Positronium Laser Cooling via the 1

We report on laser cooling of a large fraction of positronium (Ps) in free flight by strongly saturating the 1^{3}S-2^{3}P transition with a broadband, long-pulsed 243 nm alexandrite laser. The ground state Ps cloud is produced in a magnetic and electric field-free environment. We observe two different laser-induced effects. The first effect is an increase in the number of atoms in the ground state after the time Ps has spent in the long-lived 2^{3}P states. The second effect is one-dimensional Doppler cooling of Ps, reducing the cloud's temperature from 380(20) to 170(20) K. We demonstrate a 58(9)% increase in the fraction of Ps atoms with v_{1D}<3.7×10^{4} ms^{-1}.

Search for magnetic monopoles produced via the Schwinger mechanism.

Electrically charged particles can be created by the decay of strong enough electric fields, a phenomenon known as the Schwinger mechanism1. By electromagnetic duality, a sufficiently strong magnetic field would similarly produce magnetic monopoles, if they exist2. Magnetic monopoles are hypothetical fundamental particles that are predicted by several theories beyond the standard model3-7 but have never been experimentally detected. Searching for the existence of magnetic monopoles via the Schwinger mechanism has not yet been attempted, but it is advantageous, owing to the possibility of calculating its rate through semi-classical techniques without perturbation theory, as well as that the production of the magnetic monopoles should be enhanced by their finite size8,9 and strong coupling to photons2,10. Here we present a search for magnetic monopole production by the Schwinger mechanism in Pb-Pb heavy ion collisions at the Large Hadron Collider, producing the strongest known magnetic fields in the current Universe11. It was conducted by the MoEDAL experiment, whose trapping detectors were exposed to 0.235 per nanobarn, or approximately 1.8 × 109, of Pb-Pb collisions with 5.02-teraelectronvolt center-of-mass energy per collision in November 2018. A superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer scanned the trapping detectors of MoEDAL for the presence of magnetic charge, which would induce a persistent current in the SQUID. Magnetic monopoles with integer Dirac charges of 1, 2 and 3 and masses up to 75 gigaelectronvolts per speed of light squared were excluded by the analysis at the 95% confidence level. This provides a lower mass limit for finite-size magnetic monopoles from a collider search and greatly extends previous mass bounds.

First Search for Dyons with the Full MoEDAL Trapping Detector in 13 TeV pp Collisions.

The MoEDAL trapping detector consists of approximately 800 kg of aluminum volumes. It was exposed during run 2 of the LHC program to 6.46 fb^{-1} of 13 TeV proton-proton collisions at the LHCb interaction point. Evidence for dyons (particles with electric and magnetic charge) captured in the trapping detector was sought by passing the aluminum volumes comprising the detector through a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer. The presence of a trapped dyon would be signaled by a persistent current induced in the SQUID magnetometer. On the basis of a Drell-Yan production model, we exclude dyons with a magnetic charge ranging up to five Dirac charges (5g_{D}) and an electric charge up to 200 times the fundamental electric charge for mass limits in the range 870-3120 GeV and also monopoles with magnetic charge up to and including 5g_{D} with mass limits in the range 870-2040 GeV.

Magnetic Monopole Search with the Full MoEDAL Trapping Detector in 13 TeV pp Collisions Interpreted in Photon-Fusion and Drell-Yan Production.

MoEDAL is designed to identify new physics in the form of stable or pseudostable highly ionizing particles produced in high-energy Large Hadron Collider (LHC) collisions. Here we update our previous search for magnetic monopoles in Run 2 using the full trapping detector with almost four times more material and almost twice more integrated luminosity. For the first time at the LHC, the data were interpreted in terms of photon-fusion monopole direct production in addition to the Drell-Yan-like mechanism. The MoEDAL trapping detector, consisting of 794 kg of aluminum samples installed in the forward and lateral regions, was exposed to 4.0 fb^{-1} of 13 TeV proton-proton collisions at the LHCb interaction point and analyzed by searching for induced persistent currents after passage through a superconducting magnetometer. Magnetic charges equal to or above the Dirac charge are excluded in all samples. Monopole spins 0, ½, and 1 are considered and both velocity-independent and-dependent couplings are assumed. This search provides the best current laboratory constraints for monopoles with magnetic charges ranging from two to five times the Dirac charge.

BrachyView: initial preclinical results for a real-time in-body HDR PBT source tracking system with simultaneous TRUS image fusion.

A prototype in-body gamma camera system with integrated trans-rectal ultrasound (TRUS) and associated real-time image acquisition and analysis software was developed for intraoperative source tracking in high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy. The accuracy and temporal resolution of the system was validated experimentally using a deformable tissue-equivalent prostate gel phantom and a full clinical HDR treatment plan. The BrachyView system was able to measure 78% of the 200 source positions with an accuracy of better than 1 mm. A minimum acquisition time of 0.28 s/frame was required to achieve this accuracy, restricting dwell times to a minimum of 0.3 s. Additionally, the performance of the BrachyView-TRUS fusion probe for mapping the spatial location of the tracked source within the prostate volume was evaluated. A global coordinate system was defined by scanning the phantom with the probe in situ using a CT scanner, and was subsequently used for co-registration of the BrachyView and TRUS fields of view (FoVs). TRUS imaging was used to segment the prostate volume and reconstruct it into a three-dimensional (3D) image. Fusion of the estimated source locations with the 3D prostate image was performed using integrated 3D visualisation software. HDR BrachyView is demonstrated to be a valuable tool for intraoperative source tracking in HDR brachytherapy, capable of resolving source dwell locations relative to the prostate anatomy when combined with TRUS.

Search for Magnetic Monopoles with the MoEDAL Forward Trapping Detector in 13 TeV Proton-Proton Collisions at the LHC.

MoEDAL is designed to identify new physics in the form of long-lived highly ionizing particles produced in high-energy LHC collisions. Its arrays of plastic nuclear-track detectors and aluminium trapping volumes provide two independent passive detection techniques. We present here the results of a first search for magnetic monopole production in 13 TeV proton-proton collisions using the trapping technique, extending a previous publication with 8 TeV data during LHC Run 1. A total of 222 kg of MoEDAL trapping detector samples was exposed in the forward region and analyzed by searching for induced persistent currents after passage through a superconducting magnetometer. Magnetic charges exceeding half the Dirac charge are excluded in all samples and limits are placed for the first time on the production of magnetic monopoles in 13 TeV pp collisions. The search probes mass ranges previously inaccessible to collider experiments for up to five times the Dirac charge.

BrachyView: Combining LDR seed positions with transrectal ultrasound imaging in a prostate gel phantom.

PURPOSE: BrachyView is a novel in-body imaging system which aims to provide LDR brachytherapy seeds position reconstruction within the prostate in real-time. The first prototype is presented in this study: the probe consists of a gamma camera featuring three single cone pinhole collimators embedded in a tungsten tube, above three, high resolution pixelated detectors (Timepix). METHODS: The prostate was imaged with a TRUS system using a sagittal crystal with a 2.5mm slice thickness. Eleven needles containing a total of thirty 0.508U125I seeds were implanted under ultrasound guidance. A CT scan was used to localise the seed positions, as well as provide a reference when performing the image co-registration between the BrachyView coordinate system and the TRUS coordinate system. An in-house visualisation software interface was developed to provide a quantitative 3D reconstructed prostate based on the TRUS images and co-registered with the LDR seeds in situ. A rigid body image registration was performed between the BrachyView and TRUS systems, with the BrachyView and CT-derived source locations compared. RESULTS: The reconstructed seed positions determined by the BrachyView probe showed a maximum discrepancy of 1.78mm, with 75% of the seeds reconstructed within 1mm of their nominal location. An accurate co-registration between the BrachyView and TRUS coordinate system was established. CONCLUSIONS: The BrachyView system has shown its ability to reconstruct all implanted LDR seeds within a tissue equivalent prostate gel phantom, providing both anatomical and seed position information in a single interface.

A comparative study of LaBr3(Ce(3+)) and CeBr3 based gamma-ray spectrometers for planetary remote sensing applications.

The recent availability of large volume cerium bromide crystals raises the possibility of substantially improving gamma-ray spectrometer limiting flux sensitivities over current systems based on the lanthanum tri-halides, e.g., lanthanum bromide and lanthanum chloride, especially for remote sensing, low-level counting applications or any type of measurement characterized by poor signal to noise ratios. The Russian Space Research Institute has developed and manufactured a highly sensitive gamma-ray spectrometer for remote sensing observations of the planet Mercury from the Mercury Polar Orbiter (MPO), which forms part of ESA's BepiColombo mission. The Flight Model (FM) gamma-ray spectrometer is based on a 3-in. single crystal of LaBr3(Ce(3+)) produced in a separate crystal development programme specifically for this mission. During the spectrometers development, manufacturing, and qualification phases, large crystals of CeBr3 became available in a subsequent phase of the same crystal development programme. Consequently, the Flight Spare Model (FSM) gamma-ray spectrometer was retrofitted with a 3-in. CeBr3 crystal and qualified for space. Except for the crystals, the two systems are essentially identical. In this paper, we report on a comparative assessment of the two systems, in terms of their respective spectral properties, as well as their suitability for use in planetary mission with respect to radiation tolerance and their propensity for activation. We also contrast their performance with a Ge detector representative of that flown on MESSENGER and show that: (a) both LaBr3(Ce(3+)) and CeBr3 provide superior detection systems over HPGe in the context of minimally resourced spacecraft and (b) CeBr3 is a more attractive system than LaBr3(Ce(3+)) in terms of sensitivities at lower gamma fluxes. Based on the tests, the FM has now been replaced by the FSM on the BepiColombo spacecraft. Thus, CeBr3 now forms the central gamma-ray detection element on the MPO spacecraft.

Position sensitive detection of neutrons in high radiation background field.

We present the development of a high-resolution position sensitive device for detection of slow neutrons in the environment of extremely high γ and e(-) radiation background. We make use of a planar silicon pixelated (pixel size: 55 × 55 µm(2)) spectroscopic Timepix detector adapted for neutron detection utilizing very thin (10)B converter placed onto detector surface. We demonstrate that electromagnetic radiation background can be discriminated from the neutron signal utilizing the fact that each particle type produces characteristic ionization tracks in the pixelated detector. Particular tracks can be distinguished by their 2D shape (in the detector plane) and spectroscopic response using single event analysis. A Cd sheet served as thermal neutron stopper as well as intensive source of gamma rays and energetic electrons. Highly efficient discrimination was successful even at very low neutron to electromagnetic background ratio about 10(-4).

BrachyView, a novel inbody imaging system for HDR prostate brachytherapy: design and Monte Carlo feasibility study.

PURPOSE: High dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy is a form of radiation therapy for treating prostate cancer whereby a high activity radiation source is moved between predefined positions inside applicators inserted within the treatment volume. Accurate positioning of the source is essential in delivering the desired dose to the target area while avoiding radiation injury to the surrounding tissue. In this paper, HDR BrachyView, a novel inbody dosimetric imaging system for real time monitoring and verification of the radioactive seed position in HDR prostate brachytherapy treatment is introduced. The current prototype consists of a 15 × 60 mm(2) silicon pixel detector with a multipinhole tungsten collimator placed 6.5 mm above the detector. Seven identical pinholes allow full imaging coverage of the entire treatment volume. The combined pinhole and pixel sensor arrangement is geometrically designed to be able to resolve the three-dimensional location of the source. The probe may be rotated to keep the whole prostate within the transverse plane. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the efficacy of the design through computer simulation, and to estimate the accuracy in resolving the source position (in detector plane and in 3D space) as part of the feasibility study for the BrachyView project. METHODS: Monte Carlo simulations were performed using the GEANT4 radiation transport model, with a (192)Ir source placed in different locations within a prostate phantom. A geometrically accurate model of the detector and collimator were constructed. Simulations were conducted with a single pinhole to evaluate the pinhole design and the signal to background ratio obtained. Second, a pair of adjacent pinholes were simulated to evaluate the error in calculated source location. RESULTS: Simulation results show that accurate determination of the true source position is easily obtainable within the typical one second source dwell time. The maximum error in the estimated projection position was found to be 0.95 mm in the imaging (detector) plane, resulting in a maximum source positioning estimation error of 1.48 mm. CONCLUSIONS: HDR BrachyView is a feasible design for real-time source tracking in HDR prostate brachytherapy. It is capable of resolving the source position within a subsecond dwell time. In combination with anatomical information obtained from transrectal ultrasound imaging, HDR BrachyView adds a significant quality assurance capability to HDR brachytherapy treatment systems.

BrachyView: proof-of-principle of a novel in-body gamma camera for low dose-rate prostate brachytherapy.

PURPOSE: The conformity of the achieved dose distribution to the treatment plan strongly correlates with the accuracy of seed implantation in a prostate brachytherapy treatment procedure. Incorrect seed placement leads to both short and long term complications, including urethral and rectal toxicity. The authors present BrachyView, a novel concept of a fast intraoperative treatment planning system, to provide real-time seed placement information based on in-body gamma camera data. BrachyView combines the high spatial resolution of a pixellated silicon detector (Medipix2) with the volumetric information acquired by a transrectal ultrasound (TRUS). The two systems will be embedded in the same probe so as to provide anatomically correct seed positions for intraoperative planning and postimplant dosimetry. Dosimetric calculations are based on the TG-43 method using the real position of the seeds. The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the feasibility of BrachyView using the Medipix2 pixel detector and a pinhole collimator to reconstruct the real-time 3D position of low dose-rate brachytherapy seeds in a phantom. METHODS: BrachyView incorporates three Medipix2 detectors coupled to a multipinhole collimator. Three-dimensionally triangulated seed positions from multiple planar images are used to determine the seed placement in a PMMA prostate phantom in real time. MATLAB codes were used to test the reconstruction method and to optimize the device geometry. RESULTS: The results presented in this paper show a 3D position reconstruction accuracy of the seed in the range of 0.5-3 mm for a 10-60 mm seed-to-detector distance interval (Z direction), respectively. The BrachyView system also demonstrates a spatial resolution of 0.25 mm in the XY plane for sources at 10 mm distance from Medipix2 detector plane, comparable to the theoretical value calculated for an equivalent gamma camera arrangement. The authors successfully demonstrated the capability of BrachyView for real-time imaging (using a 3 s data acquisition time) of different brachytherapy seed configurations (with an activity of 0.05 U) throughout a 60 × 60 × 60 mm(3) Perspex prostate phantom. CONCLUSIONS: The newly developed miniature gamma camera component of BrachyView, with its high spatial resolution and real time capability, allows accurate 3D localization of seeds in a prostate phantom. Combination of the gamma camera with TRUS in a single probe will complete the BrachyView system.

MO-A-213AB-11: First Experimental Test of Secondary Ion Tracking for the Assessment of Beam Range in a Patient-Like Phantom.

PURPOSE: Radiation therapy with ion beams provides highly conformal dose distributions. Therefore, monitoring the dose delivery within the patient in a non- invasive way is desired. The clinically available method based on tissue activation measurements with a PET-camera shows limitations due to the low induced activities and biological washout of the activated nuclei. The prompt production of secondary ions is supposed to be less influenced by biological processes. This contribution investigates the feasibility of beam range monitoring in a patient-like geometry containing realistic tissue inhomogeneities. METHODS: The experiments were performed at the Heidelberg Ion-Beam Therapy Center in Germany using carbon ion beams of 213 and 250MeV/u. Static pencil beams (FWHM of 6mm) were applied to the skull base and brain regions of a head phantom containing real bones. The emerging secondary ions were registered by the silicon detector Timepix. It was developed by the Medipix Collaboration and provides 256×256 pixels with 55um pitch. To determine the direction of the particles, a multi-layered detector (3D voxel detector, J.Jakubek etal. JINST6 C12010) was employed. The contribution of K. Gwosch etal. addresses the performance of this method in a homogeneous phantom. RESULTS: In the 3D distributions of the measured secondary ions clear differences between the application of lower and higher energies were observed. This Result was achieved in both brain (homogeneous) and skull base regions (containing inhomogeneities). Differences between the energies could be observed with the detector positioned on the occipital side as well as on the facial side of the head. CONCLUSIONS: We performed the first experiments towards beam range monitoring in a patient-like geometry exploiting tracking of prompt secondary ions with a small detector prototype. Despite the inherent tissue inhomogeneities, we found sensitivity on the beam range in both brain and skull base. Research carried out in frame of the Medipix Collaboration. Research carried out in frame of the Medipix Collaboration.

Effect of starter unit availability on the spectrum of manumycin-type metabolites produced by Streptomyces nodosus ssp. asukaensis.

AIMS: Production of minor asukamycin congeners and its new derivatives by combination of targeted genetic manipulations with specific precursor feeding in the producer of asukamycin, Streptomyces nodosus ssp. asukaensis. METHODS AND RESULTS: Structural variations of manumycins lie only in the diverse initiation of the 'upper' polyketide chain. Inactivation of the gene involved in the biosynthesis of cyclohexanecarboxylic acid (CHC) turned off the production of asukamycin in the mutant strain and allowed an increased production of other manumycins with the branched end of the upper chain. The ratio of produced metabolites was further affected by specific precursor feeding. Precursor-directed biosynthesis of a new asukamycin analogue (asukamycin I, 28%) with linear initiation of the upper chain was achieved by feeding norleucine to the mutant strain. Another asukamycin analogue with the unbranched upper chain (asukamycin H, 14%) was formed by the CHC-deficient strain expressing a heterologous gene putatively involved in the formation of the n-butyryl-CoA starter unit of manumycin A. CONCLUSIONS: Combination of the described techniques proved to be an efficient tool for the biosynthesis of minor or novel manumycins. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: Production of two novel asukamycin derivatives, asukamycins H and I, was achieved. Variations appeared in the upper polyketide chain, the major determinant of enzyme-inhibitory features of manumycins, affecting their cancerostatic or anti-inflammatory features.

Deregulation of acetohydroxy-acid synthase: Loss of allosteric inhibition conferred by mutations in the catalytic subunit.

Acetohydroxy-acid synthases (AHAS) of two mutant strains Streptomyces cinnamonensis ACB-NLR-2 and BVR-18 were chosen for this study for their apparent activation by valine, which regularly acts as an allosteric inhibitor. Sequencing the ilvB genes coding for the AHAS catalytic subunit revealed two distant changes in the mutants, DeltaQ217 and E139A, respectively. Homology modeling was used to propose the structural changes caused by those mutations. In the mutant strain ACB-NLR-2 (resistant to 2-amino-3-chlorobutyrate and norleucine), deletion of Q217 affected a helix in ss-domain, distant from the active center. As no mutation was found in the regulatory subunit of this strain, DeltaQ217 in IlvB was supposed to be responsible for the observed valine activation, probably via changed properties on the proposed regulatory-catalytic subunit interface. In mutant strain BVR-18 (resistant to 2-oxobutyrate), substitution E139A occurred in a conservative loop near the active center. In vitro AHAS activity assay with the enzyme reconstituted from the wild-type regulatory and BVR-18 catalytic subunits proved that the substitution in the catalytic subunit led to the apparent activation of AHAS by valine. We suggest that the conservative loop participated in a conformational change transfer to the active center during the allosteric regulation.

Induced radioactivity in the forward shielding and semiconductor tracker of the ATLAS detector.

The radioactivity induced in the forward shielding, copper collimator and semiconductor tracker modules of the ATLAS detector has been studied. The ATLAS detector is a long-term experiment which, during operation, will require to have service and access to all of its parts and components. The radioactivity induced in the forward shielding was calculated by Monte Carlo methods based on GEANT3 software tool. The results show that the equivalent dose rates on the outer surface of the forward shielding are very low (at most 0.038 microSv h(-1)). On the other hand, the equivalent dose rates are significantly higher on the inner surface of the forward shielding (up to 661 microSv h(-1)) and, especially, at the copper collimator close to the beampipe (up to 60 mSv h(-1)). The radioactivity induced in the semiconductor tracker modules was studied experimentally. The module was activated by neutrons in a training nuclear reactor and the delayed gamma ray spectra were measured. From these measurements, the equivalent dose rate on the surface of the semiconductor tracker module was estimated to be < 100 microSv h(-1) after 100 d of Large Hadron Collider (LHC) operation and 10 d of cooling.

Oxidation of lincomycin by hydrogen peroxide restricts its potential biotransformation with haloperoxidases.

Lincomycin biotransformation was conducted by using Streptomyces venezuelae and Streptomyces phaeochromogenes cell-free extracts. Reaction products were isolated and identified by MS and NMR spectroscopy as lincomycin sulfoxide and lincomycin sulfone. Both compounds arise also by chemical oxidation with hydrogen peroxide; this reaction represents a new efficient way for the preparation of lincomycin sulfoxide and lincomycin sulfone and simultaneously excludes the biotransformation of lincomycin using haloperoxidases.

Secondary γ Transitions in (159) Gd After Neutron Capture at Isolated Resonances.

The (158)Gd(n,γ)(159)Gd reaction was studied at 12 isolated neutron resonances by the TOF method at the IBR-30 Fast Pulse Reactor at JINR Dubna. Totally 15 secondary γ transitions in (159)Gd were recorded in the range from 450 keV to 750 keV. Of these, six previously unseen transitions were placed on the established (159)Gd level scheme. The depopulation of strongly populated levels at 507.7 keV and 558.2 keV (the head and the first excited members of band 1/2(-) [521]) was observed for the first time. It was shown that the observed 507.7 keV γ line, masked by the annihilation peak, originates from an unresolved doublet of transitions from the 507.7 keV level to the ground state and from the 558.2 keV level to the level at 50.7 keV. The 507.7 keV level decays exclusively to the ground state, while the 558.2 keV level decays via two transitions with a branching ratio that agrees well with the prediction according to Alaga's rule.

Mutations in two distinct regions of acetolactate synthase regulatory subunit from Streptomyces cinnamonensis result in the lack of sensitivity to end-product inhibition.

Acetolactate synthase small subunit encoding ilvN genes from the parental Streptomyces cinnamonensis strain and mutants resistant either to valine analogues or to 2-ketobutyrate were cloned and sequenced. The wild-type IlvN from S. cinnamonensis is composed of 175 amino acid residues and shows a high degree of similarity with the small subunits of other valine-sensitive bacterial acetolactate synthases. Changes in the sequence of ilvN conferring the insensitivity to valine in mutant strains were found in two distinct regions. Certain point mutations were located in the conserved domain near the N terminus, while others resulting in the same phenotype shortened the protein at V(104) or V(107). To confirm whether the described mutations were responsible for the changed biochemical properties of the native enzyme, the wild-type large subunit and the wild-type and mutant forms of the small one were expressed separately in E. coli and combined in vitro to reconstitute the active enzyme.

Kytococcus sedentarius (formerly Micrococcus sedentarius) and Dermacoccus nishinomiyaensis (formerly Micrococcus nishinomiyaensis) produce monensins, typical Streptomyces cinnamonensis metabolites.

The environmental isolate Kytococcus sedentarius TR-2 was found to be a new producer of the oligoketide antibiotics monensin A and B. Electron microscopic studies demonstrated that the TR-2 strain had coccoid cells and DNA analysis revealed no close relationship to Streptomyces cinnamonensis, a typical monensin producer. Production of monensins was also proven with six culture collection K. sedentarius strains and three Dermacoccus nishinomiyaensis strains. The secondary metabolism of micrococci demonstrates a high degree of instability. Biosynthesis of monensins by micrococci endorses a phylogenetic relationship to Streptomyces spp.