缪子对小尺寸中低原子序数物质三维成像技术的模拟研究

缪子成像是一种利用天然本底辐射中极具穿透力的缪子射线通过散射或透射技术对高原子序数Z或隐藏物体进行无损成像的技术。当前的研究对象是大尺寸的高Z物质,而针对小尺寸的中低Z物质的成像技术在国内鲜见报道。本文提出了一种针对小尺寸中低Z物质的三维成像技术,利用Geant4软件模拟了缪致次级粒子的产生过程,模拟结果表明次级粒子主要为电子和γ光子,通过缪致次级粒子与入射缪子符合探测技术筛选入射缪子径迹,利用有限角度成像算法对待测物体进行了三维图像重建,结果表明,该技术适合于小尺寸的中低Z物质成像,尤其对小尺寸中Z物质的重建效果明显,重建图像可区分08 cm的凹槽。     

基于天然μ子散射特征评估铀板内水平狭缝宽度的方法

针对经典μ子成像方法用于特殊对象结构探测的技术难点,提出了一种通过直接比较对象发生结构变化前后μ子散射特征的差异来进行形变类型和尺度判定的新思路,称为正向参比法。相比于经典的逆向反演法,该方法在原理上对于初始结构已知的特殊核对象的结构变化探测更有优势。从初步模拟结果来看,在合理的天然μ子通量下,该方法可实现铀板内亚毫米尺度水平狭缝的存在及其尺度的准确判定。     

Standoff 3D Gamma-Ray Imaging

We present a new standoff imaging technique able to provide 3-dimensional (3D) images of gamma-ray sources distributed in the environment. Unlike standard 3D tomographic methods, this technique does not require the radioactive sources to be bounded within a predefined physical space. In the present implementation, the gamma-ray imaging system is based on two large planar HPGe double sided segmented detectors, which are used in a Compton camera configuration. A LIDAR system is used in conjunction with the gamma-ray imaging system to confine the gamma-ray image space to the interior of physical objects situated within the detection range of the gamma-ray imager. This approach results in superior image contrast and efficient image reconstruction. Results demonstrating the operating principle are reported.     

See inside: The development of a cosmic ray muon imaging system to aid the clean up of the UK’s nuclear waste legacy

In recent years the use of non-intrusive and non-invasive imaging techniques to safely interrogate non-nuclear (industrial) storage vessels or process units has seen a significant increase. The nature of material found within active ‘legacy waste’ storage vessels and other radiation shielded vessels coupled with the distinct lack of access makes representative sampling or visual inspection of the vessel extremely problematic and in some cases impossible. However, until recently, the radiation shielding which is commonplace on all nuclear sites has rendered existing remote non-intrusive imaging techniques useless. This is due to the limiting penetrative power of X-rays and gamma-rays as well as lack of access for other semi-invasive techniques such as electrical and acoustic imaging. Cosmic ray muon based imaging systems have great potential. This is because muons have very high energies (up to 10¹² GeV) and therefore, offer a superior penetrative power which provides a means to ‘peer through’ objects which otherwise would be inaccessible. Such objects may include lead lined silo or vessels as well as various intermediate material transport modules. Because muons only show detectable interactions with high atomic number material they also offer a means to detect the quantity and location of heavy metal elements and their associated compounds. In this work the first attempts at two-dimensional muon attenuation mapping are described. More specifically multiple plane prototype muon detection system has been used to image the resultant attenuation maps for a number of lead phantoms. This opens up possibilities for the collation of muon trajectory data which in turn can be used to track muon events both entering and leaving the object of interest allowing attenuation based image processing. It is believed that future work in this area will serve to significantly improve both the coverage area and the spatial resolution of the system though improved detector technology providing a powerful tool for the rendering of either large or dense objects.     

A modified multi-group model of angular and momentum distribution of cosmic ray muons for thickness measurement and material discrimination of slabs

Muon tomography is a capable imaging technique to measure the geometry of high-Z objects. However,most existed algorithms used in muon tomography have obscured the effects of angular distribution and momentum spectra of cosmic ray muons and reduced the spatial resolution. We present a modified multi-group model that takes into account these effects and calibrates the model by the material of lead. Performance tests establish that the model is capable of measuring the thickness of a Pb slab and identifying the material of an unknown slab on a reasonable exposure timescale, in both cases of complete and incomplete angular data. Results show that the modified multi-group model is helpful for improvements in image resolution in real applications.     

AODO: Secondary ion emission and surface modification

In order to study the sputtering of secondary ions from well characterized surfaces, we constructed a new UHV system named AODO. It consists of a detector chamber, a target preparation and analysis chamber, and a target transfer rod. We present the lay-out of this new instrument. The detector allows measuring the time-of-flight of emitted secondary ions and their position on a 2D imaging detector (XY-TOF imaging technique). The analysis chamber can be used to study surface modification by means of LEED (low energy electron diffraction). We show preliminary results of the evolution of the LEED patterns as a function of the projectile fluence during irradiation of HOPG (highly oriented pyrolytic graphite) with slow Xe¹⁴⁺ ions at ARIBE (the low energy, highly charged ion beam line of the French heavy ion accelerator GANIL).     

An analytical simulation technique for cone-beam CT and pinhole SPECT

This study was aimed at developing an efficient simulation technique with an ordinary PC.The work involved derivation of mathematical operators,analytic phantom generations,and effective analytical projectors developing for cone-beam CT and pinhole SPECT imaging.The computer simulations based on the analytical projectors were developed by ray-tracing method for cone-beam CT and voxel-driven method for pinhole SPECT of degrading blurring.The 3D Shepp-Logan,Jaszczak and Defrise phantoms were used for simulation evaluations and image reconstructions.The reconstructed phantom images were of good accuracy with the phantoms.The results showed that the analytical simulation technique is an efficient tool for studying cone-beam CT and pinhole SPECT imaging.     

640层容积CT心脑联合血管成像的应用及辐射剂量研究

利用640层容积CT对颈动脉、脑动脉及冠状动脉扫描一次成像,初步探讨心脑血管联合成像后的图像质量和患者所受的辐射剂量,并研究临床进一步应用的价值。其中心脑联合成像20例(1组),冠状动脉CTA 20例(2组),常规颈-脑血管CTA20例(3组),所有患者采用前瞻性心电门控,分别测量每组患者升主动脉根部、两侧颈总动脉、颈内动脉及大脑中动脉M1图像CT值及图像噪声。采用4分法评估冠状动脉图像,3分法评价颈-脑血管图像,分别记录各组扫描后患者所受辐射剂量。最终得出640层容积CT低剂量“一站式”大螺距心脑血管联合成像能同时提供满足临床诊断需要的冠状动脉及颈-脑血管图像。本研究得到了满足诊断的冠状动脉图像97.5%,未出现不能诊断的颈-脑血管图像,心脑血管联合成像的有效辐射暴露剂量仅(3.99±0.37)mSv,辐射暴露剂量完全在患者所能接受的合理范围之内,避免患者重复多次进行CTA 检查,能一次为临床治疗提供更多信息,是一种简便、快捷、无创、对比剂使用少、辐射剂量低、客观和重复性强的检查。     

MV级EPID成像中靶材料与厚度的优化选择

MV级电子射野成像系统(EPID)产生的图像相对于kV级对比度差,其中靶的材料和尺寸是一重要因素。采用Monte-Carlo软件包Geant4程序对6MV医用直线加速器进行模拟,对MV级EPID成像中靶材料与厚度进行优化选择。计算结果表明,低原子序数的薄靶有利于改善成像质量,在无均整器的情况下,3mm厚的Cu靶或10mm厚的Al靶更适用于6MV的电子射野成像系统。     

On the Sensitivity and Application Possibilities of a Novel Compton Scatter Imaging System

A novel type of Compton scatter imaging system is described having the following features: maximum possible use is made of the available scatter radiation; and mechanical constraints permit millisecond 2-D scan times. The sensitivity of this type of scatter system is compared with that of transmission radiography, and it is found that the former is to be preferred for `radiologically thin' objects. An important medical example is the imaging in back scatter mode of radiation-sensitive organs lying near the surface of the body. Some industrial applications of the scatter technique also suggest themselves: e.g. for section imaging of `thin' sheets, plastic components, or back scatter imaging of surface regions of bulky objects, for which the conventional transmission technique gives inadequate penetration. Data correction for attenuation effects and multiple scatter radiation is illustrated using scatter images of objects drawn from the fields of medical and industrial radiology.     

宇宙线缪子散射成像模拟与算法研究

本文验证了基于Micromegas探测器的宇宙线缪子散射成像系统进行快速核材料检测的可行性，并对实验室宇宙线缪子成像系统原型进行参数估算。基于Geant4程序开发了用于模拟宇宙线缪子物理过程、传输径迹及Micromegas探测器响应的模拟程序。在模拟数据的基础上，实现并改进了两种主要的宇宙线缪子散射成像算法。根据模拟和成像结果，1 m×1 m成像系统可在10 min内检测到被重元素屏蔽的核材料。10 cm×10 cm成像系统的缪子事例触发率为0.16 s^-1，要获得较为清晰的成像结果，要求探测器位置分辨率达到300 μm，探测器增益为1 000时实际测量事例至少需要20 h。     

γ图像重构放射源三维分布的物理模型设计

快速测定放射性物质污染的位置、分布、剂量对核安全有重要意义。γ相机成像是快速测定核污染位置二维图像的主要手段,用二维图像重构核污染位置三维分布是一种实现快速测定核污染位置、分布的主要技术。通过对γ相机成像过程进行研究,建立了放射源三维分布重构对应的物理模型,并在ML-EM重建算法下得到基本正确的结果。     

基于伴随粒子的快中子成像系统角分辨研究

不同于传统的快中子成像系统，采用伴随粒子成像技术无需机械准直即可消除大部分γ射线和散射中子的干扰，实现对厚重物体的高对比度成像。角分辨是影响系统成像质量的一项重要参数。通过理论分析，研究了入射离子的初始动量、靶点尺寸和探测器空间分辨等多个因素对系统角分辨的影响。利用基于GEANT4的模拟程序，计算了不同参数下被标记中子出射角分布的二维图像。分析及模拟结果表明，靶点直径和α探测器空间分辨率是影响角分辨的重要因素。为满足系统角分辨小于1°的设计目标，入射离子的初始动量变化范围应较小，靶点直径应小于1 mm，同时α探测器的空间分辨率应小于0.5 mm。     

严重事故堆芯μ子成像监测重建方法研究

严重事故发生时,堆芯变化对于跟踪事故进程、确定应急方案十分重要。宇宙射线μ子成像监测技术具有高穿透力、对高原子序数物质敏感等特点,已被证明适用于核材料的监测。图像重建算法是实现这一技术的关键难点之一,由于待测目标物体为高原子序数物质,通常会在其周围伴随着灰度值相近的点状噪声。本文为提高重建质量,便于严重事故期间应急人员实时监测堆芯变化,提出了在径迹重建算法的基础上使用巴特沃斯滤波技术消除点状干扰的重建方法,初步模拟实验结果表明,该方法可有效降低噪声,从而验证了该方法的有效性。     

Research Status and Prospect of Muon Physics and Technique

Muon physics and the application of muon technique is an interdisciplinary research which involves particle physics, material science, condensed matter physics, biomolecular science, and archaeology. Many important researches have been done and published in these areas by scientists from North America, Europe, and Japan. Due to the lack of accelerator-based muon source in China, Chinese research groups in these fields mainly rely on overseas muon facilities or on joining international collaborations. Some recent major progress on muon physics and muon technique application, and the prospects of the design, construction, and application of the accelerator-based muon source in China were reported in this paper.     

缪子科学技术前沿及未来发展

缪子物理和缪子应用技术研究是涉及粒子物理、材料科学、凝聚态物理、生物分子、考古学等众多学科的国际前沿交叉研究领域。目前北美、欧洲及日本均在这一领域做出了众多重要成果。由于加速器条件限制，目前国内尚未系统开展加速器缪子方面的实验，相关领域的研究团队主要依托国外装置或参与国际合作开展研究。本文综述性报道了近年国际上开展的几项主要缪子物理科学研究与缪子应用技术进展，并展望了国内在缪子源设计、建设及应用方面的科学前景。     

In-line X-ray phase-contrast imaging of murine liver microvasculature ex vivo

Imaging blood vessels is of importance for determining the vascular distribution of organs and tumors.Phase-contrast X-ray imaging can reveal the vessels in much more detail than conventional X-ray absorption method.Visualizing murine liver microvasculature ex vivo with phase-contrast X-ray imaging was performed at Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility.Barium sulfate and physiological saline were used as contrast agents for the blood vessels.Blood vessels of <Φ20μm could be detected by replacing resident blood with physiological saline or barium sulfate.An entire branch of the portal vein (from the main axial portal vein to the ninth generation of branching) could be captured in a single phase-contrast image.It is demonstrated that selective angiography based on phase contrast X-ray imaging,with a physiological material of low Z elements (such as saline) being the contrast agent,is a viable imaging strategy.Further efforts will be focused on using the technique to image tumor angiogenesis.     

Parathyroid and bone imaging in primary hyperparathyroidism

Skeletal derangements occur quite often in patient with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT). We investigated parathyroid and bone imagings in 59 cases of pathologically proven PHPT. Forty-nine cases were pathologically proven parathyroid adenomas; 8 presented hyperplasia and the other 2 were adenocarcinomas. Parathyroid imaging (early phase imaging, EPI) was conducted at 30 min alter injecting 740-925MBq ^99mTc-MIB1 and 2-3h later (delayed phase imaging, DPI) separately. The following thyroid imagings were performed at the same posture 10 min after intravenous injection of 74～111MBq ^99mTcO4^-. The ^99mTc^- M1B1 subtraction imaging data were obtained by subtracting thyroid imaging from that of DP1. Among 49 cases of proven hyperparathyroid adenoma 45 yielded positive imagings. Eight cases with hyperplasia gave negative results. The results were positive in 2 cases of parathyroid adenocarcinoma. Results of ^99mTc-MDP/bone imaging: 35 cases of hyperparathyroid adenocarcinoma (disease duration 1-6 months) showed normal bone images, while 14 cases showed superscan images, course being 4～12 months. Bone imaging for 2 cases of adenocarcinoma showed multiple, radioactive aggregated loci (brown tumor imaging); course lasting 10～24 months. The results of bone imaging in 8 cases of hyperplasia/hyperparathyroidism were normal. It was concluded that diagnostic accuracy for parathyroid was 79.6% and for parathyroid adenoma was 91.8%, and the technique has no diagnostic value for hyperplasia. The ^99mTc-MDP / bone imaging results for PHPT can be classified into three categories, i.e. normal, superscan and brown tumor. The imaging results correlated well with the different categories and degrees of bone damage, the duration of clinical course and the pathological types. Therefore, it‘s important to use bone imaging data in association with therapy to reflect the stage and progress of PHPT.     

Comparison of 3D OS-EM and 4D MAP-RBI-EM reconstruction algorithms for cardiac motion abnormality classification using a motion observer

Using a heart motion observer, we compared the performance of two image reconstruction techniques, a 3D OS-EM algorithm with post Butterworth spatial filtering and a 4D MAP-RBI-EM algorithm. The task was to classify gated myocardial perfusion (GMP) SPECT images of beating hearts with or without regional motion abnormalities. Noise-free simulated GMP SPECT projection data was generated from two 4D NCAT beating heart phantom models, one with normal motion and the other with a 50% motion defect in a pie-shaped wedge region-of-interest (ROI) in the anterior-lateral left ventricular wall. The projection data were scaled to clinical GMP SPECT count level before Poisson noise was simulated to generate 40 noise realizations. The noise-free and noisy projection data were reconstructed using the two reconstruction algorithms, parameters chosen to optimize the tradeoff between image bias and noise. As a motion observer, a 3D motion estimation method previously developed was applied to estimate the radial motion on the ROI from two adjacent gates. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were computed for radial motion magnitudes corresponding to each reconstruction technique. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was calculated as an index for classification of regional motion. The reconstructed images with better bias and noise tradeoff were found to offer better classification for hearts with or without regional motion defects. The 3D cardiac motion estimation algorithm, serving as a heart motion observer, was better able to distinguish the abnormal from the normal regional motion in GMP SPECT images obtained from the 4D MAP-RBI-EM algorithm than from the 3D OS-EM algorithm with post Butterworth spatial filtering.     

Space Saving and Power Efficient Readout System for Cosmic-Ray Muon Radiography

Cosmic-ray muon radiography has been used to probe the internal structure of volcanoes. To overcome limitations on constructing an observation station, we developed a small-sized readout system with power consumption low enough to be powered by a small solar-power system. The system can be placed near a volcano and can detect cosmic-ray muons that penetrate the volcano and subsequently generate an angular distribution of the muons. The system can be connected to a PC placed remotely from the station, using a wired or wireless network. The PC can show the angular distribution of the muons on a web browser. We used this system to monitor an actual volcano. The obtained clear image of the volcano indicates that the performance of the readout system is sufficient for cosmic-ray muon radiography.