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The production of medical radioisotopes for theranostics is essential for the development of personalized nuclear medicine. Among them, radiometals can be used to label proteins and peptides and their supply in quantity and quality suitable for clinical applications represents a scientific challenge. A research program is ongoing at the Bern medical cyclotron, where an IBA Cyclone 18/18 HC is in operation. The cyclotron provides 18 MeV proton beams up to 150 μA and is equipped with a Solid Target Station (STS) and a 6 m Beam Transport Line (BTL), ending in a separate bunker with independent access. A novel magnetic target coin was realized to bombard isotope-enriched materials in the form of compressed powders, together with a compact focalization system to enhance the irradiation procedure. For an optimized production yield with the required radionuclidic purity, novel methods were developed to precisely measure the extracted beam energy and the involved reaction cross sections. In particular, a target station was realized to measure nuclear cross sections using materials in the form of powder deposited on an aluminium disc by sedimentation, bombarded by a monitored flat beam.

During Long Shutdown 2 (LS2) at CERN, the new Linac4 (L4) accelerator was connected to the PS Booster (PSB) to inject 160 MeV H− beam into the 4 superposed PSB rings. In order to achieve this, a completely new H− charge-exchange injection chicane system, with 200 µg/cm2 carbon stripping foil units, to convert the negative hydrogen ions into protons, by stripping off the electrons, has been installed. Beam commissioning of this system started in December 2020 and different types of foils have been used for this purpose. In parallel, stripping efficiency measurements, of different foil types, continued to take place with the stripping foil test stand in the L4 Transfer Line. This paper briefly recalls the final design, and installation of, the main components in the PSB injection region, before reporting on the important results obtained during measurements and commissioning with beam.

Adaptative objects based on shape-memory materials are expected to significantly impact numerous technological sectors including optics and photonics. In this work, we demonstrate the manufacturing of shape-memory optical fibers from the thermal stretching of additively manufactured preforms. First, we show how standard commercially-available thermoplastics can be used to produce long continuously-structured microfilaments with shape-memory abilities. Shape recovery as well as programmability performances of such elongated objects are assessed. Next, we open the way for light-guiding multicomponent fiber architectures that are able to switch from temporary configurations back to user-defined programmed shapes. We strongly expect that such actuatable fibers with light-guiding abilities will trigger exciting progress of unprecedented smart devices in the areas of photonics, electronics, or robotics.

Since the development of the first fibroscope in the late nineteenth century, the use of innovating glass fibers has opened promising perspectives for medical applications particularly in the domain of multimodal imagery[1]. In this work, tellurite glasses have been used to design step-index optical fibers with a rectangular core-section for supercontinuum generation in the near infrared domain. The tellurite glasses selection and the fibers manufacturing by the stack-and-draw process will be presented. Characterizations performed on bulk samples and fibers will also be detailed[2]. The spectral broadening, which is obtained in this work in a short fiber sample, is used for imaging mouse kidney cells, labelled with three different fluorochromes, by means of two and three-photon absorption. Despite the multimode nature of the output beam, clear images of tubules, actin and nucleus are collected with a spatial resolution down to 1.2 µm[3].

Among the different fundamental aspects that govern the design and development of elongated multimaterial structures via the preform-to-fiber technique, material association methodologies hold a crucial role. They greatly impact the number, complexity and possible combinations of functions that can be integrated within single fibers, thus defining their applicability. In this work, co-drawing strategies to produce monofilament microfibers from unique glass-polymer associations are discussed.

High-mass stars (m* ≳ 8 M⊙) play a crucial role in the evolution of galaxies, and so it is imperative that we understand how they are formed. We have used the New IRAM KIDs Array 2 (NIKA2) camera on the Institut de Radio Astronomie Millimétrique (IRAM) 30-m telescope to conduct high-sensitivity continuum mapping of ~ 2 deg2 of the Galactic plane (GP) as part of the Galactic Star Formation with NIKA2 (GASTON) large program. We have identified a total of 1467 clumps within our deep 1.15 mm continuum maps and, by using overlapping continuum, molecular line, and maser parallax data, we have determined their distances and physical properties. By placing them upon an approximate evolutionary sequence based upon 8 μm Spitzer imaging, we find evidence that the most massive dense clumps accrete material from their surrounding environment during their early evolution, before dispersing as star formation advances, supporting clump-fed models of high-mass star formation.

The production of theranostic radionuclides using solid targets is challenging and requires an accurate knowledge of the production crosssections as well as the energy, positioning and focusing of the beam. A research program is ongoing at the 18 MeV Bern medical cyclotron, equipped with a Solid Target Station (STS) and a 6 m Beam Transfer Line (BTL) ending in a separate bunker with independent access. A novel target coin was designed and built to irradiate compressed powder pellets, together with a compact focalization system to optimize the irradiation procedure. Furthermore, methods were developed to measure the beam energy, the production cross-sections and the EoB-activity.

In 2020, after the CERN accelerators complex Long Shutdown 2 (LS2), a novel Linac4 (L4)-to-PS Booster (PSB) charge-exchange injection system will allow to transform the L4 160 MeV H- beam into H+, which will be injected into the four PSB superposed rings. For this, a 200 µg/cm2 carbon stripping foil will convert negative hydrogen ions (H-) into protons by stripping off the electrons. L4 is now performing operational reliability runs, which include a stripping foil test stand installed in the L4 transfer line. These tests will permit to gain experience on the fragile foils, test different foil materials and thicknesses, measure the efficiency and lifetime of the foils, and evaluate the foil changing mechanism as well as the interlocking functions. This paper briefly describes the stripping foil test stand setup, before reporting on the obtained important test results.

In this work, optical and microphysical properties of Arctic aerosol as well as their radiative impact are investigated. Air-borne Lidar observations along with ground-based measurements are evaluated for the Arctic Haze season of 2018. Aerosol abundance as inferred from particle backscatter was typical for this period of the year, with nearly spherical and large particles. The inversion of microphysical properties yielded high Refractive Index (RI) together with low Single-Scattering Albedo (SSA), suggesting absorbing particles. A fitted lognormal volume distribution revealed a fine mode with effective radius (reff) of μm and a coarse mode with reff=0.75 μm. The total radiative balance on ground was positive (12 Wm-2).

The Belle II experiment at KEK observed its first collisions in the summer of 2018. Processing the large amounts of data that will be produced requires conditions data to be readily available to systems worldwide in a fast and efficient manner that is straightforward for both the user and maintainer. This was accomplished by relying on industrystandard tools and methods: the conditions database is built as an HTTP REST service using tools such as Swagger for the API interface development, Payara for the Java EE application server, and Squid for the caching proxy. This article presents the design of the Belle II conditions database production environment as well as details about the capabilities and performance during both Monte Carlo campaigns and data reprocessing.

Primitive life, defined as a chemical system capable to transfer its molecular information via self-replication and also capable to evolve, originated about 4 billion years ago from the processing of organic molecules by liquid water. Terrestrial atmosphere played a key role in the process by allowing the permanent presence of liquid water and by participating in the production of carbon-based molecules. Water molecules exhibit specific properties mainly due to a dense network of hydrogen bonds. The carbon-based molecules were either home made in the atmosphere and/or in submarine hydrothermal systems or delivered by meteorites and micrometeorites. The search for possible places beyond the earth where the trilogy atmosphere/water/life could exist is the main objective of astrobiology. Within the Solar System, exploration missions are dedicated to Mars, Europa, Titan and the icy bodies. The discovery of several hundreds of extrasolar planets opens the quest to the whole Milky Way.

The γ-coincidence studies of low-spin structures of 210Bi and 206Tl are presented. The 210Bi nucleus, populated in thermal neutron capture reaction, was investigated using EXILL HPGe array at Institut Laue-Langevin in Grenoble. The experimental results were compared to the shell-model calculations allowing to draw the conclusions on the nature of the low-spin excitations populated below the neutron binding energy in 210Bi (4.6 MeV). It has been found that some levels cannot be described by the valence proton and neutron couplings, but may arise from couplings of valence particles to the 3- octupole phonon of the doubly magic 208Pb core. Moreover, preliminary results of a low-spin structure measurements of 206Tl by the γ-coincidence technique, making use of the 205Tl(n,γ)206Tl reaction at the FIPPS prompt γ-ray spectroscopy facility of ILL are shown. The population of a large number of excited states of 206Tl above the ground state up to the neutron binding energy (at 6.5 MeV), within a few units of spin is expected. The analysis involving double and triple γ-coincidences and γγ-angular correlations will allow to significantly extend the experimental information on the energy and spin-parity of the levels in 206Tl. This will help shedding light on the proton-hole and neutron-hole couplings near the doubly magic core 208Pb.

Recent results on the structure of 47Ca will be presented. The nucleus of interest was populated via the cold-neutron capture 46Ca(n,γ) reaction, on a rare 46Ca target, during the EXILL experimental campaign at the nuclear reactor of Institut Laue- Langevin in Grenoble. High-resolution γ-ray spectroscopy, performed with a composite array of HPGe detectors, enabled the identification of new transitions deexciting states between the neutron-capture level and the ground state. Experimental data will be compared with a novel microscopic theoretical model, currently under development, specifically designed to describe the low-lying structure of odd-mass nuclei with one valence particle/hole outside a spherical doubly-magic core, using the Skyrme effective interaction self-consistently.

A building design of vertical axis wind turbines (VAWT) was presented in the article. The construction and operating principle of a wind turbine were described therein. Two VAWT turbine models were compared, i.a. Darrieus and Lenz2, taking their strengths and weaknesses into consideration. 3D solid models of turbine components were presented with the use of SolidWorks software. Using CFD methods, the air flow on two aerodynamic fins, symmetrical and asymmetrical, at different angles of attack were tested. On the basis of flow simulation conducted in FlowSimulation, an asymmetrical fin was chosen as the one showing greater load bearing capacities. Due to the uncertainty of trouble-free operation of Darrieus turbine on construction elements creating the basis thereof, a 3D model of Lenz2 turbine was constructed, which is more reliable and makes turbine self-start possible. On the basis of the research, components were designed and technical docu mentation was compiled.

Pneumatic directional valves are used in most industrial pneumatic systems. Most of them are two-stage valves controlled by a pilot valve. Pilot valves are often chosen randomly. Experimental studies in order to determine the flow-rate characteristics and parameters of pilot valves were not conducted. The paper presents experimental research of two piezo pilot valves.

The work includes a study on the comparative analysis of two test methods. The first method - numerical method, consists in determining the flow characteristics with the use of ANSYS CFX. A modeled poppet directional valve 3/2 3D CAD software – SolidWorks was used for this purpose. Based on the solid model that was developed, simulation studies of the air flow through the way valve in the software for computational fluid dynamics Ansys CFX were conducted. The second method - experimental, entailed conducting tests on a specially constructed test stand. The comparison of the test results obtained on the basis of both methods made it possible to determine the cross-correlation. High compatibility of the results confirms the usefulness of the numerical procedures. Thus, they might serve to determine the flow characteristics of directional valves as an alternative to a costly and time-consuming test stand.

The article presents a study on the rodless pneumatic piston actuator. Mathematical model of the pneumatic actuator, static and dynamic characteristics are obtained and compared with the real drive characteristics.

This thesis presents the outcome of experimental research of the impact of changes in cutting speed and volume of material processed during a face milling process on the temperature of the processed object made of copper of M1Ez4 class. Measurement of the temperature of the processed object was conducted in six points with K-type thermocouples. The theoretical amount of released heat per unit of time for particular parameters of machining was also calculated.

The article concerns experimental studies of the effect of temperature on the positioning accuracy of pneumatic muscles. It presents results of experimental studies in the form of thermal images from thermal imaging camera. Pneumatic artificial muscles have unique operational characteristics and because of that they are used in industrial production processes, where classic drives do not work. During operation of muscles with large frequencies above 60 Hz, one can observe a significant increase in temperatures on the bladder surface. The article concerns a study aimed at the determination of the maximum temperature which can be achieved and whether it affects the accuracy of their positioning.

The experimental setup GAMIPE used for gyro magnetic factor measurements at Laboratori Nazionali di Legnaro and a recent experimental work regarding K-isomers in 174W are described. Aim of the experiment is to study the detailed structure of the isomeric states wave functions, by the measurement of the magnetic dipole moments. This piece of information can provide interesting hints for theoretical models. Preliminary results concerning the population of the isomers of interest and half-lives are presented.

The γ decay of low-lying 1−and 2+ states up to the neutron separation energy in 124Sn populate by the inelastic scattering of 17O was measured. The Angular distributions were measured both for the γ rays and the scattered 17O ions. The results are presented.

The region of neutron-rich nuclei beyond 208Pb has been very difficult to explore due to its high mass and exoticity. However, recent experimental improvements allowed one to perform a quite extended isomer decay spectroscopy of these nuclei.

In heavy ion reactions, in the case of N/Z asymmetry between projectile and target, the process leading to complete fusion is expected to produce pre-equilibrium dipole γ-ray emission. It is generated during the charge equilibration process and it is known as Dynamical Dipole. A new measurement of the dynamical dipole emission was performed by studying 16O + 116Sn at 12 MeV/u. These data, together with those measured at 8.1 MeV/u and 15.6 MeV/u for the same reaction, provide the dependence on the Dynamical Dipole total emission yield with beam energy and they can be compared with theoretical expectations. The experimental results show a weak increase of the Dynamical Dipole total yield with beam energies and are in agreement with the prediction of a theoretical model based on the Boltzmann–Nordheim–Vlasov (BNV) approach. The measured trend with beam energy does not confirm the rise and fall behavior previously reported for the same fused compound but with a much higher dipole moment.

The neutron-rich isotopes of tungsten, osmium and platinum have different shapes in their ground states and present also shape transitions phenomena. Spectroscopic information for these nuclei is scarce and often limited to the gamma rays from the decay of isomeric states. For the neutron-rich even-even osmium isotopes 194Os and 198Os, a shape transition between a slightly prolate deformed to an oblate deformed ground state was deduced from the observed level schemes. For the even-even nucleus lying in between, 196Os, no gamma ray transition is known. In order to elucidate the shape transition and to test the nuclear models describing it, this region was investigated through gamma-ray spectroscopy using the AGATA demonstrator and the large acceptance heavy-ion spectrometer PRISMA at LNL, Italy. A two-nucleon transfer from a 198Pt target to a stable 82Se beam was utilized to populate medium-high spin states of 196Os. The analysis method and preliminary results, including the first life-time measurement of isomeric states with AGATA, are presented.

An unexpected enhancement in the low-energy part of the γ-strength function for light and medium-mass nuclei has been discovered at the Oslo Cyclotron Laboratory. This enhancement could lead to an increase in the neutron-capture rates up to two orders of magnitude for very exotic, neutron-rich nuclei. However, it is still an open question whether this structure persists when approaching the neutron drip line.

The heavy ion reaction 22Ne+208Pb at 128 MeV of bombarding energy has been studied using the PRISMA-CLARA experimental setup at Legnaro National Laboratories. Elastic, inelastic and one nucleon transfer cross sections have been measured. The experimental results are presented in parallel with the analysis on existing data for the unstable 24Ne nucleus, from the reaction 24Ne+208Pb at 182 MeV (measured at SPIRAL with the VAMOS-EXOGAM setup). The β2C charge deformation parameter for both 22Ne and 24Ne has been determined by a DWBA analysis of the experimental angular dis- tributions, showing a strong reduction for 24Ne.

The 48Ti on 40Ca reactions have been studied at 300 and 600 MeV focusing on the fusion-evaporation (FE) and fusion-fission (FF) exit channels. Energy spectra and multiplicities of the emitted light charged particles have been compared to Monte Carlo simulations based on the statistical model. Indeed, in this mass region (A ~ 100) models predict that shape transitions can occur at high spin values and relatively scarce data exist in the literature about coincidence measurements between evaporation residues and light charged particles. Signals of shape transitions can be found in the variations of the lineshape of high energy gamma rays emitted from the de-excitation of GDR states gated on different region of angular momenta. For this purpose it is important to keep under control the FE and FF processes, to regulate the statistical model parameters and to control the onset of possible pre-equilibrium emissions from 300 to 600 MeV bombarding energy.

A theoretical approach was developed to describe secondary particle emission in heavy ion collisions, with special regards to pre-equilibrium α-particle production. The probabilities of neutron, proton and α-particle emission have been evaluated for both the equilibrium and pre-equilibrium stages of the process. Effects due the possible cluster structure of the projectile which has been excited during the collisions have been experimentally evidenced studying the double differential cross sections of p and α-particles emitted in the E=250MeV 16O +116Sn reaction. Calculations within the present model with different clusterization probabilities have been compared to the experimental data.

The lifetime of the 9/2+ state of 65Cu, at 2534 keV, has been measured by fast timing techniques, in order to establish wether such state arises from a weak coupling between a p3/2 proton and the 3− octupole vibration at 3.56 MeV in the 64Ni core. The 65Cu nucleus was populated by the reaction 7Li + 64Ni at 32 MeV, at the Horia Hulubei National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering (NIPNE) in Bucharest, and its γ-decay was detected by the ROSPHERE array. The measured lifetime coresponds to a B(E3) reduced transition probability to the ground state equal to 8.89 W.u., in agreement with theoretical predictions in the weak coupling limit.

Isospin mixing induced by the Coulomb interaction has been studied in the compound nucleus 80Zr at T~2 MeV produced in the fusion-evaporation reaction 40Ca+40Ca at Ebeam = 136 MeV. The isospin impurity was measured using the first step of the Giant Dipole Resonance γ decay. The preliminary value of the Coulomb spreading width has been extracted via statistical model analysis of the measured γ spectrum.

A measurement of the high-lying states in 208Pb has been made using 17O beams at 20 MeV/u. The gamma decay following inelastic excitation was measured with the detector system AGATA Demonstrator based on segmented HPGe detectors, coupled to an array of large volume LaBr3:Ce scintillators and to an array of Si detectors. Preliminary results in comparison with (γ,γ’) data, for states in the 5-8 MeV energy interval, are presented.

A selection of the properties of large volume, cylindrical 3.5” x 8” LaBr3:Ce scintillation detectors coupled to a 3.5” PMT (model R10233-1000SEL from HAMAMATSU) and a special designed Voltage Divider (LABRVD) will be discussed. A number of 10 of such detectors constitute the HECTOR+ array which, in fall 2012, measured at GSI coupled to the AGATA DEMOSTRATOR at the PRESPEC experimental setup. These crystals are among the largest ever produced and needed to be characterized. We have performed several tests and here we discuss, in particular, the energy resolution measured using monochromatic γ−ray sources and in-beam reactions producing γ−rays up to 22.6 MeV. As already measured in two previous works a saturation in the energy resolution was observed in case of high energy gamma rays. Crystal non-homogeneities and PMT gain drifts can affect the resolution of measurements especially in case of high energy γ−rays.

The gamma decay of the giant dipole resonance (including its tail region) is an important tool to probe the properties of these states, and thus to test the predictions of mean field theories. This paper focuses on two main aspects concerning the electric dipole excitation in nuclei. These are the study of the isospin character of the low energy tail of the Giant Dipole Resonance (GDR), the so-called Pygmy resonance, and the isospin mixing of nuclear systems at finite temperature. In the first case, the Pygmy resonance has been populated in the inelastic scattering reaction 17O+124Sn at 20 MeV/u. Its gamma decay has been measured using the AGATA Demonstrator and an array of 8 large volume LaBr3:Ce scintillators. In the second case, the gamma decay of the GDR in thermalized nuclear systems, formed in fusion evaporation reactions, has been used to investigate the isospin mixing in 80Zr. For this work the reactions 40Ca+40Ca at 3.4 MeV/u and 37Cl +44Ca at 2.6 MeV/u were used.

High-lying states in 208Pb nucleus were populated via inelastic scattering of a 17O beam at bombarding energy of 20 MeV/u. Their subsequent gamma decay was measured with the detector system AGATA Demonstrator based on HPGe detectors, coupled to an array of large volume LaBr3:Ce scintillators. Preliminary results in comparison with (γ,γ′) data, for states in the 5–8 MeV energy interval, seem to indicate that in that region the states belong to two different groups one with a isoscalar character and the other with a isovector nature. This is similar to what was observed in other stable nuclei with (α,α′γ) experiments. The multipolarity of the observed gamma transitions is determined with remarkable sensitivity thanks to angular distribution measurements. Data aiming at studying the neutron decay of the Giant Quadrupole Resonance in the 208Pb by the high resolution measurement of the following gamma decay are also presented in their preliminary form.