Beam Time Request Forms
https://www.hep.ucl.ac.uk/pbt/wikiData/BeamRequests/Trento_09_2025/
Experiment Equipment
Item
|
Notes
|
Network Hub
|
Set in control room to take output from experimental room ethernet connection. Control laptops connected via 5GHz WiFi.
|
Control Laptop x2
|
1 for remote control of FPGA, 1 for notes/web GUI.
|
Ethernet Cable x 2
|
To connect DAQ laptop to network in the experimental room, control laptop to network in control room.
|
Portable Enclosure
|
|
Scintillator stacks
|
4 Modules (to cover the full clinical range, from 60 to 250 MeV)
|
Scintillating fibers module
|
1 2D Module
|
DAQ laptop x1
|
Control photodiode acquisition.
|
Nexys Video FPGA development board.
|
For interfacing between DDC232 and PC.
|
Schematic
Fiber Module Experiment Equipment
Item
|
Notes
|
2D Fiber Arrays
|
2 Modules of vertical and horizontal fibers
|
Read-out electronics
|
2 Hamamatsu S13885-128 photodiode array each coupled to a Hamamatsu C9118-02 driver circuit
|
ZYBO Z7-10 Diligent FPGA development board.
|
To provide clocks to C9118.
|
NI USB-6366 Multifunction I/O device.
|
For interfacing between C9118 and PC.
|
DAQ laptop x1
|
Control photodiode acquisition.
|
Experiment Plan
For each beam delivery, our acquisition time is 5 seconds. This gives us an optimal number of events. For FLASH beam time restrictions, we could consider reducing the acquisition time, if necessary.
- Set up mains cabling and networking in treatment and control rooms.
- Install Peli case on treatment couch.
- Background
- Calibration shoot-through measurements of 4 stack modules: either rotating case or modules for back shoot-through:
- 8 beam deliveries 245 MeV conventional current (2 beam deliveries (back and forth) per each module)
- additional 2 or 3 beam deliveries 245 MeV at conventional current might be needed to find the minimum DDC232 FSR that does not saturate the signal.
- 8 beam deliveries 245 MeV FLASH current (2 beam deliveries (back and forth) per each module)
- additional 2 or 3 beam deliveries 245 MeV at FLASH current might be needed to find the minimum DDC232 FSR that does not saturate the signal.
- Pristine Bragg peak measurements at clinical current for full clinical range:
- 19 beam deliveries from 245 MeV and 240 to 70 MeV in 10 MeV steps.
- Pristine Bragg peak measurements at FLASH current for full clinical range:
- 19 beam deliveries from 245 MeV and from 240 to 70 MeV in 10 MeV steps at FLASH current.
- if there is FLASH beam time limitation we can take less energies points. Moreover, we could reduced the acquisition time for each FLASH beam delivery.
- Spot scanning:
- pristine Bragg Peak measurements at fixed energy (i.e. 150 MeV and 245 MeV) and clinical current shifting the beam up, down, left and right wrt isocenter by 3mm
- 4 beam deliveries per energy
Setup
- Peli case set up on FLASH station.
- Network connected through TIFPA experimental room patch panel:
- Inside experimental room:
- Long cable from patch panel (1) to DLink switch.
- Long cable from switch to QuARC.
- Short cable from switch to profile monitor DAQ laptop.
- Inside control room:
- Long cable from patch panel (5) to GL.iNet Slate router.
- Short cables to laptops.
- Case aligned to room lasers:
- Blocks used for levelling.
- Set up on height adjustable platform.
- Aligned to front cover plate.
Measurements 29/09/2025
- Approximately 100 minutes running 29/09/2025 (20:50–22:30).
- Peli case set up without movable stage: 1cm block under front, ~3mm under rear to level case.
- Isocentre at upstream face of first stack (level with inner edge of wheel mounts).
- Alignment checked with in room lasers after each adjustment.
- Beam optics are different between CONV mode and FLASH mode:
- Other than FLASH shoot through measurement with stack 1, running restricted to CONV mode.
- Current sufficient at maximum ion source current to almost saturate QuARC).
- SciFi monitor not installed.
Calibration conventional and FLASH
Run number
|
Modules
|
Beam Energy (MeV)
|
Estimated Range (mm)
|
Ion Source Current (nA)
|
Delivered protons
|
Irradiation time
|
Spot size (mm, FWHM)
|
DDC232 FSR (pC)
|
DDC232 Integration Time (us)
|
Acquisition Time (s)
|
Degrader WET (mm)
|
Beam setup
|
Comments
|
Photodiode QB Fit
|
Replay Fit
|
1 |
1, 2, 3 |
Background |
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
N/A |
12.5 |
220 |
3 |
0 |
Background |
Lid open |
|
|
2 |
1 |
Background |
N/A |
0 |
0 |
0 |
N/A |
12.5 |
170 |
3 |
0 |
Background |
Lid open |
|
|
3 |
1 |
Background |
N/A |
0 |
0 |
0 |
N/A |
12.5 |
170 |
3 |
0 |
Background |
Lid open, added network switch to DAQ chain |
|
|
4 |
1 |
Background |
N/A |
0 |
0 |
0 |
N/A |
12.5 |
170 |
3 |
0 |
Background |
Lid closed, BG with lid open ~0.10pC per PD, lid closed ~0.014pC |
|
|
5 |
1 |
Background |
N/A |
0 |
0 |
0 |
N/A |
12.5 |
170 |
3 |
0 |
Background |
Lid open, Added long network cable between switch and wall patch panel |
|
|
6 |
1 |
Background |
N/A |
0 |
0 |
0 |
N/A |
12.5 |
170 |
3 |
0 |
Background |
Lid closed, Peli case moved to FLASH beamline station and aligned with lasers @15.13 |
|
|
7 |
1 |
Background |
N/A |
0 |
0 |
0 |
N/A |
12.5 |
170 |
5 |
50 |
Background |
Peli case aligned, cover plates removed, 50mm WET installed |
|
|
8 |
1 |
228 |
325 |
- |
- |
- |
6.8 |
12.5 |
170 |
5 |
50 |
FLASH, low current, shoot through front |
Only 50% of measurements acquired, saturating; aiming for 1nA at detector |
|
|
9 |
1 |
228 |
325 |
- |
- |
- |
6.8 |
12.5 |
170 |
5 |
50 |
FLASH, low current, shoot through front |
4 sheets saturating; aiming for 0.5nA at detector |
|
|
10 |
1 |
228 |
325 |
- |
- |
- |
6.8 |
12.5 |
170 |
5 |
50 |
FLASH, low current, shoot through front |
Sheets saturating; aiming for 0.5nA at detector; switching to CONV optics |
|
|
11 |
1 |
228 |
325 |
10 |
4E9 |
- |
6.8 |
12.5 |
170 |
5 |
50 |
CONV, high current, shoot through front |
Switch to CONV mode, good FSR |
|
|
12 |
1 |
228 |
325 |
20 |
- |
- |
6.8 |
350 |
170 |
5 |
50 |
CONV, high current, shoot through front |
~20nA isocentre, ~120pC per sheet maximum |
|
|
13 |
1 |
228 |
325 |
- |
3E12 |
- |
6.8 |
350 |
170 |
3 |
50 |
CONV, high current, shoot through front |
~50nA isocentre, ~270pC per sheet maximum, Raspberry Pi frozen, restarted: only ~58% measurements recorded |
|
|
14 |
1 |
Background |
N/A |
0 |
0 |
0 |
N/A |
12.5 |
170 |
3 |
50 |
Background |
Lid closed, stack rotated |
|
|
15 |
1 |
228 |
325 |
10 |
4E9(?) |
- |
6.8 |
12.5 |
170 |
5 |
50 |
CONV, shoot through back |
~1nA isocentre(?) |
|
|
16 |
2 |
Background |
N/A |
0 |
0 |
0 |
N/A |
12.5 |
170 |
5 |
50 |
Background |
Lid closed, module 2 installed |
|
|
17 |
2 |
228 |
325 |
1 |
- |
- |
6.8 |
12.5 |
170 |
5 |
50 |
Shoot through front |
|
|
|
18 |
2 |
228 |
325 |
1 |
- |
- |
6.8 |
12.5 |
170 |
5 |
50 |
Shoot through back |
Rotated and reinstalled stack |
|
|
19 |
3 |
Background |
N/A |
0 |
0 |
0 |
N/A |
12.5 |
170 |
5 |
50 |
Background |
Lid closed, module 3 installed |
|
|
20 |
3 |
228 |
325 |
1 |
- |
- |
6.8 |
12.5 |
170 |
5 |
50 |
Shoot through front |
|
|
|
21 |
3 |
228 |
325 |
1 |
- |
- |
6.8 |
12.5 |
170 |
5 |
50 |
Shoot through back |
Rotated and reinstalled stack |
|
|
Bragg Peak Measurements
Run number
|
Modules
|
Beam Energy (MeV)
|
Estimated Range (mm)
|
Ion Source Current (nA)
|
Delivered protons
|
Irradiation time
|
Spot size (mm, FWHM)
|
DDC232 FSR (pC)
|
DDC232 Integration Time (us)
|
Acquisition Time (s)
|
Degrader WET (mm)
|
Beam setup
|
Comments
|
Photodiode QB Fit
|
Replay Fit
|
22 |
1, 2, 3 |
Background |
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
N/A |
12.5 |
220 |
5 |
0 |
Background |
Lid open, 3 modules installed |
|
|
23 |
1, 2, 3 |
Background |
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
N/A |
12.5 |
220 |
5 |
0 |
Background |
Lid closed, 3 modules installed |
|
|
24 |
1, 2, 3 |
179 |
215 |
1 |
1.3E11 |
20 |
8.7 |
12.5 |
220 |
5 |
0 |
CONV full energy |
4 photodiodes saturating: drop next current in half, 1.3E11 in 20s |
|
|
25 |
1, 2, 3 |
179 |
215 |
15nA |
- |
- |
8.7 |
12.5 |
220 |
5 |
0 |
CONV full energy |
15nA ion source current, ~1nA isocentre |
|
|
26 |
1, 2, 3 |
179 |
215 |
300nA |
- |
- |
8.7 |
350 |
220 |
3 |
0 |
CONV full energy, high current |
300nA ion source current, ~10nA isocentre |
|
|
27 |
1, 2, 3 |
179 |
215 |
250nA |
- |
- |
8.7 |
350 |
220 |
3 |
0 |
CONV full energy, high current |
250nA ion source current, ~8.3nA isocentre |
|
|
28 |
1, 2, 3 |
179 |
215 |
200nA |
- |
- |
8.7 |
350 |
220 |
3 |
0 |
CONV full energy, high current |
200nA ion source current, ~6.7nA isocentre |
|
|
29 |
1, 2, 3 |
179 |
215 |
150nA |
- |
- |
8.7 |
350 |
220 |
3 |
0 |
CONV full energy, high current |
150nA ion source current, ~5nA isocentre |
|
|
30 |
1, 2, 3 |
179 |
215 |
100nA |
- |
- |
8.7 |
350 |
220 |
3 |
0 |
CONV full energy, high current |
100nA ion source current, ~3.3nA isocentre |
|
|
31 |
1, 2, 3 |
Background |
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
N/A |
350 |
220 |
3 |
0 |
Background |
|
|
|
32 |
1, 2, 3 |
179 |
215 |
60nA |
- |
- |
8.7 |
50 |
220 |
3 |
0 |
CONV full energy, high current |
60nA ion source current, had to retake |
|
|
33 |
1, 2, 3 |
179 |
215 |
80nA |
- |
- |
8.7 |
100 |
220 |
3 |
0 |
CONV full energy, high current |
80nA ion source current, out of sequence, max 45pC per channel |
|
|
34 |
1, 2, 3 |
179 |
215 |
40nA |
- |
- |
8.7 |
50 |
220 |
3 |
0 |
CONV full energy, high current |
40nA ion source current |
|
|
35 |
1, 2, 3 |
179 |
215 |
20nA |
- |
- |
8.7 |
50 |
220 |
3 |
0 |
CONV full energy, high current |
20nA ion source current |
|
|
36 |
1, 2, 3 |
148 |
155 |
300nA |
- |
- |
10.6 |
350 |
220 |
3 |
0 |
CONV full energy, high current |
300nA ion source current |
|
|
37 |
1, 2, 3 |
112 |
95 |
300nA |
- |
- |
13.3 |
350 |
220 |
3 |
0 |
CONV full energy, high current |
300nA ion source current |
|
|
38 |
1, 2, 3 |
70 |
41 |
300nA |
- |
- |
16.2 |
350 |
220 |
3 |
0 |
CONV full energy, high current |
300nA ion source current |
|
|
39 |
1, 2, 3 |
Background |
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
N/A |
350 |
220 |
3 |
0 |
Background |
Lid closed |
|
|
40 |
1, 2, 3 |
Background |
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
N/A |
12.5 |
220 |
3 |
0 |
Background |
Lid closed |
|
|
Measurements 30/09/2025
- Approximately 100 minutes running 29/09/2025 (20:50–22:30).
- Peli case set up without movable stage: 1cm block under front, ~3mm under rear to level case.
- Isocentre at upstream face of first stack (level with inner edge of wheel mounts).
- Alignment checked with in room lasers after each adjustment.
- Beam optics are different between CONV mode and FLASH mode:
- Other than FLASH shoot through measurement with stack 1, running restricted to CONV mode.
- Current sufficient at maximum ion source current to almost saturate QuARC).
- SciFi monitor not installed.
General notes about the electronics
- Hamamatsu C9118-02 operated in Low Gain
- In low gain the dark output voltage is typ. 0.005 mV, max 0.1 mV
- The saturation output voltage is min. 3 V typ 3.5 V
- MCLK 1 MHz. Suggested min. reset time 10us and suggested min. integration time 17+4x128 clocks = 529 us.
- FPGA high period of RESET clock (reset) = 50 us, low period (integration) 950 us.* Link to the datasheet
https://www.hamamatsu.com/content/dam/hamamatsu-photonics/sites/documents/99_SALES_LIBRARY/ssd/s11865-64_etc_kmpd1134e.pdf
Desirable mesurements
- each acquisition should be 10s
- don't forget background runs
- find the minimum current to see the beam spot in the center of the detector and increase the current up to saturation of the central pixel and close by pair of pixels (to obtain the linearity curves not only for the central pixel but also for other pixels)
- test other energy to reconstruct beams with different spot size
- position scan (if possible) moving the box position of 5mm right/left up/down
Spot scanning Measurements
Run number
|
Modules
|
Beam Energy (MeV)
|
Estimated Range (mm)
|
Ion Source Current (nA)
|
Delivered protons
|
Irradiation time
|
Spot size (mm, FWHM)
|
DDC232 FSR (pC)
|
DDC232 Integration Time (us)
|
Acquisition Time (s)
|
Degrader WET (mm)
|
Beam setup
|
Comments
|
Photodiode QB Fit
|
Replay Fit
|
n |
1, 2 |
Background |
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
N/A |
12.5 |
220 |
10 |
0 |
Background |
Lid open, 2 modules installed |
|
|
n |
1, 2 |
Background |
|
0 |
0 |
0 |
N/A |
12.5 |
220 |
10 |
0 |
Background |
Lid closed, 2 modules installed |
|
|
n |
1, 2 |
148 |
155 |
- |
- |
- |
10.6 |
12.5 |
220 |
5 |
0 |
CONV optics |
Intensity check |
|
|
n |
1, 2 |
148 |
155 |
- |
- |
- |
10.6 |
12.5 |
220 |
5 |
0 |
CONV optics |
Intensity check |
|
|