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New experimental results for the elastic scattering of 6He on 64Zn at incident energies of 15.0 and 18.0 MeV and 4He at 17.5 MeV along with results already published at 10.0 and 13.6 MeV, are presented. Elastic and alpha experimental cross sections are compared with coupled-reaction-channel, continuum-discretized coupledchannel, and DWBA inclusive-breakup models. The large yield of alpha particles observed at all measured energies can be explained by considering a nonelastic breakup mechanism.

The Time-of-Flight (ToF) technique coupled with semiconductor-like detectors, as silicon carbide and diamond, is one of the most promising diagnostic methods for high-energy, high repetition rate, laser-accelerated ions allowing a full on-line beam spectral characterization. A new analysis method for reconstructing the energy spectrum of high-energy laser-driven ion beams from TOF signals is hereby presented and discussed. The proposed method takes into account the detector's working principle, through the accurate calculation of the energy loss in the detector active layer, using Monte Carlo simulations. The analysis method was validated against well-established diagnostics, such as the Thomson Parabola Spectrometer, during an experimental campaign carried out at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL, UK) with the high-energy laser-driven protons accelerated by the VULCAN Petawatt laser.

This manuscript provides a response to a recent report by Mazzone et al. available online on arXiv that, in turn, tentatively aims at demonstrating the inefficacy of proton boron capture in hadrotherapy. We clarify that Mazzone et al. do not add any scientific or technical insights to the points extensively discussed in the original manuscript by Cirrone et al., and/or in the series of iterations had with the Referee, which ultimately lead to the publication of our original and pioneering experimental work. Here we summarize some of the key points of the long scientific debate we had during the review process of paper by Cirrone et al., which are very similar to the considerations presented by Mazzone et al.. In conclusion, no quantitative explanation of our robust experimental achievements presented in Cirrone et al. is provided in Mazzone et al., Comment: Response to the paper arXiv:1802.09482v2

The ELIMED (MEDical and multidisciplinary application at ELI Beamlines) beam line is being developed at INFN-LNS with the aim of transporting and selecting in energy proton and ion beams accelerated by laser-matter interaction at ELI Beamlines in Prague. It will be a section of the ELIMAIA (ELI Multidisciplinary Applications of laser-Ions Acceleration) beam line, dedicated to applications, including the medical one, of laser-accelerated ion beams [1,2]. A Monte Carlo model has been developed to support the design of the beam line in terms of particle transport efficiency, to optimize the transport parameters at the irradiation point in air and, furthermore, to predict beam parameters in order to deliver dose distributions of clinical relevance. The application has been developed using the Geant4 [3] Monte Carlo toolkit and has been designed in a modular way in order to easily switch on/off geometrical components according to different experimental setups and users requirements, as reported in [4], describing the early-stage code and simulations. The application has been delivered to ELI Beamlines and will be available for future ELIMAIA's users as ready-to-use tool useful during experiment preparation and analysis. The final version of the developed application will be described in detail in this contribution, together with the final results, in terms of energy spectra and transmission efficiency along the in-vacuum beam line, obtained by performing end-to-end simulations., Comment: EAAC 2017 proceeding NIM A

On the wake of the results obtained so far at the SPARC\_LAB test-facility at the Laboratori Nazionali di Frascati (Italy), we are currently investigating the possibility to design and build a new multi-disciplinary user-facility, equipped with a soft X-ray Free Electron Laser (FEL) driven by a $\sim$1 GeV high brightness linac based on plasma accelerator modules. This design study is performed in synergy with the EuPRAXIA design study. In this paper we report about the recent progresses in the on going design study of the new facility.

Protontherapy is hadrontherapy fastest-growing modality and a pillar in the battle against cancer. Hadrontherapy superiority lies in its inverted depth-dose profile, hence tumour-confined irradiation. Protons, however, lack distinct radiobiological advantages over photons or electrons. Higher LET (Linear Energy Transfer) $^{12}$C ions can overcome cancer radioresistance: DNA lesion complexity increases with LET, resulting in efficient cell killing, i.e. higher Relative Biological Effectiveness (RBE). However, economic and radiobiological issues hamper $^{12}$C-ion clinical amenability. Thus, enhancing proton RBE is desirable. To this end, we exploited the p + $^{11}$B $\rightarrow$3$\alpha$ reaction to generate high-LET alpha particles with a clinical proton beam. To maximize the reaction rate, we used sodium borocaptate (BSH) with natural boron content. Boron-Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) uses $^{10}$B-enriched BSH for neutron irradiation-triggered alpha-particles. We recorded significantly increased cellular lethality and chromosome aberration complexity. A strategy combining protontherapy ballistic precision with the higher RBE promised by BNCT and $^{12}$C-ion therapy is thus demonstrated., Comment: Original paper on a significative improvement of proton radiobiological effect

A low-power prototype of neutron amplifier, based on a 70 MeV, high current proton cyclotron being installed at LNL for the SPES RIB facility, was recently proposed within INFN-E project. This prototype uses a thick Beryllium converter to produce a fast neutron spectrum feeding a sub-critical reactor core. To complete the design of such facility the new measurement of neutron yield from a thick Beryllium target was performed at LNS. This measurement used liquid scintillator detectors to identify produced neutrons by Pulse Shape Discrimination and Time of Flight technique to measure neutron energy in the range 0.5-62 MeV. To extend the covered neutron energy range He3 detector was used to measure neutrons below 0.5 MeV. The obtained yields were normalized to the charge deposited by the proton beam on the metallic Beryllium target. These techniques allowed to achieve a wide angular coverage from 0 to 150 degrees and to explore almost complete neutron energy interval., Comment: To appear in proceedings of ANIMMA International Conference, June 23-27, Marseille, France

The design of a low-power prototype of neutron amplifier recently proposed within the INFN-E project indicated the need for more accurate called for detailed data on the neutron yield produced by a proton beam with energy of about 70 MeV impinging on a thick Beryllium target. Such measurement was performed at the LNS superconducting cyclotron, covering a wide angular range from 0 to 150 degrees and a complete neutron energy interval from thermal to beam energy. Neutrons with energy above 0.5 MeV were measured by liquid scintillators exploiting their Time of Flight to determine the kinetic energy. For lower energy neutrons, down to thermal energy, a $^3$He detector was used. The obtained data are in good agreement with previous measurements at 0 degree with 66 MeV proton beam, covering neutron energies >10 MeV, as well as with measurements at few selected angles with protons of 46, 55 and 113 MeV energy. The present results extend the neutron yield data in the 60-70 MeV beam energy range. A comparison of measured yields to MCNP and Geant4 Monte Carlo simulations was performed., Comment: 12 pages, 20 figures, sources include tables of all measured data