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In a carbon ion treatment the nuclear fragmentation of both target and beam projectiles impacts on the dose released on the tumor and on the surrounding healthy tissues. Carbon ion fragmentation occurring inside the patient body has to be studied in order to take into account this contribution. These data are also important for the development of the range monitoring techniques with charged particles. The production of charged fragments generated by carbon ion beams of 115–353 MeV/u kinetic energy impinging on carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen targets has been measured at the CNAO particle therapy center (Pavia, Italy). The use of thin targets of graphite (C), PMMA (C2O5H8) and polyvinyl-toluene [plastic scintillator (PS), ${\text{C}}_{b}{\text{H}}_{a}$ ] allowed to measure fragments production cross sections, exploiting a time-of-flight (ToF) technique. PS detectors have been used to perform the ToF measurements, while LYSO crystals have been used for the deposited energy measurement and to perform particle identification. Cross sections have been measured at 90° and 60° with respect to the beam direction. The measured proton, deuteron, and triton differential production cross sections on C, O, and H, obtained exploiting the target subtraction strategy, are presented here as a function of the fragment kinetic energy.

SPARC and SPARX are two different initiatives toward an Italian Free Electron Laser (FEL) source operating in the Self Amplified Spontaneous Emission (SASE) mode, in which several national research institutions are involved. SPARC is a high gain FEL project devoted to provide a source of visible and VUV radiation while exploiting the SASE mechanism. An advanced Photo-Injector system, emittance compensating RF-gun plus a 150 MeV Linac, will inject a high quality e-beam into the undulator to generate high brilliance FEL radiation in the visible region at the fundamental wavelength, (∼500 nm). The production of flat top drive laser beams, high peak current bunches, and emittance compensation scheme will be investigated together with the generation of higher harmonic radiation in the VUV region. SPARX is the direct evolution of such a high gain SASE FEL toward the 13.5 and 1.5 nm operating wavelengths, at 2.5 GeV. To get the required value for the bunch peak current, Ipeak ≈ 2.5 kA, the “hybrid” scheme, RF-compression stage plus magnetic chicane, is analyzed and compared with the more standard double stage of magnetic compression. The two options are reviewed considering the tolerance to the drive laser pulse phase jitter.

The design and construction of the 990-ton gapless iron magnets for the OPERA experiment represent a major challenge from the point of view of mechanics, electric and heat engineering. Two of such magnets have been built in a deep underground hall of the Gran Sasso laboratories between 2003 and 2006 and they have been switched on for the first time in March 2006. In this paper we discuss the construction and characterization of these devices. First experience with the CNGS beam are also reported. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]