The Indiana University Cyclotron Facility collaborates with researchers and scientists throughout Indiana University to develop state-of-the-art devices destined to advance the frontiers of science. Hundreds of dedicated faculty, scientists, students, professionals and technicians work cooperatively to design, fabricate, assemble and test devices ranging in scale from microscopic to several hundred tons. IUCF operates as an IU center under the Office of the Vice Provost for Research (OVPR) in Bloomington, Indiana.
DNA Microchip Fabrication Project
The DNA Printer Project is a research and development endeavor in collaboration with the IU Center for Genomics and Bioinformatics (CGB). This project was initiated by the CGB because outsourcing the construction of the custom oligonucleotides, to be subsequently printed onto microchips, represented a considerable expense to the Center. Peter Cherbas was aware of a publication (POSaM: a fast, flexible, open-source, inkjet oligonucleotide synthesizer and microarrayer, Lausted et.al., Genome Biology 2004, 5:R58, 2004) describing a technique for printing DNA microchips using a standard ink-jet printer. He also knew that the CGB had a spare printer and knew that IUCF was interested in technological collaborations. The IUCF group leader, Barry Philips, is using the POSaM publication as a guide to produce a DNA printer that will attach short sequences of DNA to a glass microscope slide. All DNA is composed of 4 nucleotides (A,T,G,C). Each "bottle" of "ink" in the printer will contain one type (A or T or G or C) of nucleotide. Using the printer, researchers can synthesize oligonucleotide probes (stretches of 50-100 nucleotides) just as we all print words on a page. Scientists will use the slides of oligonucleotides in functional genomics experiments to examine gene expression patterns among different samples of tissue. Once in production, the printer will be used for any number of projects. The CGB won't be printing a specific microarray, they will be able to completely tailor the array for whichever organism the faculty member requests.
GlueX
The IUCF seemed the obvious choice for refurbishing and refitting the superconducting magnet to be used in the GlueX experiments. Jeff Self and Kyle Blackwell of IUCF headed up the construction group that refurbished the rings as well as other components that were obtained from the MEGA /LASS Superconducting Solenoid at Los Alamos. Refurbishing and reusing parts from completed experiments represents a considerable cost savings and encourages environmental responsibility. Because IUCF has the expertise and facilities available to perform these services, IU has a significant competitive advantage. Work on the 250 ton magnet took over two years to complete. The IUCF construction group sent four steel rings, each weighing up to 50 tons on their way from Bloomington, IN to Newport News, VA on October 24, 2006.
Low Energy Neutron Source (LENS) Development
The Low Energy Neutron Source (LENS) at IUCF produces cold neutron beams for fundamental and applied research. LENS has a three-fold mission: to conduct research, to develop neutron instrumentation, and to enhance education in the science and technology of neutrons.
The facility has been under construction at IUCF since July of 2003 and is expected to provide a major focus for materials research at IU over the next two decades. The development of the LENS facility is being directed by David Baxter with assistance from Mike Snow, Roger Pynn, Helmut Kaiser, Herman Nann, Dobrin Bossev and Paul Sokol. Technical expertise is being provided by Vladimir Derenchuk and Tom Rinckel. The neutron source at IU is a completely novel design requiring significant research and development.
NuMI Off-Axis νe Appearance (NOνA)
The standard picture of neutrinos consists of three different types: νe, νμ, and ντ, each of which is a partner to a charged lepton: e (electron), μ (muon), and τ (tau lepton). One type of neutrino can transform (oscillate) into another type. Although oscillations between most of these types have been observed, the oscillation of νμ into νe has not. The primary goal of the NOνA experiment is to observe νμ → νe oscillations.
Seventy-three percent (~18.5 kilotons) of the NOνA detector mass is the liquid scintillator that converts energy released from an intercepted particle to blue light (400 - 450 nm). The detector contains about 21,600 kilometers of wavelength-shifting fiber that captures the blue light from the scintillator and wavelength shifts to green light in the range 490 - 550 nm. As the internally reflected light travels down the 15.7 meter long fiber, it is attenuated by about a factor of ten with red light (520 - 550 nm) preferentially surviving. At the end of the fiber, the light pulse is detected by a solid-state sensor known as an avalanche photodiode (APD). Just as in a conventional silicon photodiode the incoming photons produce an electron-hole pair in the depletion region of a silicon PN diode, in the APD the electrons pass through a region of intense electric field which causes an avalanche multiplication process. Each primary electron generates ~100 secondary electrons. This produces sufficient signal to be detected by conventional electronics. Unfortunately, thermal noise and the dependence of the avalanche gain on the temperature requires cooling to about -15 deg C with a stability of +/- 0.5 deg C. IUCF is participating in the design and construction of the APD mounting structures including a thermoelectric cooler to pump heat from the APD, a water cooled heat sink for the thermoelectric cooler, and a dry environment to prevent condensation on the APD. IUCF is also participating in the design and construction of a high-efficiency thermoelectric cooler driver and control circuit compatible with the sensitive electronics required to read out the pulses from the APD. These technologies enable NOνA to achieve the low light threshold required for efficient tracking and detection of neutrino interaction events in the detector
Solar Proton Radiobiology Institute
Ionizing radiation from the sun and cosmic rays pose a major risk in human exploration of space. In order to be able to assess the risk posed by ionizing radiation it is necessary to make accurate radiation measurements. The high resolution Tissue Equivalent Proportional Counter (TEPC) was developed in the 1950's in order to help define cellular radiation dosimetry. Recent advances in micropatterned detectors have led to the introduction of the GEM, MICROMEGAS and other detector configurations. By combining these detector configurations, it may be possible to have better energy resolution than the standard TEPC.
Keith Solberg and Sasha Klyachko at IUCF are comparing the properties of a novel TEPC based on the new micropatterned technology with an innovative detector configuration designed at IUCF. These will be compared with a TEPC based on the original technology. In addition to measuring the energy deposited, the new detectors can reconstruct the track of the charged particle. Information about the track as well as the energy can allow determination of energy loss per unit length and thus distinguishing between classes of ions.
Completed Instrumentation Projects
IUCF designed and manufactured and the Proton Therapy System (PTS) for the Midwest Proton Radiotherapy Institute (MPRI) located at the IUCF. The PTS consists of five modular systems: the Beam Delivery System (BDS), Dose Delivery System (DDS), Treatment Room Control System (TRCS), Patient Positioning System (PPS), and the MPRI Radiation Safety System (MIRS). It uses the original main stage cyclotron to accelerate protons to 208 MeV and deliver them to the trunk line that runs the length of MPRI. Each treatment room is equipped with an energy selection line that extracts beam from the trunk line, verifies the beam parameters, and passes it on to the DDS. The efforts of nearly 100 technicians were lead by Dennis Friesel, Project Manager. The PTS received FDA 510K approval in December of 2006.
One of the early proton therapy projects at IUCF was in collaboration with the IU School of Optometry and the Department of Ophthalmology. The physicists at IUCF designed, built and operated a small eye treatment clinic to support a clinical trial investigating the effectiveness of proton radiation therapy for Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD). The "wet" form of this disease is caused by the inappropriate growth of blood vessels into a region behind the retina. These vessels leak fluid and cause vision to become blurred and eventually dark in the center of the field of view. AMD is the leading cause of vision loss among adults in industrial nations. Physicians from Clarian Hospitals volunteered their time to assist in the therapy treatments that were performed at IUCF from 1997 to 2000. Personnel at IUCF performed every facet of the development of this project from designing, manufacturing and qualifying the radiation device for use on patients to building the examination and treatment rooms, operating the clinic and performing the clinical medical physics duties.
