Abstract: A compact and small size multichannel collimator for neutrons with energies up to 50 keV is provided. The collimator has a multichannel structure composed of collimating channels (in air, vacuum or in the non-interacting atmosphere of Helium-4) alternating with “full” channels made with absorbent materials for slow neutrons. The geometry of the individual collimating and absorbing channels can be arbitrary. The geometry with channels of square section, such as to create a perfect checkerboard, is preferred from the point of view of ease of construction.

Abstract: Resistive plate electrode (110, 120; 210, 220; 310, 320) with modulable surface resistivity comprising a supporting plate (130; 230; 330) coupled to a layer (131; 231; 331) of polymer material on which a DLC layer (135; 235; 335) is deposited that is connected to a connection assembly (145, 245, 345) configured to be connected to a high voltage power supply.

Abstract: A p+ or n+ type doping process for semiconductors, allows to implement a semiconductor with a highly doped surface layer, and it comprises the steps of: providing a substrate made of semiconductor material; depositing on a surface of 5 the substrate made of semiconductor material a thin source layer made of dopant material acting as dopant source; depositing on said source layer an additional protective surface layer made of semiconductor material; inducing liquefaction of the surface layer at least until the source layer; and cooling down the substrate surface so as to obtain the diffusion of the dopant material.

Abstract: The invention relates to a detector of charged particles made of silicon carbide and capable of performing dosimetric measurements in the field of quality controls of the beam lines at proton-therapy centres. With such detector it is further possible to perform measurements on beams of high- intensity charged particles produced by laser-matter interaction.

Abstract: A precision magnetometer for detecting magnetic fields parallel to a static field B0 in which the magnetometer itself is immersed; this magnetometer is operative in the frequency range of the field b1 ranging from 10 MHz to 1 GHz. Another object is a technique for using the presented magnetometer.

Abstract: A p+ or n+ type doping process for semiconductors, allows to implement a semiconductor with a highly doped surface layer, and it comprises the steps of: providing a substrate made of semiconductor material; depositing on a surface of 5 the substrate made of semiconductor material a thin source layer made of dopant material acting as dopant source; depositing on said source layer an additional protective surface layer made of semiconductor material; inducing liquefaction of the surface layer at least until the source layer; and cooling down the substrate surface so as to obtain the diffusion of the dopant material.

Abstract: The embodiments relate to a method and an apparatus for the molecular atomic analysis of a fluid in the gaseous state, in particular the method includes introducing a fluid in the gaseous state into a collection chamber having a predetermined internal volume V and generating a laser beam through a laser device. The method may also include focusing the beam onto the fluid sited in the collection chamber, in order to create an electric field in at least a portion V? of the internal volume V, so as to excite the electrons residing on the atoms and molecules present in said fluid in the gaseous state, causing an atomic/molecular alteration of the fluid itself in said portion V?. The method provides detecting the elements emitted after focusing the beam on the fluid, through detection devices and analyzing the elements detected by the detection devices using a processing unit.

Abstract: The invention refers to a detector based on 3D geometry made from a hydrogenated amorphous silicon substrate. This detector finds application in the detection of ionizing radiation.

Abstract: A system for acquiring microscopic plenoptic images with attenuation of turbulence by a microscope includes, in combination: a sample, the image of which should be obtained, which is able to be treated as a source of chaotic light, whose emission has an intensity profile F(?s), with ?s planar coordinate on the sample plane; a beam separator; two sensors or detectors, configured to perform the spatial/directional and directional/spatial detection, respectively, in which the planar coordinate on the detector planes is respectively indicated with ?a and ?b; an objective lens, having focal length fO and pupil function PO(?O), with ?O planar coordinate on the plane of the lens; a second lens, having focal length fT and pupil function PT(?T), with ?T planar coordinate on the plane of the lens; wherein the second lens is arranged in the optical path (a/b) of the beam transmitted/reflected by the beam separator.

Abstract: An apparatus for generating random numbers (100) is described, comprising: a detection device (1) sensitive to the pass-through of muons (?) and suitable to provide a first detection signal (Smd) representing at least one parameter associated with the pass-through of a single muon; a processing device (2) configured to receive the first detection signal (Smd) and to generate at least one random number (RN) as a function of a mathematical rule and of said at least one parameter.

Abstract: Silicon Particle Detector, comprising an absorption region (10) capable of generating electrical charges in response to a particle passing therethrough, a first and a second electrode (20, 30) arranged on opposite sides of the absorption region (10), wherein the first electrode (20) is segmented into a plurality of pads (20a), and a plurality of multiplication layers (40) able to avalanche-multiply the electric charges generated in the absorption region (10), each of the multiplication layers (40) being arranged beneath a respective pad (20a) and interposed between it and the absorption region (10), each multiplication layer (40) is surrounded by a respective protection ring (50) formed by the material of the pad (20a). The protection ring (50) is laterally interposed between the multiplication layer (40) and the absorption region (10).

Abstract: A method for measuring radiotherapy doses on a subject undergoing radiotherapy or other treatments with ionizing radiations includes: electrically insulating the subject during the radiotherapy treatment; applying at least one electrode to the subject, or connected to an amplifier with a system for acquiring the signal outgoing from the amplifier; detecting, by means of the at least one electrode, the voltage pulse produced during the radiotherapy treatment and deriving from the ionization secondary electrons set into motion and/or by the loaded net charge induced in the subject; converting said voltage pulse into a value of charge induced by the treatment in the subject; and determining the dose of ionizing radiations received by the subject by a processing system which uses the above value of the induced charge, the energy spectrum of the incident beam and the contact surface of the incident beam on the subject.

Abstract: A device for detecting neutrons and gamma rays comprises at least one detector and an acquisition and data-analysis system, connected to the detector; the detector comprises an active part that is formed by a plurality of: scintillator layers, made of a scintillator material, in particular a plastic scintillator; and absorber layers, containing at least one neutron-absorbing material, in particular cadmium or gadolinium; the acquisition and data-analysis system is configured so as to: analyze the signals coming from the detector and calculate the total energy released within the detector following upon an interaction with gamma rays or neutrons; and discriminate between gamma rays and neutrons impinging upon the detector according to whether the energy detected is higher or lower than a pre-set threshold.

Abstract: Systems and methods for measuring mono-energetic hadron beams are provided. Such systems and methods include a first detection unit having a planar sensor with a sensing area segmented into a matrix of pixels, each pixel being adapted to provide a transit signal indicative of transit of a particle therethrough, and a counting circuit coupled to the sensor for providing an output signal indicative of number of particles Np of the beam crossing said sensing area in a time interval, based on the transit signals provided by said pixels, and a second detection unit arranged downstream of the first detection unit which includes at least one ionization detector for providing an output signal proportional to the total charge Qion released by the beam (B) in the ionization detector in such time interval.

Abstract: A detector configuration that combines a plurality of elongated semiconductor photo-multiplier sensor strips coupled to a scintillator crystal block with a differential readout that will enhance the time resolution. This is permitted due to a reduction of electronic noise due to reduced cross talk and noise in the ground. In addition, the dead area is minimized and thus the efficiency of the photodetector is enhanced.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for producing beta emitting radiopharmaceuticals. The method provides to produce, through a primary accelerator, a low energy proton beam, namely with an energy lower than 70 MeV, preferably with an energy ranging from 32 to 45 MeV, more preferably with energy ranging from 38 to 42 MeV; the low energy proton beam is irradiated on a source target so as to generate a neutral atom beam; the neutral atoms are ionized, extracted by acceleration and preferably subjected to a first focusing; the first focused beam is subjected to a mass separation such to generate a isobaric beam of radioisotopes. The isobaric beam therefore is preferably subjected to a second focusing and it is sent for a predetermined time on a deposition target. Then the irradiated deposition target is subjected to chemical treatment so as to obtain pure beta emitting radiopharmaceuticals.

Abstract: A Network Interface Card (NIC) for a cluster node for parallel calculation on multi-core GPU is described. The NIC has a cluster network including a host and a host memory, a graphics processing unit (GPU) with a GPU memory, a bus and the NIC. The NIC has a transmission network connection block and a reception network connection block. The NIC further includes the following blocks: a transmission block, a reception block, and a GPU memory management block for a direct exchange between the GPU memory and the network through the NIC. An inter-nodal communication method of a nodes cluster, which uses the NIC is also described.

Abstract: Systems and methods for measuring mono-energetic hadron beams are provided. Such systems and methods include a first detection unit having a planar sensor with a sensing area segmented into a matrix of pixels, each pixel being adapted to provide a transit signal indicative of transit of a particle therethrough, and a counting circuit coupled to the sensor for providing an output signal indicative of number of particles Np of the beam crossing said sensing area in a time interval, based on the transit signals provided by said pixels, and a second detection unit arranged downstream of the first detection unit which includes at least one ionization detector for providing an output signal proportional to the total charge Qion released by the beam (B) in the ionization detector in such time interval.

Abstract: An echo-scintigraphic probe for medical applications and the method of merging images. It is constituted by the union of an ultrasound probe suitably integrated, both in geometric terms, and in terms of image processing, with a scintigraphic probe or gamma camera (3). With a single application of said probe, one is able to provide a double image of the object under examination. The ultrasound probe is housed in the head, above the plane of the collimator and kept projecting to favor the direct contact with the body part of the patient to be examined. The collimator is able to obtain images of the biodistribution of a radiolabelled drug by radiation with frontal incidence, maintaining the characteristics of the ultrasound probe. The probe is applicable to both clinical diagnosis and intraoperative diagnosis of cancer with the use of radio tracers.

Abstract: Disclosed is a detector for a positron imaging unit, comprises a hollow body with an inner cylindrical wall and an outer wall spaced apart from the inner cylindrical wall. The hollow body includes a scintillating material, suitable to emit photons once hit by a 511 keV Y-ray, and one or more pairs of photo-detecting units (e.g. comprising PMTs or SiPM) for detecting photons emitted by the scintillating material; each photo-detecting unit of a pair being placed at opposite ends of the inner cylindrical wall along a radial direction. The scintillating material has scintillation decay time ? lower than 10 ns, an atomic number greater than 10, and a high scintillation yield greater than 8,000 photons/MeV, and comprises a mixture of xenon and argon. An imaging unit including the detector and a method to estimate the differential of the dose of radiation provided in a subject to cancer cells and to surrounding tissues in the course of hadrotherapy is also disclosed.