy resolution for 122 keV 57 Co gamma-ray and 3.8% for 662 keV 137 Cs gamma-ray. Cesium lead bromide is unique among all gamma-ray detection materials in that its hole transport properties are responsible for the high performance. The superior mobility-lifetime product for holes (1.34 × 10 –3 cm 2 V –1 ) derives mainly from the record long hole carrier lifetime (over 25 μs). Here, the easily scalable crystal growth and high-energy resolution, highlight cesium lead bromide as an exceptional next generation material for room temperature radiation detection.
Abstract Melanin-containing fungi (black molds) have the capacity to thrive under extreme environmental conditions such as the elevated radiation levels inside the former Chernobyl reactors. These fungi have been hypothesized to grow toward and use gamma radiation as an energy source, but the literature does not clearly address which energies of the electromagnetic spectrum, if any, positively affect fungal growth. The goal of this work was to characterize the response of non-melanized and melanized fungi to two distinct electromagnetic wavelengths, i.e., ultraviolet (UV) and gamma ray, keeping absorption and other potentially confounding variables constant. Exposure to UV or gamma radiation induced significant changes in fungi pigmentation, but not growth rate of Cladosporium cladosporioides and Paecilomyces variotii . Specifically, increased pigmentation of both fungi was observed in samples exposed to UV, while decreased pigmentation was observed for gamma-irradiated samples. These results provide new insights into the role of electromagnetic energies on growth of fungi and provide an impetus to examine additional energies and types of radiation to develop a fundamental understanding of this phenomenon.
Abstract Inverse Thomson scattering from laser-plasma accelerators offers a pathway to compact, tunable MeV $$\gamma$$ -ray sources for reduced-dose radiography and enhanced performance in nuclear resonance fluorescence (NRF)-based isotope identification. However, photon yield and spectral quality are often limited by constraints on interaction geometry and scatter-laser tunability. Here we demonstrate a MeV $$\gamma$$ -ray source based on a dual-laser inverse Thomson scattering configuration driven by a 100-TW laser-plasma accelerator. Electron beams tunable from 122 to 204 MeV with $$<5$$ mrad divergence and $$<1$$ mrad pointing stability generate $$\gamma$$ rays with peak energies from 276 keV to 1.2 MeV and yields up to $$2\times 10^{7}$$ photons per shot. By independently controlling the interaction position and the scatter-pulse duration, we experimentally match the scatter pulse to the walk-off-limited interaction length. Extending the scatter pulse to 200 fs increases photon production by approximately $$15\%$$ while maintaining operation in the linear Thomson regime, thereby preserving narrow spectral bandwidth and controlled radiation divergence. Radiographic characterization demonstrates MeV-level penetration and $$\approx 0.1$$ mm spatial resolution, while stable operation is sustained over multi-hour timescales across multiple days. These results show that interaction-length optimization provides a scalable strategy for improving photon yield, spectral control, and operational stability in compact laser-plasma-accelerator-driven $$\gamma$$ -ray sources.
Here we are investigating the inclusion of organotin compounds in polystyrene material to improve plastic scintillators full gamma-ray energy sensitivity with the ultimate goal of achieving spectroscopy. Accurate evaluation of the relative light yield from the newly developed scintillators is crucial to assess merits of compounds and chemical processes used in the scintillators development and assess the scintillation efficiencies of the newly produced scintillators. Full gamma-ray energy peak in the measured gamma-ray spectrum, resulting from total absorption of gamma-ray energy, would be ideal in assessing the relative light yield. However, the significant number of new samples we are producing for investigation lead us to the possibility of using the Compton edge as an alternate spectral feature that can be exploited for expeditious characterization of the relative light yield in plastic scintillators. In this study we present a spectra gain matching approach, using a spectrum rebinning, for accurate relative light yield measurement using the Compton edge.
Proton captures on Mg isotopes play an important role in the Mg-Al cycle active in stellar H-burning regions. In particular, low-energy nuclear resonances in the {sup 25}Mg(p, {gamma}){sup 26}Al reaction affect the production of radioactive {sup 26}Al{sup gs} as well as the resulting Mg/Al abundance ratio. Reliable estimations of these quantities require precise measurements of the strengths of low-energy resonances. Based on a new experimental study performed at the Laboratory for Underground Nuclear Astrophysics, we provide revised rates of the {sup 25}Mg(p, {gamma}){sup 26}Al{sup gs} and the {sup 25}Mg(p, {gamma}){sup 26}Al {sup m} reactions with corresponding uncertainties. In the temperature range 50-150 MK, the new recommended rate of {sup 26}Al {sup m} production is up to five times higher than previously assumed. In addition, at T = 100 MK, the revised total reaction rate is a factor of two higher. Note that this is the range of temperature at which the Mg-Al cycle operates in a H-burning zone. The effects of this revision are discussed. Due to the significantly larger {sup 25}Mg(p, {gamma}){sup 26}Al {sup m} rate, the estimated production of {sup 26}Al{sup gs} in H-burning regions is less efficient than previously obtained. As a result, the new rates should imply a smaller contribution from Wolf-Rayet stars to the galactic {sup 26}Al budget. Similarly, we show that the asymptotic giant branch (AGB) extra-mixing scenario does not appear able to explain the most extreme values of {sup 26}Al/{sup 27}Al, i.e., >10{sup -2}, found in some O-rich presolar grains. Finally, the substantial increase of the total reaction rate makes the hypothesis of self-pollution by massive AGBs a more robust explanation for the Mg-Al anticorrelation observed in globular-cluster stars.
We present an analysis of the interstellar medium (ISM) toward the {gamma}-ray supernova remnant (SNR) W44. We used NANTEN2 {sup 12}CO(J = 2-1) and {sup 12}CO(J = 1-0) data and Arecibo H I data in order to identify the molecular and atomic gas in the SNR. We confirmed that the molecular gas is located in the SNR shell with a primary peak toward the eastern edge of the shell. We newly identified high-excitation molecular gas along the eastern shell of the SNR in addition to the high-excitation broad gas previously observed inside the shell; the line intensity ratio between the {sup 12}CO(J = 2-1) and {sup 12}CO(J = 1-0) transitions in these regions is greater than {approx}1.0, suggesting a kinetic temperature of 30 K or higher, which is most likely due to heating by shock interaction. By comparing the ISM with {gamma}-rays, we find that target protons of hadronic origin are dominated by molecular protons of average density around 200 cm{sup -3}, where the possible contribution of atomic protons is 10% or less. This average density is consistent with the recent discovery of the low-energy {gamma}-rays suppressed in 50 MeV-10 GeV as observed with AGILE and Fermi. The {gamma}-ray spectrum differs from place to place in the SNR, suggesting that the cosmic-ray (CR) proton spectrum significantly changes within the middle-aged SNR perhaps due to the energy-dependent escape of CR protons from the acceleration site. We finally derive a total CR proton energy of {approx}10{sup 49} erg, consistent with the SN origin of the majority of the CRs in the Galaxy.