Hasil untuk "Radioactivity and radioactive substances"

B. Huang, F. P. Bai, D. Q. Fang et al.

Two-proton (2$p$) radioactivity represents a rare decay mode that has been experimentally observed only in a selected few nuclei. The exploration of 2$p$ emission is crucial for elucidating the structure, mass, and nucleon-nucleon interactions within exotic proton-rich nuclei. $^{39}$Ti has long been postulated as a potential candidate for 2$p$ emission; however, experimental investigations have yet to confirm its 2$p$ decay. To provide more accurate information for further studies, we utilize the Gamow shell model (GSM) and the Gamow coupled channel (GCC) method to analyze the prospective 2$p$ radioactivity of isotopes $^{38,39}$Ti. Our calculations suggest that $^{39}$Ti is indeed a viable candidate for 2$p$ emission. Notably, the estimated partial 2$p$ decay width for $^{39}$Ti, predicted from the three-body GCC method, suggests that its 2$p$ decay could rival its $β$ decay in likelihood, although this is highly dependent on the specific 2$p$ decay energy. Additionally, our analysis indicates a propensity for pairing between the valence protons in $^{39}$Ti. A similar investigative approach reveals that $^{38}$Ti exhibits a higher 2$p$ decay energy and a broader decay width than $^{39}$Ti, positioning it as a more promising candidate for 2$p$ decay.

S. Cebrian

The investigation of rare phenomena requires an effective suppression of all the background components entangling the expected signal. This has compelled the development of a wide range of low radioactivity techniques and background mitigation strategies. Some examples of those applied to Large Time Projection Chambers (TPCs) will be discussed here, including the operation of experiments deep underground, the exhaustive control of material radiopurity and the implementation of discrimination techniques.

L. V. Repin, R. R. Akhmatdinov, A. M. Biblin et al.

Medical diagnostics procedures involving the use of ionising radiation is one of the most intensively developing areas in medical diagnostics. At the same time, medical exposure of patients has a number of fundamental differences from other routine situations of planned exposure. As a rule, medical exposure is acute, and radiation doses in some types of examinations exceed the level of natural and man-made exposure associated with normal operation of radiation facilities. In such a situation, risk differentiation is of great importance, taking into account the different radiosensitivity of individual sex and age groups of patients. Radiation risks should be taken into account both when prescribing examinations involving the use of ionising radiation and when analysing the benefit-harm ratio associated with their application to specific patients. Another reason why risk assessment is an urgent task is the need to inform patients and/or their legal representatives about the health risks associated with the carrying out of examinations, including radiation risks. Within the framework of the present work, the risks associated with fluoroscopic examinations were assessed. To characterise the risk we used the DALY indicator, which is more and more frequently used in risk assessment, reflecting the possible number of lost years of healthy life as a result of radiation exposure during the study. The aim of the work was to calculate DALY values for different sex and age groups of patients from the Russian population  during fluoroscopic examinations. To achieve this aim, the method of estimating the number of healthy life years lost due to exposure to ionising radiation, which was developed in the course of the research work, was used. The paper presents the results of calculating DALY values for three types of fluoroscopic examinations. This work represents the next step in the direction of harmonisation of radiation risk assessment methodology with the methodologies of risk assessment of other nature. One of the directions of using the calculation results is the development of methodological approaches to the calculation of sex- and age-dependent risk coefficients associated with medical exposure of patients. The analysis of the obtained results showed that the contribution of oncological diseases to the total radiation harm in older men was significantly higher than in women.

A. A. Tsapalov, S. M. Kiselev, K. L. Kovler et al.

Significant temporal variations in radon are observed in any buildings, including unoccupied buildings with limited ventilation. This fact causes serious difficulties in radiation monitoring to assess the compliance of premises with the requirements of the normative, which limits the annual average level of radon in buildings. Therefore, neither at the national nor at the international level has yet been solved the problem of standardizing the indoor radon measurement if the test duration is less than a year. An analysis of approaches to radon measurement, including an assessment of the effectiveness of regulation, shows very significant differences between practices established in different countries. For example, in Russia, rapid (no more than 20 min) measurements are mainly used and mitigation measures to protect existing buildings from radon are practically not carried out. In European countries, mainly long-term (at least two months) measurements are used, while mitigation measures are still relatively rare, with the exception of the UK and Sweden. In the USA, short-term (2–7 days) measurements are widely used, which are not only carried out, but also paid for by residents themselves, including mitigation measures. However, despite the established approaches to indoor radon monitoring in Russia and the USA, there is a persistent distrust among specialists in the results of shortterm and, especially, rapid measurements. In this regard, a compromise approach is proposed to standardize radon measurements based on a rational criterion by applying fundamental ISO/IEC concepts such as “measurement uncertainty” and “conformity assessment”. The rational criterion for conformity assessment allows using measurements of different durations, providing a given reliability when making a decision. It also proposes a rationale for optimizing indoor radon monitoring through the participation of not only professional inspectors, but also the population itself due to the possibility of introducing simple methods and inexpensive radon devices within the rational criterion.

N. Bastidon, D. Horns

The intrinsic background count rate of tungsten superconducting transition-edge sensors (TES) is low, and the calorimeters using these sensors can resolve the energy of single photons. These facts make the sensors particularly interesting for the background-limited searches of new processes and particles. In this contribution, the intrinsic background of a tungsten TES has been investigated. After excluding other sources (e.g., cosmic muons, thermal background) relevant for the observed background rate of $10^{-4}$~s$^{-1}$ for the detection of photons with a wave length of 1064 nm, we investigate the impact of natural radioactivity. Dedicated measurements using gamma-emitters mounted outside the cryostat have been used to estimate the sensitivity of the TES setup for ionizing radiation. We have found that indeed an increased background can be observed in the presence of the radioactive sources. After selecting events which populate our signal region tuned for single photon detection at near-infrared, roughly 0.5% of the events produced by gamma-rays appear indistinguishable from those due to single photons with 1064~nm wave length. This ratio is consistent with that observed for the residual background detected with the TES at a rate of $10^{-4}$~s$^{-1}$. From this, we conclude that the bulk of the observed background count-rate in the signal region can be explained by natural radioactivity.

Alex Malins, Thom Lemoine

radioactivedecay is a Python package for radioactive decay modelling. It contains functions to fetch decay data, define inventories of nuclides and perform decay calculations. The default nuclear decay dataset supplied with radioactivedecay is based on ICRP Publication 107, which covers 1252 radioisotopes of 97 elements. The code calculates an analytical solution to a matrix form of the decay chain differential equations using double or higher precision numerical operations. There are visualization functions for drawing decay chain diagrams and plotting activity decay curves.

Marcelo Bessa Nisti, Fernanda Cavalcante, Catia Heloisa Rosignoli Saueia et al.

All biota is exposed to natural radiation, the soil being the major source of radionuclides. Phosphogypsum is classified as a NORM residue of the phosphate fertilizer industry, often used in agriculture, as a soil conditioner. This residue is stored in stacks by the phosphate industries, potentially posing environmental risks. The aim of this study is to compare the risk for the terrestrial and aquatic biota arising from the storage of PG residue in the environment with that arising from its reuse as soil amendment. For this purpose, typical Brazilian soils amended with PG and PG itself were leached with distilled water. The concentration of natural radionuclides in the soil samples were used to evaluate the risk for terrestrial and aquatic biota, using the ERICA Tool. The results for terrestrial biota exposed to soils amended with phosphogypsum showed a risk reduction of about 85%, when compared to the exposure arising from phosphogypsum stacks. Considering the aquatic biota, the results showed a risk reduction of about 46% when comparing to radionuclide concentrations in leachates from phosphogypsum and from the soils amended with phosphogypsum. A new risk reduction assessment was performed to determine exclusively the contribution of the application of PG to the soil using the soil without PG, the risk reduction for terrestrial biota was of 99% and aquatic biota was a 74% reduction. Finally, it can be concluded that the addition of phosphogypsum in soils reduces the risk quotient related to the exposure of terrestrial and aquatic biota, showing that this is a safe practice.

A. S. Vasilyev, I. K. Romanovich, T. A. Kormanovskaya et al.

According to the annual information packet “Radiation exposure doses to the population of the Russian Federation”, internal exposure to radon has been the main contributor to the annual dose for the population for many years. The paper presents results of a comparative assessment of doses and health risks for students (pupils) and employees of four educational institutions in the Kingiseppsky district of the Leningrad region due to exposure to radon and its progeny. Evaluation of the doses and risks was based on results of instant and long-term measurements of indoor radon concentrations published earlier. Individual annual effective doses to students (pupils) and employees due to exposure to radon while in the building of an educational institution, calculated on the basis of the results of instant measurements of radon EEC, ranged from 0.34 to 4.87 mSv/year for different institutions. However, calculation on the basis of the results of long-term measurements of radon concentration resulted in the dose values 2-4 times higher (from 1.40 to 14.79 mSv/year). These results do not reflect the real exposure scenario, since solid-state nuclear track detectors were exposed continuously, including nights, weekends and holidays (i.e. periods of actual absence of people in the buildings of the educational institutions). Based on the results of instant measurements of radon EEC, the contribution of radon and its progeny to the individual annual effective dose due to all natural sources of ionizing radiation to students (pupils) and employees was 59% (2.21 mSv/year) in the kindergarten of Opol’e, 61% (2.41 mSv/year) in the kindergarten of Falileevo, 82% (6.81 mSv/year) in the school of Falileevo, and 82% (7.11 mSv/year) in the school of Bol’shaya Pustomerzha. According to the classification established in sanitary rules and norms OSPORB 99/2010, the exposure of students and employees of the surveyed schools is classified as “increased” (from 5 to 10 mSv/year) when using the results of instant measurements of radon EEC, and is classified as “high” when using the results of long-term measurements of radon concentration (more than 10 mSv/year). The average individual lifetime risk of radon-induced lung cancer death (based on the results of instant measurements of radon EEC) for students (pupils) and employees was 3.8∙10–4 in the kindergarten of Opol’e, 4.1∙10–4 in the kindergarten of Falileevo, 1.2∙10–3 in the school of Falileevo, and 1.2∙10–3 in the school of Bol’shaya Pustomerzha. However, calculation on the basis of the results of long-term measurements of radon concentration resulted in the risk values from 1.5 to 2.4 times higher. The results obtained can be used to improve the method of monitoring of indoor radon concentration in existing operated public buildings in the Russian Federation, which in turn will make it possible to obtain correct values of doses and health risks.

Wilmer Aruquipa Coloma, Patrícia Amélia de Lima Reis, Clarysson Alberto Mello da Silva et al.

Based on the BEAVRS Benchmark (Benchmark for Evaluation And Validation of Reactor Simulations) which contains reference specifications for operational data and measurements for a pressurized water reactor (PWR), it presents a model for obtaining macroscopic cross sections for the different fuels assemblies of BEAVRS using the WIMS-ANL. The microscopic cross section data library used was ENDF/B-VI. For the cross-section calculation method, the multicellular model approach was considered, and the results were compared with other reference works. This methodology aims to validate the model of calculation of the cross sections, and thus, evaluate whether such methodology generates valid results. Also, in this work, the macroscopic cross-sections generated by WIMS were used to simulate the reactor core of a typical PWR in PARCS. All calculations were made for the reactor's Hot Zero Power status and the first cycle of operation.

T. Ahn, J. S. Randhawa, S. Aguilar et al.

Active-target detectors have the potential to address the difficulties associated with the low intensities of radioactive beams. We have developed an active-target detector, the Notre Dame Cube (ND-Cube), to perform experiments with radioactive beams produced at $\mathit{TwinSol}$ and to aid in the development of active-target techniques. Various aspects of the ND-Cube and its design were characterized. The ND-Cube was commissioned with a $^{7}$Li beam for measuring $^{40}$Ar + $^{7}$Li fusion reaction cross sections and investigating $^{7}$Li($α$,$α$)$^{7}$Li scattering events. The ND-Cube will be used to study a range of reactions using light radioactive ions produced at low energy.

K. S. Tanaka, U. Dammalapati, K. Harada et al.

Ions with similar charge-to-mass ratios cannot be separated from existing beam profile monitors (BPMs) in nuclear facilities in which low-energy radioactive ions are produced due to nuclear fusion reactions. In this study, we developed a BPM using a microchannel plate and a charge-coupled device to differentiate the beam profiles of alpha-decaying radioactive isotopes from other ions (reaction products) produced in a nuclear reaction. This BPM was employed to optimize the low-energy radioactive francium ion (Fr+) beam developed at the Cyclotron and Radioisotope Center (CYRIC), Tohoku University, for electron permanent electric dipole moment (e-EDM) search experiments using Fr atoms. We demonstrated the performance of the BPM by separating the Fr+ beam from other reaction products produced during the nuclear fusion reaction of an oxygen (18O) beam and gold (197Au) target. However, as the mass of Au is close to that of Fr, separating the ions of these elements using a mass filter is a challenge, and a dominant number of Au+ renders the Fr+ beam profile invisible when using a typical BPM. Therefore, by employing the new BPM, we could successfully observe the Fr+ beam and other ion beams distinctly by measuring the alpha decay of Fr isotopes. This novel technique to monitor the alpha-emitting radioactive beam covers a broad range of lifetimes, for example, from approximately 1 s to 10 min, and can be implemented for other alpha-emitter beams utilized for medical applications.

J. Isern, M. Hernanz, E. Bravo et al.

Novae and supernovae play a key role in many fields of Astrophysics and Cosmology. Despite their importance, an accurate description of which objects explode and why and how they explode is still lacking. One of the main characteristics of such explosions is that they are the main suppliers of newly synthesized chemical elements in the Galaxy. Since some of these isotopes are radioactive, it is possible to use the corresponding gamma-rays as a diagnostic tool of the explosion thanks to their independence on the thermal state of the debris. The drawback is the poor sensitivity of detectors in the MeV energy domain. As a consequence, the radioactive lines have only been detected in one core collapse supernova (SN 1987A), one Type Ia supernova (SN 2014J), and one supernova remnant (Cas A). Nevertheless these observations have provided and are providing important information about the explosion mechanisms. Unfortunately, novae are still eluding detection. These results emphasize the necessity to place as soon as possible a new instrument in orbit with enough sensitivity to noticeably enlarge the sample of detected events

Jiu-Long Chen, Xiao-Hua Li, Xi-Jun Wu et al.

In the present work we systematically study the half--lives of proton radioactivity for spherical proton emitters with ${Z\ge 69}$ based on two--potential approach. While the nuclear potential of the emitted proton--daughter nucleus is adopted by a parameterized cosh type, the parameters of the depth and diffuseness for nuclear potential are determined by fitting experimental data of 32 spherical proton emitters. In order to reduce the deviations between experimental half-lives and calculated ones, we propose a simple analytic expression for formation probability of proton radioactivity with the same orbital angular momentum $l$. The results indicate that the formation probability can be simply described by a formula of $A_d^{1/3}$. Moreover, the linear relationship between the formation probability and the fragmentation potential also exists. The calculated half-lives can well reproduce the experimental data.

Reynaldo Pugliesi, Marco Antônio Stanojev Pereira, Marcos Leandro Garcia Andrade

Neutron Tomography – NT is a non-destructive technique, ideal for imaging hydrogen-rich substances even when wrapped up by thick rock layers. In the present study, the NT was employed for investigating the oil concentration and distribution in the mineral Dolomite, a natural oil reservoir. Two types of Dolomite samples, one of which dry, and the second one in oil-saturated were prepared. The applied oil was EMCAplus® 070 usually employed in permeability experiments to reproduce conditions of natural oil reservoirs. Three small fragments of the dry sample and three of the oil sample were inspected by NT and the comparison between the obtained results enabled, to distinguish several regions in which the oil is stored, to indicate that the oil is dispersed throughout the volume of the samples, and to quantify the storage concentration. The obtained data for oil concentration, for the three fragments, were compared to each other and to the one obtained by the conventional gravimetric technique, and they agreed within their uncertainties, demonstrating the viability of the NT technique to inspect, either in a qualitative as in a quantitative level, this oil reservoir mineral.

Maysa Costa Castro

The use of Computed Tomography (CT) for diagnostic images has been growing due to technological advances of this equipment. Therefore, there is a concern regarding the dose received by the patients undergoing this procedure, and this procedure needs to be performed with the highest precision and accuracy possible. The radiation detector used for CT beams is a pencil-type ionization chamber. However, there is no primary standard system for this kind of radiation beam. In this work a homemade extrapolation chamber was used to establish a CT primary standard [1]. This detector was tested for low-energy radiation beams and showing results within the internationally acceptable limits [2]. This work had the objective to study the response stability of an extrapolation chamber, as well as obtaining the energy dependence and the angular dependence in standard CT beams of the Calibration Laboratory of IPEN (LCI).

A. S. Saburova, M. V. Filimonova, V. V. Yuzhakov et al.

The purpose of the work was to study the ability of the NOS inhibitor T1023 to prevent late radiation injuries. Methods: the effects of T1023 (75 mg / kg, once i.p. 30 minutes before the irradiation) on the development of post-radiation pulmonitis and pneumofibrosis in rats with thoracic exposure to g-radiation at  a dose of 12.5 Gy were studied histopathologically and morphometrically. The results of the studies showed that there wasn’t a significant objective effect of T1023 on the development of early radiation-induced lung injuries  (9 weeks after irradiation). But it prevented late radiation induced lung injuaries (26 weeks after irradiation) – there were a significant lesser pathomorphological manifestations of post-radiation pulmonitis, proliferation of connective tissue and the development of fibrotic changes in the lung parenchyma. At this stage, the action of T1023 clearly contributed to the preservation of the normal histostructure of the lungs, reducing by 40% the content of compaction zones in the parenchyma. The ability of the NOS inhibitor T1023 to significantly limit the development of lungs late radiation reaction confirms the promise of further development  of this compound as a means for prevention radiation therapy complications.

Jianwen Huo, Manlu Liu, Konstantin A. Neusypin et al.

The research of robotic autonomous radioactivity detection or radioactive source search plays an important role in the monitoring and disposal of nuclear safety and biological safety. In this paper, a method for autonomously searching for radioactive sources through mobile robots was proposed. In the method, by using a partially observable Markov decision process (POMDP), the search of autonomous unknown radioactive sources was realized according to a series of radiation information measured by mobile robot. First, the factors affecting the accuracy of radiation measurement during the robot’s movement were analyzed. Based on these factors, the behavior set of POMDP was designed. Secondly, the parameters of the radioactive source were estimated in the Bayesian framework. In addition, through the reward strategy, autonomous navigation of the robot to the position of the radiation source was achieved. The search algorithm was simulated and tested, and the TurtleBot robot platform was used to conduct a real search experiment on the radio source Cs-137 with an activity of 37 MBq indoors. The experimental results showed the effectiveness of the method. Additionally, from the experiments, it could been seen that the robot was affected by the linear velocity, angular velocity, positioning accuracy and the number of measurements in the process of autonomous search for the radioactive source. The proposed mobile robot autonomous search method can be applied to the search for lost radioactive sources, as well as for the leakage of substances (nuclear or chemical) in nuclear power plants and chemical plants.

R. F. Garcia Ruiz, R. Berger, J. Billowes et al.

The study of molecular systems provides exceptional opportunities for the exploration of the fundamental laws of nature and for the search for physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics. Measurements of molecules composed of naturally occurring nuclei have provided the most stringent upper bounds to the electron electric dipole moment to date, and offer a route to investigate the violation of fundamental symmetries with unprecedented sensitivity. Radioactive molecules - where one or more of their atoms possesses a radioactive nucleus - can contain heavy and deformed nuclei, offering superior sensitivity for EDM measurements as well as for other symmetry-violating effects. Radium monofluoride, RaF, is of particular interest as it is predicted to have an appropriate electronic structure for direct laser cooling. Furthermore, some Ra isotopes are known to be octupole deformed, thereby resulting in a large enhancement of their symmetry-violating nuclear moments. Until now,however, no experimental measurements of RaF have been performed, and their study is impeded by major experimental challenges, as no stable isotopes of radium exist. Here, we present a novel experimental approach to study short-lived radioactive molecules using the highly sensitive collinear resonance ionisation method. With this technique we have measured, for the first time, the energetically low-lying electronic states for each of the isotopically pure RaF molecules at the ISOLDE-CERN. Our results provide strong evidence of the existence of a suitable laser-cooling scheme for these molecules and constitute a pivotal step towards high-precision studies in these systems. Our findings open up new opportunities in the synthesis, manipulation and study of short-lived radioactive molecules, which will have a direct impact in many-body physics, astrophysics, nuclear structure, and fundamental physics research.

M. O. Degteva, E. A. Shishkina, E. I. Tolstykh et al.

Objective of the study: to develop a skeleton model for assessing red bone marrow dose from osteotropic beta-emitting radionuclides. This article describes the modeling methodology which takes into account the individual variability of the macro- and microstructure of bone tissue.Materials and methods: it is proposed to model bone sites with active hematopoiesis by dividing them into small segments described by simple geometric shapes. Spongiosa, which fills the segments, is modeled as an isotropic three-dimensional grid (carcass) of rod-like trabeculae that “run through” the bone marrow. In the process of randomization, multiple carcass deformations are simulated by changing the positions of the grid nodes and the thickness of the rods. Model grid parameters are selected in accordance with the parameters of spongiosa microstructures taken from the published papers. Stochastic modeling of radiation transport in heterogeneous environments simulating distribution of bone tissue and marrow in each of the segments is performed by Monte Carlo method. The model output for the lumbar vertebra is given as an example. The generated vertebral model allowed us to obtain the dosimetric characteristics of bone marrow irradiation, which are comparable to the results obtained with ICRP model developed based on the data of micro-images of bone structures. For the first time ever confidence intervals of dosimetric characteristics associated with individual variability of bone structure were evaluated. The developed methodology for the calculation of doses absorbed in the bone marrow from osteotropic radionuclides does not require additional studies of autopsy material. The obtained results will be used to calculate individual doses in a cohort of Techa riverside residents who were exposed due to Techa River contamination as a result of liquid radioactive waste discharges by the Mayak Production Association.

Samuel Chiquita

In this report simulations of 192Ir source located inside a phantom designed for measuring the absorbed dose and radioactive source position are presented. Monte Carlo simulations were performed and results were compared with a theoretical model that enables to determine radioactive source position. A good fit from the simulated data to the theoretical model was obtained. Results show that Monte Carlo simulations allow to evaluate source position and absorbed dose with implications in treatment planning.