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Measurements of β -delayed proton emitters in the region of 100 Sn

An experiment on neutron-deficient nuclei in the region of doubly magic 100 Sn was carried out at the Radioactive Ion Beam Factory (RIBF) at the RIKEN Nishina Center in Japan. 𝑁 ≈ 𝑍 ≈ 50 nuclei were produced following fragmentation of an intense primary 124 Xe beam and implanted in the Advanced Implantation Detector Array silicon setup for the first study of proton-rich nuclei with this system at RIKEN. Measurements of the 𝛽-delayed proton emitter decay half-lives, branching ratios and proton energy spectra of nuclei in the region of 100 Sn were performed, with improved precision in many cases. New results for the energy spectrum of 101 Sn are presented, where a 2.03(5)-MeV peak was observed. In conclusion, these results are compared to shell-model calculations, using the recent precise measurement of the 101 In proton separation energy are presented.

Appleton, C. J. [Univ. of Edinburgh, Scotland (Uni↗

Gain characterization of LGAD sensors with beta particles and 28-MeV protons

Low Gain Avalanche Diodes, also known as LGADs, are widely considered for fast-timing applications in high energy physics, nuclear physics, space science, medical imaging, and precision measurements of rare processes. Such devices are silicon-based and feature an intrinsic gain due to a p + -doped layer that allows the production of a controlled avalanche of carriers, with multiplication on the order of 10–100. This technology can provide time resolution on the order of 20–30 ps, and variants of this technology can provide precision tracking too. The characterization of LGAD performance has so far primarily been focused on the interaction of minimum ionizing particles for high energy and nuclear physics applications. This article expands the study of LGAD performance to highly-ionizing particles, such as 28-MeV protons, which are relevant for several future scientific applications, e.g. in biology and medical physics, among others. These studies were performed with a beam of 28-MeV protons from a tandem Van de Graaff accelerator at Brookhaven National Laboratory and beta particles from a ^90Sr source; these were used to characterize the response and the gain of an LGAD as a function of bias voltage and collected charge. Here, the experimental results are also compared to TCAD simulations.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Multiple Sources of Solar High-energy Protons

During the 24th solar cycle, the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT) has observed a total of 27 solar flares possessing delayed γ -ray emission, including the exceptionally well-observed flare and coronal mass ejection (CME) on 2017 September 10. Based on the Fermi/LAT data, we plot, for the first time, maps of possible sources of the delayed >100 MeV γ -ray emission of the 2017 September 10 event. The long-lasting γ -ray emission is localized under the CME core. The γ -ray spectrum exhibits intermittent changes in time, implying that more than one source of high-energy protons was formed during the flare–CME eruption. We find a good statistical correlation between the γ -ray fluences of the Fermi/LAT-observed delayed events and the products of corresponding CME speed and the square root of the soft X-ray flare magnitude. Data support the idea that both flares and CMEs jointly contribute to the production of subrelativistic and relativistic protons near the Sun.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Benchmarking intra-nuclear cascade models for neutrino scattering with relativistic optical potentials

The description of final-state interactions (FSI) in the large phase space probed in neutrino experiments poses a great challenge. In neutrino experiments, which operate under semi-inclusive conditions, cascade models are commonly used for this task, while under exclusive conditions FSI can be treated with relativistic optical potentials (ROP). We formulate conditions under which the ROP approach and cascade model can be directly compared. We feed the NEUT cascade with events from a relativistic distorted-wave impulse approximation calculation that uses the real part of an optical potential. Cuts on the missing energy of the resulting events are applied to define a set of events that can be directly compared to RDWIA calculations with the full optical potential. The NEUT cascade and ROP agree for proton kinetic energies $T_p > 150$ MeV for carbon, oxygen and calcium nuclei when a realistic nuclear density is used to introduce events in the cascade. For $T_p < 100$ MeV the ROP and NEUT cross sections differ in shape and differences in magnitude are larger than 50 %. Single transverse variables allow to distinguish different approaches to FSI, but due to a large non-QE contribution the comparison to T2K data does not give an unambiguous view of FSI. We discuss electron scattering and argue that with a cut in missing energy FSI can be studied with minimal confounding factors in e.g. $e4\nu$. The agreement of the ROP and NEUT for T2K conditions lends confidence to these models as a tool in oscillation analyses for sufficiently large nucleon kinetic energies. These results urge for caution when a cascade model is applied for small nucleon energies. The assessment of model assumptions relevant to this region are strongly encouraged. This paper provides novel constraints on cascade models from proton-nucleus scattering that can be easily applied to other neutrino event generators.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

First Observation of the Four-Proton Unbound Nucleus 18 Mg

18 Mg was observed, for the first time, by the invariant-mass reconstruction of 14 O + 4p events. The ground-state decay energy and width are E T = 4.865(34) MeV and Γ = 115(100) keV, respectively. The observed momentum correlations between the five particles are consistent with two sequential steps of prompt 2p decay passing through the ground state of 16 Ne. The invariant-mass spectrum also provides evidence for an excited state at an excitation energy of 1.84(14) MeV, which is likely the first excited 2 + state. As this energy exceeds that for the 2 + state in 20 Mg, this observation provides an argument for the demise of the N = 8 shell closure in nuclei far from stability. Furthermore, in open systems this classical argument for shell strength is compromised by Thomas-Ehrman shifts.

6 ≤ A ≤ 19↗

Charged-particle spectra from μ – capture on Al

Published data on the emission of charged particles following nuclear muon capture are extremely limited. In addition to its interest as a probe of the nuclear response, these data are important for the design of some current searches for lepton flavor violation. This work presents momentum spectra of protons and deuterons following μ- capture in aluminum. It is the first measurement of a muon capture process performed with a tracking spectrometer. A precision of better than 10% over the momentum range of 100–190MeV/c for protons is obtained; for deuterons of 145–250MeV/c the precision is better than 20%. The observed partial yield of protons with emission momenta above 80MeV/c (kinetic energy 3.4MeV) is 0.0322 ± 0.0007(stat) ± 0.0022(syst) per capture, and for deuterons above 130MeV/c (4.5MeV) it is 0.0122 ± 0.0009(stat) ± 0.0006(syst). Extrapolating to total yields gives 0.045 ± 0.001(stat) ± 0.003(syst) ± 0.001(extrapolation) per capture for protons and 0.018 ± 0.001(stat) ± 0.001(syst)± 0.002(extrapolation) for deuterons, which are the most precise measurements of these quantities to date.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Requirements and Overview of the LAMP PDM Vault

The Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) is located at Technical Area 53 (TA-53) at Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico. LANSCE is driven by an 800 mega electron volt (MeV) proton accelerator that delivered first beam in 1972. The LANSCE accelerator is unique in that it accelerates both H- (to full energy of 800 MeV) and H+ ions (up to 100 MeV currently but has accelerated high-power H+ beam to 800 MeV in the past) and supports five separate experimental areas that operate simultaneously with each having different timing and beam current requirements.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

A High Separation Factor for 165Er from Ho for Targeted Radionuclide Therapy

Background: Radionuclides emitting Auger electrons (AEs) with low (0.02–50 keV) energy, short (0.0007–40 µm) range, and high (1–10 keV/µm) linear energy transfer may have an important role in the targeted radionuclide therapy of metastatic and disseminated disease. Erbium-165 is a pure AE-emitting radionuclide that is chemically matched to clinical therapeutic radionuclide 177Lu, making it a useful tool for fundamental studies on the biological effects of AEs. This work develops new biomedical cyclotron irradiation and radiochemical isolation methods to produce 165Er suitable for targeted radionuclide therapeutic studies and characterizes a new such agent targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen. Methods: Biomedical cyclotrons proton-irradiated spot-welded Ho(m) targets to produce 165Er, which was isolated via cation exchange chromatography (AG 50W-X8, 200–400 mesh, 20 mL) using alpha-hydroxyisobutyrate (70 mM, pH 4.7) followed by LN2 (20–50 µm, 1.3 mL) and bDGA (50–100 µm, 0.2 mL) extraction chromatography. The purified 165Er was radiolabeled with standard radiometal chelators and used to produce and characterize a new AE-emitting radiopharmaceutical, [165Er]PSMA-617. Results: Irradiation of 80–180 mg natHo targets with 40 µA of 11–12.5 MeV protons produced 165Er at 20–30 MBq·µA−1·h−1. The 4.9 ± 0.7 h radiochemical isolation yielded 165Er in 0.01 M HCl (400 µL) with decay-corrected (DC) yield of 64 ± 2% and a Ho/165Er separation factor of (2.8 ± 1.1) · 105. Radiolabeling experiments synthesized [165Er]PSMA-617 at DC molar activities of 37–130 GBq·µmol−1. Conclusions: A 2 h biomedical cyclotron irradiation and 5 h radiochemical separation produced GBq-scale 165Er suitable for producing radiopharmaceuticals at molar activities satisfactory for investigations of targeted radionuclide therapeutics. This will enable fundamental radiation biology experiments of pure AE-emitting therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals such as [165Er]PSMA-617, which will be used to understand the impact of AEs in PSMA-targeted radionuclide therapy of prostate cancer.

165Er↗

The 2024 July 16 solar event: a challenge to the coronal mass ejection origin of long-duration gamma-ray flares

We present a multi-spacecraft analysis of the 2024 July 16 long-duration gamma-ray flare (LDGRF) detected by the Large Area Telescope on the Fermi satellite. The measured > 100 MeV γ-ray emission persisted for over seven hours after the flare impulsive phase, and was characterized by photon energies exceeding 1 GeV and a remarkably hard parent-proton spectrum. In contrast, the phenomena related to the coronal mass ejection (CME)-driven shock linked to this eruption were modest, suggesting an inefficient proton acceleration unlikely to achieve energies well above the 300 MeV pion-production threshold to account for the observed γ-ray emission. Specifically, the CME was relatively slow (∼600 km/s) and the accompanying interplanetary type-II/III radio bursts were faint and short-lived, unlike those typically detected during large events. In particular, the type-II emission did not extend to kilohertz frequencies and disappeared ∼5.5 hours prior to the LDGRF end time. Furthermore, the associated solar energetic particle (SEP) event was very weak, short-duration, and limited to a few tens of MeV, even at magnetically well-connected spacecraft. These findings demonstrate that a very fast CME resulting in a high-energy SEP event is not a necessary condition for the occurrence of LDGRFs, challenging the idea that the high-energy γ-ray emission is produced by the back-precipitation of shock-accelerated ions into the solar surface. The alternative origin scenario based on local particle trapping and acceleration in large-scale coronal loops is instead favored by the observation of giant arch-like structures of hot plasma over the source region that persisted for the entire duration of this LDGRF.

Sun: UV radiation↗

Configuration Management Plan

The Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) is located at Technical Area 53 (TA-53) at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in Los Alamos, New Mexico. LANSCE is driven by an 800 megaelectronvolt (MeV) proton accelerator that delivered its first beam in 1972. The LANSCE accelerator is unique in that it accelerates both H– (to full energy of 800 MeV) and H+ ions (up to 100 MeV currently but has accelerated high-power H+ beam to 800 MeV in the past) and supports five separate experimental areas that operate simultaneously, with each having different timing and beam current requirements. Many of the LANSCE accelerator front-end components date back to original commissioning in 1972, including the ion sources, Cockcroft-Walton (CW) generators, and the Drift Tube LINAC (DTL), which accelerates the beam up to 100 MeV.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Cyclotron production of a 204 Bi/ 204m Pb generator by 24 MeV proton irradiation of natural Pb foil targets

This work focuses on the formation of a generator of 204 Bi/ 204m Pb for future applications in perturbed angular correlation spectroscopy and biological radiotracing with lead and bismuth isotopes. Generators were formed from the irradiation of natural Pb targets with 24 MeV protons producing 203,204,205,206,207 Bi that were rapidly dissolved in 3 M HNO 3 and 30 % H 2 O 2 and exchanged into a 0.1 M HCl matrix. Use of 100 mg anion exchange resin (AG 1-x8) allowed 203,204m Pb to be eluted in 600 μL of 0.1 M HCl. Furthermore, the longer-lived 205,206 Bi were eluted in 5 mL or 3 mL of either 0.25 M sodium acetate buffer pH 4.4 or 1.0 M H 2 SO 4 . Initial radiolabeling was conducted with eluted 206 Bi using DTPA and DOTA and 203 Pb using TCMC-Azide.

07 ISOTOPE AND RADIATION SOURCES↗

Effective field theory for dark matter absorption on single phonons

Single phonon excitations, with energies in the 1–100 meV range, are a powerful probe of light dark matter (DM). Utilizing effective field theory, we derive a framework to compute DM absorption rates into single phonons starting from general DM-electron, proton, and neutron interactions. We apply the framework to a variety of DM models: Yukawa coupled scalars, axionlike particles with derivative interactions, and vector DM coupling via gauge interactions or Standard Model electric and magnetic dipole moments. We find that GaAs or Al 2 O 3 targets can set powerful constraints on a U ( 1 ) B − L model, and targets with electronic spin ordering are similarly sensitive to DM coupling to the electron magnetic dipole moment. Lastly, we make the code, (an extension of the existing code which computes general DM–single phonon scattering rates), publicly available. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Early-time γ -ray constraints on cosmic-ray acceleration in the core-collapse SN 2023ixf with the Fermi Large Area Telescope

Context. While supernova remnants (SNRs) have been considered the most relevant Galactic cosmic ray (CR) accelerators for decades, core-collapse supernovae (CCSNe) could accelerate particles during the earliest stages of their evolution and hence contribute to the CR energy budget in the Galaxy. Some SNRs have indeed been associated with TeV γ -rays, yet proton acceleration efficiency during the early stages of an SN expansion remains mostly unconstrained. Aims. The multi-wavelength observation of SN 2023ixf, a Type II supernova (SN) in the nearby galaxy M 101 (at a distance of 6.85 Mpc), opens the possibility to constrain CR acceleration within a few days after the collapse of the red super-giant stellar progenitor. With this work, we intend to provide a phenomenological, quasi-model-independent constraint on the CR acceleration efficiency during this event at photon energies above 100 MeV. Methods. We performed a maximum-likelihood analysis of γ -ray data from the Fermi Large Area Telescope up to one month after the SN explosion. We searched for high-energy, non-thermal emission from its expanding shock, and estimated the underlying hadronic CR energy reservoir assuming a power-law proton distribution consistent with standard diffusive shock acceleration. Results. We do not find significant γ -ray emission from SN 2023ixf. Nonetheless, our non-detection provides the first limit on the energy transferred to the population of hadronic CRs during the very early expansion of a CCSN. Conclusions. Under reasonable assumptions, our limits would imply a maximum efficiency on the CR acceleration of as low as 1%, which is inconsistent with the common estimate of 10% in generic SNe. However, this result is highly dependent on the assumed geometry of the circumstellar medium, and could be relaxed back to 10% by challenging spherical symmetry. Consequently, a more sophisticated, inhomogeneous characterisation of the shock and the progenitor’s environment is required before establishing whether or not Type II SNe are indeed efficient CR accelerators at early times.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Streaked optical pyrometer for proton-driven isochoric heating experiments of solid and foam targets

We have designed, built, and calibrated an ultrafast streaked optical pyrometer (SOP) with ~5 ps resolution for measuring the time-resolved surface blackbody temperature of an isochorically heated plasma. The pyrometer is calibrated to measure temperatures from 0.5 eV to 25 eV, with the option of adding calibrated neutral density filters to observe hotter plasmas. We demonstrated the use of this pyrometer on isochoric heating experiments using laser-accelerated proton beams as an energy source at the $f$ /40 beamline of the Texas Petawatt Laser. We used the large focal spot size (~80 μm radius) of the $f$ /40 pulses to accelerate high numbers of ~MeV protons off 5 μm thick solid gold targets. During our experimental campaign, we heated 10 μm thick aluminum foil targets to 1–10 eV over a duration of 50 ps and also observed heating to ~2 eV in 100 μm thick 60 mg/cm 3 carbon foams using the SOP to measure both the temperature and heating timescale.

Equations of state↗

Production of Radioisotopes of Scandium for Imaging and Therapy (Final Report)

The theranostic approach is a powerful technique that enables scientists and physicians to diagnose and treat diseases using the same targeting moiety labeled with radionuclides for imaging and therapy. A challenge behind synthesizing and evaluating these theranostic radiopharmaceuticals lies in the production of suitable radionuclides. This study aimed to investigate the production of high radionuclidic purity 43 Sc from enriched [ 46 Ti]TiO 2 for Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and 47 Sc from enriched [ 50 Ti]TiO 2 for targeted radiotherapy, as well as establish a target recycling technique for continued production of these radionuclides. Methods: Targets were prepared with 100 mg of either enriched [ 46 Ti]TiO 2 or [ 50 Ti]TiO 2 , pressed into pellets, and placed into Ta target holders with a 0.127 mm natTi cover foil. The 46 Ti targets were bombarded with 18 MeV protons at 20 µA for 1.5 h, while 50Ti targets were bombarded with 24 MeV protons at 20 µA for 4 or 8 h. The radioscandium nuclides were purified using branched N, N, N’, N’ -tetra-2-ethylhexyldiglycolamide (DGA) resin. The titanium targets were recycled by precipitating the dissolved Ti collected from the column effluent and wash streams, pH adjustment, vacuum filtration, and then drying the solid at 250 °C prior to reforming the target for the subsequent bombardment. The apparent molar activity of the isolated radioscandiums was analyzed by titration with 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid (DOTA). The relative imaging performance of 18 F, 43 Sc, and 68 Ga were analyzed with PET images acquired with 30-min static scans. Results: The average radioscandium recovery for 43Sc was 91.7 ± 7.4 %, with a radionuclidic purity of 98.8 %. The average recovery of 47Sc was 89.9 ± 3.9 %, with a radionuclidic purity of 90.8%. The average recovery of enriched TiO2 was 96 ± 4.0 %. The highest apparent molar activity for [43Sc]Sc-DOTA was 23.2 GBq/µmol and 3.39 GBq/µmol for [ 47 Sc]Sc-DOTA. The order of PET resolution from highest to lowest was 18 F > 43 Sc > 68 Ga. Conclusions: This work demonstrates the feasibility of using enriched recycled [ 46 Ti]TiO 2 and [ 50 Ti]TiO 2 targets for the production of the 43 Sc and 47 Sc theranostic isotope pair in high purity.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗

Doses and fluxes in the proton-irradiated Big Target: A MARS15 analysis

This work is aimed at determination of secondary particle fluxes, prompt and residual doses as well as energy deposition in and around the Big Target, a 20-tonnes cylindrical target made of natural uranium with the lead core and a stainless-steel yoke, which is being considered to be irradiated by a 0.16-μA 600-MeV proton beam of the JINR Phasotron accelerator. The simulations were performed with the use of the MARS15 particle transport code employing the LAQGSM and CEM generators and based on the ENDFB-VIII neutron cross section library. The calculations for 12-hour, 100-hour, and 3-day irradiations with the aforementioned conditions indicate that temperature rise due to the beam does not require target cooling, the target can be safely handled soon after the end of irradiation, and its decommissioning is possible three years past the irradiation. Doses

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

Connecting Nuclear Structure to Stellar Astrophysics: Neutron Skin in Tin Isotopes

The first observation of a neutron star merger by the LIGO-Virgo collaboration in 2017 highlights the need to improve our fundamental understanding of the equation of state of dense, neutron rich matter. The origin of heavy elements in the r-process and the structure of neutron stars are governed by the properties of neutron rich matter, for which experimental data is limited. Further analysis of this historic event and all future neutron star mergers relies on constraining the nuclear equation of state with experimental observables. We propose a novel method for systematically studying the evolution of the neutron skin in stable tin isotopes, by measuring the low-energy nuclear dipole strength over the broadest possible range of neutron-to-proton ratios in a single element. Nuclear resonance fluorescence with 100% linearly polarized photons from the High Intensity Gamma-ray Source (HIGS) facility was used to selectively measure the E1 photoabsorption strength of 112 Sn and 124 Sn at excitation energies from 3.5 MeV up to neutron separation, where the Pygmy Dipole Resonance dominates. The dipole polarizabilities of 112 Sn and 124 Sn were measured to be 9.03 ± 0.23 fm 3 and 9.11 ± 0.24 fm 3 , respectively. These uniquely systematically consistent measurements provide highly accurate experimental data for improving microscopic nuclear models as well as calculations of astrophysical nucleosynthesis and neutron star structure.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Multi-Probe 24A: Post shot Data and Analysis

The Multi-Probe 24A experiments took place on the Omega EP laser in November 2023. The experiments consisted of shots alternating between Omega EP’s two short-pulse laser beams to generate proton and deuteron ion beams from a range of film thicknesses, and x-ray sources from the established CPC+Ta wire targets. The backlighter was used for ion acceleration in the pitcher series, in which deuteron and proton beams characterized as a function of CD film thickness to develop a pitcher for a pitcher-catcher neutron radiographic source, while also characterizing electrons and x-rays emitted perpendicular to the target (i.e. Crosstalk for sidelighter-driven x-ray beams). The sidelighter was used for electron acceleration in the x-ray series, in which the electron acceleration and subsequent x-rays was characterized from the CPC+Ta wire targets and radiography was conducted with and without electro-magnetic electron defection. For the pitcher series, we found that at 500 J and 0.7 ps the 700-800 nm CD films yielded the greatest number and highest energy for both protons and deuterons. For the x-ray series, results demonstrated: a significant number of <100 keV x-rays are produced within the glue that fills the CPC cone, on-axis electron signal from the x-ray targets produce electrons resolvable up to ~10 MeV, and electron deflection (using MIFEDS) has a notable effect radiograph on noise reduction.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗