Characterization of the response of radiochromic film to quasi-monoenergetic x rays through a cross-calibration with image plates.

Radiochromic film (RCF) and image plates (IPs) are both commonly used detectors in diagnostics fielded at inertial confinement fusion (ICF) and high-energy-density physics (HEDP) research facilities. Due to the intense x-ray background in all ICF/HEDP experiments, accurately calibrating the optical density of RCF as a function of x-ray dose, and the photostimulated luminescence per photon of IPs as a function of x-ray energy, is necessary for interpreting experimental results. Various measurements of the sensitivity curve of different IPs to x rays have been performed [Izumi et al., Proc. SPIE 8850, 885006 (2013) and Rosenberg et al., Rev. Sci. Instrum. 90(1), 013506 (2019)]; however, calibrating RCF is a tedious process that depends on factors such as the orientation in which the RCF is scanned in the film scanner and the batch of RCF used. These issues can be mitigated by cross-calibrating RCF with IPs to enable the use of IPs for the determination of dose on the RCF without scanning the RCF. Here, the first cross-calibration of RCF with IPs to quasi-monoenergetic titanium, copper, and molybdenum K-line x rays is presented. It is found that the IP-inferred dose rates on the RCF for the Ti and Mo x rays agree well with the measured dose rates, while the IP-inferred dose rate for the Cu x rays is larger than the measured dose rate by ∼2×. Explanations for this discrepancy and plans for future work are discussed.

Characterization of the image plate multi-scan response to mono-energetic x-rays.

Image plates (IPs), or phosphor storage screens, are a technology employed frequently in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) and high energy density plasma (HEDP) diagnostics because of their sensitivity to many types of radiation, including, x rays, protons, alphas, beta particles, and neutrons. Prior studies characterizing IPs are predicated on the signal level remaining below the scanner saturation threshold. Since the scanning process removes some signal from the IP via photostimulated luminescence, repeatedly scanning an IP can bring the signal level below the scanner saturation threshold. This process, in turn, raises concerns about the signal response of IPs after an arbitrary number of scans and whether such a process yields, for example, a constant ratio of signal between the nth and n + 1st scan. Here, the sensitivity of IPs is investigated when scanned multiple times. It is demonstrated that the ratio of signal decay is not a constant with the number of scans and that the signal decay depends on the x-ray energy. As such, repeatedly scanning an IP with a mixture of signal types (e.g., x ray, neutron, and protons) enables ICF and HEDP diagnostics employing IPs to better isolate a particular signal type.

Image plate multi-scan response to fusion protons in the range of 1-14 MeV.

Image plates (IPs) are a quickly recoverable and reusable radiation detector often used to measure proton and x-ray fluence in laser-driven experiments. Recently, IPs have been used in a proton radiography detector stack on the OMEGA laser, a diagnostic historically implemented with CR-39, or radiochromic film. The IPs used in this and other diagnostics detect charged particles, neutrons, and x-rays indiscriminately. IPs detect radiation using a photo-stimulated luminescence (PSL) material, often phosphor, in which electrons are excited to metastable states by ionizing radiation. Protons at MeV energies deposit energy deeper into the IP compared with x rays below ∼20 keV due to the Bragg peak present for protons. This property is exploited to discriminate between radiation types. Doses of mono-energetic protons between 1.7 and 14 MeV are applied to IPs using the MIT linear electrostatic ion accelerator. This paper presents the results from consecutive scans of IPs irradiated with different proton energies. The PSL ratios between subsequent scans are shown to depend on proton energy, with higher energy protons having lower PSL ratios for each scan. This finding is separate from the known energy dependence in the absolute sensitivity of IPs. The results can be compared to complimentary work on x rays, showing a difference between protons and x rays, forging a path to discriminate between proton and x-ray fluence in mixed radiation environments.

Objective measurement of functional upper-extremity movement using accelerometer recordings transformed with a threshold filter.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The consensus is that the most important outcome for rehabilitation is functional activity in the life situation. Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy, a new treatment that transfers in-clinic gains to the life situation, demands objective measurement of real-world movement. However, direct, objective, and accurate measures of arm use in the real world are not available. Previous attempts to use accelerometry to measure extremity movement have failed because of unacceptable variability. This problem has been addressed here by use of a threshold filter. METHODS: Nine stroke patients and 1 healthy individual wearing accelerometers were videotaped while they carried out their usual activities at home or in the clinic; the duration of their arm, torso, and ambulatory movements was judged by 2 observation teams. In addition, 11 college students performed 5 standardized activities of daily living for varying durations in the laboratory. The accelerometer data were transformed; the raw value recorded for a given epoch was set to a constant if it exceeded a low threshold. RESULTS: The threshold-filtered recordings measured the duration of movement accurately and with very little variability. Correlations between the threshold-filtered recordings and the observer ratings of the duration of arm, torso, and ambulatory movements were 0.93, 0.93 and 0.99, respectively; the corresponding correlations for the raw values were -0.17, 0.34, and 0.85. CONCLUSIONS: These results present initial evidence for the validity of threshold-filtered accelerometer recordings for objectively measuring the amount of real-world upper-extremity movement as an index of treatment outcome for rehabilitation patients.