Accurate knowledge of nuclear fragmentation cross-sections is essential for optimizing charged particle therapy. In this study, conducted within the framework of the FOOT (FragmentatiOn Of Target) experiment, we present the first measurements with a large angular acceptance of total charge-changing cross-section and the cross-section for the production of fragments (production cross-section) for ^16O ions interacting with Carbon (C) and Polyethylene (C_2H_4) targets in the kinetic energy range of 80 to 200 MeV/nucleon. Measurements were performed using the Emulsion Cloud Chamber (ECC) technique, which combines high spatial resolution and angular acceptance, up to 45^∘. The results are compared with Monte Carlo model predictions. Moreover, the total charge-changing and fragment production cross-sections for ^16O on Hydrogen in the same energy range are derived.

The Aharonov–Bohm (AB) effect is one of the most striking features of quantum physics, and it is of critical importance to elucidate the role of the electromagnetic potential and its physical meaning. In spite of the fact that it was first proposed in 1949, up to now it has only been demonstrated for electrons and neutrons. We propose the realization of an experiment to study the AB effect for the antiproton, which will have the double feature of being a non-elementary charged particle and at the same time an antiparticle. The experiment will be conducted in collaboration with the ASACUSA (Atomic Spectroscopy And Collisions Using Slow Antiprotons) group at the CERN AD (Antiproton Decelerator), making use of a slow antiproton beam.

This paper presents the measurements of the angular differential cross sections for the forward production of He, Li, Be, B, C, and N nuclei in the fragmentation process of a 400 MeV/nucleon O-16 beam interacting with a graphite target. Due to the limited data available in this energy regime, these measurements of nuclear fragmentation cross sections are relevant to improve nuclear interaction models for particle therapy and space radioprotection applications. The data analyzed in this paper were collected during a measurement campaign carried out at the GSI Helmholtz Center for Heavy Ion Research facility in Darmstadt (Germany) by the FOOT Collaboration. The results are compared with similar results found in the literature and with a previous FOOT measurement of the same process, using the same setup, from a previous pilot run performed at GSI. The pilot run data, however, had limited statistics and only allowed for the measurement of elemental fragmentation cross sections integrated in the setup acceptance. This data set, with statistics more than 100 times larger compared to the data collected in the previous run, enabled the measurement of angular differential cross sections, fully exploiting the granularity of the FOOT Delta E-TOF (time-of-flight) system. Furthermore, a better comprehension of the FOOT apparatus allowed to improve the analysis techniques, leading to a reduction in the final systematic uncertainties. The cross section results have been compared with some of the prominent Monte Carlo models of FLUKA and Geant4 dedicated to the energy range of interest for light ion fragmentation physics.

The scientific and technological base of muography researches using emulsion detectors, including the equipment and software, is developed and actively used in Russia by the MISIS, NRU MEPhI, SINP MSU and LPI RAS collaboration. The article presents a number of experiments performed with the emulsion muography and illustrates the major stages of the method development and improvement.

The FOOT (FragmentatiOn Of Target) experiment aims to measure double differential fragmentation cross-sections for applications in Particle Therapy and space radiation protection. A critical component of the apparatus is its magnetic spectrometer, composed of two Halbach-configured dipole magnets (M1 and M2) using NdFeB permanent magnets, designed for high field uniformity and stability. A full 3D magnetic model was developed using the OPERA solver, incorporating detailed BH curves and a refined meshing strategy to ensure precision along the beam axis. The resulting field map, essential for Monte Carlo simulations in FLUKA, was validated through high-resolution magnetic measurements along the longitudinal and radial axes using a Hall probe. The comparison revealed agreement within 1.4% over most of the field region. Radial scans confirmed uniformity within 1% up to 10 mm from the axis, with minor misalignments attributed to mechanical tolerances. These results confirm the accuracy of the magnetic model and its suitability for precise momentum reconstruction in the FOOT spectrometer.

The DAMON (Direct meAsureMent of target fragmentatiON) project aims to explore the use of Nano Imaging Trackers (NITs) for the first direct measurement of target fragmentation caused by proton beams in cancer treatment. NITs are fine-grained nuclear emulsion films that offer a spatial resolution at the nanometric scale. DAMON's pilot test exposed a NIT-based detector to 211 MeV protons, paving the way for the first study of target fragmentation indirect kinematics. In this paper the preliminary results regarding the multiplicity of the fragments and their track lengths are reported.

The fragmentation cross sections of carbon ion beams with kinetic energies of 115 - 353 MeV/u impinging on thin targets of graphite (C), polyvinyl-toluene (C_9H_10) and PMMA (C_2O_5H_8) have been measured at 90^o and 60^o at the CNAO particle therapy center (Pavia, Italy). The presented measurements are a complete reanalysis by the FOOT collaboration of already published elemental cross section on composite targets, in order to refine the analysis, improve the systematic uncertainties and show the comparison with the FLUKA Monte Carlo code calculations. In this work, the kinetic energy at production of measured fragments has been completely redefined, together with the efficiencies computation. The new analysis strategy has been successfully validated against the Monte Carlo cross sections. Two detection arms were positioned at two different angles to perform the measurement at 90^o and 60^o. The fragment species have been identified in charge (Z_id = H) and mass (M_id = ^1H, ^2H, ^3H) combining the information of the deposited energy in thin plastic scintillators, of the deposited energy in a thick LYSO crystal and of the fragments Time of Flight (ToF) measurement. The ToF was also used to compute the fragments measured kinetic energy. The cross sections are presented as a function of the fragments kinetic energy at production thanks to an unfolding technique applied to the data.

Fine-grained nuclear emulsion films have been developed as a tracking detector with nanometric spatial resolution to be used in direction-sensitive dark matter searches, thanks to novel readout technologies capable of exploiting this unprecedented resolution. Emulsion detectors are time insensitive. Therefore, a directional dark matter search with such detector requires the use of an equatorial telescope to absorb the Earth rotation effect. We have conducted for the first time a directional dark matter search in an unshielded location, at the sea level, by keeping an emulsion detector exposed for 39 days on an equatorial telescope. The observed angular distribution of the data collected during an exposure equivalent to 0.59 g days agrees with the background model and an exclusion plot was then derived in the dark matter mass and cross-section plane: cross-sections higher than 1.1 $\times$10$^{-28}$ cm$^{2}$ and $1.1 \times 10^{-31}$ cm$^2$ were excluded for a dark matter mass of $10$ GeV$/c^2$ and $100$ GeV$/c^2$, respectively. This is the first direction sensitive search for dark matter with a solid-state, particle tracking detector.

The FOOT experiment of INFN is devoted to the measurement of the nuclear fragmentation double differential cross sections useful for the improvement of calculation models adopted in hadrontherapy and radioprotection. A detailed Monte Carlo simulation of the FOOT magnetic spectrometer has been implemented in order to optimize the design and to guide data analysis. This task has been accomplished by means of the FLUKA Monte Carlo code. The input files of the FLUKA simulations are created from the software framework of the experiment, in order to have a consistent generation and description of geometry and materials in both simulation and data analysis. In addition, this ensures the possibility of processing both simulated and real data with the same data analysis procedures. Databases containing specific parameters describing the setup employed in each different data taking campaign are used. A customized event-by-event output of the Monte Carlo code has been developed. It can be read out by the general software framework of FOOT, enabling access to the generation history of all particles in the same event. This output structure therefore gives the possibility to perform a detailed analysis and study of all relevant processes, allowing the detailed tracking reconstruction of all individual particles. Examples of results are presented.

Accurately tracking particles and determining their coordinate along the optical axis is a major challenge in optical microscopy, especially when extremely high precision is needed. In this study, we introduce a deep learning approach using convolutional neural networks (CNNs) that can determine axial coordinates from dual-focal-plane images without relying on predefined models. Our method achieves an axial localization precision of 40 nanometers-six times better than traditional single-focal-plane techniques. The model's simple design and strong performance make it suitable for a wide range of uses, including dark matter detection, proton therapy for cancer, and radiation protection in space. It also shows promise in fields like biological imaging, materials science, and environmental monitoring. This work highlights how machine learning can turn complex image data into reliable, precise information, offering a flexible and powerful tool for many scientific applications.

After rapid approval and installation, the SND@LHC Collaboration was able to gather data successfully in 2022 and 2023. Neutrino interactions from νμs originating at the LHC IP1 were observed. Since muons constitute the major background for neutrino interactions, the muon flux entering the acceptance was also measured. To improve the rejection power of the detector and to increase the fiducial volume, a third Veto plane was recently installed. The energy resolution of the calorimeter system was measured in a test beam. This will help with the identification of νe interactions that can be used to probe charm production in the pseudo-rapidity range of SND@LHC (7.2 < η < 8.4). Events with three outgoing muons have been observed and are being studied. With no vertex in the target, these events are very likely from muon trident production in the rock before the detector. Events with a vertex in the detector could be from trident production, photon conversion, or positron annihilation. To enhance SND@LHC’s physics case, an upgrade is planned for HL-LHC that will increase the statistics and reduce the systematics. The installation of a magnet will allow the separation of νμ from ν¯μ

The Scattering and Neutrino Detector at the LHC (\SND) started taking data at the beginning of Run 3 of the LHC. The experiment is designed to perform measurements with neutrinos produced in proton-proton collisions at the LHC in an energy range between 100GeV and 1 TeV. It covers a previously unexplored pseudo-rapidity range of $7.2<\eta<8.4$. The detector is located 480 m downstream of the ATLAS interaction point in the TI18 tunnel. It comprises a veto system, a target consisting of tungsten plates interleaved with nuclear emulsion and scintillating fiber (SciFi) trackers, followed by a muon detector (UpStream, US and DownStream, DS). In this article we report the measurement of the muon flux in three subdetectors: the emulsion, the SciFi trackers and the DownStream Muon detector. The muon flux per integrated luminosity through an 18$\times$18 cm$^{2}$ area in the emulsion is $1.5 \pm 0.1(\textrm{stat}) \times 10^4\,\textrm{fb/cm}^{2}$. The muon flux per integrated luminosity through a 31$\times$31 cm$^{2}$ area in the centre of the SciFi is $2.06\pm0.01(\textrm{stat})\pm0.12(\textrm{sys}) \times 10^{4} \textrm{fb/cm}^{2}$. The muon flux per integrated luminosity through a 52$\times$52 cm$^{2}$ area in the centre of the downstream muon system is $2.35\pm0.01(\textrm{stat})\pm0.10(\textrm{sys}) \times 10^{4}\,\textrm{fb/cm}^{2}$. The total relative uncertainty of the measurements by the electronic detectors is 6 $\%$ for the SciFi and 4 $\%$ for the DS measurement. The Monte Carlo simulation prediction of these fluxes is 20-25 $\%$ lower than the measured values.

SND@LHC, Scattering and Neutrino Detector at the LHC, is a compact experiment designed to perform measurements with neutrinos produced at the LHC in the unexplored pseudo-rapidity region of 7.2 < \eta η < 8.4, complementary to all the other experiments at the LHC. The experiment was approved in March 2021. It was constructed in about one year and it is now taking data during the Run 3 of the LHC. In this paper we review the detector concept, the physics case and the status of the data taking.

The proposed upgrade of the SND@LHC experiment for the High Luminosity phase of the LHC (HL-LHC) will strongly benefit from the presence of a magnetized region, allowing for muon momentum and charge measurement. In this paper we describe an iron core magnet system that is partly integrated with the calorimeter and that is designed to respect the strict constraints from the available space in the experimental cavern, power consumption, and field requirements. Semi-analytical tools are introduced to explore the parameter space, in order to define the primary design options. A full 3-D analysis is then performed in order to validate the optimal choice, and to propose a conceptual design, including sizing of the components, detector performances and stray fields. Several technical options are also discussed, anticipating the design phase.

The SHiP-charm project was proposed to measure the associated charm production induced by 400 GeV/c protons in a thick target, including the contribution from cascade production. An optimisation run was performed in July 2018 at CERN SPS using a hybrid setup. The high resolution of nuclear emulsions acting as vertex detector was complemented by electronic detectors for kinematic measurements and muon identification. Here we present first results on the analysis of nuclear emulsions exposed in the 2018 run, which prove the capability of reconstructing proton interaction vertices in a harsh environment, where the signal is largely dominated by secondary particles produced in hadronic and electromagnetic showers within the lead target.

Abstract The FOOT (FragmentatiOn Of Target) experiment is an international project designed to carry out the fragmentation cross-sectional measurements relevant for charged particle therapy (CPT), a technique based on the use of charged particle beams for the treatment of deep-seated tumors. The FOOT detector consists of an electronic setup for the identification of Z ≥ 3 Z\ge 3 fragments and an emulsion spectrometer for Z ≤ 3 Z\le 3 fragments. The first data taking was performed in 2019 at the GSI facility (Darmstadt, Germany). In this study, the charge identification of fragments induced by exposing an emulsion detector, embedding a C 2 H 4 {{\rm{C}}}_{2}{{\rm{H}}}_{4} target, to an oxygen ion beam of 200 MeV/n is discussed. The charge identification is based on the controlled fading of nuclear emulsions in order to extend their dynamic range in the ionization response.

The paper reports on the study of the cave complex of the Holy Dormition Pskovo-Pechersky Monastery by the muography method. An original algorithm analyzing intersections of local maxima in angular distributions of muon fluxes, detected by different detectors, was developed to search for the hidden cavities. As a result, previously unknown underground spaces of significant size, with no direct access to them, were revealed. The obtained result, being of great interest for studying the history and archaeology of the cultural heritage site, demonstrates the unique capabilities of the muography method, which allows for investigating the internal structure of an object without its integrity violating.

The method for visualizing the internal structure of objects (muography method) based on the analysis of the features of passages of atmospheric muons generated in cosmic ray interactions, is based on the spatial distributions of trajectories of penetrating muons recorded by detectors. The method is at the junction of elementary particle physics with many other areas of natural science, e.g., with archaeology. The article presents the results of a muographic study of two objects in the cave complex of a unique historical and archaeological monument, i.e., the Holy Dormition Pskovo-Pechersky Monastery. The experimental technique is based on nuclear emulsion detectors.