Double-multilayer monochromators for high-energy and large-field X-ray imaging applications with intense pink beams at SPring-8 BL20B2.

In this study, double-multilayer monochromators that generate intense, high-energy, pink X-ray beams are designed, installed and evaluated at the SPring-8 medium-length (215 m) bending-magnet beamline BL20B2 for imaging applications. Two pairs of W/B4C multilayer mirrors are designed to utilize photon energies of 110 keV and 40 keV with bandwidths of 0.8% and 4.8%, respectively, which are more than 100 times larger when compared with the Si double-crystal monochromator (DCM) with a bandwidth of less than 0.01%. At an experimental hutch located 210 m away from the source, a large and uniform beam of size 14 mm (V) × 300 mm (H) [21 mm (V) × 300 mm (H)] was generated with a high flux density of 1.6 × 109 photons s-1 mm-2 (6.9 × 1010 photons s-1 mm-2) at 110 keV (40 keV), which marked a 300 (190) times increase in the photon flux when compared with a DCM with Si 511 (111) diffraction. The intense pink beams facilitate advanced X-ray imaging for large-sized objects such as fossils, rocks, organs and electronic devices with high speed and high spatial resolution.

Technical Note: Scanning of parallel-plate ionization chamber and diamond detector for measurements of water-dose profiles in the vicinity of a narrow x-ray microbeam.

PURPOSE: Scanning of dosimeters facilitates dose distribution measurements with fine spatial resolutions. This paper presents a method of conversion of the scanning results to water-dose profiles and provides an experimental verification. METHODS: An Advanced Markus chamber and a diamond detector were scanned at a resolution of 6 µm near the beam edges during irradiation with a 25-µm-wide white narrow x-ray beam from a synchrotron radiation source. For comparison, GafChromic films HD-810 and HD-V2 were also irradiated. The conversion procedure for the water dose values was simulated with Monte Carlo photon-electron transport code as a function of the x-ray incidence position. This method was deduced from nonstandard beam reference-dosimetry protocols used for high-energy x-rays. RESULTS: Among the calculated nonstandard beam correction factors, Pwall , which is the ratio of the absorbed dose in the sensitive volume of the chamber with water wall to that with a polymethyl methacrylate wall, was found to be the most influential correction factor in most conditions. The total correction factor ranged from 1.7 to 2.7 for the Advanced Markus chamber and from 1.15 to 1.86 for the diamond detector as a function of the x-ray incidence position. The water dose values obtained with the Advanced Markus chamber and the HD-810 film were in agreement in the vicinity of the beam, within 35% and 18% for the upper and lower sides of the beam respectively. The beam width obtained from the diamond detector was greater, and the doses out of the beam were smaller than the doses of the others. CONCLUSIONS: The comparison between the Advanced Markus chamber and HD-810 revealed that the dose obtained with the scanned chamber could be converted to the water dose around the beam by applying nonstandard beam reference-dosimetry protocols.

Photon source term after single collision in targets of silicon, copper and lead for 50-500 keV X-ray beams.

Single-scattered X-ray doses at 1 m from silicon, copper and lead targets were calculated using an analytical point-kernel method considering the self-absorption, and the calculated values were compared with detailed results of a Monte Carlo calculation with respect to the emission angle. In the calculations, a slab slanted at 3° to the beam axis was used for silicon in addition to the cylindrical targets for the three materials, and the slab geometry showed the largest doses. The analytical calculations were underestimated compared with the Monte Carlo calculations by less than 24% for silicon and 40% for copper, particularly at large-angle scattering, which was attributable to the buildup effect of the single-scattered X-rays in the targets. By considering the buildup effect, the difference from Monte Carlo results decreased to less than 20%. For lead, the influence of fluorescent X-rays produced by the source beam was dominant in the backward direction, which was also calculated analytically. The simple analytical program can be applied to any target size and shape by considering self-absorption and the buildup effect, both of which inform the simple dose estimation method.

Optimization of X-ray microplanar beam radiation therapy for deep-seated tumors by a simulation study.

A Monte Carlo simulation was applied to study the energy dependence on the transverse dose distribution of microplanar beam radiation therapy (MRT) for deep-seated tumors. The distribution was found to be the peak (in-beam) dose and the decay from the edge of the beam down to the valley. The area below the same valley dose level (valley region) was decreased with the increase in the energy of X-rays at the same beam separation. To optimize the MRT, we made the following two assumptions: the therapeutic gain may be attributed to the efficient recovery of normal tissue caused by the beam separation; and a key factor for the efficient recovery of normal tissue depends on the area size of the valley region. Based on these assumptions and the results of the simulated dose distribution, we concluded that the optimum X-ray energy was in the range of 100-300 keV depending on the effective peak dose to the target tumors and/or tolerable surface dose. In addition, we proposed parameters to be studied for the optimization of MRT to deep-seated tumors.

New soft X-ray beamline BL07LSU at SPring-8.

A new soft X-ray beamline, BL07LSU, has been constructed at SPring-8 to perform advanced soft X-ray spectroscopy for materials science. The beamline is designed to achieve high energy resolution (E/ΔE> 10000) and high photon flux [>10(12) photons s(-1) (0.01% bandwidth)(-1)] in the photon energy range 250-2000 eV with controllable polarization. To realise this state-of-the-art performance, a novel segmented cross undulator was developed and adopted as a light source. The details of the undulator light source and beamline monochromator design are described. The achieved performance of the beamline, such as the photon flux, energy resolution and the state of polarization, is reported.

Current saturation in free-air ionization chambers with chopped synchrotron radiation.

Saturation curves for free-air ionization chambers with electrode gap widths of 4.2, 8.4 and 18 mm were obtained for 10 and 15 keV undulator synchrotron radiation thinned with a 230 Hz rotating-disk chopper. Ion recombination in free-air ionization chambers was found to be inversely proportional to the applied electric field, and an expression that satisfactorily reproduced the ion-recombination rate is determined. A comparison of the expressions for continuous and pulsed X-rays revealed that chopped high-intensity X-rays require a higher voltage to attain saturation when the product of the pulse width and electric field exceeds a value that depends on the X-ray energy. This behaviour was observed explicitly for 10 keV X-rays in measurements with the ionization chamber placed before and after the chopper.

Note: Voltage and intensity dependence of the saturation curves of free-air ionization chambers irradiated with chopped synchrotron radiation beams.

Current saturation characteristics of free-air ionization chambers with electrode gaps of 4.2 and 8.4 mm were investigated using pulsed photon beam obtained by periodically interrupting synchrotron radiation beams with a chopper. Pulsed photon beams of 10 and 15 keV with pulse duration of 2.5 µs and a frequency of 230 Hz were produced by chopping the beam. The measured recombination rate was found to be proportional to the intensity and inversely proportional to the applied voltage.

Macroscopic and microscopic X-ray dose mappings with CCD-based GafChromic film dosimeters.

Charge-coupled device (CCD) digital cameras have been used to expand the application area of conventional dosimeters to two-dimensional dose measurements. Although film dosimeters are normally read with scanners, CCD reading has several advantages over scanner reading: quick reading, interference filters, and no influence from the film orientation at the reading. Moreover, the lens and light source are changeable, which makes it possible to use a wide selection of dose ranges and spatial resolutions from microscopic to macroscopic.

A narrow microbeam is more effective for tumor growth suppression than a wide microbeam: an in vivo study using implanted human glioma cells.

The tumoricidal mechanisms of microbeam radiation therapy, and the more recently proposed minibeam radiation therapy, for the treatment of brain tumors are as yet unclear. Moreover, from among the various parameters of beam geometry the impact of changing the beam width is unknown. In this study, suppression of tumor growth in human glioma cells implanted in mice was evaluated experimentally using microbeams of two different widths: a conventional narrow beam (20 µm width, 100 µm center-to-center distance) and a wide beam (100 µm width, 500 µm center-to-center distance). The tumor growth ratio was compared and acute cell death was studied histologically. With cross-planar irradiation, tumor growth was significantly suppressed between days 4 and 28 after 20 µm microbeam irradiation, whereas tumor growth was suppressed, and not significantly so, only between days 4 and 18 after 100 µm microbeam irradiation. Immunohistochemistry using TUNEL staining showed no increase in TUNEL-positive cells with either microbeam at 24 and 72 h post-irradiation. The 20 µm microbeam was found to be more tumoricidal than the 100 µm microbeam, and the effect was not related to apoptotic cell death. The underlying mechanism may be functional tissue deterioration rather than direct cellular damage in the beam path.

Induction of DNA double-strand breaks and cellular migration through bystander effects in cells irradiated with the slit-type microplanar beam of the spring-8 synchrotron.

PURPOSE: To determine whether glioma cells irradiated with a microplanar X-ray beam exert bystander effects. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Microplanar beam irradiation of glioma cells in vitro was done using the SPring-8 synchrotron radiation facility. The amount of DNA double-strand breaks (dsbs) was measured by the fluorescence intensity of phosphorylated H2AX or the number of 53BP1 foci. The dose distribution in a cell population exposed to a single microplanar beam was determined by the amount of phosphorylated H2AX-positive cells. Bystander effects were determined by counting the number of 53BP1 foci in nonirradiated cells treated with conditioned medium from cultures of irradiated cells. RESULTS: More DNA dsbs were detected in cells adjacent to an area irradiated by the single beam than in cells in distant, nonirradiated areas as a result of bystander effects caused by scattered X-rays and DNA dsbs. In support of this, more 53BP1 foci were observed in nonirradiated, conditioned medium-treated cells than in control cells (i.e., cells not treated with irradiation or conditioned medium). These results suggest that DNA dsbs were induced in nonirradiated cells by soluble factors in the culture medium. In addition, we observed cellular migration into areas irradiated with peak doses, suggesting that irradiated cells send signals that cause nonirradiated cells to migrate toward damaged cells. CONCLUSIONS: Bystander effects are produced by factors secreted as a result of slit-type microplanar X-ray beam irradiation.

Spectromicroscopic film dosimetry for high-energy microbeam from synchrotron radiation.

A microscope with band-pass filters was used to measure the optical-density distribution of GafChromic films irradiated with multi-slit microbeam X-rays. The planar width was 25 microm, and the center-to-center distance was 200 microm. The peak and valley dose rates in air were found to be 120 and 0.7Gy/s, respectively. In a polymethylmethacrylate phantom, the peak-to-valley dose ratio decreased to 80 at a 1-mm depth. Doses calculated with the PENELOPE code agreed with those around the peak but became smaller in the valley.

Ion recombination in parallel-plate free-air ionization chambers for synchrotron radiation.

The saturation characteristics of two sizes of parallel-plate free-air ionization chambers were investigated for synchrotron radiation at bending-magnet, wiggler and undulator beamlines of SPring-8. The gaps of the electrodes were 4.2 and 85 mm. The monoenergetic photon energies ranged from 10 to 115.56 keV and the air kerma rates from 0.2 mGy s-1 to 150 kGy s-1. Ion recombination at the high dose rate was found to be smaller than that predicted by Boag's expression, which was based on volume recombination, and the difference increased with an applied electric field. In the high dose rate region, the reciprocal of the current was linear to the reciprocal of the electric field near saturation, which represented the occurrence of initial recombination and diffusion loss. At the low electric field and the low dose rate, the reciprocal of the current was linear to the reciprocal of the square of the electric field. The reduction of total ion recombination was attributed to the shift of the contribution from volume recombination to initial recombination and diffusion loss.

Neutron dosimetry with 6LiF-rich TL sheet.

A (6)LiF-rich thermoluminescent sheet-type dosemeter ((6)LiF-rich NTL sheet) was developed for neutron 2D dosimetry. The dosemeter utilises the (6)Li(n, alpha)(3)H reaction to detect thermal neutrons. Responses of the (6)LiF-rich NTL sheet to neutrons were measured at the neutron beam irradiation facility for BNCT in JRR-4 Research Reactor at the Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute. Placement of a multi-leaf collimator at the output port of the neutron (beam) irradiation facility, produced either stripe- or round-shaped neutron distributions; the spatial distribution was measured using the developed NTL sheets. Direct measurements of neutron attenuation in water were also carried out using the developed NTL sheet, submersed in a water phantom. In each experiment, NTL sheets having natural abundance (7.9%) of LiF, and (6)LiF-enriched NTL (18.94%) sheet were irradiated under the same conditions. The ratio of thermoluminescence intensities of the (6)LiF-rich NTL sheet to that of the normal NTL sheet was compared to a theoretically calculated value. The experimental measurements are shown to be in good agreement with the calculations.

Energy response of a two-dimensional sheet-type LiF:Mg,Cu,P TL dosemeter to photons.

A 2-D tissue-equivalent sheet-type dosemeter (NTL sheet) was developed using thermoluminescent material of LiF:Mg,Cu,P (NTL-250). The energy responses of the NTL sheet and NTL-250 powder were measured with 10-150 keV monoenergetic photons from synchrotron radiation at SPring-8. The sample was irradiated by a rotational method for the uniform irradiation with the narrow beam. Linearity of the NTL-250 was confirmed up to 2 Gy. Energy responses of the NTL sheet and NTL-250 powder were close to that of soft tissue. On the other hand, the BaSO(4) sheet, which has been used practically, showed the response that the sensitivity approximately 60 keV was 100 times higher than that for (60)Co gamma rays. Therefore the NTL sheet can be said to have excellent properties for dose measurements.

Responses of GafChromic films for distribution of extremely high doses from synchrotron radiation.

Using 10 and 30 keV photons from synchrotron radiation, we measured optical density curves of GafChromic films MD-55 and HD-810 and compared the results with those of (60)Co gamma rays up to 500 kGy. The scanners used were a fluorescence digitizer and a color film scanner. In addition, the energy responses were measured between 10 and 100 keV. The values were 0.8 for HD-810 above 10 keV and 0.95 at 100 keV for MD-55, which decreased to 0.6 at 30 keV.