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The CERN Linear Electron Accelerator for Research (CLEAR) has been operating as a user facility since 2017, providing beams for various experiments. This paper describes a start-to-end optimisation of the CLEAR beamline as a driver for X-ray generation through inverse Compton scattering. The novel particle tracking code RF-Track was used to simulate the electron beam from the bunch generation at the cathode up to the interaction with a laser beam. Figures of merit of the scattered photon beam were computed in RF-Track, and optimised by tuning the beam parameters at injection and quadrupole strengths across the beamline. The aim of the optimisation was to maximise the scattered photon flux, and minimise the effects from static and dynamic imperfections. The start-to-end model of the CLEAR beamline was used to derive the impact of jitter on flux.

Intra-beam scattering (IBS) has recently gained significant interest in the community of free electron lasers (FELs), as it is believed to produce an increment in the sliced energy spread (SES), which is detrimental to FEL performance. To control and contain this phenomenon, it is important to include IBS in the design phase of an FEL through appropriate numerical simulation. Most existing codes that simulate IBS were developed for long-term tracking in circular lattices, assuming Gaussian bunches. Unfortunately, this assumption doesn’t capture the rapid bunch evolution of electron bunches in photoinjectors. To address this limitation, the tracking code RF-Track has recently been updated to include IBS, using a novel hybrid-kinetic Monte Carlo method. This paper presents benchmarks performed to verify the implementation. The predicted SES increment in the beam due to IBS using RF-Track has been compared against a kinetic approach used in a different tracking code and, secondly, against a semi-analytical model. The results showed a good agreement, setting RF-Track as a tool to understand and control the SES growth in photoinjectors and, in particular, in FELs.

Proposed for the first time almost 30 years ago, the research on radio frequency linacs for hadron therapy experienced a sparkling interest in the past decade. The different projects found a common ground on a relatively high rf operating frequency of 3 GHz, taking advantage of the availability of affordable and reliable commercial klystrons at this frequency. This article presents for the first time the design of a proton therapy linac, called TULIP all-linac, from the source up to 230 MeV. In the first part, we will review the rationale of linacs for hadron therapy. We then divided this paper in two main sections: first, we will discuss the rf design of the different accelerating structures that compose TULIP; second, we will present the beam dynamics design of the different linac sections.

Durian (Durio zibethinus L.) is a tropical fruit crop which is popular in Southeast Asia but recently gaining popularity in other parts of the world. In this study, we analyzed the resistance gene analogs (RGAs) of durian through mining of the currently available reference genome of its ‘Musang King’ cultivar (PRJNA400310). A total of 2586 RGAs were identified in the durian genome consisting of 47 nucleotide binding site proteins (NBS), 158 NBS-leucine rich repeat proteins (NL), 400 coiled-coil NBS-LRR (CNL), 72 toll/interleukin-1 receptor NBS-LRR (TNL), 54 coiled-coil NBS (CN), 10 toll/interleukin-1 receptor NBS (TN), 19 toll/interleukin-1 receptor with unknown domain (TX), 246 receptor-like proteins (RLP), 1,377 receptor-like kinases (RLK), 185 TM-CC, and 18 other NBS-containing proteins with other domains. These RGAs were functionally annotated and characterized via gene ontology (GO) analysis. Among the RGAs with the highest copies in durian genome include the putative disease resistance RPP13-like protein 1, disease resistance protein At4g27190, disease resistance protein RPS6, Probable disease resistance protein At4g27220, and putative disease resistance protein RGA3, while 35 RGAs were found to be novel. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that the genome-wide RGAs were broadly clustered into four major clades based on their domain classification. To our knowledge, this is the most comprehensive analysis of durian RGAs which provides a valuable resource for genetic, agronomic, and other biological research of this important tropical fruit crop.

During physiological aerobic metabolism, the epidermis undergoes significant oxidative stress as a result of the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). To maintain a balanced oxidative state, cells have developed protective antioxidant systems, and preliminary studies suggest that the transcriptional factor p63 is involved in cellular oxidative defence. Supporting this hypothesis, the ΔNp63α isoform of p63 is expressed at high levels in the proliferative basal layer of the epidermis. Here we identify the CYGB gene as a novel transcriptional target of ΔNp63 that is involved in maintaining epidermal oxidative defence. The CYGB gene encodes cytoglobin, a member of the globin protein family, which facilitates the diffusion of oxygen through tissues and acts as a scavenger for nitric oxide or other ROS. By performing promoter activity assays and chromatin immunoprecipitation, reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR and western blotting analyses, we confirm the direct regulation of CYGB by ΔNp63α. We also demonstrate that CYGB has a protective role in proliferating keratinocytes grown under normal conditions, as well as in cells treated with exogenous hydrogen peroxide. These results indicate that ΔNp63, through its target CYGB has an important role in the cellular antioxidant system and protects keratinocytes from oxidative stress-induced apoptosis. The ΔNp63–CYGB axis is also present in lung and breast cancer cell lines, indicating that CYGB-mediated ROS-scavenging activity may also have a role in epithelial tumours. In human lung cancer data sets, the p63–CYGB interaction significantly predicts reduction of patient survival.

VHEE (Very High Energy Electron) therapy can be superior to conventional radiotherapy for the treatment of deep seated tumours, whilst not necessarily requiring the space and cost of proton or heavy ion facilities. Developments in high gradient RF technology have allowed electrons to be accelerated to VHEE energies in a compact space, meaning that treatment could be possible with a shorter linac. A crucial component of VHEE treatment is the transfer of the beam from accelerator to patient. This is required to magnify the beam to cover the transverse extent of the tumour, whilst ensuring a uniform beam distribution. Two principle methodologies for the design of a compact transfer line are presented. The first of these is based upon a quadrupole lattice and optical magnification of beam size. A minimisation algorithm is used to enforce certain criteria on the beam distribution at the patient, defining the lattice through an automated routine. Separately, a dual scattering-foil based system is also presented, which uses similar algorithms for the optimisation of the foil geometry in order to achieve the desired beam shape at the patient location.

For the Future Circular Collider (FCC-ee), particular attention is drawn to the crucial role of the positron source. Two positron production schemes are considered for the FCC-ee: the conventional scheme and the crystal-based (hybrid) scheme that involves channelling radiation in the oriented crystals. A start-to-end simulation toolkit should be developed to design and optimize positron production and capture by considering the positron injector parameters, including the electron drive beam and final system acceptance. This paper presents the first results of benchmarking the FCC-ee positron source simulation tools using the SuperKEKB positron source currently in operation. The model starts with the production of positrons and target studies in Geant4. Then, the RF-Track code is used to capture and track the generated positrons through the capture section composed of a matching device and several accelerating structures embedded in the solenoid field to accelerate the positrons up to 120 MeV. After that, the positrons are further accelerated up to the energy of the Damping Ring (1.1 GeV). Finally, the SuperKEKB capture system is applied to the FCC-ee positron injector within the framework of the design studies.

Synchrotron radiation (SR) reflction is an important issue for future linear colliders. High fluxes of SR might impact the performance of the detector, through irradiation of the forward luminosity and beam quality calorimeters or of the innermost layers of the vertex detector. The photon reflections depend on the beam pipe apertures' size, their shape, and materials used with various surface roughness. In this work, we present a study of SR including reflection for the 380GeV and 3 TeV beam parameters and optics of the Compact Linear Collider's Final Focus System. The simulations of the SR reections using the Synrad+ software are presented and the impact on the detector is discussed.

Superconducting (SC) dipoles with a strong curvature (radius smaller than 2 meters, for an aperture of about 100 mm and a length of 1-3 meters) are required for applications where compactness is key, such as the synchrotron and gantry for Carbon-ion therapy developed within the European program HITRIplus. Such magnets challenge several assumptions in the field description and put to the test the range of validity of beam optics codes. In particular, the equivalence that holds for the straight magnets between the transverse multipoles description obtained from the Fourier analysis (used for magnet design and measurements) and the Taylor expansion of the vertical field component along the horizontal axis (used in beam optics) is not valid any longer. Proper fringe field modelling also becomes important due to the curved geometry and the aperture being large compared to the magnetic length. We explore the feasibility and the limits of modelling such magnets with optics elements (such as sector bends and multipoles), which allows parametric optics studies for optimization, field quality definition and fast long-term multi-pass tracking.

The CompactLight design for a next-generation x-ray free-electron laser utilizes a C-band injector. This requires that the harmonic system used to linearize the beam’s phase space must operate at X-band rf or higher. We investigate the optimum frequency for the harmonic system in the range of frequencies from 12 to 48 GHz. We describe the reasoning behind selecting 36 GHz (Ka-band) as our working harmonic frequency. The full linearizer system design including the power source, pulse compressor, and linearizing structure, along with options, is considered and presented. These designs are compared in terms of rf and beam dynamics performance. Two potential MW-level rf sources are discussed; a multibeam klystron and a gyro-klystron, while a klystron-based upconverter with an X-band driver is briefly discussed as an alternative path if even higher peak powers are needed. To further increase peak power, novel options for pulse compressors at Ka-band are discussed. Traveling and standing wave solutions for the structure are presented.