Science fiction

Summary

Science fiction (sometimes shortened to SF or sci-fi) is a genre of speculative fiction, which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel universes, and extraterrestrial life. Science fiction can trace its roots to ancient mythology. It is related to fantasy, horror, and superhero fiction and contains many subgenres. Its exact definition has long been disputed among authors, critics, scholars, and readers. Science fiction, in literature, film, television, and other media, has become popular and influential over much of the world. It has been called the "literature of ideas", and often explores the potential consequences of scientific, social, and technological innovations. It sometimes serves as an outlet to facilitate future scientific and technological innovations. Besides providing entertainment, it can also

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_fiction

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Accurate Profile Measurement of the low Intensity Secondary Beams in the CERN Experimental Areas

Inaki Ortega Ruiz

The CERN accelerators deliver a wide spectrum of secondary beams to the Experimental Areas. These beams are composed of hadrons, leptons, and heavy ions that can vary greatly in momentum (1 GeV/c to 400 GeV/c) and intensity (10^2 to 10^8 particles per second). The profile, position, and intensity of these beams are measured utilising particle detectors. However, the current systems show several problems that limit the quality of this kind of monitoring. The aim of this doctoral thesis is to investigate the best detector technology that could replace the existing monitors and build a first prototype of it. A review of the existing detection techniques has led to the choice of Scintillating Fibres (SciFi) read-out with Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPM). This detection technology has the potential to perform better in terms of material budget, range of intensities measured, and active area size. In addition, it has particle counting capabilities, which could extend its application to momentum spectrometry or Time-of-Flight (ToF) measurements. Its resistance to radiation damage offers good potential for longevity of use. A first prototype of a SciFi-SiPM monitor has been successfully tested with different particle beams at CERN, giving accurate profile measurements over a wide range of energies and intensities. It has only shown problems during use with lead ion beams, whose origin is believed to be crosstalk between the fibres. A Geant4 simulation of a single scintillating fibre has been performed to estimate its signal generation. This simulation is verified by real measurements of the light yield of scintillating fibres. Similarly, another Geant4 simulation of a full SciFi monitor has been developed to characterise the perturbation of the beam by the monitor. The future beam instrumentation for the Neutrino Platform at CERN is also described here, which is being developed as a continuation of the work conducted during this thesis.

EPFL2018

Alien Architecture: Digital architectural and culture

Russell Alexander Loveridge

Keynote Speaker - Gulf Forum for Architecture Presentation outlining the use of new technology in the design, development, and production of contemporary architecture. The presentation made analogy to science fiction and the image of the “alien” and then used this metaphor to illustrate the issues of globalization of architecture and the marginalization of local and vernacular architectural styles. Showing that “new” and digitally produced architecture can be “alien” in their context has both positive and negative advantages, the presentation focused on showing that digital tools and advanced construction technology do not need to imply a complete loss of regional culture, but rather can be used to enhance local traditions and culture.

2010

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Purpose For determining small-field profile and output factor during stereotactic radiotherapy quality assurance (QA) procedures, we propose a novel system based on the scintillating fiber (SciFi) detector with output image acquisition and processing to allow real-time monitoring of profile and output factor. Materials and methods The employed detector is a SciFi detector made of tissue-equivalent scintillating plastic fibers arranged in 6-layer fiber ribbons with a fiber pitch of 275 mu m in each layer. The scintillating signal at the detector output is acquired by a sCMOS (scientific complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) camera and represents the projected field profile along the fibers axis. An iterative reconstruction method of the field from its projected profile based on a priori knowledge of some features of the radiation field defined by the stereotactic cones is suggested. The detector with implemented data processing has been tested in clinical conditions, for determining beam profiles and output factors, using cone collimators of different sizes from 4 to 15 mm diameter. The detector under test was placed at 1.4 cm depth and 98.6 cm source to surface distance (SSD) in a water-equivalent phantom and irradiated by a 6 MV photon beam. Results The reconstructed field profiles obtained from the detector are coherent with data from EBT3 radiochromic films, with differences within +/- 0.32 mm for both the FWHM and the penumbra region. For real-time determination of the field output factor, the measured data are also in good agreement with data independently determined by the French Institute for Radiological Protection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN) based on radiochromic films and thermoluminescent 1 x 1 mm(2) micro-cubes dosimeters (TLD). The differences are within +/- 1.6% for all the tested cone sizes. Conclusions We propose and have tested a SciFi plastic scintillating detector with an optimized signal processing method to characterize small fields defined by cone collimators. It allows the determination of key field parameters such as full width at half maximum (FWHM) and field output factors. The results are consistent with those independently measured using TLD and radiochromic films. As the SciFi detector does not require a correction factor, it is in line with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) TRS-483 recommendations, and can be suitable for online QA of small radiation fields used in photon beam radiotherapy, and is compatible with MRI-LINAC.

WILEY2020

Accurate Profile Measurement of the low Intensity Secondary Beams in the CERN Experimental Areas

Inaki Ortega Ruiz

EPFL2018

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WILEY2020