Conveners
Nuclear Physics Applications: 2
- Eric Dumonteil
- Jason Hirtz
Nuclear Physics Applications: 1
- Maëlle KERVENO
- Loïc THULLIEZ
Nuclear Physics Applications: 4
- Jason Hirtz
- Loïc THULLIEZ
Nuclear Physics Applications: 3
- Charlot Vandevoorde
- Eric Dumonteil
Nuclear Physics Applications: 5
- Eric Dumonteil (CEA)
- Maëlle KERVENO (IPHC/CNRS)
Proton therapy is widely recognized for its superior dose conformity and enhanced protection of healthy tissues compared to conventional photon-based radiotherapy, making it an increasingly valuable modality for treating complex cancers. However, fully realizing its potential is constrained by the computational demands of high-fidelity dose calculation and plan optimization. Although Monte...
Facilities that provide bright thermal neutron beams are crucial for a wide range of research areas, including condensed matter experiments, neutron imaging, and medical applications. Currently, these beams are primarily generated by spallation sources and nuclear research reactors. However, many of these facilities are aging, and the current political climate does not favor the construction...
The accuracy (the bias) and precision (the uncertainties) of high-energy spallation models is a key issue for the design and development of new applications and experiments. In the case of the combination of the IntraNuclear Cascade model of Liège (INCL) [1, 2] and the Ablation model (ABLA) [3, 4], we address the problem through two orthogonal approaches, both based on a Bayesian...
Neutron-induced fission reaction cross sections are crucial in various fields of nuclear science and technology. Experimental data from these reactions play a key role in understanding nuclear processes at high excitation energies, contributing to the development and refinement of models describing spallation, nuclear fragmentation, and binary fission. Moreover, accurate cross-section data are...
Bayesian optimization on FIFRELIN Monte-Carlo code to fit neutron and gamma multiplicities
Guillaume BAZELAIRE, Abdelhazize CHEBBOUBI, David BERNARD, Geoffrey DANIEL, Jean-Baptiste BLANCHARD*
CEA, DES, IRESNE, DER, SPRC, Cadarache, Physics Studies Laboratory, Saint-Paul-lès-Durance, 13108, France.
*Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, Service du Génie Logiciel pour la Simulation,...
The GANIL (Grand Accélérateur National d’Ions Lourds) facility plays a crucial role in nuclear physics, astrophysics, and materials science by providing high-quality ion beams for cutting-edge research. A key component of these experiments is the production of high-quality targets, which are essential for obtaining accurate and reproducible results. With the development of the SPIRAL2...
Ion therapy employs protons and heavier ions (e.g., helium, carbon, oxygen) for cancer treatment due to their advantageous physical and biological properties, particularly effective against radio-resistant tumors. However, precise modeling of nuclear fragmentation processes, which critically influence dose distributions, biological effectiveness, and overall treatment accuracy—especially with...
A new generation of 4H-SiC detectors has demonstrated the capability to operate at temperatures up to 450°C, offering excellent spectroscopic response and energy resolution (≲2%) [1]. This advancement paves the way for the development of silicon carbide detectors designed to measure suprathermal ions (He++ at 3.5 MeV) in extreme radiation and temperature environments, such as those expected in...
This work explores the effects of dilution on the retention phenomena of radioactive atoms produced in the Szilard-Chalmers reaction, with a minimum level of gamma radiation coming from the Am-Be source. For the first time, we demonstrate that the 128-I extraction yield, after a sizable post-irradiation time, can be maximized with a suitable dilution. The origin of this curious effect is still...
Recent advances in hadron therapy, particularly proton and carbon ion therapy, are reshaping the landscape of cancer treatment by offering increased precision, reduced toxicity, and expanded clinical indications. Technological innovations in beam delivery systems, adaptive treatment planning, and real-time imaging have significantly enhanced dose conformality while minimizing exposure to...
Prompt neutrons are emitted by fission fragments during the nuclear fission process. These neutrons play a crucial role for applications as they drive the chain reaction in nuclear fuel by inducing new fissions. The measurement of Prompt Fission Neutron Spectra (PFNS), which are the energy distributions of these neutrons, need to be done with high precision. Neutron multiplicity and average...
Neutron-induced reactions on Copper are of great relevance for both nuclear technologies and astrophysics. Copper is a key structural material in the TAPIRO research reactor, which plays a crucial role in validating nuclear data and materials for fast Generation IV reactors. Recent sensitivity and uncertainty studies on TAPIRO have highlighted the need for improved Copper cross section data...
Introduction
Conventional radiotherapy (CONV) delivers a radiation treatment dose in order of minutes, resulting in dose rate of about 2 Gy/min. However, multiple recent preclinical studies demonstrated substantial healthy tissue sparing effect if the ultra-high dose rate, FLASH (> 40 Gy/s), is employed instead. At the same time, radiobiological effect on tumor remains unchanged. However,...
The main goal of FOOT is to measure double differential fragmentation cross sections of light elements (Z $\le$ 10) in the energy range of 100–1000 MeV/nucleon, of interest both in medical and space-related fields. Particle Therapy is a medical treatment that uses charged particles with a tuned Bragg Peak to maximize the dose to tumors while minimizing damage to healthy tissue. However, ion...
The production of a neutron beam with suitable energy and angular distributions is fundamental for different scientific applications and particularly for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT). Nowadays, two accelerator based nuclear reactions are studied and used worldwide as BNCT neutron sources: $^7$Li(p,n) and $^9$Be(p,xn).
The former is commercially available but is affected by important...
Nuclear fragmentation cross section measurements hold significant importance in both hadrontherapy and space radioprotection. Hadrontherapy is an external radiation therapy that employs beams of protons and heavier ions to target deep-seated tumors. These particles exhibit a favorable depth-dose distribution in tissues, featuring a low dose at the entrance and a maximum release at the end of...
Accurate modelling of nuclear fragmentation is essential in ion beam therapy, where secondary ions contribute significantly to dose deposition and biological effects. However, the predictive capabilities of current Monte Carlo models remain limited in the energy range of therapeutic beam, especially for light fragment production (Z = 1–6), due to a lack of experimental data.
Within the...
The FALSTAFF spectrometer [1], designed to detect fission fragments produced in direct kinematics, is a key tool in advancing the understanding of neutron-induced fission, particularly in the MeV energy range. Fission models, both phenomenological and microscopic, have seen significant development over the past decade. However, their ability to accurately predict fission observables such as...
Since 2018, CYCLHAD has been engaged in treatments, research and development activities in proton therapy. Operating a single cancer treatment room using a Proteus®One commercial superconducting synchrocyclotron from IBA company, CYCLHAD is going to broaden its offer. A new milestone is currently underway to enable expanded heavy ions like carbon ion therapy capabilities by 2028, promising...
Quasi-fission (QF) and fusion fission (FF) are two competing processes that affects formation probability of Super Heavy Element (SHE). To optimize the exploration of the SHE landscape, it is important to understand the competition between QF and FF. Several experiments are being carried out by us [1-2] to understand the dynamics of QF and FF, particularly to understand the role of entrance...
Researches on nuclear reactors, both for optimization of current generation or for study of next generations, require simulations. Indeed, reactor operation parameters, fuel burning, waste production, etc. can be studied by simulation with Monte Carlo or deterministic codes. These codes simulate the fundamental interaction of nucleons or ions with the matter and use as inputs nuclear data like...
Facilitation of development and promotion of nuclear applications for peaceful purposes and related capacity building are among the IAEA missions where Physics Section contributes most [1]. The relevant activities fall under the IAEA's program on nuclear science and cover three main thematic areas: research and applications with particle accelerators and neutron sources (incl. research...
Motivated by possible industrial fusion applications of the $\gamma$-rays accompanying $d$-$t$ collisions I present the first model calculations of the minor branching ratio of the $d+t$ reaction, $d+t \rightarrow \alpha+n+\gamma$. The model exploits the most relevant physics feature -- spin conservation in electric dipole transitions -- which leads to a peculiar mechanism of this reaction: ...
To meet the sustainable development goals of the United Nations we have to transform our global economy into energy-smart, sustainable, cyclic societies. The materials we nowadays employ for storage and conversion of energy but also for regulation of energy transport are commonly complex compound systems often containing light chemical elements such as hydrogen, lithium or oxygen, either...
The (n,alpha) cross-sections on oxygen 16 and fluorine 19 are of great interest for the improvement and/or development of the nuclear reactors. Significant differences have been observed for those nuclei regarding the (n,alpha) channel:
- on oxygen 16, discrepancies up to 30% between experimental data and/or evaluation are observed and are responsible for an uncertainty of 100 pcm on...
In the last decade, SiC-based detectors have emerged as strong candidates for next-generation particle detection. This is due to several advantageous properties of the material, including its high breakdown field, high saturation velocity, wide band-gap, radiation hardness, strong mechanical resistance, and thermal stability [1–3]. Additionally, SiC has been proposed as a promising solution...
