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The usage of static random access memory-based field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) on high-energy physics detectors is mostly limited by the sensitivity of devices to radiation-induced upsets in their configuration. In this paper, we describe a scrubber core designed for Xilinx FPGAs, based on configuration redundancy. When no upsets happen in homologous redundant bits and the scrubber is functional, the adopted redundancy makes it possible to correct all the errors. In fact, the scrubber corrects its own configuration and the one pertaining to a given user design. We discuss the architecture and two implementations of the scrubber, corresponding to different flavors of triple modular redundancy. We report results from proton irradiation tests, which prove that our core can extend the lifetime of a benchmark circuit up to 290%.

The characterisation of a novel multi-strip silicon detector, the serial Dose Magnifying Glass, to incident 60 MeV mono-energetic proton beams, typical for ocular melanoma treatment, was performed by means of Geant4 simulations and experimental methods. Geant4 simulations were performed to determine the applicability and potential of the detector for proton beam range verification with high spatial resolution. Experimental characterisation was performed using the CATANA beam line to confirm the Monte Carlo feasibility study and determine the detector response to incident proton beams of 5 mm, 13 mm, 25 mm and 36 mm diameter, in addition to the detector response when PMMA slabs are positioned between the detector and the beam nozzle. Results indicate the suitability of the detector for proton beam range verification in proton therapy Quality Assurance.

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

Within 2017, the ELIMED (ELI-Beamlines MEDical applications) transport beam-line and dosimetric systems for laser-generated beams will be installed at the ELI-Beamlines facility in Prague (CZ), inside the ELIMAIA (ELI Multidisciplinary Applications of laser–Ion Acceleration) interaction room. The beam-line will be composed of two sections: one in vacuum, devoted to the collecting, focusing and energy selection of the primary beam and the second in air, where the ELIMED beam-line dosimetric devices will be located. This paper briefly describes the transport solutions that will be adopted together with the main dosimetric approaches. In particular, the description of an innovative Faraday Cup detector with its preliminary experimental tests will be reported.

Nanostructured and microstructured thin foils have been fabricated and used experimentally as targets to manipulate the spatial profile of proton bunches accelerated through the interaction with high intensity laser pulses (6×10^{19} W/cm^{2}). Monolayers of polystyrene nanospheres were placed on the rear surfaces of thin plastic targets to improve the spatial homogeneity of the accelerated proton beams. Moreover, thin targets with grating structures of various configurations on their rear sides were used to modify the proton beam divergence. Experimental results are presented, discussed, and supported by 3D particle-in-cell numerical simulations.

Nowadays the innovative high power laser-based ion acceleration technique is one of the most interesting challenges in particle acceleration field, showing attractive characteristics for future multidisciplinary applications, including medical ones. Nevertheless, peculiarities of optically accelerated ion beams make mandatory the development of proper transport, selection and diagnostics devices in order to deliver stable and controlled ion beams for multidisciplinary applications. This is the main purpose of the ELIMAIA (ELI Multidisciplinary Applications of laser-Ion Acceleration) beamline that will be realized and installed within 2018 at the ELI-Beamlines research center in the Czech Republic, where laser driven high energy ions, up to 60 MeV/n, will be available for users. In particular, a crucial role will be played by the on-line diagnostics system, recently developed in collaboration with INFN-LNS (Italy), consisting of TOF detectors, placed along the beamline (at different detection distances) to provide online monitoring of key characteristics of delivered beams, such as energy, fluence and ion species. In this contribution an overview on the ELIMAIA available ion diagnostics will be briefly given along with the preliminary results obtained during a test performed with high energy laser-driven proton beams accelerated at the VULCAN PW-laser available at RAL facility (U.K.).

Laser-accelerated ion beams could represent the future of particle acceleration in several multidisciplinary applications, as for instance medical physics, hadrontherapy and imaging field, being a concrete alternative to old paradigm of acceleration, characterized by huge and complex machines. In this framework, following on from the ELIMED collaboration, launched in 2012 between INFN-LNS and ELI-Beamlines, in 2014 a three-years contract has been signed between the two institutions for the design and the development of a complete transport beam-line for high-energy ion beams (up to 60 MeV) coupled with innovative diagnostics and in-air dosimetry devices. The beam-line will be installed at the ELI-Beamlines facility and will be available for users. The measurement of the beam characteristics, such as energy spectra, angular distributions and dose-rate is mandatory to optimize the transport as well as the beam delivery at the irradiation point. In order to achieve this purpose, the development of appropriate on-line diagnostics devices capable to detect high-pulsed beams with high accuracy, represents a crucial point in the ELIMED beamline development. The diagnostics solution, based on the use of silicon carbide (SiC) and diamond detectors using TOF technique, will be presented together with the preliminary results obtained with laser-accelerated proton beams.

Static RAM-based field programmable gate arrays (SRAM-based FPGAs) are widely adopted in trigger and data acquisition systems of high-energy physics detectors for imple-menting fast logic due to their reconfigurability, large real-time processing capabilities and embedded high-speed serial IOs. These devices are sensitive to radiation-induced upsets, which may alter the functionality of the implemented circuit. Presently, their usage on-detector is limited and there is a strong interest in finding solutions for improving their tolerance to radiation-induced upsets. In this paper, we show a novel configuration-redundancy generation and scrubbing technique for SRAM-based FPGAs. It leads to a power saving with respect to other solutions in the literature. Moreover, our technique is compatible with several Xilinx FPGA families. Our solution does not require neither the usage of external memories nor third-party layout tools. We describe an example of our solution applied to a benchmark design implemented in a Xilinx Kintex-7 FPGA. In order to prove the effectiveness of the solution, we present results from a proton irradiation test.

In this work an experimental and theoretical study of gamma-prompt emission has been carried out with the main aim being to understand to what extent this approach can be used during a treatment based on proton-boron fusion therapy. An experimental campaign, carried out with a high purity Germanium detector, has been performed to evaluate the gamma emission from two pure 11B and 10B targets. Furthermore, a set of analytical simulations, using the Talys nuclear reaction code has been performed and the calculated spectra compared with the experimental results. These comparisons allowed us to successfully validate Talys which was then used to estimate the gamma emission when a realistic Boron concentration was considered. Both simulations and experimental results suggest that the gamma emission is low at certain proton energies, thus in order to improve the imaging capabilities, while still maintaining the Boron therapeutic role, we propose the addition of natural Copper bound by a dipyrromethene, BodiPy, to boron atoms. Analytical simulations with Talys suggest that the characteristic spectrum of the copper prompt gamma-rays has several peaks in the energetic regions where the background is negligible.

International audience; The system described in this work is meant to be a prototype of a more performing one that will be installed at ELI-Beamlines in Prague for the collection of ions produced after the interaction Laser-target, [2]. It has been realized by the researchers of INFN-LNS (Laboratori Nazionali del Sud of the Instituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare) and SIGMAPHI, a French company, using a system of Permanent Magnet Quadrupoles (PMQs), [1]. The final system that will be installed in Prague is designed for protons and carbons up to 60MeV/u, around 10 times more than the energies involved in the present work. The prototype, shown in this work, has been tested in collaboration with the SAPHIR experimental facility group at LOA (Laboratoire d'Optique Applique) in Paris using a 200 TW Ti:Sapphire laser system. The purpose of this work is to validate the design and the performances of this large and compact bore system and to characterize the beam produced after the interaction laser-target and its features. Moreover, the optics simulations have been compared with a real beam shape on a GAF Chromic film. The procedure used during the experimental campaign and the most relevant results are reported here demonstrating a good agreement with the simulations and a good control on the beam optics.

A growing interest of the scientific community towards multidisciplinary applications of laser-driven beams has led to the development of several projects aiming to demonstrate the possible use of these beams for therapeutic purposes. Nevertheless, laser-accelerated particles differ from the conventional beams typically used for multiscipilinary and medical applications, due to the wide energy spread, the angular divergence and the extremely intense pulses. The peculiarities of optically accelerated beams led to develop new strategies and advanced techniques for transport, diagnostics and dosimetry of the accelerated particles. In this framework, the realization of the ELIMED (ELI-Beamlines MEDical and multidisciplinary applications) beamline, developed by INFN-LNS (Catania, Italy) and that will be installed in 2017 as a part of the ELIMAIA beamline at the ELI-Beamlines (Extreme Light Infrastructure Beamlines) facility in Prague, has the aim to investigate the feasibility of using laser-driven ion beams for multidisciplinary applications. In this contribution, an overview of the beamline along with a detailed description of the main transport elements as well as the detectors composing the final section of the beamline will be presented.

The ELIMED (MEDical and multidisciplinary application at ELI-Beamlines) beamline is being developed with the aim of transport and select in energy proton and ion beams accelerated by laser-matter interaction at ELI-Beamlines (Extreme Light Infrastructure) user facility in the Czech Republic [1] . The beamline will be a key part of the ELIMAIA (ELI Multidisciplinary Application of laser-Ion Acceleration) user beamline, where experiments will be carried out with the purpose of investigating the feasibility of using laser-driven beams for multidisciplinary applications, including medical ones [2] . A Monte Carlo simulation of the ELIMED beamline has been developed for the following purposes: to support the design of the beamline in terms of particle transport efficiency, to optimize the beam parameters at the irradiation point in air and, finally, to predict the transport elements parameters to deliver dose distributions of possible clinical relevance [3] . The application has been developed with the Geant4 Monte Carlo toolkit. It has been designed in a modular way in order to easily switch on/off geometrical components according to different experimental setups. The application has been preliminary validated comparing particle tracks to results obtained with reference codes for transport of particles in magnetic fields, with a good agreement. Specifically, energy distributions, lateral beam profiles and longitudinal dose distributions in the in-air final section were simulated for proton beams with energies ranging between 5 and 60 MeV. A transmission efficiency of more than 10% was calculated at 60 MeV, which implies the delivery of up to tens of cGy per pulse at the sample irradiation point. Assuming a repetition rate of 1 Hz, between 1 and 10 Gy/min can be potentially achieved in such conditions. These results are of great importance to assess the possibility of carrying out in vitro and in vivo radiobiology experiments aiming to demonstrate the possible future use of optically accelerated beams for therapeutic purposes.

Charged particle acceleration using ultra-intense and ultra-short laser pulses has gathered a strong interest in the scientific community and it is now one of the most attractive topics in the relativistic laser-plasma interaction research. Indeed, it could represent the future of particle acceleration and open new scenarios in multidisciplinary fields, in particular, medical applications. One of the biggest challenges consists of using, in a future perspective, high intensity laser-target interaction to generate high-energy ions for therapeutic purposes, eventually replacing the old paradigm of acceleration, characterized by huge and complex machines. The peculiarities of laser-driven beams led to develop new strategies and advanced techniques for transport, diagnostics and dosimetry of the accelerated particles, due to the wide energy spread, the angular divergence and the extremely intense pulses. In this framework, the realization of the ELIMED (ELI-Beamlines MEDical applications) beamline, developed by INFN-LNS (Catania, Italy) and installed in 2017 as a part of the ELIMAIA beamline at the ELI-Beamlines (Extreme Light Infrastructure Beamlines) facility in Prague, has the aim to investigate the feasibility of using laser-driven ion beams in multidisciplinary applications. ELIMED will represent the first user’s open transport beam line where a controlled laser-driven ion beam will be used for multidisciplinary and medical studies. In this paper, an overview of the beamline, with a detailed description of the main transport elements, will be presented. Moreover, a description of the detectors dedicated to diagnostics and dosimetry will be reported, with some preliminary results obtained both with accelerator-driven and laser-driven beams.

A reliable prediction of the spatial Linear Energy Transfer(LET) distribution in a biological tissues is a crucial point for the estimation of the radiobiological parameters on which are based the current treatment planning [1] . Nowadays, the accuracy and approach for the LET calculation can significantly affect the reliability of the calculated Relative Biological Effectiveness(RBE) [2] . The LET is not a physical quantity that can be easily measured, and therefore, values are usually estimated by calculating stopping power based on the Bethe-Bloch equation. Its definition, as reported in ICRU Report No.85, is related to a non-stochastic quantity that describes the average energy transfer from electronic interactions per unit length travelled by charged primary particles. The Monte Carlo(MC) technique is the most accurate method to account for complex radiation transport effects and energy losses in a medium.However, as a computation method, the accuracy and precision of the MC calculation results strongly depend on the physics interaction cross sections applied as well as on the simulation algorithms used and the transport parameters chosen [3] . The main aim of this study was to develop a completely open source tool based on Geant4 code for the calculation of the LET-track and LET-dose distributions of therapeutic proton and ion beams.Furthermore, the main parameters that can influence the LET calculation in a typical MC simulation based on a voxelized equivalent tissue phantom, were identified and investigated. Particular attention was given to the energy loss process due to the electronic interactions such as ionization and excitation of the primary incident particles and to the production cut and step dependence.Moreover, the secondary nuclei generation was considered and opportunely weighted to the computational total-LET-dose calculation.A module to couple the MC calculation to LEM radiobiological model has been studied and a series of calculations were performed to illustrate the impact of different LET values on the RBE-weighted dose.

The scientific community has shown a growing interest towards multidisciplinary applications of laser-driven beams. In this framework, the ELIMED (ELI-Beamlines MEDical and multidisciplinary applications) beamline will be the first transport beamline dedicated to the medical and multidisciplinary studies with laser-accelerated ion beams. Detectors for dosimetry represent one of key-element of the ELIMED beamline, allowing a dose delivering with good result as required in the clinical applications. In this contribution, a Faraday Cup for absolute dosimetry, designed and realized at INFN-LNS, is described.

Nano and micro structured thin (μ m-scale) foils were designed, fabricated and irradiated with the high intensity laser system operating at LLC (Lund Laser Centre, Sweden) in order to systematically study and improve the main proton beam parameters. Nano-spheres deposited on the front (laser irradiated) surface of a flat Mylar foil enabled a small enhancement of the maximum energy and number of the accelerated protons. Nano-spheres on the rear side allowed to modify the proton beam spatial profile. In particular, with nanospheres deposited on the rear of the target, the proton beam spatial homogeneity was clearly enhanced. Silicon nitride thin foils having micro grating structures (with different step dimensions) on the rear surface were also used as targets to influence the divergence of the proton beam and drastically change its shape through a sort of stretching effect. The target fabrication process used for the different target types is described, and representative experimental results are shown and discussed along with supporting 3D particle-in-cell simulations.

In this paper, we present a Geant4-based Monte Carlo application for ELIMED beamline [1-6] simulation, including its features and several preliminary results. We have developed the application to aid the design of the beamline, to estimate various beam characteristics, and to assess the amount of secondary radiation. In future, an enhanced version of this application will support the beamline users when preparing their experiments.

Nowadays, one of the biggest challenges consists in using high intensity laser-target interaction to generate high-energy ions for medical purposes, eventually replacing the old paradigm of acceleration characterized by huge and complex machines. In order to investigate the feasibility of using laser-driven ion beams for multidisciplinary application, a dedicated beam transport line will be installed at the ELI-Beamlines facility in Prague (CZ), as a part of the User-oriented ELIMAIA beam-line dedicated to ion acceleration and their potential applications. The beam-line section dedicated to transport and dosimetric endpoints is called ELIMED (ELI-Beamlines MEDical and multidisciplinary applications) and will be developed by the INFN-LNS.

Laser-target acceleration represents a very promising alternative to conventional accelerators for several potential applications, from the nuclear physics to the medical ones. However, some extreme features, not suitable for multidisciplinary applications, as the wide energy and angular spreads, characterize optically accelerated ion beams. Therefore, beyond the improvements at the laser-target interaction level, a lot of efforts have been recently devoted to the development of specific beam-transport devices in order to obtain controlled and reproducible output beams. In this framework, a three years contract has been signed between the INFN-LNS (IT) and Eli-Beamlines-IoP (CZ) to provide the design and the realization of a complete transport beam-line, named ELIMED, dedicated to the transport, diagnostics and dosimetry of laser-driven ion beams. The transport devices will be composed by a set of super-strong permanent magnet quadrupoles able to collect and focus laser driven ions up to 70 MeV/u, and a magnetic chicane made of conventional electromagnetic dipoles to select particles within a narrow energy range. Here, the actual status of the design and development of these magnetic systems is described.

Proton beam radiotherapy is highly effective in treating cancer thanks to its conformal dose deposition. This superior capability in dose deposition has led to a massive growth of the treated patients around the world, raising the need of treatment monitoring systems. An in-treatment PET system, DoPET, was constructed and tested at CATANA beam-line, LNS-INFN in Catania, where 62 MeV protons are used to treat ocular melanoma. The PET technique profits from the beta+ emitters generated by the proton beam in the irradiated body, mainly 15-O and 11-C. The current DoPET prototype consists of two planar 15 cm × 15 cm LYSO-based detector heads. With respect to the previous versions, the system was enlarged and the DAQ up-graded during the years so now also anthropomorphic phantoms, can be fitted within the field of view of the system. To demonstrate the capability of DoPET to detect changes in the delivered treatment plan with respect to the planned one, various treatment plans were used delivering a standard 15 Gy fraction to an anthropomorphic phantom. Data were acquired during and after the treatment delivery up to 10 minutes. When the in-treatment phase was long enough (more than 1 minute), the corresponding activated volume was visible just after the treatment delivery, even if in presence of a noisy background. The after-treatment data, acquired for about 9 minutes, were segmented finding that few minutes are enough to be able to detect changes. These experiments will be presented together with the studies performed with PMMA phantoms where the DoPET response was characterized in terms of different dose rates and in presence of range shifters: the system response is linear up to 16.9 Gy/min and has the ability to see a 1 millimeter range shifter.

A magnetic chicane based on four electromagnetic dipoles is going to be realized by INFN-LNS to be used as an Energy Selection System (ESS) for laser driven proton beams up to 300 MeV and C6+ up to 70 MeV/u. The system will provide, as output, ion beams with a contrallable energy spread varying from 5% up to 20% according to the aperture slit size. Moreover, it has a very wide acceptance in order to ensure a very high transmission efficiency and, in principle, it has been designed to be used also as an active energy modulator. This system is the core element of the ELIMED (ELI-Beamlines MEDical and Multidisciplinary applications) beam transport, dosimetry and irradiation line that will be developed by INFN-LNS (It) and installed at the ELI-Beamlines facility in Prague (Cz). ELIMED will be the first user's open transport beam-line where a controlled laser-driven ion beam will be used for multidisciplinary research. The definition of well specified characteristics, both in terms of performance and field quality, of the magnetic chicane is crucial for the system realization, for the accurate study of the beam dynamics and for the proper matching with the Permanent Magnet Quadrupoles (PMQs) used as a collection system already designed. Here, the design of the magnetic chicane is described in details together with the adopted solutions in order to realize a robust system form the magnetic point of view. Moreover, the first preliminary transport simulations are also described showing the good performance of the whole beam line (PMQs+ESS).

A system of permanent magnet quadrupoles (PMQs) is going to be realized by INFN-LNS to be used as a collection system for the injection of laser driven ion beams up to 60 MeV/u in an energy selector based on four resistive dipoles. This system is the first element of the ELIMED (ELI-Beamlines MEDical and Multidisciplinary applications) beam transport, dosimetry and irradiation line that will be developed by INFN-LNS (It) and installed at the ELI-Beamlines facility in Prague (Cz). ELIMED will be the first user's open transport beam-line where a controlled laser-driven ion beam will be used for multidisciplinary researches. The definition of well specified characteristics, both in terms of performances and field quality, of the magnetic lenses is crucial for the system realization, for the accurate study of the beam dynamics and for the proper matching with the magnetic selection system which will be designed in the next months. Here, we report the design of the collection system and the adopted solutions in order to realize a robust system form the magnetic point of view. Moreover, the first preliminary transport simulations are also described.