The book is based on a laboratory course in nuclear physics given to advanced students. It treats the experimental techniques and instrumentationmost often used in nuclear and particle physics experiments as well as in various other experimental sciences. It provides most useful results and formulae, technical know-how and informative details on -interactionof radiation in matter; - radion protection and radioactive sources; - statistics for the interpretation and analysis of data; - principles and operation of the main types of detectors (ionization, scintillation and semiconductor detectors); - nuclear electronics instrumentation (NIM, CAMAC); - various systems and techniques for experiments. Thanks to the author's long teaching experience the material is presented in a verypractical, hands-on way making the book a useful text and lab companion for students and experienced scientists.

Detectors for Particle Radiation and Introduction to Experimental Particle Physics and Techniques for Nuclear and Particle Physics Experiments: A How‐To Approach

The Shanghai Coherent Light Facility (SCLF) is a quasi-continuous wave hard X-ray free electron laser facility, which is currently under construction. Due to the high repetition rate and high-quality electron beams, it is straightforward to consider X-ray free electron laser oscillator (XFELO) operation for the SCLF. In this paper, the main processes for XFELO design, and parameter optimization of the undulator, X-ray cavity, and electron beam are described. A three-dimensional X-ray crystal Bragg diffraction code, named BRIGHT, was introduced for the first time, which can be combined with the GENESIS and OPC codes for the numerical simulations of the XFELO. The performance of the XFELO of the SCLF is investigated and optimized by theoretical analysis and numerical simulation.

Systematic design and three-dimensional simulation of X-ray FEL oscillator for Shanghai Coherent Light Facility

More than a century after the discovery of superconductors (SCs), numerous studies have been accomplished to take advantage of SCs in physics, power engineering, quantum computing, electronics, communications, aviation, healthcare, and defence-related applications. However, there are still challenges that hinder the full-scale commercialization of SCs, such as the high cost of superconducting wires/tapes, technical issues related to AC losses, the structure of superconducting devices, the complexity and high cost of the cooling systems, the critical temperature, and manufacturing-related issues. In the current century, massive advancements have been achieved in artificial intelligence (AI) techniques by offering disruptive solutions to handle engineering problems. Consequently, AI techniques can be implemented to tackle those challenges facing superconductivity and act as a shortcut towards the full commercialization of SCs and their applications. AI approaches are capable of providing fast, efficient, and accurate solutions for technical, manufacturing, and economic problems with a high level of complexity and nonlinearity in the field of superconductivity. In this paper, the concept of AI and the widely used algorithms are first given. Then a critical topical review is presented for those conducted studies that used AI methods for improvement, design, condition monitoring, fault detection and location of superconducting apparatuses in large-scale power applications, as well as the prediction of critical temperature and the structure of new SCs, and any other related applications. This topical review is presented in three main categories: AI for large-scale superconducting applications, AI for superconducting materials, and AI for the physics of SCs. In addition, the challenges of applying AI techniques to the superconductivity and its applications are given. Finally, future trends on how to integrate AI techniques with superconductivity towards commercialization are discussed.

Artificial intelligence methods for applied superconductivity: material, design, manufacturing, testing, operation, and condition monitoring

We present a short description of the theoretical and numerical activity for the design of the VUV FEL proposed at DESY The FEL will be a 6 nm SASE device driven by a 1 GeV beam from the superconducting rf accelerator which is under development by the international TESLA collaboration

study of the VUV FEL at the TESLA Test Facility

Spot-scanning proton arc therapy (SPArc) has been proposed to improve dosimetric outcome and to simplify treatment workflow. To efficiently deliver a SPArc plan, it’s crucial to minimize the number...

A novel energy sequence optimization algorithm for efficient spot-scanning proton arc (SPArc) treatment delivery.

To fulfill the physical requirement of a 50 – 100 μ m Free Electron Laser (FEL) oscillator, design considerations of a planar undulator are described. The main undulator parameters are optimized for a trade off between the gain and the FEL's natural extraction efficiency, and the technical aspects including the structure of the permanent magnet (PM), the choice of PM materials and field tolerances are discussed. The lattice of the designed undulator is studied and the beam matching at the entrance of the undulator corresponding to various working points of electron beam energy is performed.

Design considerations of a planar undulator applied in a terahertz FEL oscillator

A proton therapy facility based on an isochronous superconducting cyclotron is under construction in Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST). To meet the clinical requirements, an energy degrader is essential in the beamline to modulate the fixed beam energy extracted from the cyclotron. Because of the multiple Coulomb scattering in the degrader, the beam emittance and the energy spread will be considerably increased during the energy degradation process. Therefore, a set of collimators is designed to restrict the increase in beam emittance after the energy degradation. The energy spread will be reduced in the following beam line which is not discussed in this paper. In this paper, the design considerations of an energy degrader and collimators are introduced, and the properties of the degrader material, degrader structure and the initial beam parameters are discussed using the Geant4 Monte-Carlo toolkit, with the main purpose of improving the overall performance of the degrader by multiple parameter optimization.

Design and optimization of an energy degrader with a multi-wedge scheme based on Geant4

Proton therapy is now recognized as one of the most effective radiation therapy methods for cancers. A proton therapy facility with multiple gantry treatment rooms is under development in HUST (Huazhong University of Science and Technology), which is based on isochronous superconducting cyclotron scheme. In the beam line, the scanning system spreads out the proton beam on the target according to the complex tumour shape by two scanning magnets for horizontal and vertical scanning independently. Since these two magnets are excited by alternating currents and the maximum repetition frequency is up to 100 Hz, eddy currents and losses are expected to be significant. Slits are proven to be an effective way to reduce the eddy currents. To evaluate the heat distribution due to eddy losses in the pole end of the scanning magnet, the transient electromagnetic analysis and steady-state thermal analysis are performed. This paper describes design considerations of the scanning system and mainly analyses the eddy current effect of the scanning magnets. Different coil shapes and slit arrangements are simulated and compared to obtain the optimal configuration. The maximum temperatures of two magnets are optimized below 70 °C. In addition, the lag effect due to eddy currents is also discussed.

Eddy current analysis and optimization of fast scanning magnet for a proton therapy system

A proton therapy facility with two 360° gantry treatment rooms and one fixed beamline is under development in the Huazhong University of Science and Technology, which is based on the isochronous superconducting cyclotron scheme. This paper presents the beam optics and main magnetic elements including dipoles, quadrupoles, and fast scanning magnets of the gantry beamline. In addition, the energy selection system will be introduced, which enables fast energy modulation of proton beam between 70 and 240 MeV.

Design of Gantry Beamline for HUST Proton Therapy Facility

Due to the unique “Bragg peak” dose-distribution characteristics of proton beams, the proton therapy (PT) is recognized as one of the most precise and effective radiotherapy methods for tumors. A g...

Xu Liu

Papers

Design considerations of a planar undulator applied in a terahertz FEL oscillator

Design and optimization of an energy degrader with a multi-wedge scheme based on Geant4

Eddy current analysis and optimization of fast scanning magnet for a proton therapy system

Design of Gantry Beamline for HUST Proton Therapy Facility

Comparison of beam optics for normal conducting and superconducting gantry beamlines applied to proton therapy