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Wulff J, Koska B, Ahmad Khalil D, Richter R, Maximilian Bäcker C, Bäumer C, Foerster A, Bechrakis NE, Timmermann B. Uncertainties in ocular proton planning and their impact on required margins. Phys Med 2024; 121:103358. [PMID: 38643558 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmp.2024.103358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2023] [Revised: 03/11/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/23/2024] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE To review required margins in ocular proton therapy (OPT) based on an uncertainty estimation and to compare them with widely used values. Further, uncertainties when using registered funduscopy images in the 3D model is investigated. METHODS An uncertainty budget in planning and delivery was defined to determine required aperture and range margins. Setup uncertainties were considered for a cohort of treated patients and tested in a worst-case estimation. Other uncertainties were based on a best-guess and knowledge of institutional specifics, e.g. range reproducibility. Margins for funduscopy registration were defined resulting from scaling, rotation and translation of the image. Image formation for a wide-field fundus camera was reviewed and compared to the projection employed in treatment planning systems. RESULTS Values for aperture and range with margins of 2.5 mm as reported in literature could be determined. Aperture margins appear appropriate for setup uncertainties below 0.5 mm, but depend on lateral penumbra. Range margins depend on depth and associated density uncertainty in tissue. Registration of funduscopy images may require margins of >2 mm, increasing towards the equator. Difference in the projection may lead to discrepancies of several mm. CONCLUSIONS The commonly used 2.5 mm aperture margin was validated as an appropriate choice, while range margins could be reduced for lower ranges. Margins may however not include uncertainties in contouring and possible microscopic spread. If a target base is contoured on registered funduscopy images care must be taken as they are subject to larger uncertainties. Multimodal imaging approach in OPT remains advisable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jörg Wulff
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), Essen, Germany; University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany; West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), Essen, Germany.
| | - Benjamin Koska
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), Essen, Germany; University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany; West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), Essen, Germany
| | - Dalia Ahmad Khalil
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), Essen, Germany; University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany; West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), Essen, Germany; Department of Particle Therapy, Essen, Germany
| | - Ronald Richter
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), Essen, Germany; University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany; West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), Essen, Germany; Department of Particle Therapy, Essen, Germany
| | - Claus Maximilian Bäcker
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), Essen, Germany; University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany; West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), Essen, Germany
| | - Christian Bäumer
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), Essen, Germany; University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany; West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), Essen, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Essen, Germany; Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Andreas Foerster
- University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany; Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Nikolaos E Bechrakis
- University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany; West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), Essen, Germany; Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Beate Timmermann
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), Essen, Germany; University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany; West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), Essen, Germany; Department of Particle Therapy, Essen, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Essen, Germany
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Wulff J, Paul A, Bäcker CM, Baumann KS, Esser JN, Koska B, Timmermann B, Verbeek NG, Bäumer C. Consistency of Faraday cup and ionization chamber dosimetry of proton fields and the role of nuclear interactions. Med Phys 2024; 51:2277-2292. [PMID: 37991110 DOI: 10.1002/mp.16819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND A Faraday cup (FC) facilitates a quite clean measurement of the proton fluence emerging from clinical spot-scanning nozzles with narrow pencil-beams. The utilization of FCs appears to be an attractive option for high dose rate delivery modes and the source models of Monte-Carlo (MC) dose engines. However, previous studies revealed discrepancies of 3%-6% between reference dosimetry with ionization chambers (ICs) and FC-based dosimetry. This has prevented the widespread use of FCs for dosimetry in proton therapy. PURPOSE The current study aims at bridging the gap between FC dosimetry and IC dosimetry of proton fields delivered with spot-scanning treatment heads. Particularly, a novel method to evaluate FC measurements is introduced. METHODS A consistency check is formulated, which makes use of the energy balance and the reciprocity theorem. The measurement data comprise central-axis depth distributions of the absorbed dose of quasi-monochromatic fields with a width of about 28.5 cm and FC measurements of the reciprocal fields with a single spot. These data are complemented by a look-up of energy-range tables, the average Q-value of transmutations, and the escape energy carried away by neutrons and photons. The latter data are computed by MC simulations, which in turn are validated with measurements of the distal dose tail and neutron out-of-field doses. For comparison, the conventional approach of FC evaluation is performed, which computes absorbed dose from the product of fluence and stopping power. The results from the FC measurements are compared with the standard dosimetry protocols and improved reference dosimetry methods. RESULTS The deviation between the conventional FC-based dosimetry and the IC-based one according to standard dosimetry protocols was -4.7 ( ± $\pm$ 3.3)% for a 100 MeV field and -3.6 ( ± $\pm$ 3.5)% for 200 MeV, thereby agreeing within the reported uncertainties. The deviations could be reduced to -4.0 ( ± $\pm$ 2.9)% and -3.0 ( ± $\pm$ 3.1)% by adopting state-of-the-art reference dosimetry methods. The alternative approach using the energy balance gave deviations of only -1.9% (100 MeV) and -2.6% (200 MeV) using state-of-the-art dosimetry. The standard uncertainty of this novel approach was estimated to be about 2%. CONCLUSIONS An alternative concept has been established to determine the absorbed dose of monoenergetic proton fields with an FC. It eliminates the strong dependence of the conventional FC-based approach on the MC simulation of the stopping-power and of the secondary ions, which according to the study at hand is the major contributor to the underestimation of the absorbed dose. Some contributions to the uncertainty of the novel approach could potentially be reduced in future studies. This would allow for accurate consistency tests of conventional dosimetry procedures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jörg Wulff
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen, Essen, Germany
- University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
- West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Essen, Germany
| | - Anne Paul
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen, Essen, Germany
- University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
- West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Essen, Germany
- Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Claus Maximilian Bäcker
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen, Essen, Germany
- University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
- West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Essen, Germany
| | - Kilian-Simon Baumann
- Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, Marburg University Hospital, Marburg, Germany
- Marburg Ion-Beam Therapy Center (MIT), Marburg, Germany
- University of Applied Sciences, Institute of Medical Physics and Radiation Protection, Giessen, Germany
| | - Johannes Niklas Esser
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen, Essen, Germany
- University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
- West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Essen, Germany
| | - Benjamin Koska
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen, Essen, Germany
- University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
- West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Essen, Germany
| | - Beate Timmermann
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen, Essen, Germany
- University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
- West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Essen, Germany
- Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Essen, Germany
- Department of Particle Therapy, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Nico Gerd Verbeek
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen, Essen, Germany
- University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
- West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Essen, Germany
| | - Christian Bäumer
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen, Essen, Germany
- University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
- West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Essen, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Essen, Germany
- Department of Physics, Technische Universität Dortmund, Dortmund, Germany
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Heuchel L, Hahn C, Ödén J, Traneus E, Wulff J, Timmermann B, Bäumer C, Lühr A. The dirty and clean dose concept: Towards creating proton therapy treatment plans with a photon-like dose response. Med Phys 2024; 51:622-636. [PMID: 37877574 DOI: 10.1002/mp.16809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2023] [Revised: 10/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Applying tolerance doses for organs at risk (OAR) from photon therapy introduces uncertainties in proton therapy when assuming a constant relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of 1.1. PURPOSE This work introduces the novel dirty and clean dose concept, which allows for creating treatment plans with a more photon-like dose response for OAR and, thus, less uncertainties when applying photon-based tolerance doses. METHODS The concept divides the 1.1-weighted dose distribution into two parts: the clean and the dirty dose. The clean and dirty dose are deposited by protons with a linear energy transfer (LET) below and above a set LET threshold, respectively. For the former, a photon-like dose response is assumed, while for the latter, the RBE might exceed 1.1. To reduce the dirty dose in OAR, a MaxDirtyDose objective was added in treatment plan optimization. It requires setting two parameters: LET threshold and max dirty dose level. A simple geometry consisting of one target volume and one OAR in water was used to study the reduction in dirty dose in the OAR depending on the choice of the two MaxDirtyDose objective parameters during plan optimization. The best performing parameter combinations were used to create multiple dirty dose optimized (DDopt) treatment plans for two cranial patient cases. For each DDopt plan, 1.1-weighted dose, variable RBE-weighted dose using the Wedenberg RBE model and dose-average LETd distributions as well as resulting normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) values were calculated and compared to the reference plan (RefPlan) without MaxDirtyDose objectives. RESULTS In the water phantom studies, LET thresholds between 1.5 and 2.5 keV/µm yielded the best plans and were subsequently used. For the patient cases, nearly all DDopt plans led to a reduced Wedenberg dose in critical OAR. This reduction resulted from an LET reduction and translated into an NTCP reduction of up to 19 percentage points compared to the RefPlan. The 1.1-weighted dose in the OARs was slightly increased (patient 1: 0.45 Gy(RBE), patient 2: 0.08 Gy(RBE)), but never exceeded clinical tolerance doses. Additionally, slightly increased 1.1-weighted dose in healthy brain tissue was observed (patient 1: 0.81 Gy(RBE), patient 2: 0.53 Gy(RBE)). The variation of NTCP values due to variation of α/β from 2 to 3 Gy was much smaller for DDopt (2 percentage points (pp)) than for RefPlans (5 pp). CONCLUSIONS The novel dirty and clean dose concept allows for creating biologically more robust proton treatment plans with a more photon-like dose response. The reduced uncertainties in RBE can, therefore, mitigate uncertainties introduced by using photon-based tolerance doses for OAR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lena Heuchel
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Christian Hahn
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany
- OncoRay-National Center of Radiation Research in Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Dresden, Germany
- Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Jakob Ödén
- RaySearch Laboratories AB, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Jörg Wulff
- West German Proton Therapy Center Essen, Essen, Germany
- West German Cancer Center (WTZ), University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Beate Timmermann
- West German Proton Therapy Center Essen, Essen, Germany
- West German Cancer Center (WTZ), University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
- Department of Particle Therapy, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Essen, Germany
| | - Christian Bäumer
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany
- West German Proton Therapy Center Essen, Essen, Germany
- West German Cancer Center (WTZ), University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Essen, Germany
| | - Armin Lühr
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany
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Kugel F, Wulff J, Bäumer C, Janson M, Kretschmer J, Brodbek L, Behrends C, Verbeek N, Looe HK, Poppe B, Timmermann B. Validating a double Gaussian source model for small proton fields in a commercial Monte-Carlo dose calculation engine. Z Med Phys 2023; 33:529-541. [PMID: 36577626 PMCID: PMC10751706 DOI: 10.1016/j.zemedi.2022.11.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2022] [Revised: 11/13/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE The primary fluence of a proton pencil beam exiting the accelerator is enveloped by a region of secondaries, commonly called "spray". Although small in magnitude, this spray may affect dose distributions in pencil beam scanning mode e.g., in the calculation of the small field output, if not modelled properly in a treatment planning system (TPS). The purpose of this study was to dosimetrically benchmark the Monte Carlo (MC) dose engine of the RayStation TPS (v.10A) in small proton fields and systematically compare single Gaussian (SG) and double Gaussian (DG) modeling of initial proton fluence providing a more accurate representation of the nozzle spray. METHODS The initial proton fluence distribution for SG/DG beam modeling was deduced from two-dimensional measurements in air with a scintillation screen with electronic readout. The DG model was either based on direct fits of the two Gaussians to the measured profiles, or by an iterative optimization procedure, which uses the measured profiles to mimic in-air scan-field factor (SF) measurements. To validate the DG beam models SFs, i.e. relative doses to a 10 × 10 cm2 field, were measured in water for three different initial proton energies (100MeV, 160MeV, 226.7MeV) and square field sizes from 1×1cm2 to 10×10cm2 using a small field ionization chamber (IBA CC01) and an IBA ProteusPlus system (universal nozzle). Furthermore, the dose to the center of spherical target volumes (diameters: 1cm to 10cm) was determined using the same small volume ionization chamber (IC). A comprehensive uncertainty analysis was performed, including estimates of influence factors typical for small field dosimetry deduced from a simple two-dimensional analytical model of the relative fluence distribution. Measurements were compared to the predictions of the RayStation TPS. RESULTS SFs deviated by more than 2% from TPS predictions in all fields <4×4cm2 with a maximum deviation of 5.8% for SG modeling. In contrast, deviations were smaller than 2% for all field-sizes and proton energies when using the directly fitted DG model. The optimized DG model performed similarly except for slightly larger deviations in the 1×1cm2 scan-fields. The uncertainty estimates showed a significant impact of pencil beam size variations (±5%) resulting in up to 5.0% standard uncertainty. The point doses within spherical irradiation volumes deviated from calculations by up to 3.3% for the SG model and 2.0% for the DG model. CONCLUSION Properly representing nozzle spray in RayStation's MC-based dose engine using a DG beam model was found to reduce the deviation to measurements in small spherical targets to below 2%. A thorough uncertainty analysis shows a similar magnitude for the combined standard uncertainty of such measurements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabian Kugel
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), Essen, Germany; University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany; West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), Essen, Germany; Department of Particle Therapy, Essen, Germany; Faculty of Physics, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.
| | - Jörg Wulff
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), Essen, Germany; University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany; West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), Essen, Germany; Department of Particle Therapy, Essen, Germany
| | - Christian Bäumer
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), Essen, Germany; University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany; West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), Essen, Germany; Department of Particle Therapy, Essen, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany; Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany
| | | | - Jana Kretschmer
- University Clinic for Medical Radiation Physics, Medical Campus Pius Hospital, Carl-von-Ossietzky University, Oldenburg, Germany; Department of Radiation Oncology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Leonie Brodbek
- University Clinic for Medical Radiation Physics, Medical Campus Pius Hospital, Carl-von-Ossietzky University, Oldenburg, Germany; Department of Radiation Oncology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands; EBG MedAustron GmbH, Marie Curie-Straße 5, A-2700, Wiener Neustadt, Austria
| | - Carina Behrends
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), Essen, Germany; University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany; West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), Essen, Germany; Department of Particle Therapy, Essen, Germany; Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Nico Verbeek
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), Essen, Germany; University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany; West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), Essen, Germany; Department of Particle Therapy, Essen, Germany
| | - Hui Khee Looe
- University Clinic for Medical Radiation Physics, Medical Campus Pius Hospital, Carl-von-Ossietzky University, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Björn Poppe
- University Clinic for Medical Radiation Physics, Medical Campus Pius Hospital, Carl-von-Ossietzky University, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Beate Timmermann
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), Essen, Germany; University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany; West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), Essen, Germany; Department of Particle Therapy, Essen, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany
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Bäcker CM, Bäumer C, Kröninger K, Wulff J, Timmermann B. In Regard to Kato et al. Adv Radiat Oncol 2023; 8:101366. [PMID: 38047215 PMCID: PMC10692283 DOI: 10.1016/j.adro.2023.101366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 06/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/05/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Claus Maximilian Bäcker
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen, Essen, Germany
- West German Cancer Center, Essen, Germany
- University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Christian Bäumer
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen, Essen, Germany
- West German Cancer Center, Essen, Germany
- University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Essen, Germany
| | | | - Jörg Wulff
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen, Essen, Germany
- West German Cancer Center, Essen, Germany
- University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Beate Timmermann
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen, Essen, Germany
- West German Cancer Center, Essen, Germany
- University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Essen, Germany
- Department of Particle Therapy, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
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De Saint-Hubert M, Boissonnat G, Schneider U, Bäumer C, Verbeek N, Esser J, Wulff J, Stuckmann F, Suesselbeck F, Nabha R, Dabin J, Vasi F, Radonic S, Rodriguez M, Simon AC, Journy N, Timmermann B, Thierry-Chef I, Brualla L. Complete patient exposure during paediatric brain cancer treatment for photon and proton therapy techniques including imaging procedures. Front Oncol 2023; 13:1222800. [PMID: 37795436 PMCID: PMC10546320 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2023.1222800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Background In radiotherapy, especially when treating children, minimising exposure of healthy tissue can prevent the development of adverse outcomes, including second cancers. In this study we propose a validated Monte Carlo framework to evaluate the complete patient exposure during paediatric brain cancer treatment. Materials and methods Organ doses were calculated for treatment of a diffuse midline glioma (50.4 Gy with 1.8 Gy per fraction) on a 5-year-old anthropomorphic phantom with 3D-conformal radiotherapy, intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT), volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) and intensity modulated pencil beam scanning (PBS) proton therapy. Doses from computed tomography (CT) for planning and on-board imaging for positioning (kV-cone beam CT and X-ray imaging) accounted for the estimate of the exposure of the patient including imaging therapeutic dose. For dose calculations we used validated Monte Carlo-based tools (PRIMO, TOPAS, PENELOPE), while lifetime attributable risk (LAR) was estimated from dose-response relationships for cancer induction, proposed by Schneider et al. Results Out-of-field organ dose equivalent data of proton therapy are lower, with doses between 0.6 mSv (testes) and 120 mSv (thyroid), when compared to photon therapy revealing the highest out-of-field doses for IMRT ranging between 43 mSv (testes) and 575 mSv (thyroid). Dose delivered by CT ranged between 0.01 mSv (testes) and 72 mSv (scapula) while a single imaging positioning ranged between 2 μSv (testes) and 1.3 mSv (thyroid) for CBCT and 0.03 μSv (testes) and 48 μSv (scapula) for X-ray. Adding imaging dose from CT and daily CBCT to the therapeutic demonstrated an important contribution of imaging to the overall radiation burden in the course of treatment, which is subsequently used to predict the LAR, for selected organs. Conclusion The complete patient exposure during paediatric brain cancer treatment was estimated by combining the results from different Monte Carlo-based dosimetry tools, showing that proton therapy allows significant reduction of the out-of-field doses and secondary cancer risk in selected organs.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Uwe Schneider
- Physik Institut, Universitat Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Christian Bäumer
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen WPE, Essen, Germany
- West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), Essen, Germany
- Radiation Oncology and Imaging, German Cancer Consortium DKTK, Essen, Germany
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Nico Verbeek
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen WPE, Essen, Germany
- West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), Essen, Germany
| | - Johannes Esser
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen WPE, Essen, Germany
- West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), Essen, Germany
- Faculty of Mathematics and Science Institute of Physics and Medical Physics, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Jörg Wulff
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen WPE, Essen, Germany
- West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), Essen, Germany
| | - Florian Stuckmann
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen WPE, Essen, Germany
- West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), Essen, Germany
| | - Finja Suesselbeck
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen WPE, Essen, Germany
- West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), Essen, Germany
| | - Racell Nabha
- Belgian Nuclear Research Center (SCK CEN), Mol, Belgium
| | - Jérémie Dabin
- Belgian Nuclear Research Center (SCK CEN), Mol, Belgium
| | - Fabiano Vasi
- Physik Institut, Universitat Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | | | - Miguel Rodriguez
- Hospital Paitilla, Panama City, Panama
- Instituto de Investigaciones Científicas y de Alta Tecnología INDICASAT-AIP, Panama City, Panama
| | | | - Neige Journy
- INSERM U1018, Paris Sud-Paris Saclay University, Villejuif, France
| | - Beate Timmermann
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen WPE, Essen, Germany
- West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), Essen, Germany
- Radiation Oncology and Imaging, German Cancer Consortium DKTK, Essen, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
- Department of Particle Therapy, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Isabelle Thierry-Chef
- Barcelona Institute of Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain
- University Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain
- CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Madrid, Spain
| | - Lorenzo Brualla
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen WPE, Essen, Germany
- West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), Essen, Germany
- Radiation Oncology and Imaging, German Cancer Consortium DKTK, Essen, Germany
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
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Baumann KS, Gomà C, Wulff J, Kretschmer J, Zink K. Monte Carlo calculated ionization chamber correction factors in clinical proton beams - deriving uncertainties from published data. Phys Med 2023; 113:102655. [PMID: 37603909 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmp.2023.102655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2022] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/05/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023] Open
Abstract
For the update of the IAEA TRS-398 Code of Practice (CoP), global ionization chamber factors (fQ) and beam quality correction factors (kQ) for air-filled ionization chambers in clinical proton beams have been calculated with different Monte Carlo codes. In this study, average Monte Carlo calculated fQ and kQ factors are provided and the uncertainty of these factors is estimated. Average fQ factors in monoenergetic proton beams with energies between 60 MeV and 250 MeV were derived from Monte Carlo calculated fQ factors published in the literature. Altogether, 195 fQ factors for six plane-parallel and three cylindrical ionization chambers calculated with penh, fluka and geant4 were incorporated. Additionally, a weighted standard deviation of fQ factors was calculated, where the same weight was assigned to each Monte Carlo code. From average fQ factors, kQ factors were derived and compared to the values from the IAEA TRS-398 CoP published in 2000 as well as to the values of the upcoming version. Average Monte Carlo calculated fQ factors are constant within 0.6% over the energy range investigated. In general, the different Monte Carlo codes agree within 1% for low energies and show larger differences up to 2% for high energies. As a result, the standard deviation of fQ factors increases with energy and is ∼0.3% for low energies and ∼0.8% for high energies. kQ factors derived from average Monte Carlo calculated fQ factors differ from the values presented in the IAEA TRS-398 CoP by up to 2.4%. The overall estimated uncertainty of Monte Carlo calculated kQ factors is ∼0.5%-1% smaller than the uncertainties estimated in IAEA TRS-398 CoP since the individual ionization chamber characteristics (e.g. fluence perturbations) are considered in detail in Monte Carlo calculations. The agreement between Monte Carlo calculated kQ factors and the values of the upcoming version of IAEA TRS-398 CoP is better with deviations smaller than 1%.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kilian-Simon Baumann
- University Medical Center Giessen-Marburg, Department of Radiotherapy and Radiooncology, Marburg, Germany; University of Applied Sciences, Institute of Medical Physics and Radiation Protection, Giessen, Germany; Marburg Ion-Beam Therapy Center, Marburg, Germany.
| | - Carles Gomà
- Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Department of Radiation Oncology, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Jörg Wulff
- West German Proton Therapy Center (WPE), Essen, Germany
| | - Jana Kretschmer
- Carl-von-Ossietzky University, University Clinic for Medical Radiation Physics, Medical Campus Pius Hospital, Oldenburg, Germany; Department of Radiation Oncology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Klemens Zink
- University Medical Center Giessen-Marburg, Department of Radiotherapy and Radiooncology, Marburg, Germany; University of Applied Sciences, Institute of Medical Physics and Radiation Protection, Giessen, Germany; Marburg Ion-Beam Therapy Center, Marburg, Germany
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8
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Burg JM, Flatten V, Wulff J, Timmermann B, Vorwerk H, Zink K. Induced luminescence in water and PMMA - spectral analysis for irradiations with proton beams within the clinical energy range. Biomed Phys Eng Express 2023. [PMID: 37437552 DOI: 10.1088/2057-1976/ace6a2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/14/2023]
Abstract
As recently discovered, water and PMMA emit a weak luminescence signal when irradiated with protons within the clinically used energy range. The potential use of this signal has been shown for example on range measurements in water. An explanation or investigation on the origin of the signal has not been clearly published. Furthermore, there is a lack of high-resolution spectral investigations in the literature that could form a basis for further work on this topic.
High-resolution spectral analysis of the signal is challenging due to the low signal intensity of the effect. In this work, a setup for high-resolution spectral measurement of the weak luminescence signal was designed. 
The measurement environment in the vicinity of a clinical accelerator presents a particular challenge for low light optical measurement systems due to the presence of scattered radiation which interfere with the sensitive system. Therefore, a high-sensitive spectrometer in combination with a custom designed fiber was used. 
For water, a broad distribution in the range from 240 to 900 nm with a maximum at 480 nm could be determined.
The comparison of the measurements for water and PMMA showed clear differences.
The signal in PMMA is approximately 10 times stronger, has a narrower distribution and is shifted to lower wavelengths, indicating a different origin.
For the investigated proton energies, no spectral energy dependance was detected for both materials. In addition to the results for water and PMMA, a further luminescence signal was measured when the silica fiber used was directly irradiated with primary protons. 
These measurements confirm previously published works on this fiber effect.
Finally, spectra with a resolution of 3.4 nm were obtained in this work which accurately describe the signal of proton-induced luminescence in water and PMMA and thus form a basis for further research on this topic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Michael Burg
- , University Hospital Giessen and Marburg Medical Center of Radiology, Baldingerstrasse, Marburg, 35033, GERMANY
| | - Veronika Flatten
- Universitätsklinikum Gießen und Marburg - Standort Marburg, Baldingerstrasse, Marburg, 35033, GERMANY
| | - Jörg Wulff
- Medical Physics, Westdeutsches Protonentherapiezentrum Essen gGmbH, Am Mühlenbach 1, Essen, 45147, GERMANY
| | - Beate Timmermann
- WPE, West German Proton Therapy Treatment Center Essen, Am Mühlenbach 1,, Essen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, 45147, GERMANY
| | - Hilke Vorwerk
- University Medical Center Giessen-Marburg, Department of Radiotherapy and Radiooncology, Baldingerstrasse, Marburg, 35033, GERMANY
| | - Klemens Zink
- University Medical Center Giessen-Marburg, Department of Radiotherapy and Radiooncology, Baldingerstrasse, Marburg, 35033, GERMANY
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9
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Abbasi R, Ackermann M, Adams J, Aguilar JA, Ahlers M, Ahrens M, Alameddine JM, Alves AA, Amin NM, Andeen K, Anderson T, Anton G, Argüelles C, Ashida Y, Athanasiadou S, Axani S, Bai X, Balagopal V A, Barwick SW, Basu V, Baur S, Bay R, Beatty JJ, Becker KH, Tjus JB, Beise J, Bellenghi C, Benda S, BenZvi S, Berley D, Bernardini E, Besson DZ, Binder G, Bindig D, Blaufuss E, Blot S, Boddenberg M, Bontempo F, Book JY, Borowka J, Böser S, Botner O, Böttcher J, Bourbeau E, Bradascio F, Braun J, Brinson B, Bron S, Brostean-Kaiser J, Burley RT, Busse RS, Campana MA, Carnie-Bronca EG, Chen C, Chen Z, Chirkin D, Choi K, Clark BA, Clark K, Classen L, Coleman A, Collin GH, Connolly A, Conrad JM, Coppin P, Correa P, Cowen DF, Cross R, Dappen C, Dave P, De Clercq C, DeLaunay JJ, López DD, Dembinski H, Deoskar K, Desai A, Desiati P, de Vries KD, de Wasseige G, DeYoung T, Diaz A, Díaz-Vélez JC, Dittmer M, Dujmovic H, Dunkman M, DuVernois MA, Ehrhardt T, Eller P, Engel R, Erpenbeck H, Evans J, Evenson PA, Fan KL, Fazely AR, Fedynitch A, Feigl N, Fiedlschuster S, Fienberg AT, Finley C, Fischer L, Fox D, Franckowiak A, Friedman E, Fritz A, Fürst P, Gaisser TK, Gallagher J, Ganster E, Garcia A, Garrappa S, Gerhardt L, Ghadimi A, Glaser C, Glauch T, Glüsenkamp T, Goehlke N, Goldschmidt A, Gonzalez JG, Goswami S, Grant D, Grégoire T, Griswold S, Günther C, Gutjahr P, Haack C, Hallgren A, Halliday R, Halve L, Halzen F, Minh MH, Hanson K, Hardin J, Harnisch AA, Haungs A, Helbing K, Henningsen F, Hettinger EC, Hickford S, Hignight J, Hill C, Hill GC, Hoffman KD, Hoshina K, Hou W, Huang F, Huber M, Huber T, Hultqvist K, Hünnefeld M, Hussain R, Hymon K, In S, Iovine N, Ishihara A, Jansson M, Japaridze GS, Jeong M, Jin M, Jones BJP, Kang D, Kang W, Kang X, Kappes A, Kappesser D, Kardum L, Karg T, Karl M, Karle A, Katz U, Kauer M, Kellermann M, Kelley JL, Kheirandish A, Kin K, Kiryluk J, Klein SR, Kochocki A, Koirala R, Kolanoski H, Kontrimas T, Köpke L, Kopper C, Kopper S, Koskinen DJ, Koundal P, Kovacevich M, Kowalski M, Kozynets T, Krupczak E, Kun E, Kurahashi N, Lad N, Gualda CL, Lanfranchi JL, Larson MJ, Lauber F, Lazar JP, Lee JW, Leonard K, Leszczyńska A, Li Y, Lincetto M, Liu QR, Liubarska M, Lohfink E, Mariscal CJL, Lu L, Lucarelli F, Ludwig A, Luszczak W, Lyu Y, Ma WY, Madsen J, Mahn KBM, Makino Y, Mancina S, Mariş IC, Martinez-Soler I, Maruyama R, McHale S, McElroy T, McNally F, Mead JV, Meagher K, Mechbal S, Medina A, Meier M, Meighen-Berger S, Merckx Y, Micallef J, Mockler D, Montaruli T, Moore RW, Morik K, Morse R, Moulai M, Mukherjee T, Naab R, Nagai R, Nahnhauer R, Naumann U, Necker J, Nguyen LV, Niederhausen H, Nisa MU, Nowicki SC, Nygren D, Pollmann AO, Oehler M, Oeyen B, Olivas A, O'Sullivan E, Pandya H, Pankova DV, Park N, Parker GK, Paudel EN, Paul L, de Los Heros CP, Peters L, Peterson J, Philippen S, Pieper S, Pizzuto A, Plum M, Popovych Y, Porcelli A, Rodriguez MP, Pries B, Przybylski GT, Raab C, Rack-Helleis J, Raissi A, Rameez M, Rawlins K, Rea IC, Rechav Z, Rehman A, Reichherzer P, Reimann R, Renzi G, Resconi E, Reusch S, Rhode W, Richman M, Riedel B, Roberts EJ, Robertson S, Roellinghoff G, Rongen M, Rott C, Ruhe T, Ryckbosch D, Cantu DR, Safa I, Saffer J, Salazar-Gallegos D, Sampathkumar P, Herrera SES, Sandrock A, Santander M, Sarkar S, Sarkar S, Satalecka K, Schaufel M, Schieler H, Schindler S, Schmidt T, Schneider A, Schneider J, Schröder FG, Schumacher L, Schwefer G, Sclafani S, Seckel D, Seunarine S, Sharma A, Shefali S, Shimizu N, Silva M, Skrzypek B, Smithers B, Snihur R, Soedingrekso J, Sogaard A, Soldin D, Spannfellner C, Spiczak GM, Spiering C, Stamatikos M, Stanev T, Stein R, Stettner J, Stezelberger T, Stokstad B, Stürwald T, Stuttard T, Sullivan GW, Taboada I, Ter-Antonyan S, Thwaites J, Tilav S, Tischbein F, Tollefson K, Tönnis C, Toscano S, Tosi D, Trettin A, Tselengidou M, Tung CF, Turcati A, Turcotte R, Turley CF, Twagirayezu JP, Ty B, Elorrieta MAU, Valtonen-Mattila N, Vandenbroucke J, van Eijndhoven N, Vannerom D, van Santen J, Veitch-Michaelis J, Verpoest S, Walck C, Wang W, Watson TB, Weaver C, Weigel P, Weindl A, Weiss MJ, Weldert J, Wendt C, Werthebach J, Weyrauch M, Whitehorn N, Wiebusch CH, Willey N, Williams DR, Wolf M, Wrede G, Wulff J, Xu XW, Yanez JP, Yildizci E, Yoshida S, Yu S, Yuan T, Zhang Z, Zhelnin P. Observation of high-energy neutrinos from the Galactic plane. Science 2023; 380:1338-1343. [PMID: 37384687 DOI: 10.1126/science.adc9818] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023]
Abstract
The origin of high-energy cosmic rays, atomic nuclei that continuously impact Earth's atmosphere, is unknown. Because of deflection by interstellar magnetic fields, cosmic rays produced within the Milky Way arrive at Earth from random directions. However, cosmic rays interact with matter near their sources and during propagation, which produces high-energy neutrinos. We searched for neutrino emission using machine learning techniques applied to 10 years of data from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. By comparing diffuse emission models to a background-only hypothesis, we identified neutrino emission from the Galactic plane at the 4.5σ level of significance. The signal is consistent with diffuse emission of neutrinos from the Milky Way but could also arise from a population of unresolved point sources.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Abbasi
- Department of Physics, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL 60660, USA
| | - M Ackermann
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - J Adams
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - J A Aguilar
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - M Ahlers
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - M Ahrens
- Oskar Klein Centre and Department of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - J M Alameddine
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - A A Alves
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - N M Amin
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - K Andeen
- Department of Physics, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, 53201, USA
| | - T Anderson
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - G Anton
- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - C Argüelles
- Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Y Ashida
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - S Athanasiadou
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - S Axani
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - X Bai
- Physics Department, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, SD 57701, USA
| | - A Balagopal V
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - S W Barwick
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA
| | - V Basu
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - S Baur
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - R Bay
- Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - J J Beatty
- Department of Astronomy, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- Department of Physics and Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - K-H Becker
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - J Becker Tjus
- Fakultät für Physik & Astronomie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - J Beise
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - C Bellenghi
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - S Benda
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - S BenZvi
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
| | - D Berley
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - E Bernardini
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
- Università di Padova, I-35131 Padova, Italy
| | - D Z Besson
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA
| | - G Binder
- Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - D Bindig
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - E Blaufuss
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - S Blot
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - M Boddenberg
- Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - F Bontempo
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - J Y Book
- Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - J Borowka
- Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - S Böser
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - O Botner
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - J Böttcher
- Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - E Bourbeau
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - F Bradascio
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - J Braun
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - B Brinson
- School of Physics and Center for Relativistic Astrophysics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - S Bron
- Département de physique nucléaire et corpusculaire, Université de Genève, CH-1211 Genève, Switzerland
| | | | - R T Burley
- Department of Physics, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005, Australia
| | - R S Busse
- Institut für Kernphysik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - M A Campana
- Department of Physics, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - E G Carnie-Bronca
- Department of Physics, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005, Australia
| | - C Chen
- School of Physics and Center for Relativistic Astrophysics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - Z Chen
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3800, USA
| | - D Chirkin
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - K Choi
- Department of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - B A Clark
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - K Clark
- Department of Physics, Engineering Physics, and Astronomy, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - L Classen
- Institut für Kernphysik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - A Coleman
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - G H Collin
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - A Connolly
- Department of Astronomy, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- Department of Physics and Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - J M Conrad
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - P Coppin
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Dienst Elementary Particles, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - P Correa
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Dienst Elementary Particles, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - D F Cowen
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - R Cross
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
| | - C Dappen
- Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - P Dave
- School of Physics and Center for Relativistic Astrophysics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - C De Clercq
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Dienst Elementary Particles, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - J J DeLaunay
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA
| | - D Delgado López
- Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - H Dembinski
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - K Deoskar
- Oskar Klein Centre and Department of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - A Desai
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - P Desiati
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - K D de Vries
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Dienst Elementary Particles, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - G de Wasseige
- Centre for Cosmology, Particle Physics and Phenomenology, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - T DeYoung
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - A Diaz
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - J C Díaz-Vélez
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - M Dittmer
- Institut für Kernphysik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - H Dujmovic
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - M Dunkman
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - M A DuVernois
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - T Ehrhardt
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - P Eller
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - R Engel
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Experimental Particle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - H Erpenbeck
- Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - J Evans
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - P A Evenson
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - K L Fan
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - A R Fazely
- Department of Physics, Southern University, Baton Rouge, LA 70813, USA
| | - A Fedynitch
- Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan
| | - N Feigl
- Institut für Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, D-12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - S Fiedlschuster
- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - A T Fienberg
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - C Finley
- Oskar Klein Centre and Department of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - L Fischer
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - D Fox
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - A Franckowiak
- Fakultät für Physik & Astronomie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - E Friedman
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - A Fritz
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - P Fürst
- Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - T K Gaisser
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - J Gallagher
- Department of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - E Ganster
- Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - A Garcia
- Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - S Garrappa
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - L Gerhardt
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - A Ghadimi
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA
| | - C Glaser
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - T Glauch
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - T Glüsenkamp
- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - N Goehlke
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Experimental Particle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - A Goldschmidt
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - J G Gonzalez
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - S Goswami
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA
| | - D Grant
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - T Grégoire
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - S Griswold
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
| | - C Günther
- Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - P Gutjahr
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - C Haack
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - A Hallgren
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - R Halliday
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - L Halve
- Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - F Halzen
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - M Ha Minh
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - K Hanson
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - J Hardin
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - A A Harnisch
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - A Haungs
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - K Helbing
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - F Henningsen
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - E C Hettinger
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - S Hickford
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - J Hignight
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E1 Canada
| | - C Hill
- Department of Physics and The International Center for Hadron Astrophysics, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - G C Hill
- Department of Physics, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005, Australia
| | - K D Hoffman
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - K Hoshina
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
- Earthquake Research Institute, University of Tokyo, Bunkyo, Tokyo 113-0032, Japan
| | - W Hou
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - F Huang
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - M Huber
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - T Huber
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - K Hultqvist
- Oskar Klein Centre and Department of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - M Hünnefeld
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - R Hussain
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - K Hymon
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - S In
- Department of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - N Iovine
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - A Ishihara
- Department of Physics and The International Center for Hadron Astrophysics, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - M Jansson
- Oskar Klein Centre and Department of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - G S Japaridze
- The Center for Theoretical Studies of Physical Systems, Clark-Atlanta University, Atlanta, GA 30314, USA
| | - M Jeong
- Department of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - M Jin
- Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - B J P Jones
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
| | - D Kang
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - W Kang
- Department of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - X Kang
- Department of Physics, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - A Kappes
- Institut für Kernphysik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - D Kappesser
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - L Kardum
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - T Karg
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - M Karl
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - A Karle
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - U Katz
- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - M Kauer
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - M Kellermann
- Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - J L Kelley
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - A Kheirandish
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - K Kin
- Department of Physics and The International Center for Hadron Astrophysics, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - J Kiryluk
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3800, USA
| | - S R Klein
- Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - A Kochocki
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - R Koirala
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - H Kolanoski
- Institut für Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, D-12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - T Kontrimas
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - L Köpke
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - C Kopper
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - S Kopper
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA
| | - D J Koskinen
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - P Koundal
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - M Kovacevich
- Department of Physics, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - M Kowalski
- Institut für Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, D-12489 Berlin, Germany
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - T Kozynets
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - E Krupczak
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - E Kun
- Fakultät für Physik & Astronomie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - N Kurahashi
- Department of Physics, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - N Lad
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | | | - J L Lanfranchi
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - M J Larson
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - F Lauber
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - J P Lazar
- Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - J W Lee
- Department of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - K Leonard
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - A Leszczyńska
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Y Li
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - M Lincetto
- Fakultät für Physik & Astronomie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - Q R Liu
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - M Liubarska
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E1 Canada
| | - E Lohfink
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - C J Lozano Mariscal
- Institut für Kernphysik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - L Lu
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - F Lucarelli
- Département de physique nucléaire et corpusculaire, Université de Genève, CH-1211 Genève, Switzerland
| | - A Ludwig
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - W Luszczak
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Y Lyu
- Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - W Y Ma
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - J Madsen
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - K B M Mahn
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Y Makino
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - S Mancina
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - I C Mariş
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - I Martinez-Soler
- Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - R Maruyama
- Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
| | - S McHale
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - T McElroy
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E1 Canada
| | - F McNally
- Department of Physics, Mercer University, Macon, GA 31207-0001, USA
| | - J V Mead
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - K Meagher
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - S Mechbal
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - A Medina
- Department of Physics and Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - M Meier
- Department of Physics and The International Center for Hadron Astrophysics, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - S Meighen-Berger
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Y Merckx
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Dienst Elementary Particles, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - J Micallef
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - D Mockler
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - T Montaruli
- Département de physique nucléaire et corpusculaire, Université de Genève, CH-1211 Genève, Switzerland
| | - R W Moore
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E1 Canada
| | - K Morik
- Computer Science Faculty, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - R Morse
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - M Moulai
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - T Mukherjee
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - R Naab
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - R Nagai
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - R Nahnhauer
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - U Naumann
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - J Necker
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - L V Nguyen
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - H Niederhausen
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - M U Nisa
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - S C Nowicki
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - D Nygren
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | | | - M Oehler
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - B Oeyen
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Gent, B-9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - A Olivas
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - E O'Sullivan
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - H Pandya
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - D V Pankova
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - N Park
- Department of Physics, Engineering Physics, and Astronomy, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - G K Parker
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
| | - E N Paudel
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - L Paul
- Department of Physics, Marquette University, Milwaukee, WI, 53201, USA
| | - C Pérez de Los Heros
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - L Peters
- Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - J Peterson
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - S Philippen
- Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - S Pieper
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - A Pizzuto
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - M Plum
- Physics Department, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, SD 57701, USA
| | - Y Popovych
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - A Porcelli
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Gent, B-9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - M Prado Rodriguez
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - B Pries
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - G T Przybylski
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - C Raab
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - J Rack-Helleis
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - A Raissi
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - M Rameez
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - K Rawlins
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, AK 99508, USA
| | - I C Rea
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Z Rechav
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - A Rehman
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - P Reichherzer
- Fakultät für Physik & Astronomie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - R Reimann
- Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - G Renzi
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - E Resconi
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - S Reusch
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - W Rhode
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - M Richman
- Department of Physics, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - B Riedel
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - E J Roberts
- Department of Physics, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, 5005, Australia
| | - S Robertson
- Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - G Roellinghoff
- Department of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - M Rongen
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - C Rott
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
- Department of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - T Ruhe
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - D Ryckbosch
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Gent, B-9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - D Rysewyk Cantu
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - I Safa
- Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - J Saffer
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Experimental Particle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - D Salazar-Gallegos
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - P Sampathkumar
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - S E Sanchez Herrera
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - A Sandrock
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - M Santander
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA
| | - S Sarkar
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E1 Canada
| | - S Sarkar
- Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PU, UK
| | - K Satalecka
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - M Schaufel
- Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - H Schieler
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - S Schindler
- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - T Schmidt
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - A Schneider
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - J Schneider
- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - F G Schröder
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - L Schumacher
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - G Schwefer
- Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - S Sclafani
- Department of Physics, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - D Seckel
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - S Seunarine
- Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, River Falls, WI 54022, USA
| | - A Sharma
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - S Shefali
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Experimental Particle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - N Shimizu
- Department of Physics and The International Center for Hadron Astrophysics, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - M Silva
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - B Skrzypek
- Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - B Smithers
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
| | - R Snihur
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - J Soedingrekso
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - A Sogaard
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - D Soldin
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - C Spannfellner
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - G M Spiczak
- Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, River Falls, WI 54022, USA
| | - C Spiering
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - M Stamatikos
- Department of Physics and Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - T Stanev
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - R Stein
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - J Stettner
- Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - T Stezelberger
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - B Stokstad
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - T Stürwald
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - T Stuttard
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - G W Sullivan
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - I Taboada
- School of Physics and Center for Relativistic Astrophysics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - S Ter-Antonyan
- Department of Physics, Southern University, Baton Rouge, LA 70813, USA
| | - J Thwaites
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - S Tilav
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - F Tischbein
- Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - K Tollefson
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - C Tönnis
- Institute of Basic Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - S Toscano
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - D Tosi
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - A Trettin
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - M Tselengidou
- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - C F Tung
- School of Physics and Center for Relativistic Astrophysics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA 30332, USA
| | - A Turcati
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - R Turcotte
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - C F Turley
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - J P Twagirayezu
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - B Ty
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - M A Unland Elorrieta
- Institut für Kernphysik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - N Valtonen-Mattila
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - J Vandenbroucke
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - N van Eijndhoven
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Dienst Elementary Particles, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - D Vannerom
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - J van Santen
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - J Veitch-Michaelis
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - S Verpoest
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Gent, B-9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - C Walck
- Oskar Klein Centre and Department of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - W Wang
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - T B Watson
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at Arlington, Arlington, TX 76019, USA
| | - C Weaver
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - P Weigel
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - A Weindl
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - M J Weiss
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - J Weldert
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - C Wendt
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - J Werthebach
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - M Weyrauch
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - N Whitehorn
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - C H Wiebusch
- Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - N Willey
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - D R Williams
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487, USA
| | - M Wolf
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - G Wrede
- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - J Wulff
- Fakultät für Physik & Astronomie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - X W Xu
- Department of Physics, Southern University, Baton Rouge, LA 70813, USA
| | - J P Yanez
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2E1 Canada
| | - E Yildizci
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - S Yoshida
- Department of Physics and The International Center for Hadron Astrophysics, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - S Yu
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - T Yuan
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Z Zhang
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-3800, USA
| | - P Zhelnin
- Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
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10
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Jazmati D, Brualla L, Littooij AS, Webber B, Dieckmann K, Janssens GO, Simon T, Gaze MN, Merta J, Serrano A, Dietzsch S, Kramer PH, Wulff J, Boterberg T, Timmermann B. Overcoming inter-observer planning variability in target volume contouring and dose planning for high-risk neuroblastoma - a European multicenter effort of the SIOPEN radiotherapy committee. Radiother Oncol 2023; 181:109464. [PMID: 36640946 DOI: 10.1016/j.radonc.2023.109464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2022] [Revised: 12/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE To establish an international quality standard for contouring and planning for high-risk neuroblastoma within the prospective High-Risk Neuroblastoma Study 2 of SIOP-Europe-Neuroblastoma (SIOPEN HR-NBL2), which includes a randomized question on dose escalation for residual disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS Data on four patients with high-risk neuroblastoma were selected and distributed to the radiotherapy committee of the HR-NBL2 study for independent contouring and planning. Differences in contouring were analyzed using apparent and kappa-corrected agreement. Plans were analyzed regarding the dose-volume histogram metrics. Results were discussed among experts and agreement was obtained. RESULTS Substantial agreement was found for contouring of the heart (0.64), liver (0.70), left lung (0.74), and right lung (0.74). For contouring of the gastrointestinal tract (0.54), left kidney (0.60), and right kidney (0.59) moderate agreement was obtained. For target volume delineation, agreement for preoperative tumour extent was moderate (0.42), for CTV fair (0.35) and only low (0.06) for residual tumour, respectively. The dose planning strategies appeared to be relatively homogeneous among all experts. CONCLUSION Considerable variability was found for the delineation of target volumes, particularly the boost volume, whereas the contouring of the organs at risk and the planning strategy were reasonably consistent. In order to obtain reliable results from the randomized HR-NBL2 trial, standardization of target volume delineation based on adequate imaging is crucial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danny Jazmati
- Department of Particle Therapy, University Hospital Essen, Germany; West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), Germany; West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Germany.
| | - Lorenzo Brualla
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), Germany; West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Germany; Faculty of Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany
| | - Annemieke S Littooij
- Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University Medical Center Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX, Utrecht, The Netherlands., the Netherlands; Princess Maxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands.
| | - Britta Webber
- Danish Centre of Particle Therapy, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Karin Dieckmann
- Department of Radio-Oncology, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Geert O Janssens
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University Medical Center Utrecht, and Princess Maxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Princess Maxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Thorsten Simon
- Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Mark N Gaze
- Department of Oncology, University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Julien Merta
- Department of Particle Therapy, University Hospital Essen, Germany; West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), Germany
| | | | - Stefan Dietzsch
- Department of Radiation Oncology, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Paul-Heinz Kramer
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), Germany; West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Germany
| | - Jörg Wulff
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), Germany; West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Germany
| | - Tom Boterberg
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Ghent University Hospital, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Beate Timmermann
- Department of Particle Therapy, University Hospital Essen, Germany; West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), Germany; West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Germany
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11
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Kretschmer J, Brodbek L, Behrends C, Kugel F, Koska B, Bäumer C, Wulff J, Timmermann B, Poppe B, Looe HK. Comprehensive investigation of lateral dose profile and output factor measurements in small proton fields from different delivery techniques. Med Phys 2023. [PMID: 36908165 DOI: 10.1002/mp.16357] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Revised: 02/22/2023] [Accepted: 02/24/2023] [Indexed: 03/14/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE As part of the commissioning and quality assurance in proton beam therapy, lateral dose profiles and output factors have to be acquired. Such measurements can be performed with point detectors and are especially challenging in small fields or steep lateral penumbra regions as the detector's volume effect may lead to perturbations. To address this issue, this work aims to quantify and correct for such perturbations of six point detectors in small proton fields created via three different delivery techniques. METHODS Lateral dose profile and output measurements of three proton beam delivery techniques (pencil beam scanning, pencil beam scanning combined with collimators, passive scattering with collimators) were performed using high-resolution EBT3 films, a PinPoint 3D 31022 ionization chamber, a microSilicon diode 60023 and a microDiamond detector 60019 (all PTW Freiburg, Germany). Detector specific lateral dose response functions K(x,y) acting as the convolution kernel transforming the undisturbed dose distribution D(x,y) into the measured signal profiles M(x,y) were applied to quantify perturbations of the six investigated detectors in the proton fields and correct the measurements. A signal theoretical analysis in Fourier space of the dose distributions and detector's K(x,y) was performed to aid the understanding of the measurement process with regard to the combination of detector choice and delivery technique. RESULTS Quantification of the lateral penumbra broadening and signal reduction at the fields center revealed that measurements in the pencil beam scanning fields are only compromised slightly even by large volume ionization chambers with maximum differences in the lateral penumbra of 0.25 mm and 4% signal reduction at the field center. In contrast, radiation techniques with collimation are not accurately represented by the investigated detectors as indicated by a penumbra broadening up to 1.6 mm for passive scattering with collimators and 2.2 mm for pencil beam scanning with collimators. For a 3 mm diameter collimator field, a signal reduction at field center between 7.6% and 60.7% was asserted. Lateral dose profile measurements have been corrected via deconvolution with the corresponding K(x,y) to obtain the undisturbed D(x,y). Corrected output ratios of the passively scattered collimated fields obtained for the microDiamond, microSilicon and PinPoint 3D show agreement better than 0.9% (one standard deviation) for the smallest field size of 3 mm. CONCLUSIONS Point detector perturbations in small proton fields created with three delivery techniques were quantified and found to be especially pronounced for collimated small proton fields with steep dose gradients. Among all investigated detectors, the microSilicon diode showed the smallest perturbations. The correction strategies based on detector's K(x,y) were found suitable for obtaining unperturbed lateral dose profiles and output factors. Approximation of K(x,y) by considering only the geometrical averaging effect has been shown to provide reasonable prediction of the detector's volume effect. The findings of this work may be used to guide the choice of point detectors in various proton fields and to contribute towards the development of a code of practice for small field proton dosimetry. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Kretschmer
- University Clinic for Medical Radiation Physics, Medical Campus Pius Hospital, Carl-von-Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Germany.,Department of Radiation Oncology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - L Brodbek
- University Clinic for Medical Radiation Physics, Medical Campus Pius Hospital, Carl-von-Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Germany.,Department of Radiation Oncology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, The Netherlands.,EBG MedAustron GmbH, Marie Curie-Straße 5, Wiener Neustadt, Austria
| | - C Behrends
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen, Essen, Germany.,West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Essen, Germany.,Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany
| | - F Kugel
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen, Essen, Germany.,West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Essen, Germany.,Department of Physics, Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - B Koska
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen, Essen, Germany.,West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Essen, Germany
| | - C Bäumer
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen, Essen, Germany.,West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Essen, Germany.,Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - J Wulff
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen, Essen, Germany.,West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Essen, Germany
| | - B Timmermann
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen, Essen, Germany.,West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Essen, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - B Poppe
- University Clinic for Medical Radiation Physics, Medical Campus Pius Hospital, Carl-von-Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Germany
| | - H K Looe
- University Clinic for Medical Radiation Physics, Medical Campus Pius Hospital, Carl-von-Ossietzky University Oldenburg, Germany
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12
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Ahmad Khalil D, Wulff J, Jazmati D, Geismar D, Bäumer C, Kramer PH, Steinmeier T, Schleithoff SS, Tschirdewahn S, Hadaschik B, Timmermann B. Is an Endorectal Balloon Beneficial for Rectal Sparing after Spacer Implantation in Prostate Cancer Patients Treated with Hypofractionated Intensity-Modulated Proton Beam Therapy? A Dosimetric and Radiobiological Comparison Study. Curr Oncol 2023; 30:758-768. [PMID: 36661707 PMCID: PMC9857887 DOI: 10.3390/curroncol30010058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Revised: 12/21/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/09/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The aim of this study is to examine the dosimetric influence of endorectal balloons (ERB) on rectal sparing in prostate cancer patients with implanted hydrogel rectum spacers treated with dose-escalated or hypofractionated intensity-modulated proton beam therapy (IMPT). METHODS Ten patients with localized prostate cancer included in the ProRegPros study and treated at our center were investigated. All patients underwent placement of hydrogel rectum spacers before planning. Two planning CTs (with and without 120 cm3 fluid-filled ERB) were applied for each patient. Dose prescription was set according to the h strategy, with 72 Gray (Gy)/2.4 Gy/5× weekly to prostate + 1 cm of the seminal vesicle, and 60 Gy/2 Gy/5× weekly to prostate + 2 cm of the seminal vesicle. Planning with two laterally opposed IMPT beams was performed in both CTs. Rectal dosimetry values including dose-volume statistics and normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) were compared for both plans (non-ERB plans vs. ERB plans). RESULTS For ERB plans compared with non-ERB, the reductions were 8.51 ± 5.25 Gy (RBE) (p = 0.000) and 15.76 ± 11.11 Gy (p = 0.001) for the mean and the median rectal doses, respectively. No significant reductions in rectal volumes were found after high dose levels. The use of ERB resulted in significant reduction in rectal volume after receiving 50 Gy (RBE), 40 Gy (RBE), 30 Gy (RBE), 20 Gy (RBE), and 10 Gy (RBE) with p values of 0.034, 0.008, 0.003, 0.001, and 0.001, respectively. No differences between ERB and non-ERB plans for the anterior rectum were observed. ERB reduced posterior rectal volumes in patients who received 30 Gy (RBE), 20 Gy (RBE), or 10 Gy (RBE), with p values of 0.019, 0.003, and 0.001, respectively. According to the NTCP models, no significant reductions were observed in mean or median rectal toxicity (late rectal bleeding ≥ 2, necrosis or stenosis, and late rectal toxicity ≥ 3) when using the ERB. CONCLUSION ERB reduced rectal volumes exposed to intermediate or low dose levels. However, no significant reduction in rectal volume was observed in patients receiving high or intermediate doses. There was no benefit and also no disadvantage associated with the use of ERB for late rectal toxicity, according to available NTCP models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dalia Ahmad Khalil
- Department of Particle Therapy, University Hospital Essen, West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), West German Cancer Center (WTZ), 45147 Essen, Germany
| | - Jörg Wulff
- Faculty of Physics, TU Dortmund University, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Danny Jazmati
- Department of Particle Therapy, University Hospital Essen, West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), West German Cancer Center (WTZ), 45147 Essen, Germany
| | - Dirk Geismar
- Faculty of Physics, TU Dortmund University, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Christian Bäumer
- Department of Particle Therapy, University Hospital Essen, West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), West German Cancer Center (WTZ), 45147 Essen, Germany
| | | | - Theresa Steinmeier
- Department of Particle Therapy, University Hospital Essen, West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), West German Cancer Center (WTZ), 45147 Essen, Germany
| | | | - Stephan Tschirdewahn
- Department of Urology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
| | - Boris Hadaschik
- Department of Urology, University Hospital Essen, University of Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
| | - Beate Timmermann
- Department of Particle Therapy, University Hospital Essen, West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), West German Cancer Center (WTZ), 45147 Essen, Germany
- Faculty of Physics, TU Dortmund University, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), 45147 Essen, Germany
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13
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Behrends C, Bäumer C, Verbeek NG, Wulff J, Timmermann B. Optimization of proton pencil beam positioning in collimated fields. Med Phys 2023; 50:2540-2551. [PMID: 36609847 DOI: 10.1002/mp.16209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2022] [Revised: 12/24/2022] [Accepted: 12/26/2022] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The addition of static or dynamic collimator systems to the pencil beam scanning delivery technique increases the number of options for lateral field shaping. The collimator shape needs to be optimized together with the intensity modulation of spots. PURPOSE To minimize the proton field's lateral penumbra by investigating the fundamental relations between spot and collimating aperture edge position. METHODS Analytical approaches describing the effect of spot position on the resulting spot profile are presented. The theoretical description is then compared with Monte Carlo simulations in TOPAS and in the RayStation treatment planning system, as well as with radiochromic film measurements at a clinical proton therapy facility. In the model, one single spot profile is analyzed for various spot positions in air. Further, irradiation setups in water with different energies, the combination with a range shifter, and two-dimensional proton fields were investigated in silico. RESULTS The further the single spot is placed beyond the collimating aperture edge ('overscanning'), the sharper the relative lateral dose fall-off and thus the lateral penumbra. Overscanning up to 5 mm $5\,\text{mm}$ reduced the lateral penumbra by about 20% on average after a propagation of 13 cm $13\,\text{cm}$ in air. This benefit from overscanning is first predicted by the analytical proofs and later verified by simulations and measurements. Corresponding analyses in water confirm the benefit in lateral penumbra with spot position optimization as observed theoretically and in air. The combination of spot overscanning with fluence modulation facilitated an additional improvement. CONCLUSIONS The lateral penumbra of single spots in collimated scanned proton fields can be improved by the method of spot overscanning. This suggests a better sparing of proximal organs at risk in smaller water depths at higher energies, especially in the plateau of the depth dose distribution. All in all, spot overscanning in collimated scanned proton fields offers particular potential in combination with techniques such as fluence modulation or dynamic collimation for optimizing the lateral penumbra to spare normal tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carina Behrends
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), Essen, Germany.,Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany.,West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Christian Bäumer
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), Essen, Germany.,Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany.,West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Nico Gerd Verbeek
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), Essen, Germany.,West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Jörg Wulff
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), Essen, Germany.,West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Beate Timmermann
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), Essen, Germany.,West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.,Department of Particle Therapy, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
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14
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Wulff J, Koska B, Heufelder J, Janson M, Bäcker CM, Siregar H, Behrends C, Bäumer C, Foerster A, Bechrakis NE, Timmermann B. Commissioning and validation of a novel commercial TPS for ocular proton therapy. Med Phys 2023; 50:365-379. [PMID: 36195575 DOI: 10.1002/mp.16006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Until today, the majority of ocular proton treatments worldwide were planned with the EYEPLAN treatment planning system (TPS). Recently, the commercial, computed tomography (CT)-based TPS for ocular proton therapy RayOcular was released, which follows the general concepts of model-based treatment planning approach in conjunction with a pencil-beam-type dose algorithm (PBA). PURPOSE To validate RayOcular with respect to two main features: accurate geometrical representation of the eye model and accuracy of its dose calculation algorithm in combination with an Ion Beam Applications (IBA) eye treatment delivery system. METHODS Different 3D-printed eye-ball-phantoms were fabricated to test the geometrical representation of the corresponding CT-based model, both in orthogonal 2D images for X-ray image overlay and in fundus view overlaid with a funduscopy. For the latter, the phantom was equipped with a lens matching refraction of the human eye. Funduscopy was acquired in a Zeiss Claus 500 camera. Tantalum clips and fiducials attached to the phantoms were localized in the TPS model, and residual deviations to the actual position in X-ray images for various orientations of the phantom were determined, after the nominal eye orientation was corrected in RayOcular to obtain a best overall fit. In the fundus view, deviations between known and displayed distances were measured. Dose calculation accuracy of the PBA on a 0.2 mm grid was investigated by comparing between measured lateral and depth-dose profiles in water for various combinations of range, modulation, and field-size. Ultimately, the modeling of dose distributions behind wedges was tested. A 1D gamma-test was applied, and the lateral and distal penumbra were further compared. RESULTS Average residuals between model clips and visible clips/fiducials in orthogonal X-ray images were within 0.3 mm, including different orientations of the phantom. The differences between measured distances on the registered funduscopy image in the RayOcular fundus view and the known ground-truth were within 1 mm up to 10.5 mm distance from the posterior pole. No clear benefit projection of either polar mode or camera mode could be identified, the latter mimicking camera properties. Measured dose distributions were reproduced with gamma-test pass-rates of >95% with 2%/0.3 mm for depth and lateral profiles in the middle of spread-out Bragg-peaks. Distal falloff and lateral penumbra were within 0.2 mm for fields without a wedge. For shallow depths, the agreement was worse, reaching pass-rates down to 80% with 5%/0.3 mm when comparing lateral profiles in air. This is caused by low-energy protons from a scatter source in the IBA system not modeled by RayOcular. Dose distributions modified by wedges were reproduced, matching the wedge-induced broadening of the lateral penumbra to within 0.4 mm for the investigated cases and showing the excess dose within the field due to wedge scatter. CONCLUSION RayOcular was validated for its use with an IBA single scattering delivery nozzle. Geometric modeling of the eye and representation of 2D projections fulfill clinical requirements. The PBA dose calculation reproduces measured distributions and allows explicit handling of wedges, overcoming approximations of simpler dose calculation algorithms used in other systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jörg Wulff
- West German Proton Therapy Centre (WPE), Essen, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.,West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), Essen, Germany
| | - Benjamin Koska
- West German Proton Therapy Centre (WPE), Essen, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.,West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), Essen, Germany
| | - Jens Heufelder
- Department of Ophthalmology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, BerlinProtonen am Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie, Berlin, Germany
| | | | - Claus Maximilian Bäcker
- West German Proton Therapy Centre (WPE), Essen, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Hilda Siregar
- West German Proton Therapy Centre (WPE), Essen, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Carina Behrends
- West German Proton Therapy Centre (WPE), Essen, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.,Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Christian Bäumer
- West German Proton Therapy Centre (WPE), Essen, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.,West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), Essen, Germany.,Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Essen, Germany
| | - Andreas Foerster
- University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.,Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Nikolaos E Bechrakis
- University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.,Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Beate Timmermann
- West German Proton Therapy Centre (WPE), Essen, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.,West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), Essen, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Essen, Germany.,Department of Particle Therapy, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
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Abbasi R, Ackermann M, Adams J, Aguilar JA, Ahlers M, Ahrens M, Alameddine JM, Alispach C, Alves AA, Amin NM, Andeen K, Anderson T, Anton G, Argüelles C, Ashida Y, Axani S, Bai X, Balagopal V. A, Barbano A, Barwick SW, Bastian B, Basu V, Baur S, Bay R, Beatty JJ, Becker KH, Becker Tjus J, Bellenghi C, BenZvi S, Berley D, Bernardini E, Besson DZ, Binder G, Bindig D, Blaufuss E, Blot S, Boddenberg M, Bontempo F, Borowka J, Böser S, Botner O, Böttcher J, Bourbeau E, Bradascio F, Braun J, Brinson B, Bron S, Brostean-Kaiser J, Browne S, Burgman A, Burley RT, Busse RS, Campana MA, Carnie-Bronca EG, Chen C, Chen Z, Chirkin D, Choi K, Clark BA, Clark K, Classen L, Coleman A, Collin GH, Conrad JM, Coppin P, Correa P, Cowen DF, Cross R, Dappen C, Dave P, De Clercq C, DeLaunay JJ, Delgado López D, Dembinski H, Deoskar K, Desai A, Desiati P, de Vries KD, de Wasseige G, de With M, DeYoung T, Diaz A, Díaz-Vélez JC, Dittmer M, Dujmovic H, Dunkman M, DuVernois MA, Dvorak E, Ehrhardt T, Eller P, Engel R, Erpenbeck H, Evans J, Evenson PA, Fan KL, Fazely AR, Fedynitch A, Feigl N, Fiedlschuster S, Fienberg AT, Filimonov K, Finley C, Fischer L, Fox D, Franckowiak A, Friedman E, Fritz A, Fürst P, Gaisser TK, Gallagher J, Ganster E, Garcia A, Garrappa S, Gerhardt L, Ghadimi A, Glaser C, Glauch T, Glüsenkamp T, Goldschmidt A, Gonzalez JG, Goswami S, Grant D, Grégoire T, Griswold S, Günther C, Gutjahr P, Haack C, Hallgren A, Halliday R, Halve L, Halzen F, Ha Minh M, Hanson K, Hardin J, Harnisch AA, Haungs A, Hebecker D, Helbing K, Henningsen F, Hettinger EC, Hickford S, Hignight J, Hill C, Hill GC, Hoffman KD, Hoffmann R, Hokanson-Fasig B, Hoshina K, Huang F, Huber M, Huber T, Hultqvist K, Hünnefeld M, Hussain R, Hymon K, In S, Iovine N, Ishihara A, Jansson M, Japaridze GS, Jeong M, Jin M, Jones BJP, Kang D, Kang W, Kang X, Kappes A, Kappesser D, Kardum L, Karg T, Karl M, Karle A, Katz U, Kauer M, Kellermann M, Kelley JL, Kheirandish A, Kin K, Kintscher T, Kiryluk J, Klein SR, Koirala R, Kolanoski H, Kontrimas T, Köpke L, Kopper C, Kopper S, Koskinen DJ, Koundal P, Kovacevich M, Kowalski M, Kozynets T, Kun E, Kurahashi N, Lad N, Lagunas Gualda C, Lanfranchi JL, Larson MJ, Lauber F, Lazar JP, Lee JW, Leonard K, Leszczyńska A, Li Y, Lincetto M, Liu QR, Liubarska M, Lohfink E, Lozano Mariscal CJ, Lu L, Lucarelli F, Ludwig A, Luszczak W, Lyu Y, Ma WY, Madsen J, Mahn KBM, Makino Y, Mancina S, Mariş IC, Martinez-Soler I, Maruyama R, Mase K, McElroy T, McNally F, Mead JV, Meagher K, Mechbal S, Medina A, Meier M, Meighen-Berger S, Micallef J, Mockler D, Montaruli T, Moore RW, Morse R, Moulai M, Naab R, Nagai R, Nahnhauer R, Naumann U, Necker J, Nguyen LV, Niederhausen H, Nisa MU, Nowicki SC, Nygren D, Obertacke Pollmann A, Oehler M, Oeyen B, Olivas A, O’Sullivan E, Pandya H, Pankova DV, Park N, Parker GK, Paudel EN, Paul L, Pérez de los Heros C, Peters L, Peterson J, Philippen S, Pieper S, Pittermann M, Pizzuto A, Plum M, Popovych Y, Porcelli A, Prado Rodriguez M, Price PB, Pries B, Przybylski GT, Raab C, Rack-Helleis J, Raissi A, Rameez M, Rawlins K, Rea IC, Rehman A, Reichherzer P, Reimann R, Renzi G, Resconi E, Reusch S, Rhode W, Richman M, Riedel B, Roberts EJ, Robertson S, Roellinghoff G, Rongen M, Rott C, Ruhe T, Ryckbosch D, Rysewyk Cantu D, Safa I, Saffer J, Sanchez Herrera SE, Sandrock A, Sandroos J, Santander M, Sarkar S, Sarkar S, Satalecka K, Schaufel M, Schieler H, Schindler S, Schmidt T, Schneider A, Schneider J, Schröder FG, Schumacher L, Schwefer G, Sclafani S, Seckel D, Seunarine S, Sharma A, Shefali S, Silva M, Skrzypek B, Smithers B, Snihur R, Soedingrekso J, Soldin D, Spannfellner C, Spiczak GM, Spiering C, Stachurska J, Stamatikos M, Stanev T, Stein R, Stettner J, Steuer A, Stezelberger T, Stokstad R, Stürwald T, Stuttard T, Sullivan GW, Taboada I, Ter-Antonyan S, Tilav S, Tischbein F, Tollefson K, Tönnis C, Toscano S, Tosi D, Trettin A, Tselengidou M, Tung CF, Turcati A, Turcotte R, Turley CF, Twagirayezu JP, Ty B, Unland Elorrieta MA, Valtonen-Mattila N, Vandenbroucke J, van Eijndhoven N, Vannerom D, van Santen J, Verpoest S, Walck C, Watson TB, Weaver C, Weigel P, Weindl A, Weiss MJ, Weldert J, Wendt C, Werthebach J, Weyrauch M, Whitehorn N, Wiebusch CH, Williams DR, Wolf M, Woschnagg K, Wrede G, Wulff J, Xu XW, Yanez JP, Yoshida S, Yu S, Yuan T, Zhang Z, Zhelnin P. Evidence for neutrino emission from the nearby active galaxy NGC 1068. Science 2022; 378:538-543. [DOI: 10.1126/science.abg3395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
A supermassive black hole, obscured by cosmic dust, powers the nearby active galaxy NGC 1068. Neutrinos, which rarely interact with matter, could provide information on the galaxy’s active core. We searched for neutrino emission from astrophysical objects using data recorded with the IceCube neutrino detector between 2011 and 2020. The positions of 110 known gamma-ray sources were individually searched for neutrino detections above atmospheric and cosmic backgrounds. We found that NGC 1068 has an excess of
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neutrinos at tera–electron volt energies, with a global significance of 4.2σ, which we interpret as associated with the active galaxy. The flux of high-energy neutrinos that we measured from NGC 1068 is more than an order of magnitude higher than the upper limit on emissions of tera–electron volt gamma rays from this source.
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Hahn C, Heuchel L, Ödén J, Traneus E, Wulff J, Plaude S, Timmermann B, Bäumer C, Lühr A. Comparing biological effectiveness guided plan optimization strategies for cranial proton therapy: potential and challenges. Radiat Oncol 2022; 17:169. [PMID: 36273132 DOI: 10.1186/s13014-022-02143-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND To introduce and compare multiple biological effectiveness guided (BG) proton plan optimization strategies minimizing variable relative biological effectiveness (RBE) induced dose burden in organs at risk (OAR) while maintaining plan quality with a constant RBE. METHODS Dose-optimized (DOSEopt) proton pencil beam scanning reference treatment plans were generated for ten cranial patients with prescription doses ≥ 54 Gy(RBE) and ≥ 1 OAR close to the clinical target volume (CTV). For each patient, four additional BG plans were created. BG objectives minimized either proton track-ends, dose-averaged linear energy transfer (LETd), energy depositions from high-LET protons or variable RBE-weighted dose (DRBE) in adjacent serially structured OARs. Plan quality (RBE = 1.1) was assessed by CTV dose coverage and robustness (2 mm setup, 3.5% density), dose homogeneity and conformity in the planning target volumes and adherence to OAR tolerance doses. LETd, DRBE (Wedenberg model, α/βCTV = 10 Gy, α/βOAR = 2 Gy) and resulting normal tissue complication probabilities (NTCPs) for blindness and brainstem necrosis were derived. Differences between DOSEopt and BG optimized plans were assessed and statistically tested (Wilcoxon signed rank, α = 0.05). RESULTS All plans were clinically acceptable. DOSEopt and BG optimized plans were comparable in target volume coverage, homogeneity and conformity. For recalculated DRBE in all patients, all BG plans significantly reduced near-maximum DRBE to critical OARs with differences up to 8.2 Gy(RBE) (p < 0.05). Direct DRBE optimization primarily reduced absorbed dose in OARs (average ΔDmean = 2.0 Gy; average ΔLETd,mean = 0.1 keV/µm), while the other strategies reduced LETd (average ΔDmean < 0.3 Gy; average ΔLETd,mean = 0.5 keV/µm). LET-optimizing strategies were more robust against range and setup uncertaintes for high-dose CTVs than DRBE optimization. All BG strategies reduced NTCP for brainstem necrosis and blindness on average by 47% with average and maximum reductions of 5.4 and 18.4 percentage points, respectively. CONCLUSIONS All BG strategies reduced variable RBE-induced NTCPs to OARs. Reducing LETd in high-dose voxels may be favourable due to its adherence to current dose reporting and maintenance of clinical plan quality and the availability of reported LETd and dose levels from clinical toxicity reports after cranial proton therapy. These optimization strategies beyond dose may be a first step towards safely translating variable RBE optimization in the clinics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Hahn
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany. .,OncoRay - National Center for Radiation Research in Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Dresden, Germany. .,Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.
| | - Lena Heuchel
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Jakob Ödén
- RaySearch Laboratories AB, Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Jörg Wulff
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen, Essen, Germany.,West German Cancer Center (WTZ), University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Sandija Plaude
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen, Essen, Germany.,West German Cancer Center (WTZ), University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Beate Timmermann
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen, Essen, Germany.,West German Cancer Center (WTZ), University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.,Department of Particle Therapy, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Christian Bäumer
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany.,West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen, Essen, Germany.,West German Cancer Center (WTZ), University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Armin Lühr
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany
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Abbasi R, Ackermann M, Adams J, Aguilar JA, Ahlers M, Ahrens M, Alameddine JM, Alves AA, Amin NM, Andeen K, Anderson T, Anton G, Argüelles C, Ashida Y, Axani S, Bai X, Balagopal V A, Barwick SW, Bastian B, Basu V, Baur S, Bay R, Beatty JJ, Becker KH, Becker Tjus J, Beise J, Bellenghi C, Benda S, BenZvi S, Berley D, Bernardini E, Besson DZ, Binder G, Bindig D, Blaufuss E, Blot S, Boddenberg M, Bontempo F, Book JY, Borowka J, Böser S, Botner O, Böttcher J, Bourbeau E, Bradascio F, Braun J, Brinson B, Bron S, Brostean-Kaiser J, Burley RT, Busse RS, Campana MA, Carnie-Bronca EG, Chen C, Chen Z, Chirkin D, Choi K, Clark BA, Clark K, Classen L, Coleman A, Collin GH, Conrad JM, Coppin P, Correa P, Cowen DF, Cross R, Dappen C, Dave P, De Clercq C, DeLaunay JJ, Delgado López D, Dembinski H, Deoskar K, Desai A, Desiati P, de Vries KD, de Wasseige G, de With M, DeYoung T, Diaz A, Díaz-Vélez JC, Dittmer M, Dujmovic H, Dunkman M, DuVernois MA, Ehrhardt T, Eller P, Engel R, Erpenbeck H, Evans J, Evenson PA, Fan KL, Fazely AR, Fedynitch A, Feigl N, Fiedlschuster S, Fienberg AT, Finley C, Fischer L, Fox D, Franckowiak A, Friedman E, Fritz A, Fürst P, Gaisser TK, Gallagher J, Ganster E, Garcia A, Garrappa S, Gerhardt L, Ghadimi A, Glaser C, Glauch T, Glüsenkamp T, Goehlke N, Gonzalez JG, Goswami S, Grant D, Grégoire T, Griswold S, Günther C, Gutjahr P, Haack C, Hallgren A, Halliday R, Halve L, Halzen F, Ha Minh M, Hanson K, Hardin J, Harnisch AA, Haungs A, Hebecker D, Helbing K, Henningsen F, Hettinger EC, Hickford S, Hignight J, Hill C, Hill GC, Hoffman KD, Hoshina K, Hou W, Huang F, Huber M, Huber T, Hultqvist K, Hünnefeld M, Hussain R, Hymon K, In S, Iovine N, Ishihara A, Jansson M, Japaridze GS, Jeong M, Jin M, Jones BJP, Kang D, Kang W, Kang X, Kappes A, Kappesser D, Kardum L, Karg T, Karl M, Karle A, Katz U, Kauer M, Kellermann M, Kelley JL, Kheirandish A, Kin K, Kintscher T, Kiryluk J, Klein SR, Kochocki A, Koirala R, Kolanoski H, Kontrimas T, Köpke L, Kopper C, Kopper S, Koskinen DJ, Koundal P, Kovacevich M, Kowalski M, Kozynets T, Krupczak E, Kun E, Kurahashi N, Lad N, Lagunas Gualda C, Lanfranchi JL, Larson MJ, Lauber F, Lazar JP, Lee JW, Leonard K, Leszczyńska A, Li Y, Lincetto M, Liu QR, Liubarska M, Lohfink E, Lozano Mariscal CJ, Lu L, Lucarelli F, Ludwig A, Luszczak W, Lyu Y, Ma WY, Madsen J, Mahn KBM, Makino Y, Mancina S, Mariş IC, Martinez-Soler I, Maruyama R, McCarthy S, McElroy T, McNally F, Mead JV, Meagher K, Mechbal S, Medina A, Meier M, Meighen-Berger S, Micallef J, Mockler D, Montaruli T, Moore RW, Morse R, Moulai M, Mukherjee T, Naab R, Nagai R, Naumann U, Necker J, Nguyễn LV, Niederhausen H, Nisa MU, Nowicki SC, Obertacke Pollmann A, Oehler M, Oeyen B, Olivas A, O'Sullivan E, Pandya H, Pankova DV, Park N, Parker GK, Paudel EN, Paul L, Pérez de Los Heros C, Peters L, Peterson J, Philippen S, Pieper S, Pizzuto A, Plum M, Popovych Y, Porcelli A, Prado Rodriguez M, Pries B, Przybylski GT, Raab C, Rack-Helleis J, Raissi A, Rameez M, Rawlins K, Rea IC, Rechav Z, Rehman A, Reichherzer P, Reimann R, Renzi G, Resconi E, Reusch S, Rhode W, Richman M, Riedel B, Roberts EJ, Robertson S, Roellinghoff G, Rongen M, Rott C, Ruhe T, Ryckbosch D, Rysewyk Cantu D, Safa I, Saffer J, Sampathkumar P, Sanchez Herrera SE, Sandrock A, Santander M, Sarkar S, Sarkar S, Satalecka K, Schaufel M, Schieler H, Schindler S, Schmidt T, Schneider A, Schneider J, Schröder FG, Schumacher L, Schwefer G, Sclafani S, Seckel D, Seunarine S, Sharma A, Shefali S, Shimizu N, Silva M, Skrzypek B, Smithers B, Snihur R, Soedingrekso J, Soldin D, Spannfellner C, Spiczak GM, Spiering C, Stachurska J, Stamatikos M, Stanev T, Stein R, Stettner J, Stezelberger T, Stürwald T, Stuttard T, Sullivan GW, Taboada I, Ter-Antonyan S, Thwaites J, Tilav S, Tischbein F, Tollefson K, Tönnis C, Toscano S, Tosi D, Trettin A, Tselengidou M, Tung CF, Turcati A, Turcotte R, Turley CF, Twagirayezu JP, Ty B, Unland Elorrieta MA, Valtonen-Mattila N, Vandenbroucke J, van Eijndhoven N, Vannerom D, van Santen J, Veitch-Michaelis J, Verpoest S, Walck C, Wang W, Watson TB, Weaver C, Weigel P, Weindl A, Weiss MJ, Weldert J, Wendt C, Werthebach J, Weyrauch M, Whitehorn N, Wiebusch CH, Willey N, Williams DR, Wolf M, Wrede G, Wulff J, Xu XW, Yanez JP, Yildizci E, Yoshida S, Yu S, Yuan T, Zhang Z, Zhelnin P. Search for Unstable Sterile Neutrinos with the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. Phys Rev Lett 2022; 129:151801. [PMID: 36269964 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.129.151801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2022] [Revised: 08/17/2022] [Accepted: 08/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
We present a search for an unstable sterile neutrino by looking for a resonant signal in eight years of atmospheric ν_{μ} data collected from 2011 to 2019 at the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. Both the (stable) three-neutrino and the 3+1 sterile neutrino models are disfavored relative to the unstable sterile neutrino model, though with p values of 2.8% and 0.81%, respectively, we do not observe evidence for 3+1 neutrinos with neutrino decay. The best-fit parameters for the sterile neutrino with decay model from this study are Δm_{41}^{2}=6.7_{-2.5}^{+3.9} eV^{2}, sin^{2}2θ_{24}=0.33_{-0.17}^{+0.20}, and g^{2}=2.5π±1.5π, where g is the decay-mediating coupling. The preferred regions of the 3+1+decay model from short-baseline oscillation searches are excluded at 90% C.L.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Abbasi
- Department of Physics, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60660, USA
| | | | - J Adams
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - J A Aguilar
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - M Ahlers
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - M Ahrens
- Oskar Klein Centre and Department of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - J M Alameddine
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - A A Alves
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - N M Amin
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - K Andeen
- Department of Physics, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201, USA
| | - T Anderson
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - G Anton
- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - C Argüelles
- Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
| | - Y Ashida
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - S Axani
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - X Bai
- Physics Department, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, South Dakota 57701, USA
| | - A Balagopal V
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - S W Barwick
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, USA
| | | | - V Basu
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - S Baur
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - R Bay
- Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - J J Beatty
- Department of Astronomy, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
- Department of Physics and Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
| | - K-H Becker
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - J Becker Tjus
- Fakultät für Physik & Astronomie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - J Beise
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - C Bellenghi
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - S Benda
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - S BenZvi
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, USA
| | - D Berley
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | | | - D Z Besson
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045, USA
| | - G Binder
- Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - D Bindig
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - E Blaufuss
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - S Blot
- DESY, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - M Boddenberg
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - F Bontempo
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - J Y Book
- Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
| | - J Borowka
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - S Böser
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - O Botner
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - J Böttcher
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - E Bourbeau
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - J Braun
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - B Brinson
- School of Physics and Center for Relativistic Astrophysics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
| | - S Bron
- Département de physique nucléaire et corpusculaire, Université de Genève, CH-1211 Genève, Switzerland
| | | | - R T Burley
- Department of Physics, University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia
| | - R S Busse
- Institut für Kernphysik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - M A Campana
- Department of Physics, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - E G Carnie-Bronca
- Department of Physics, University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia
| | - C Chen
- School of Physics and Center for Relativistic Astrophysics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
| | - Z Chen
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794-3800, USA
| | - D Chirkin
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - K Choi
- Department of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - B A Clark
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - K Clark
- Department of Physics, Engineering Physics, and Astronomy, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - L Classen
- Institut für Kernphysik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - A Coleman
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - G H Collin
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - J M Conrad
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - P Coppin
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Dienst ELEM, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - P Correa
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Dienst ELEM, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - D F Cowen
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - R Cross
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, USA
| | - C Dappen
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - P Dave
- School of Physics and Center for Relativistic Astrophysics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
| | - C De Clercq
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Dienst ELEM, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - J J DeLaunay
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487, USA
| | - D Delgado López
- Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
| | - H Dembinski
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - K Deoskar
- Oskar Klein Centre and Department of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - A Desai
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - P Desiati
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - K D de Vries
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Dienst ELEM, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - G de Wasseige
- Centre for Cosmology, Particle Physics and Phenomenology - CP3, Université catholique de Louvain, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - M de With
- Institut für Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, D-12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - T DeYoung
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - A Diaz
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - J C Díaz-Vélez
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - M Dittmer
- Institut für Kernphysik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - H Dujmovic
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - M Dunkman
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - M A DuVernois
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - T Ehrhardt
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - P Eller
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - R Engel
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Experimental Particle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - H Erpenbeck
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - J Evans
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - P A Evenson
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - K L Fan
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - A R Fazely
- Department of Physics, Southern University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70813, USA
| | - A Fedynitch
- Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - N Feigl
- Institut für Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, D-12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - S Fiedlschuster
- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - A T Fienberg
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - C Finley
- Oskar Klein Centre and Department of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - D Fox
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - A Franckowiak
- Fakultät für Physik & Astronomie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
- DESY, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - E Friedman
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - A Fritz
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - P Fürst
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - T K Gaisser
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - J Gallagher
- Department of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - E Ganster
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - A Garcia
- Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
| | | | - L Gerhardt
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - A Ghadimi
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487, USA
| | - C Glaser
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - T Glauch
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - T Glüsenkamp
- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - N Goehlke
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Experimental Particle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - J G Gonzalez
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - S Goswami
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487, USA
| | - D Grant
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - T Grégoire
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - S Griswold
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, USA
| | - C Günther
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - P Gutjahr
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - C Haack
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - A Hallgren
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - R Halliday
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - L Halve
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - F Halzen
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - M Ha Minh
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - K Hanson
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - J Hardin
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - A A Harnisch
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - A Haungs
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - D Hebecker
- Institut für Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, D-12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - K Helbing
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - F Henningsen
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - E C Hettinger
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - S Hickford
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - J Hignight
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E1
| | - C Hill
- Department of Physics and The International Center for Hadron Astrophysics, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - G C Hill
- Department of Physics, University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia
| | - K D Hoffman
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - K Hoshina
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - W Hou
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - F Huang
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - M Huber
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - T Huber
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - K Hultqvist
- Oskar Klein Centre and Department of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - M Hünnefeld
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - R Hussain
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - K Hymon
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - S In
- Department of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - N Iovine
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - A Ishihara
- Department of Physics and The International Center for Hadron Astrophysics, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - M Jansson
- Oskar Klein Centre and Department of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - G S Japaridze
- CTSPS, Clark-Atlanta University, Atlanta, Georgia 30314, USA
| | - M Jeong
- Department of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - M Jin
- Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
| | - B J P Jones
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at Arlington, 502 Yates Street, Science Hall Rm 108, Box 19059, Arlington, Texas 76019, USA
| | - D Kang
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - W Kang
- Department of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - X Kang
- Department of Physics, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - A Kappes
- Institut für Kernphysik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - D Kappesser
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - L Kardum
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - T Karg
- DESY, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - M Karl
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - A Karle
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - U Katz
- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - M Kauer
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - M Kellermann
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - J L Kelley
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - A Kheirandish
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - K Kin
- Department of Physics and The International Center for Hadron Astrophysics, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | | | - J Kiryluk
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794-3800, USA
| | - S R Klein
- Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - A Kochocki
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - R Koirala
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - H Kolanoski
- Institut für Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, D-12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - T Kontrimas
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - L Köpke
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - C Kopper
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - S Kopper
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487, USA
| | - D J Koskinen
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - P Koundal
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - M Kovacevich
- Department of Physics, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - M Kowalski
- Institut für Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, D-12489 Berlin, Germany
- DESY, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - T Kozynets
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - E Krupczak
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - E Kun
- Fakultät für Physik & Astronomie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - N Kurahashi
- Department of Physics, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - N Lad
- DESY, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | | | - J L Lanfranchi
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - M J Larson
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - F Lauber
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - J P Lazar
- Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - J W Lee
- Department of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - K Leonard
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - A Leszczyńska
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - Y Li
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - M Lincetto
- Fakultät für Physik & Astronomie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - Q R Liu
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - M Liubarska
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E1
| | - E Lohfink
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - C J Lozano Mariscal
- Institut für Kernphysik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - L Lu
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - F Lucarelli
- Département de physique nucléaire et corpusculaire, Université de Genève, CH-1211 Genève, Switzerland
| | - A Ludwig
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, UCLA, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
| | - W Luszczak
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - Y Lyu
- Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - W Y Ma
- DESY, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - J Madsen
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - K B M Mahn
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - Y Makino
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - S Mancina
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - I C Mariş
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - I Martinez-Soler
- Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
| | - R Maruyama
- Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA
| | - S McCarthy
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - T McElroy
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E1
| | - F McNally
- Department of Physics, Mercer University, Macon, Georgia 31207-0001, USA
| | - J V Mead
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - K Meagher
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | | | - A Medina
- Department of Physics and Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
| | - M Meier
- Department of Physics and The International Center for Hadron Astrophysics, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - S Meighen-Berger
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - J Micallef
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - D Mockler
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - T Montaruli
- Département de physique nucléaire et corpusculaire, Université de Genève, CH-1211 Genève, Switzerland
| | - R W Moore
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E1
| | - R Morse
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - M Moulai
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - T Mukherjee
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - R Naab
- DESY, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - R Nagai
- Department of Physics and The International Center for Hadron Astrophysics, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - U Naumann
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | | | - L V Nguyễn
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - H Niederhausen
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - M U Nisa
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - S C Nowicki
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | | | - M Oehler
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - B Oeyen
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Gent, B-9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - A Olivas
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - E O'Sullivan
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - H Pandya
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - D V Pankova
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - N Park
- Department of Physics, Engineering Physics, and Astronomy, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - G K Parker
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at Arlington, 502 Yates Street, Science Hall Rm 108, Box 19059, Arlington, Texas 76019, USA
| | - E N Paudel
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - L Paul
- Department of Physics, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201, USA
| | - C Pérez de Los Heros
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - L Peters
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - J Peterson
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - S Philippen
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - S Pieper
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - A Pizzuto
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - M Plum
- Physics Department, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, South Dakota 57701, USA
| | - Y Popovych
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - A Porcelli
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Gent, B-9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - M Prado Rodriguez
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - B Pries
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - G T Przybylski
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - C Raab
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - J Rack-Helleis
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - A Raissi
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - M Rameez
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - K Rawlins
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alaska Anchorage, 3211 Providence Dr., Anchorage, Alaska 99508, USA
| | - I C Rea
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Z Rechav
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - A Rehman
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - P Reichherzer
- Fakultät für Physik & Astronomie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - R Reimann
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - G Renzi
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - E Resconi
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | | | - W Rhode
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - M Richman
- Department of Physics, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - B Riedel
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - E J Roberts
- Department of Physics, University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia
| | - S Robertson
- Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - G Roellinghoff
- Department of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - M Rongen
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - C Rott
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, USA
- Department of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - T Ruhe
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - D Ryckbosch
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Gent, B-9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - D Rysewyk Cantu
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - I Safa
- Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - J Saffer
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Experimental Particle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - P Sampathkumar
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - S E Sanchez Herrera
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - A Sandrock
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - M Santander
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487, USA
| | - S Sarkar
- Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PU, United Kingdom
| | - S Sarkar
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E1
| | | | - M Schaufel
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - H Schieler
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - S Schindler
- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - T Schmidt
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - A Schneider
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - J Schneider
- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - F G Schröder
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - L Schumacher
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - G Schwefer
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - S Sclafani
- Department of Physics, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - D Seckel
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - S Seunarine
- Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, River Falls, Wisconsin 54022, USA
| | - A Sharma
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - S Shefali
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Experimental Particle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - N Shimizu
- Department of Physics and The International Center for Hadron Astrophysics, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - M Silva
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - B Skrzypek
- Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
| | - B Smithers
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at Arlington, 502 Yates Street, Science Hall Rm 108, Box 19059, Arlington, Texas 76019, USA
| | - R Snihur
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - J Soedingrekso
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - D Soldin
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - C Spannfellner
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - G M Spiczak
- Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, River Falls, Wisconsin 54022, USA
| | | | | | - M Stamatikos
- Department of Physics and Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
| | - T Stanev
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - R Stein
- DESY, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - J Stettner
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - T Stezelberger
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - T Stürwald
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - T Stuttard
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - G W Sullivan
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - I Taboada
- School of Physics and Center for Relativistic Astrophysics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
| | - S Ter-Antonyan
- Department of Physics, Southern University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70813, USA
| | - J Thwaites
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - S Tilav
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - F Tischbein
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - K Tollefson
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - C Tönnis
- Institute of Basic Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - S Toscano
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - D Tosi
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | | | - M Tselengidou
- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - C F Tung
- School of Physics and Center for Relativistic Astrophysics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
| | - A Turcati
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - R Turcotte
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - C F Turley
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - J P Twagirayezu
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - B Ty
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - M A Unland Elorrieta
- Institut für Kernphysik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - N Valtonen-Mattila
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - J Vandenbroucke
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - N van Eijndhoven
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Dienst ELEM, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - D Vannerom
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | | | - J Veitch-Michaelis
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - S Verpoest
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Gent, B-9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - C Walck
- Oskar Klein Centre and Department of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - W Wang
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - T B Watson
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at Arlington, 502 Yates Street, Science Hall Rm 108, Box 19059, Arlington, Texas 76019, USA
| | - C Weaver
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - P Weigel
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - A Weindl
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - M J Weiss
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - J Weldert
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - C Wendt
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - J Werthebach
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - M Weyrauch
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - N Whitehorn
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, UCLA, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
| | - C H Wiebusch
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - N Willey
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - D R Williams
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487, USA
| | - M Wolf
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - G Wrede
- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - J Wulff
- Fakultät für Physik & Astronomie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - X W Xu
- Department of Physics, Southern University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70813, USA
| | - J P Yanez
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E1
| | - E Yildizci
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - S Yoshida
- Department of Physics and The International Center for Hadron Astrophysics, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - S Yu
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - T Yuan
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - Z Zhang
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794-3800, USA
| | - P Zhelnin
- Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
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18
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Behrends C, Bäcker CM, Schilling I, Zwiehoff S, Weingarten J, Kröninger K, Rehbock C, Barcikowski S, Wulff J, Bäumer C, Timmermann B. The radiosensitizing effect of platinum nanoparticles in proton irradiations is not caused by an enhanced proton energy deposition at the macroscopic scale. Phys Med Biol 2022; 67. [DOI: 10.1088/1361-6560/ac80e6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Objective. Due to the radiosensitizing effect of biocompatible noble metal nanoparticles (NPs), their administration is considered to potentially increase tumor control in radiotherapy. The underlying physical, chemical and biological mechanisms of the NPs’ radiosensitivity especially when interacting with proton radiation is not conclusive. In the following work, the energy deposition of protons in matter containing platinum nanoparticles (PtNPs) is experimentally investigated. Approach. Surfactant-free monomodal PtNPs with a mean diameter of (40 ± 10) nm and a concentration of 300 μg ml−1, demonstrably leading to a substantial production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), were homogeneously dispersed into cubic gelatin samples serving as tissue-like phantoms. Gelatin samples without PtNPs were used as control. The samples’ dimensions and contrast of the PtNPs were verified in a clinical computed tomography scanner. Fields from a clinical proton machine were used for depth dose and stopping power measurements downstream of both samples types. These experiments were performed with a variety of detectors at a pencil beam scanning beam line as well as a passive beam line with proton energies from about 56–200 MeV. Main results. The samples’ water equivalent ratios in terms of proton stopping as well as the mean proton energy deposition downstream of the samples with ROS-producing PtNPs compared to the samples without PtNPs showed no differences within the experimental uncertainties of about 2%. Significance. This study serves as experimental proof that the radiosensitizing effect of biocompatible PtNPs is not due to a macroscopically increased proton energy deposition, but is more likely caused by a catalytic effect of the PtNPs. Thus, these experiments provide a contribution to the highly discussed radiobiological question of the proton therapy efficiency with noble metal NPs and facilitate initial evidence that the dose calculation in treatment planning is straightforward and not affected by the presence of sensitizing PtNPs.
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19
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Abbasi R, Ackermann M, Adams J, Aguilar JA, Ahlers M, Ahrens M, Alameddine JM, Alispach C, Alves AA, Amin NM, Andeen K, Anderson T, Anton G, Argüelles C, Ashida Y, Axani S, Bai X, Balagopal A, Barbano A, Barwick SW, Bastian B, Basu V, Baur S, Bay R, Beatty JJ, Becker KH, Becker Tjus J, Bellenghi C, Benda S, BenZvi S, Berley D, Bernardini E, Besson DZ, Binder G, Bindig D, Blaufuss E, Blot S, Boddenberg M, Bontempo F, Borowka J, Böser S, Botner O, Böttcher J, Bourbeau E, Bradascio F, Braun J, Brinson B, Bron S, Brostean-Kaiser J, Browne S, Burgman A, Burley RT, Busse RS, Campana MA, Carnie-Bronca EG, Chen C, Chen Z, Chirkin D, Choi K, Clark BA, Clark K, Classen L, Coleman A, Collin GH, Conrad JM, Coppin P, Correa P, Cowen DF, Cross R, Dappen C, Dave P, De Clercq C, DeLaunay JJ, Delgado López D, Dembinski H, Deoskar K, Desai A, Desiati P, de Vries KD, de Wasseige G, de With M, DeYoung T, Diaz A, Díaz-Vélez JC, Dittmer M, Dujmovic H, Dunkman M, DuVernois MA, Dvorak E, Ehrhardt T, Eller P, Engel R, Erpenbeck H, Evans J, Evenson PA, Fan KL, Fazely AR, Fedynitch A, Feigl N, Fiedlschuster S, Fienberg AT, Filimonov K, Finley C, Fischer L, Fox D, Franckowiak A, Friedman E, Fritz A, Fürst P, Gaisser TK, Gallagher J, Ganster E, Garcia A, Garrappa S, Gerhardt L, Ghadimi A, Glaser C, Glauch T, Glüsenkamp T, Gonzalez JG, Goswami S, Grant D, Grégoire T, Griswold S, Günther C, Gutjahr P, Haack C, Hallgren A, Halliday R, Halve L, Halzen F, Ha Minh M, Hanson K, Hardin J, Harnisch AA, Haungs A, Hebecker D, Helbing K, Henningsen F, Hettinger EC, Hickford S, Hignight J, Hill C, Hill GC, Hoffman KD, Hoffmann R, Hoshina K, Huang F, Huber M, Huber T, Hultqvist K, Hünnefeld M, Hussain R, Hymon K, In S, Iovine N, Ishihara A, Jansson M, Japaridze GS, Jeong M, Jin M, Jones BJP, Kang D, Kang W, Kang X, Kappes A, Kappesser D, Kardum L, Karg T, Karl M, Karle A, Katz U, Kauer M, Kellermann M, Kelley JL, Kheirandish A, Kin K, Kintscher T, Kiryluk J, Klein SR, Koirala R, Kolanoski H, Kontrimas T, Köpke L, Kopper C, Kopper S, Koskinen DJ, Koundal P, Kovacevich M, Kowalski M, Kozynets T, Kun E, Kurahashi N, Lad N, Lagunas Gualda C, Lanfranchi JL, Larson MJ, Lauber F, Lazar JP, Lee JW, Leonard K, Leszczyńska A, Li Y, Lincetto M, Liu QR, Liubarska M, Lohfink E, Lozano Mariscal CJ, Lu L, Lucarelli F, Ludwig A, Luszczak W, Lyu Y, Ma WY, Madsen J, Mahn KBM, Makino Y, Mancina S, Mariş IC, Martinez-Soler I, Maruyama R, McCarthy S, McElroy T, McNally F, Mead JV, Meagher K, Mechbal S, Medina A, Meier M, Meighen-Berger S, Micallef J, Mockler D, Montaruli T, Moore RW, Morse R, Moulai M, Naab R, Nagai R, Naumann U, Necker J, Nguyễn LV, Niederhausen H, Nisa MU, Nowicki SC, Obertacke Pollmann A, Oehler M, Oeyen B, Olivas A, O'Sullivan E, Pandya H, Pankova DV, Park N, Parker GK, Paudel EN, Paul L, Pérez de Los Heros C, Peters L, Peterson J, Philippen S, Pieper S, Pittermann M, Pizzuto A, Plum M, Popovych Y, Porcelli A, Prado Rodriguez M, Price PB, Pries B, Przybylski GT, Raab C, Rack-Helleis J, Raissi A, Rameez M, Rawlins K, Rea IC, Rechav Z, Rehman A, Reichherzer P, Reimann R, Renzi G, Resconi E, Reusch S, Rhode W, Richman M, Riedel B, Roberts EJ, Robertson S, Roellinghoff G, Rongen M, Rott C, Ruhe T, Ryckbosch D, Rysewyk Cantu D, Safa I, Saffer J, Sanchez Herrera SE, Sandrock A, Santander M, Sarkar S, Sarkar S, Satalecka K, Schaufel M, Schieler H, Schindler S, Schmidt T, Schneider A, Schneider J, Schröder FG, Schumacher L, Schwefer G, Sclafani S, Seckel D, Seunarine S, Sharma A, Shefali S, Shimizu N, Silva M, Skrzypek B, Smithers B, Snihur R, Soedingrekso J, Soldin D, Spannfellner C, Spiczak GM, Spiering C, Stachurska J, Stamatikos M, Stanev T, Stein R, Stettner J, Stezelberger T, Stürwald T, Stuttard T, Sullivan GW, Taboada I, Ter-Antonyan S, Thwaites J, Tilav S, Tischbein F, Tollefson K, Tönnis C, Toscano S, Tosi D, Trettin A, Tselengidou M, Tung CF, Turcati A, Turcotte R, Turley CF, Twagirayezu JP, Ty B, Unland Elorrieta MA, Valtonen-Mattila N, Vandenbroucke J, van Eijndhoven N, Vannerom D, van Santen J, Veitch-Michaelis J, Verpoest S, Walck C, Wang W, Watson TB, Weaver C, Weigel P, Weindl A, Weiss MJ, Weldert J, Wendt C, Werthebach J, Weyrauch M, Whitehorn N, Wiebusch CH, Williams DR, Wolf M, Woschnagg K, Wrede G, Wulff J, Xu XW, Yanez JP, Yildizci E, Yoshida S, Yu S, Yuan T, Zhang Z, Zhelnin P. Strong Constraints on Neutrino Nonstandard Interactions from TeV-Scale ν_{μ} Disappearance at IceCube. Phys Rev Lett 2022; 129:011804. [PMID: 35841552 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.129.011804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/01/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
We report a search for nonstandard neutrino interactions (NSI) using eight years of TeV-scale atmospheric muon neutrino data from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. By reconstructing incident energies and zenith angles for atmospheric neutrino events, this analysis presents unified confidence intervals for the NSI parameter ε_{μτ}. The best-fit value is consistent with no NSI at a p value of 25.2%. With a 90% confidence interval of -0.0041≤ε_{μτ}≤0.0031 along the real axis and similar strength in the complex plane, this result is the strongest constraint on any NSI parameter from any oscillation channel to date.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Abbasi
- Department of Physics, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60660, USA
| | | | - J Adams
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - J A Aguilar
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - M Ahlers
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - M Ahrens
- Oskar Klein Centre and Department of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - J M Alameddine
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - C Alispach
- Département de physique nucléaire et corpusculaire, Université de Genève, CH-1211 Genève, Switzerland
| | - A A Alves
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - N M Amin
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - K Andeen
- Department of Physics, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201, USA
| | - T Anderson
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - G Anton
- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - C Argüelles
- Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
| | - Y Ashida
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - S Axani
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - X Bai
- Physics Department, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, South Dakota 57701, USA
| | - A Balagopal
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - A Barbano
- Département de physique nucléaire et corpusculaire, Université de Genève, CH-1211 Genève, Switzerland
| | - S W Barwick
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, USA
| | | | - V Basu
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - S Baur
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - R Bay
- Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - J J Beatty
- Department of Astronomy, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
- Department of Physics and Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
| | - K-H Becker
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - J Becker Tjus
- Fakultät für Physik & Astronomie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - C Bellenghi
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - S Benda
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - S BenZvi
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, USA
| | - D Berley
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | | | - D Z Besson
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045, USA
| | - G Binder
- Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - D Bindig
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - E Blaufuss
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - S Blot
- DESY, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - M Boddenberg
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - F Bontempo
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - J Borowka
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - S Böser
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - O Botner
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - J Böttcher
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - E Bourbeau
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - J Braun
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - B Brinson
- School of Physics and Center for Relativistic Astrophysics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
| | - S Bron
- Département de physique nucléaire et corpusculaire, Université de Genève, CH-1211 Genève, Switzerland
| | | | - S Browne
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Experimental Particle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - A Burgman
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - R T Burley
- Department of Physics, University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia
| | - R S Busse
- Institut für Kernphysik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - M A Campana
- Department of Physics, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - E G Carnie-Bronca
- Department of Physics, University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia
| | - C Chen
- School of Physics and Center for Relativistic Astrophysics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
| | - Z Chen
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794-3800, USA
| | - D Chirkin
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - K Choi
- Department of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - B A Clark
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - K Clark
- Department of Physics, Engineering Physics, and Astronomy, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - L Classen
- Institut für Kernphysik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - A Coleman
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - G H Collin
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - J M Conrad
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - P Coppin
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Dienst ELEM, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - P Correa
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Dienst ELEM, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - D F Cowen
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - R Cross
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, USA
| | - C Dappen
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - P Dave
- School of Physics and Center for Relativistic Astrophysics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
| | - C De Clercq
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Dienst ELEM, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - J J DeLaunay
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487, USA
| | - D Delgado López
- Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
| | - H Dembinski
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - K Deoskar
- Oskar Klein Centre and Department of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - A Desai
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - P Desiati
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - K D de Vries
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Dienst ELEM, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - G de Wasseige
- Centre for Cosmology, Particle Physics and Phenomenology-CP3, Université catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
| | - M de With
- Institut für Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, D-12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - T DeYoung
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - A Diaz
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - J C Díaz-Vélez
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - M Dittmer
- Institut für Kernphysik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - H Dujmovic
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - M Dunkman
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - M A DuVernois
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - E Dvorak
- Physics Department, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, South Dakota 57701, USA
| | - T Ehrhardt
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - P Eller
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - R Engel
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Experimental Particle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - H Erpenbeck
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - J Evans
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - P A Evenson
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - K L Fan
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - A R Fazely
- Department of Physics, Southern University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70813, USA
| | - A Fedynitch
- Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica, Taipei 11529, Taiwan
| | - N Feigl
- Institut für Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, D-12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - S Fiedlschuster
- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - A T Fienberg
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - K Filimonov
- Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - C Finley
- Oskar Klein Centre and Department of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - D Fox
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - A Franckowiak
- Fakultät für Physik & Astronomie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
- DESY, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - E Friedman
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - A Fritz
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - P Fürst
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - T K Gaisser
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - J Gallagher
- Department of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - E Ganster
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - A Garcia
- Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
| | | | - L Gerhardt
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - A Ghadimi
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487, USA
| | - C Glaser
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - T Glauch
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - T Glüsenkamp
- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - J G Gonzalez
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - S Goswami
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487, USA
| | - D Grant
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - T Grégoire
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - S Griswold
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, USA
| | - C Günther
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - P Gutjahr
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - C Haack
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - A Hallgren
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - R Halliday
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - L Halve
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - F Halzen
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - M Ha Minh
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - K Hanson
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - J Hardin
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - A A Harnisch
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - A Haungs
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - D Hebecker
- Institut für Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, D-12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - K Helbing
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - F Henningsen
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - E C Hettinger
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - S Hickford
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - J Hignight
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E1
| | - C Hill
- Department of Physics and The International Center for Hadron Astrophysics, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - G C Hill
- Department of Physics, University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia
| | - K D Hoffman
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - R Hoffmann
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - K Hoshina
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - F Huang
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - M Huber
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - T Huber
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - K Hultqvist
- Oskar Klein Centre and Department of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - M Hünnefeld
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - R Hussain
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - K Hymon
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - S In
- Department of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - N Iovine
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - A Ishihara
- Department of Physics and The International Center for Hadron Astrophysics, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - M Jansson
- Oskar Klein Centre and Department of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - G S Japaridze
- CTSPS, Clark-Atlanta University, Atlanta, Georgia 30314, USA
| | - M Jeong
- Department of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - M Jin
- Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
| | - B J P Jones
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at Arlington, 502 Yates St., Science Hall Rm 108, Box 19059, Arlington, Texas 76019, USA
| | - D Kang
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - W Kang
- Department of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - X Kang
- Department of Physics, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - A Kappes
- Institut für Kernphysik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - D Kappesser
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - L Kardum
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - T Karg
- DESY, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - M Karl
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - A Karle
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - U Katz
- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - M Kauer
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - M Kellermann
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - J L Kelley
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - A Kheirandish
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - K Kin
- Department of Physics and The International Center for Hadron Astrophysics, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | | | - J Kiryluk
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794-3800, USA
| | - S R Klein
- Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - R Koirala
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - H Kolanoski
- Institut für Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, D-12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - T Kontrimas
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - L Köpke
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - C Kopper
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - S Kopper
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487, USA
| | - D J Koskinen
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - P Koundal
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - M Kovacevich
- Department of Physics, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - M Kowalski
- Institut für Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, D-12489 Berlin, Germany
- DESY, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - T Kozynets
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - E Kun
- Fakultät für Physik & Astronomie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - N Kurahashi
- Department of Physics, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - N Lad
- DESY, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | | | - J L Lanfranchi
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - M J Larson
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - F Lauber
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - J P Lazar
- Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - J W Lee
- Department of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - K Leonard
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - A Leszczyńska
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Experimental Particle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Y Li
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - M Lincetto
- Fakultät für Physik & Astronomie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - Q R Liu
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - M Liubarska
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E1
| | - E Lohfink
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - C J Lozano Mariscal
- Institut für Kernphysik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - L Lu
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - F Lucarelli
- Département de physique nucléaire et corpusculaire, Université de Genève, CH-1211 Genève, Switzerland
| | - A Ludwig
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, UCLA, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
| | - W Luszczak
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - Y Lyu
- Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - W Y Ma
- DESY, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - J Madsen
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - K B M Mahn
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - Y Makino
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - S Mancina
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - I C Mariş
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - I Martinez-Soler
- Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
| | - R Maruyama
- Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA
| | - S McCarthy
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - T McElroy
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E1
| | - F McNally
- Department of Physics, Mercer University, Macon, Georgia 31207-0001, USA
| | - J V Mead
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - K Meagher
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | | | - A Medina
- Department of Physics and Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
| | - M Meier
- Department of Physics and The International Center for Hadron Astrophysics, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - S Meighen-Berger
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - J Micallef
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - D Mockler
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - T Montaruli
- Département de physique nucléaire et corpusculaire, Université de Genève, CH-1211 Genève, Switzerland
| | - R W Moore
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E1
| | - R Morse
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - M Moulai
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - R Naab
- DESY, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - R Nagai
- Department of Physics and The International Center for Hadron Astrophysics, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - U Naumann
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | | | - L V Nguyễn
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - H Niederhausen
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - M U Nisa
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - S C Nowicki
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | | | - M Oehler
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - B Oeyen
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Gent, B-9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - A Olivas
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - E O'Sullivan
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - H Pandya
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - D V Pankova
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - N Park
- Department of Physics, Engineering Physics, and Astronomy, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - G K Parker
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at Arlington, 502 Yates St., Science Hall Rm 108, Box 19059, Arlington, Texas 76019, USA
| | - E N Paudel
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - L Paul
- Department of Physics, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201, USA
| | - C Pérez de Los Heros
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - L Peters
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - J Peterson
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - S Philippen
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - S Pieper
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - M Pittermann
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Experimental Particle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - A Pizzuto
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - M Plum
- Department of Physics, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201, USA
| | - Y Popovych
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - A Porcelli
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Gent, B-9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - M Prado Rodriguez
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - P B Price
- Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - B Pries
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - G T Przybylski
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - C Raab
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - J Rack-Helleis
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - A Raissi
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - M Rameez
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - K Rawlins
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alaska Anchorage, 3211 Providence Dr., Anchorage, Alaska 99508, USA
| | - I C Rea
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - Z Rechav
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - A Rehman
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - P Reichherzer
- Fakultät für Physik & Astronomie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - R Reimann
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - G Renzi
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - E Resconi
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | | | - W Rhode
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - M Richman
- Department of Physics, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - B Riedel
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - E J Roberts
- Department of Physics, University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia
| | - S Robertson
- Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - G Roellinghoff
- Department of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - M Rongen
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - C Rott
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, USA
- Department of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - T Ruhe
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - D Ryckbosch
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Gent, B-9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - D Rysewyk Cantu
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - I Safa
- Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - J Saffer
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Experimental Particle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - S E Sanchez Herrera
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - A Sandrock
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - M Santander
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487, USA
| | - S Sarkar
- Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PU, United Kingdom
| | - S Sarkar
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E1
| | | | - M Schaufel
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - H Schieler
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - S Schindler
- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - T Schmidt
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - A Schneider
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - J Schneider
- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - F G Schröder
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - L Schumacher
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - G Schwefer
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - S Sclafani
- Department of Physics, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - D Seckel
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - S Seunarine
- Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, River Falls, Wisconsin 54022, USA
| | - A Sharma
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - S Shefali
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Experimental Particle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - N Shimizu
- Department of Physics and The International Center for Hadron Astrophysics, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - M Silva
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - B Skrzypek
- Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
| | - B Smithers
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at Arlington, 502 Yates St., Science Hall Rm 108, Box 19059, Arlington, Texas 76019, USA
| | - R Snihur
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - J Soedingrekso
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - D Soldin
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - C Spannfellner
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - G M Spiczak
- Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, River Falls, Wisconsin 54022, USA
| | | | | | - M Stamatikos
- Department of Physics and Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
| | - T Stanev
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - R Stein
- DESY, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - J Stettner
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - T Stezelberger
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - T Stürwald
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - T Stuttard
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - G W Sullivan
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - I Taboada
- School of Physics and Center for Relativistic Astrophysics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
| | - S Ter-Antonyan
- Department of Physics, Southern University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70813, USA
| | - J Thwaites
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - S Tilav
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - F Tischbein
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - K Tollefson
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - C Tönnis
- Institute of Basic Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - S Toscano
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - D Tosi
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | | | - M Tselengidou
- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - C F Tung
- School of Physics and Center for Relativistic Astrophysics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
| | - A Turcati
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - R Turcotte
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - C F Turley
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - J P Twagirayezu
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - B Ty
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - M A Unland Elorrieta
- Institut für Kernphysik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - N Valtonen-Mattila
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - J Vandenbroucke
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - N van Eijndhoven
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Dienst ELEM, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - D Vannerom
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | | | - J Veitch-Michaelis
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - S Verpoest
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Gent, B-9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - C Walck
- Oskar Klein Centre and Department of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - W Wang
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - T B Watson
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at Arlington, 502 Yates St., Science Hall Rm 108, Box 19059, Arlington, Texas 76019, USA
| | - C Weaver
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - P Weigel
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - A Weindl
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - M J Weiss
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - J Weldert
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - C Wendt
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - J Werthebach
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - M Weyrauch
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Experimental Particle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - N Whitehorn
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, UCLA, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
| | - C H Wiebusch
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - D R Williams
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487, USA
| | - M Wolf
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - K Woschnagg
- Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - G Wrede
- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - J Wulff
- Fakultät für Physik & Astronomie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - X W Xu
- Department of Physics, Southern University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70813, USA
| | - J P Yanez
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2E1
| | - E Yildizci
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - S Yoshida
- Department of Physics and The International Center for Hadron Astrophysics, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - S Yu
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - T Yuan
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - Z Zhang
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794-3800, USA
| | - P Zhelnin
- Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
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20
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De Saint-Hubert M, Verbeek N, Bäumer C, Esser J, Wulff J, Nabha R, Van Hoey O, Dabin J, Stuckmann F, Vasi F, Radonic S, Boissonnat G, Schneider U, Rodriguez M, Timmermann B, Thierry-Chef I, Brualla L. Validation of a Monte Carlo Framework for Out-of-Field Dose Calculations in Proton Therapy. Front Oncol 2022; 12:882489. [PMID: 35756661 PMCID: PMC9213663 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.882489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 05/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Proton therapy enables to deliver highly conformed dose distributions owing to the characteristic Bragg peak and the finite range of protons. However, during proton therapy, secondary neutrons are created, which can travel long distances and deposit dose in out-of-field volumes. This out-of-field absorbed dose needs to be considered for radiation-induced secondary cancers, which are particularly relevant in the case of pediatric treatments. Unfortunately, no method exists in clinics for the computation of the out-of-field dose distributions in proton therapy. To help overcome this limitation, a computational tool has been developed based on the Monte Carlo code TOPAS. The purpose of this work is to evaluate the accuracy of this tool in comparison to experimental data obtained from an anthropomorphic phantom irradiation. An anthropomorphic phantom of a 5-year-old child (ATOM, CIRS) was irradiated for a brain tumor treatment in an IBA Proteus Plus facility using a pencil beam dedicated nozzle. The treatment consisted of three pencil beam scanning fields employing a lucite range shifter. Proton energies ranged from 100 to 165 MeV. A median dose of 50.4 Gy(RBE) with 1.8 Gy(RBE) per fraction was prescribed to the initial planning target volume (PTV), which was located in the cerebellum. Thermoluminescent detectors (TLDs), namely, Li-7-enriched LiF : Mg, Ti (MTS-7) type, were used to detect gamma radiation, which is produced by nuclear reactions, and secondary as well as recoil protons created out-of-field by secondary neutrons. Li-6-enriched LiF : Mg,Cu,P (MCP-6) was combined with Li-7-enriched MCP-7 to measure thermal neutrons. TLDs were calibrated in Co-60 and reported on absorbed dose in water per target dose (μGy/Gy) as well as thermal neutron dose equivalent per target dose (μSv/Gy). Additionally, bubble detectors for personal neutron dosimetry (BD-PND) were used for measuring neutrons (>50 keV), which were calibrated in a Cf-252 neutron beam to report on neutron dose equivalent dose data. The Monte Carlo code TOPAS (version 3.6) was run using a phase-space file containing 1010 histories reaching an average standard statistical uncertainty of less than 0.2% (coverage factor k = 1) on all voxels scoring more than 50% of the maximum dose. The primary beam was modeled following a Fermi–Eyges description of the spot envelope fitted to measurements. For the Monte Carlo simulation, the chemical composition of the tissues represented in ATOM was employed. The dose was tallied as dose-to-water, and data were normalized to the target dose (physical dose) to report on absorbed doses per target dose (mSv/Gy) or neutron dose equivalent per target dose (μSv/Gy), while also an estimate of the total organ dose was provided for a target dose of 50.4 Gy(RBE). Out-of-field doses showed absorbed doses that were 5 to 6 orders of magnitude lower than the target dose. The discrepancy between TLD data and the corresponding scored values in the Monte Carlo calculations involving proton and gamma contributions was on average 18%. The comparison between the neutron equivalent doses between the Monte Carlo simulation and the measured neutron doses was on average 8%. Organ dose calculations revealed the highest dose for the thyroid, which was 120 mSv, while other organ doses ranged from 18 mSv in the lungs to 0.6 mSv in the testes. The proposed computational method for routine calculation of the out-of-the-field dose in proton therapy produces results that are compatible with the experimental data and allow to calculate out-of-field organ doses during proton therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marijke De Saint-Hubert
- Research in Dosimetric Applications, Belgian Nuclear Research Center (SCK CEN), Mol, Belgium
| | - Nico Verbeek
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen WPE, Essen, Germany.,West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Essen, Germany.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Christian Bäumer
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen WPE, Essen, Germany.,West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Essen, Germany.,Radiation Oncology and Imaging, German Cancer Consortium DKTK, Heidelberg, Germany.,Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Johannes Esser
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen WPE, Essen, Germany.,West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Essen, Germany.,Faculty of Mathematics and Science Institute of Physics and Medical Physics. Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Jörg Wulff
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen WPE, Essen, Germany.,West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Essen, Germany
| | - Racell Nabha
- Research in Dosimetric Applications, Belgian Nuclear Research Center (SCK CEN), Mol, Belgium
| | - Olivier Van Hoey
- Research in Dosimetric Applications, Belgian Nuclear Research Center (SCK CEN), Mol, Belgium
| | - Jérémie Dabin
- Research in Dosimetric Applications, Belgian Nuclear Research Center (SCK CEN), Mol, Belgium
| | - Florian Stuckmann
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen WPE, Essen, Germany.,Faculty of Mathematics and Science Institute of Physics and Medical Physics. Heinrich-Heine University, Düsseldorf, Germany.,Klinikum Fulda GAG, Universitätsmedizin Marburg, Fulda, Zurich, Germany
| | - Fabiano Vasi
- Physik Institut, Universität Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | | | | | - Uwe Schneider
- Physik Institut, Universität Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Miguel Rodriguez
- Hospital Paitilla, Panama City, Panama.,Instituto de Investigaciones Cientificas y de Alta Tecnología INDICASAT-AIP, Panama City, Panama
| | - Beate Timmermann
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen WPE, Essen, Germany.,West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Essen, Germany.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.,Radiation Oncology and Imaging, German Cancer Consortium DKTK, Heidelberg, Germany.,Department of Particle Therapy, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Isabelle Thierry-Chef
- Radiation Programme, Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), Barcelona, Spain.,University Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain.,CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública, Madrid, Spain
| | - Lorenzo Brualla
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen WPE, Essen, Germany.,West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Essen, Germany.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany
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21
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Gale D, Heider K, Ruiz-Valdepenas A, Hackinger S, Perry M, Marsico G, Rundell V, Wulff J, Sharma G, Knock H, Castedo J, Cooper W, Zhao H, Smith CG, Garg S, Anand S, Howarth K, Gilligan D, Harden SV, Rassl DM, Rintoul RC, Rosenfeld N. Residual ctDNA after treatment predicts early relapse in patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer. Ann Oncol 2022; 33:500-510. [PMID: 35306155 PMCID: PMC9067454 DOI: 10.1016/j.annonc.2022.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 115] [Impact Index Per Article: 57.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Revised: 02/02/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Identification of residual disease in patients with localized non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) following treatment with curative intent holds promise to identify patients at risk of relapse. New methods can detect circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) in plasma to fractional concentrations as low as a few parts per million, and clinical evidence is required to inform their use. PATIENTS AND METHODS We analyzed 363 serial plasma samples from 88 patients with early-stage NSCLC (48.9%/28.4%/22.7% at stage I/II/III), predominantly adenocarcinomas (62.5%), treated with curative intent by surgery (n = 61), surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy/radiotherapy (n = 8), or chemoradiotherapy (n = 19). Tumour exome sequencing identified somatic mutations and plasma was analyzed using patient-specific RaDaR™ assays with up to 48 amplicons targeting tumour-specific variants unique to each patient. RESULTS ctDNA was detected before treatment in 24%, 77% and 87% of patients with stage I, II and III disease, respectively, and in 26% of all longitudinal samples. The median tumour fraction detected was 0.042%, with 63% of samples <0.1% and 36% of samples <0.01%. ctDNA detection had clinical specificity >98.5% and preceded clinical detection of recurrence of the primary tumour by a median of 212.5 days. ctDNA was detected after treatment in 18/28 (64.3%) of patients who had clinical recurrence of their primary tumour. Detection within the landmark timepoint 2 weeks to 4 months after treatment end occurred in 17% of patients, and was associated with shorter recurrence-free survival [hazard ratio (HR): 14.8, P <0.00001] and overall survival (HR: 5.48, P <0.0003). ctDNA was detected 1-3 days after surgery in 25% of patients yet was not associated with disease recurrence. Detection before treatment was associated with shorter overall survival and recurrence-free survival (HR: 2.97 and 3.14, P values 0.01 and 0.003, respectively). CONCLUSIONS ctDNA detection after initial treatment of patients with early-stage NSCLC using sensitive patient-specific assays has potential to identify patients who may benefit from further therapeutic intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Gale
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre - Cambridge, Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge, UK
| | - K Heider
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre - Cambridge, Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge, UK
| | - A Ruiz-Valdepenas
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre - Cambridge, Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge, UK
| | - S Hackinger
- Inivata Ltd, The Glenn Berge Building, Babraham Research Park, Babraham, Cambridge, UK
| | - M Perry
- Inivata Ltd, The Glenn Berge Building, Babraham Research Park, Babraham, Cambridge, UK
| | - G Marsico
- Inivata Ltd, The Glenn Berge Building, Babraham Research Park, Babraham, Cambridge, UK
| | - V Rundell
- Cambridge Clinical Trials Unit - Cancer Theme, Cambridge, UK
| | - J Wulff
- Cambridge Clinical Trials Unit - Cancer Theme, Cambridge, UK
| | - G Sharma
- Inivata Ltd, The Glenn Berge Building, Babraham Research Park, Babraham, Cambridge, UK
| | - H Knock
- Cambridge Clinical Trials Unit - Cancer Theme, Cambridge, UK
| | - J Castedo
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre - Cambridge, Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge, UK; Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
| | - W Cooper
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre - Cambridge, Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge, UK
| | - H Zhao
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre - Cambridge, Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge, UK
| | - C G Smith
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre - Cambridge, Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge, UK
| | - S Garg
- Cancer Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, Clifford Allbutt Building, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - S Anand
- Cancer Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, Clifford Allbutt Building, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - K Howarth
- Inivata Ltd, The Glenn Berge Building, Babraham Research Park, Babraham, Cambridge, UK
| | - D Gilligan
- Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK; Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - D M Rassl
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre - Cambridge, Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge, UK; Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
| | - R C Rintoul
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre - Cambridge, Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge, UK; Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK; Department of Oncology, University of Cambridge Hutchison-MRC Research Centre, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, UK.
| | - N Rosenfeld
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre - Cambridge, Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, Li Ka Shing Centre, Cambridge, UK; Inivata Ltd, The Glenn Berge Building, Babraham Research Park, Babraham, Cambridge, UK.
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22
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Kretschmer J, Brodbek L, Behrends C, Kugel F, Koska B, Bäumer C, Wulff J, Timmermann B, Looe H, Poppe B. PD-0814 Quantification and correction of volume effect perturbations from detectors in small proton fields. Radiother Oncol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/s0167-8140(22)02955-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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23
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Wulff J, Koska B, Janson M, Bäumer C, Denker A, Geismar D, Gollrad J, Timmermann B, Heufelder J. Technical Note: Impact of Beam Properties for Uveal Melanoma Proton Therapy - An In-Silico Planning Study. Med Phys 2022; 49:3481-3488. [PMID: 35218037 DOI: 10.1002/mp.15573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Revised: 02/19/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE To evaluate the impact of beam quality in terms of distal fall-off (DFO, 90% to 10%) and lateral penumbra (LP, 80% to 20%) of single beam ocular proton treatment (OPT) and to derive resulting ideal requirements for future systems. METHODS Nine different beam models with DFO varying between 1 mm and 4 mm and LP between 1 mm and 4 mm were created. Beam models were incorporated into the RayStation with RayOcular TPS version 10 B (RaySearch Laboratories, Sweden). Each beam model was applied for eight typical clinical cases, covering different sizes and locations of uveal melanoma. Plans with and without an additional wedge were created, resulting in 117 plans with a total prescribed median dose of 60 Gy(RBE) to the CTV. Treatment plans were analyzed in terms of V20-V80 penumbra volume, D1 (dose to 1% of the volume) for optic disc and macula, optic nerve V30 (volume receiving 30 Gy(RBE), i.e. 50% of prescription), as well as average dose to lens and ciliary body. A LP dependent aperture margin was based on estimated uncertainties, ranging from 1.7 mm to 4.0 mm. RESULTS V20-V80 showed a strong influence by LP, while DFO was less relevant. The optic disc D1 reached an extra dose of up to 3000 cGy(RBE), comparing the defined technical limit of DFO = LP = 1 mm with DFO = 3 mm/ LP = 4 mm. The latter may result from a pencil-beam scanning (PBS) system with static apertures. Plans employing a wedge showed an improvement for organs at risk (OAR) sparing. CONCLUSION Plan quality is strongly influenced by initial beam parameters. The impact of LP is more pronounced when compared to DFO. The latter becomes important in the treatment of posterior tumors near the macula, optic disc or optic nerve. The plan quality achieved by dedicated OPT nozzles in single- or double-scattering design might not be achievable with modified PBS systems. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Wulff
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), Essen, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.,West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), Essen, Germany
| | - B Koska
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), Essen, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.,West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), Essen, Germany
| | - M Janson
- RaySearch Laboratories, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - C Bäumer
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), Essen, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.,West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), Essen, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany.,TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany
| | - A Denker
- Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie, Protonentherapie, Germany.,Beuth-Hochschule für Technik, Berlin, Germany
| | - D Geismar
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), Essen, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.,West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), Essen, Germany.,Department of Particle Therapy, Essen, Germany
| | - J Gollrad
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Radiation Oncology and Radiotherapy, Berlin, Germany
| | - B Timmermann
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), Essen, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.,West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), Essen, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany.,Department of Particle Therapy, Essen, Germany
| | - J Heufelder
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Department of Ophthalmology, Berlin, Germany.,Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, BerlinProtonen am Helmholtz-Zentrum für Materialien und Energie, Berlin, Germany
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Abbasi R, Ackermann M, Adams J, Aguilar JA, Ahlers M, Ahrens M, Alispach C, Alves AA, Amin NM, An R, Andeen K, Anderson T, Anton G, Argüelles C, Ashida Y, Axani S, Bai X, Balagopal V A, Barbano A, Barwick SW, Bastian B, Basu V, Baur S, Bay R, Beatty JJ, Becker KH, Becker Tjus J, Bellenghi C, BenZvi S, Berley D, Bernardini E, Besson DZ, Binder G, Bindig D, Blaufuss E, Blot S, Boddenberg M, Bontempo F, Borowka J, Böser S, Botner O, Böttcher J, Bourbeau E, Bradascio F, Braun J, Bron S, Brostean-Kaiser J, Browne S, Burgman A, Burley RT, Busse RS, Campana MA, Carnie-Bronca EG, Chen C, Chen Z, Chirkin D, Choi K, Clark BA, Clark K, Classen L, Coleman A, Collin GH, Conrad JM, Coppin P, Correa P, Cowen DF, Cross R, Dappen C, Dave P, De Clercq C, DeLaunay JJ, Dembinski H, Deoskar K, Desai A, Desiati P, de Vries KD, de Wasseige G, de With M, DeYoung T, Dharani S, Diaz A, Díaz-Vélez JC, Dittmer M, Dujmovic H, Dunkman M, DuVernois MA, Dvorak E, Ehrhardt T, Eller P, Engel R, Erpenbeck H, Evans J, Evenson PA, Fan KL, Fazely AR, Feigl N, Fiedlschuster S, Fienberg AT, Filimonov K, Finley C, Fischer L, Fox D, Franckowiak A, Friedman E, Fritz A, Fürst P, Gaisser TK, Gallagher J, Ganster E, Garcia A, Garrappa S, Gerhardt L, Ghadimi A, Glaser C, Glauch T, Glüsenkamp T, Gonzalez JG, Goswami S, Grant D, Grégoire T, Griswold S, Gündüz M, Günther C, Haack C, Hallgren A, Halliday R, Halve L, Halzen F, Ha Minh M, Hanson K, Hardin J, Harnisch AA, Haungs A, Hauser S, Hebecker D, Helbing K, Henningsen F, Hettinger EC, Hickford S, Hignight J, Hill C, Hill GC, Hoffman KD, Hoffmann R, Hoinka T, Hokanson-Fasig B, Hoshina K, Huang F, Huber M, Huber T, Hultqvist K, Hünnefeld M, Hussain R, In S, Iovine N, Ishihara A, Jansson M, Japaridze GS, Jeong M, Jones BJP, Kang D, Kang W, Kang X, Kappes A, Kappesser D, Karg T, Karl M, Karle A, Katz U, Kauer M, Kellermann M, Kelley JL, Kheirandish A, Kin K, Kintscher T, Kiryluk J, Klein SR, Koirala R, Kolanoski H, Kontrimas T, Köpke L, Kopper C, Kopper S, Koskinen DJ, Koundal P, Kovacevich M, Kowalski M, Kozynets T, Kun E, Kurahashi N, Lad N, Lagunas Gualda C, Lanfranchi JL, Larson MJ, Lauber F, Lazar JP, Lee JW, Leonard K, Leszczyńska A, Li Y, Lincetto M, Liu QR, Liubarska M, Lohfink E, Lozano Mariscal CJ, Lu L, Lucarelli F, Ludwig A, Luszczak W, Lyu Y, Ma WY, Madsen J, Mahn KBM, Makino Y, Mancina S, Mariş IC, Maruyama R, Mase K, McElroy T, McNally F, Mead JV, Meagher K, Mechbal S, Medina A, Meier M, Meighen-Berger S, Micallef J, Mockler D, Montaruli T, Moore RW, Morse R, Moulai M, Naab R, Nagai R, Naumann U, Necker J, Nguyễn LV, Niederhausen H, Nisa MU, Nowicki SC, Obertacke Pollmann A, Oehler M, Oeyen B, Olivas A, O'Sullivan E, Pandya H, Pankova DV, Park N, Parker GK, Paudel EN, Paul L, Pérez de Los Heros C, Peters L, Peterson J, Philippen S, Pieloth D, Pieper S, Pittermann M, Pizzuto A, Plum M, Popovych Y, Porcelli A, Prado Rodriguez M, Price PB, Pries B, Przybylski GT, Raab C, Raissi A, Rameez M, Rawlins K, Rea IC, Rehman A, Reichherzer P, Reimann R, Renzi G, Resconi E, Reusch S, Rhode W, Richman M, Riedel B, Roberts EJ, Robertson S, Roellinghoff G, Rongen M, Rott C, Ruhe T, Ryckbosch D, Rysewyk Cantu D, Safa I, Saffer J, Sanchez Herrera SE, Sandrock A, Sandroos J, Santander M, Sarkar S, Sarkar S, Satalecka K, Scharf M, Schaufel M, Schieler H, Schindler S, Schlunder P, Schmidt T, Schneider A, Schneider J, Schröder FG, Schumacher L, Schwefer G, Sclafani S, Seckel D, Seunarine S, Sharma A, Shefali S, Silva M, Skrzypek B, Smithers B, Snihur R, Soedingrekso J, Soldin D, Spannfellner C, Spiczak GM, Spiering C, Stachurska J, Stamatikos M, Stanev T, Stein R, Stettner J, Steuer A, Stezelberger T, Stürwald T, Stuttard T, Sullivan GW, Taboada I, Tenholt F, Ter-Antonyan S, Tilav S, Tischbein F, Tollefson K, Tomankova L, Tönnis C, Toscano S, Tosi D, Trettin A, Tselengidou M, Tung CF, Turcati A, Turcotte R, Turley CF, Twagirayezu JP, Ty B, Unland Elorrieta MA, Valtonen-Mattila N, Vandenbroucke J, van Eijndhoven N, Vannerom D, van Santen J, Verpoest S, Walck C, Watson TB, Weaver C, Weigel P, Weindl A, Weiss MJ, Weldert J, Wendt C, Werthebach J, Weyrauch M, Whitehorn N, Wiebusch CH, Williams DR, Wolf M, Woschnagg K, Wrede G, Wulff J, Xu XW, Yanez JP, Yoshida S, Yu S, Yuan T, Zhang Z. Search for Relativistic Magnetic Monopoles with Eight Years of IceCube Data. Phys Rev Lett 2022; 128:051101. [PMID: 35179913 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.128.051101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
We present an all-sky 90% confidence level upper limit on the cosmic flux of relativistic magnetic monopoles using 2886 days of IceCube data. The analysis was optimized for monopole speeds between 0.750c and 0.995c, without any explicit restriction on the monopole mass. We constrain the flux of relativistic cosmic magnetic monopoles to a level below 2.0×10^{-19} cm^{-2} s^{-1} sr^{-1} over the majority of the targeted speed range. This result constitutes the most strict upper limit to date for magnetic monopoles with β≳0.8 and up to β∼0.995 and fills the gap between existing limits on the cosmic flux of nonrelativistic and ultrarelativistic magnetic monopoles.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Abbasi
- Department of Physics, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60660, USA
| | | | - J Adams
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - J A Aguilar
- Science Faculty CP230, Université Libre de Bruxelles, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - M Ahlers
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - M Ahrens
- Oskar Klein Centre and Department of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - C Alispach
- Département de physique nucléaire et corpusculaire, Université de Genève, CH-1211 Genève, Switzerland
| | - A A Alves
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - N M Amin
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - R An
- Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
| | - K Andeen
- Department of Physics, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53201, USA
| | - T Anderson
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - G Anton
- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - C Argüelles
- Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
| | - Y Ashida
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - S Axani
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - X Bai
- Physics Department, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, South Dakota 57701, USA
| | - A Balagopal V
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - A Barbano
- Département de physique nucléaire et corpusculaire, Université de Genève, CH-1211 Genève, Switzerland
| | - S W Barwick
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, USA
| | | | - V Basu
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - S Baur
- Science Faculty CP230, Université Libre de Bruxelles, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - R Bay
- Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - J J Beatty
- Department of Astronomy, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
- Department of Physics and Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
| | - K-H Becker
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - J Becker Tjus
- Fakultät für Physik and Astronomie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - C Bellenghi
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - S BenZvi
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, USA
| | - D Berley
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | | | - D Z Besson
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045, USA
| | - G Binder
- Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - D Bindig
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - E Blaufuss
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - S Blot
- DESY, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - M Boddenberg
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - F Bontempo
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - J Borowka
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - S Böser
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - O Botner
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - J Böttcher
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - E Bourbeau
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - J Braun
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - S Bron
- Département de physique nucléaire et corpusculaire, Université de Genève, CH-1211 Genève, Switzerland
| | | | - S Browne
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Experimental Particle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - A Burgman
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - R T Burley
- Department of Physics, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
| | - R S Busse
- Institut für Kernphysik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - M A Campana
- Department of Physics, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - E G Carnie-Bronca
- Department of Physics, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
| | - C Chen
- School of Physics and Center for Relativistic Astrophysics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
| | - Z Chen
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794-3800, USA
| | - D Chirkin
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - K Choi
- Department of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - B A Clark
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - K Clark
- Department of Physics, Engineering Physics, and Astronomy, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - L Classen
- Institut für Kernphysik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - A Coleman
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - G H Collin
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - J M Conrad
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - P Coppin
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Dienst ELEM, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - P Correa
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Dienst ELEM, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - D F Cowen
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - R Cross
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, USA
| | - C Dappen
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - P Dave
- School of Physics and Center for Relativistic Astrophysics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
| | - C De Clercq
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Dienst ELEM, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - J J DeLaunay
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487, USA
| | - H Dembinski
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - K Deoskar
- Oskar Klein Centre and Department of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - A Desai
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - P Desiati
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - K D de Vries
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Dienst ELEM, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - G de Wasseige
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Dienst ELEM, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - M de With
- Institut für Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, D-12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - T DeYoung
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - S Dharani
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - A Diaz
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - J C Díaz-Vélez
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - M Dittmer
- Institut für Kernphysik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - H Dujmovic
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - M Dunkman
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - M A DuVernois
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - E Dvorak
- Physics Department, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, South Dakota 57701, USA
| | - T Ehrhardt
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - P Eller
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - R Engel
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Experimental Particle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - H Erpenbeck
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - J Evans
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - P A Evenson
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - K L Fan
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - A R Fazely
- Department of Physics, Southern University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70813, USA
| | - N Feigl
- Institut für Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, D-12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - S Fiedlschuster
- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - A T Fienberg
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - K Filimonov
- Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - C Finley
- Oskar Klein Centre and Department of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - D Fox
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - A Franckowiak
- Fakultät für Physik and Astronomie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
- DESY, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - E Friedman
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - A Fritz
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - P Fürst
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - T K Gaisser
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - J Gallagher
- Department of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - E Ganster
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - A Garcia
- Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
| | | | - L Gerhardt
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - A Ghadimi
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487, USA
| | - C Glaser
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - T Glauch
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - T Glüsenkamp
- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - J G Gonzalez
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - S Goswami
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487, USA
| | - D Grant
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - T Grégoire
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - S Griswold
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, USA
| | - M Gündüz
- Fakultät für Physik and Astronomie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - C Günther
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - C Haack
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - A Hallgren
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - R Halliday
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - L Halve
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - F Halzen
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - M Ha Minh
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - K Hanson
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - J Hardin
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - A A Harnisch
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - A Haungs
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - S Hauser
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - D Hebecker
- Institut für Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, D-12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - K Helbing
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - F Henningsen
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - E C Hettinger
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - S Hickford
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - J Hignight
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - C Hill
- Department of Physics and Institute for Global Prominent Research, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - G C Hill
- Department of Physics, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
| | - K D Hoffman
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - R Hoffmann
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - T Hoinka
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - B Hokanson-Fasig
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - K Hoshina
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - F Huang
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - M Huber
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - T Huber
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - K Hultqvist
- Oskar Klein Centre and Department of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - M Hünnefeld
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - R Hussain
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - S In
- Department of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - N Iovine
- Science Faculty CP230, Université Libre de Bruxelles, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - A Ishihara
- Department of Physics and Institute for Global Prominent Research, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - M Jansson
- Oskar Klein Centre and Department of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - G S Japaridze
- CTSPS, Clark-Atlanta University, Atlanta, Georgia 30314, USA
| | - M Jeong
- Department of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - B J P Jones
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at Arlington, 502 Yates Street, Science Hall Room 108, Box 19059, Arlington, Texas 76019, USA
| | - D Kang
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - W Kang
- Department of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - X Kang
- Department of Physics, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - A Kappes
- Institut für Kernphysik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - D Kappesser
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - T Karg
- DESY, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - M Karl
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - A Karle
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - U Katz
- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - M Kauer
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - M Kellermann
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - J L Kelley
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - A Kheirandish
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - K Kin
- Department of Physics and Institute for Global Prominent Research, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | | | - J Kiryluk
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794-3800, USA
| | - S R Klein
- Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - R Koirala
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - H Kolanoski
- Institut für Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, D-12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - T Kontrimas
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - L Köpke
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - C Kopper
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - S Kopper
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487, USA
| | - D J Koskinen
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - P Koundal
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - M Kovacevich
- Department of Physics, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - M Kowalski
- Institut für Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, D-12489 Berlin, Germany
- DESY, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - T Kozynets
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - E Kun
- Fakultät für Physik and Astronomie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - N Kurahashi
- Department of Physics, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - N Lad
- DESY, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
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- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
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- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
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- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - J P Lazar
- Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - J W Lee
- Department of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - K Leonard
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - A Leszczyńska
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Experimental Particle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Y Li
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - M Lincetto
- Fakultät für Physik and Astronomie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - Q R Liu
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - M Liubarska
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - E Lohfink
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - C J Lozano Mariscal
- Institut für Kernphysik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - L Lu
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - F Lucarelli
- Département de physique nucléaire et corpusculaire, Université de Genève, CH-1211 Genève, Switzerland
| | - A Ludwig
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
| | - W Luszczak
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - Y Lyu
- Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - W Y Ma
- DESY, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - J Madsen
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - K B M Mahn
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - Y Makino
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - S Mancina
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - I C Mariş
- Science Faculty CP230, Université Libre de Bruxelles, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - R Maruyama
- Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA
| | - K Mase
- Department of Physics and Institute for Global Prominent Research, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - T McElroy
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - F McNally
- Department of Physics, Mercer University, Macon, Georgia 31207-0001, USA
| | - J V Mead
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - K Meagher
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | | | - A Medina
- Department of Physics and Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
| | - M Meier
- Department of Physics and Institute for Global Prominent Research, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - S Meighen-Berger
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
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- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - D Mockler
- Science Faculty CP230, Université Libre de Bruxelles, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - T Montaruli
- Département de physique nucléaire et corpusculaire, Université de Genève, CH-1211 Genève, Switzerland
| | - R W Moore
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - R Morse
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - M Moulai
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - R Naab
- DESY, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - R Nagai
- Department of Physics and Institute for Global Prominent Research, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - U Naumann
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | | | - L V Nguyễn
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - H Niederhausen
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - M U Nisa
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - S C Nowicki
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | | | - M Oehler
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - B Oeyen
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Gent, B-9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - A Olivas
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - E O'Sullivan
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - H Pandya
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - D V Pankova
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - N Park
- Department of Physics, Engineering Physics, and Astronomy, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, Canada
| | - G K Parker
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at Arlington, 502 Yates Street, Science Hall Room 108, Box 19059, Arlington, Texas 76019, USA
| | - E N Paudel
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - L Paul
- Department of Physics, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53201, USA
| | - C Pérez de Los Heros
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - L Peters
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - J Peterson
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - S Philippen
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - D Pieloth
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - S Pieper
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - M Pittermann
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Experimental Particle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - A Pizzuto
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - M Plum
- Department of Physics, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 53201, USA
| | - Y Popovych
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - A Porcelli
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Gent, B-9000 Gent, Belgium
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- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - P B Price
- Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - B Pries
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - G T Przybylski
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - C Raab
- Science Faculty CP230, Université Libre de Bruxelles, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - A Raissi
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - M Rameez
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - K Rawlins
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alaska Anchorage, 3211 Providence Drive, Anchorage, Alaska 99508, USA
| | - I C Rea
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - A Rehman
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - P Reichherzer
- Fakultät für Physik and Astronomie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - R Reimann
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - G Renzi
- Science Faculty CP230, Université Libre de Bruxelles, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - E Resconi
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
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- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - M Richman
- Department of Physics, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - B Riedel
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - E J Roberts
- Department of Physics, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
| | - S Robertson
- Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - G Roellinghoff
- Department of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - M Rongen
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - C Rott
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, USA
- Department of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - T Ruhe
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - D Ryckbosch
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Gent, B-9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - D Rysewyk Cantu
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - I Safa
- Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - J Saffer
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Experimental Particle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - S E Sanchez Herrera
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - A Sandrock
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - J Sandroos
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - M Santander
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487, USA
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- Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PU, United Kingdom
| | - S Sarkar
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1, Canada
| | | | - M Scharf
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
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- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - H Schieler
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
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- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
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- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - T Schmidt
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
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- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - J Schneider
- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
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- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
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- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - G Schwefer
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - S Sclafani
- Department of Physics, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - D Seckel
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - S Seunarine
- Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, River Falls, Wisconsin 54022, USA
| | - A Sharma
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - S Shefali
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Experimental Particle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - M Silva
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - B Skrzypek
- Department of Physics and Laboratory for Particle Physics and Cosmology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
| | - B Smithers
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at Arlington, 502 Yates Street, Science Hall Room 108, Box 19059, Arlington, Texas 76019, USA
| | - R Snihur
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - J Soedingrekso
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - D Soldin
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - C Spannfellner
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - G M Spiczak
- Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, River Falls, Wisconsin 54022, USA
| | | | | | - M Stamatikos
- Department of Physics and Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
| | - T Stanev
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - R Stein
- DESY, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - J Stettner
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - A Steuer
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - T Stezelberger
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - T Stürwald
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - T Stuttard
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - G W Sullivan
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - I Taboada
- School of Physics and Center for Relativistic Astrophysics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
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- Fakultät für Physik and Astronomie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - S Ter-Antonyan
- Department of Physics, Southern University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70813, USA
| | - S Tilav
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - F Tischbein
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - K Tollefson
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - L Tomankova
- Fakultät für Physik and Astronomie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - C Tönnis
- Institute of Basic Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - S Toscano
- Science Faculty CP230, Université Libre de Bruxelles, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - D Tosi
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | | | - M Tselengidou
- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - C F Tung
- School of Physics and Center for Relativistic Astrophysics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
| | - A Turcati
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - R Turcotte
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - C F Turley
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - J P Twagirayezu
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - B Ty
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - M A Unland Elorrieta
- Institut für Kernphysik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - N Valtonen-Mattila
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - J Vandenbroucke
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - N van Eijndhoven
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Dienst ELEM, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - D Vannerom
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | | | - S Verpoest
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Gent, B-9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - C Walck
- Oskar Klein Centre and Department of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - T B Watson
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at Arlington, 502 Yates Street, Science Hall Room 108, Box 19059, Arlington, Texas 76019, USA
| | - C Weaver
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - P Weigel
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - A Weindl
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute for Astroparticle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - M J Weiss
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - J Weldert
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - C Wendt
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - J Werthebach
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - M Weyrauch
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institute of Experimental Particle Physics, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - N Whitehorn
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
| | - C H Wiebusch
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - D R Williams
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487, USA
| | - M Wolf
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - K Woschnagg
- Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - G Wrede
- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - J Wulff
- Fakultät für Physik and Astronomie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - X W Xu
- Department of Physics, Southern University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70813, USA
| | - J P Yanez
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - S Yoshida
- Department of Physics and Institute for Global Prominent Research, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - S Yu
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - T Yuan
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - Z Zhang
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794-3800, USA
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Barrett T, Pacey S, Leonard K, Wulff J, Funingana IG, Gnanapragasam V. A feasibility study of the therapeutic response and durability of short-term androgen targeted therapy in early prostate cancer managed by surveillance: The Therapeutics in Active Prostate Surveillance (TAPS01) study. Eur Urol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/s0302-2838(22)00373-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Behrends C, Bäumer C, Verbeek N, Ehlert J, Prasad R, Wulff J, Lühr A, Timmermann B. Technical note: Providing proton fields down to the few-MeV level at clinical pencil beam scanning facilities for radiobiological experiments. Med Phys 2021; 49:666-674. [PMID: 34855985 DOI: 10.1002/mp.15388] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2021] [Revised: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE The adequate performance of radiobiological experiments using clinical proton beams typically requires substantial preparations to provide the appropriate setup for specific experiments. Providing radiobiologically interesting low-energy protons is a particular challenge, due to various physical effects that become more pronounced with larger absorber thickness and smaller proton energy. This work demonstrates the generation of decelerated low-energy protons from a clinical proton beam. METHODS Monte Carlo simulations of proton energy spectra were performed for energy absorbers with varying thicknesses to reduce the energy of the clinical proton beam down to the few-MeV level corresponding to μ m-ranges. In this way, a setup with an optimum thickness of the absorber with a maximum efficiency of the proton fluence for the provisioning of low-energy protons is supposed to be found. For the specific applications of 2.5-3.3 MeV protons and α -particle range equivalent protons, the relative depth dose was measured and simulated together with the dose-averaged linear energy transfer (LETd) distribution. RESULTS The resulting energy spectra from Monte Carlo simulations indicate an optimal absorber thickness for providing low-energy protons with maximum efficiency of proton fluence at an user-requested energy range for experiments. For instance, providing energies lower than 5 MeV, an energy spectrum with a relative total efficiency of 38.6 % to the initial spectrum was obtained with the optimal setup. The measurements of the depth dose, compared to the Monte Carlo simulations, showed that the dosimetry of low-energy protons works and protons with high LETd down to the range of α -particles can be produced. CONCLUSIONS This work provides a method for generating all clinically and radiobiologically relevant energies - especially down to the few-MeV level - at one clinical facility with pencil beam scanning. Thereby, it enables radiobiological experiments under environmentally uniform conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carina Behrends
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), 45147 Essen, Germany.,Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, 44227 Dortmund, Germany.,West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), University Hospital Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
| | - Christian Bäumer
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), 45147 Essen, Germany.,Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, 44227 Dortmund, Germany.,West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), University Hospital Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Nico Verbeek
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), 45147 Essen, Germany.,West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), University Hospital Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
| | - Jens Ehlert
- Institute for Laser and Plasma Physics, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany.,Department of Haematology, Oncology and Clinical Immunology, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Medical Faculty, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Rajendra Prasad
- Institute for Laser and Plasma Physics, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Jörg Wulff
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), 45147 Essen, Germany.,West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), University Hospital Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
| | - Armin Lühr
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, 44227 Dortmund, Germany
| | - Beate Timmermann
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), 45147 Essen, Germany.,West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), University Hospital Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany.,Department of Particle Therapy, University Hospital Essen, 45147 Essen, Germany
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Bäumer C, Bäcker CM, Conti M, Fragoso Costa P, Herrmann K, Kazek SL, Jentzen W, Panin V, Siegel S, Teimoorisichani M, Wulff J, Timmermann B. Can a ToF-PET photon attenuation reconstruction test stopping-power estimations in proton therapy? A phantom study. Phys Med Biol 2021; 66. [PMID: 34534971 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6560/ac27b5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/13/2021] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Objective. The aim of the phantom study was to validate and to improve the computed tomography (CT) images used for the dose computation in proton therapy. It was tested, if the joint reconstruction of activity and attenuation images of time-of-flight PET (ToF-PET) scans could improve the estimation of the proton stopping-power.Approach. The attenuation images, i.e. CT images with 511 keV gamma-rays (γCTs), were jointly reconstructed with activity maps from ToF-PET scans. Theβ+activity was produced with FDG and in a separate experiment with proton-induced radioactivation. The phantoms contained slabs of tissue substitutes. The use of theγCTs for the prediction of the beam stopping in proton therapy was based on a linear relationship between theγ-ray attenuation, the electron density, and the stopping-power of fast protons.Main results. The FDG based experiment showed sufficient linearity to detect a bias of bony tissue in the heuristic look-up table, which maps between x-ray CT images and proton stopping-power.γCTs can be used for dose computation, if the electron density of one type of tissue is provided as a scaling factor. A possible limitation is imposed by the spatial resolution, which is inferior by a factor of 2.5 compared to the one of the x-ray CT.γCTs can also be derived from off-line, ToF-PET scans subsequent to the application of a proton field with a hypofractionated dose level.Significance. γCTs are a viable tool to support the estimation of proton stopping with radiotracer-based ToF-PET data from diagnosis or staging. This could be of higher potential relevance in MRI-guided proton therapy.γCTs could form an alternative approach to make use of in-beam or off-line PET scans of proton-inducedβ+activity with possible clinical limitations due to the low number of coincidence counts.
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Affiliation(s)
- C Bäumer
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen, Am Mühlenbach 1, Essen, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, Hufelandstr. 55, Essen, Germany.,West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Hufelandstr. 55, Essen, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany.,TU Dortmund University, Department of Physics, Otto-Hahn-Str. 4a, Dortmund, Germany
| | - C M Bäcker
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen, Am Mühlenbach 1, Essen, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, Hufelandstr. 55, Essen, Germany.,West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Hufelandstr. 55, Essen, Germany.,TU Dortmund University, Department of Physics, Otto-Hahn-Str. 4a, Dortmund, Germany
| | - M Conti
- Siemens Medical Solutions USA Inc., Knoxville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - P Fragoso Costa
- University Hospital Essen, Hufelandstr. 55, Essen, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, Clinic for Nuclear Medicine, Hufelandstr. 55, Essen, Germany
| | - K Herrmann
- University Hospital Essen, Hufelandstr. 55, Essen, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, Clinic for Nuclear Medicine, Hufelandstr. 55, Essen, Germany
| | - S L Kazek
- University Hospital Essen, Hufelandstr. 55, Essen, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, Clinic for Nuclear Medicine, Hufelandstr. 55, Essen, Germany
| | - W Jentzen
- University Hospital Essen, Hufelandstr. 55, Essen, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, Clinic for Nuclear Medicine, Hufelandstr. 55, Essen, Germany
| | - V Panin
- Siemens Medical Solutions USA Inc., Knoxville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - S Siegel
- Siemens Medical Solutions USA Inc., Knoxville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - M Teimoorisichani
- Siemens Medical Solutions USA Inc., Knoxville, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - J Wulff
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen, Am Mühlenbach 1, Essen, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, Hufelandstr. 55, Essen, Germany.,West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Hufelandstr. 55, Essen, Germany
| | - B Timmermann
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen, Am Mühlenbach 1, Essen, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, Hufelandstr. 55, Essen, Germany.,West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Hufelandstr. 55, Essen, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, Department of Particle Therapy, Hufelandstr. 55, Essen, Germany
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Wulff J, Horn J, Kugel F, Poppinga D, Koska B, Bäumer C, Timmermann B. PO-1643 End-2-End testing of PBS proton therapy workflow with the PTW RUBY phantom. Radiother Oncol 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/s0167-8140(21)08094-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Flatten V, Burg JM, Witt M, Derksen L, Fragoso Costa P, Wulff J, Bäumer C, Timmermann B, Weber U, Vorwerk H, Engenhart-Cabillic R, Zink K, Baumann KS. Estimating the modulating effect of lung tissue in particle therapy using a clinical CT voxel histogram analysis. Phys Med Biol 2021; 66. [PMID: 34298533 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6560/ac176e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
To treat lung tumours with particle therapy, different additional tasks and challenges in treatment planning and application have to be addressed thoroughly. One of these tasks is the quantification and consideration of the Bragg peak degradation due to lung tissue: As lung is an heterogeneous tissue, the Bragg peak is broadened when particles traverse the microscopic alveoli. These are not fully resolved in clinical CT images and thus, the effect is not considered in the dose calculation. In this work, a correlation between the CT histograms of heterogeneous material and the impact on the Bragg peak curve is presented. Different inorganic materials were scanned with a conventional CT scanner and additionally, the Bragg peak degradation was measured in a proton beam and was then quantified. A model is proposed that allows an estimation of the modulation power by performing a histogram analysis on the CT scan. To validate the model for organic samples, a second measurement series was performed with frozen porcine lunge samples. This allows to investigate the possible limits of the proposed model in a set-up closer to clinical conditions. For lung substitutes, the agreement between model and measurement is within ±0.05 mm and for the organic lung samples, within ±0.15 mm. This work presents a novel, simple and efficient method to estimate if and how much a material or a distinct region (within the lung) is degrading the Bragg peak on the basis of a common clinical CT image. Up until now, only a direct in-beam measurement of the region or material of interest could answer this question.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronika Flatten
- Department of Radiotherapy and Radiooncology, University Hospital of Giessen and Marburg Campus Marburg, Marburg, GERMANY
| | - Jan Michael Burg
- , University of Applied Sciences, Institute of Medical Physics and Radiation Protection, Giessen, GERMANY
| | - Matthias Witt
- Department of Radiotherapy and Radiooncology, University Hospital of Giessen and Marburg Campus Marburg, Marburg, GERMANY
| | - Larissa Derksen
- , University of Applied Sciences, Institute of Medical Physics and Radiation Protection, Giessen, GERMANY
| | | | - Jörg Wulff
- Medical Physics, Westdeutsches Protonentherapiezentrum Essen gGmbH, Essen, GERMANY
| | | | - Beate Timmermann
- Deparment of Particle Therapy, University Hospital Essen, Essen, GERMANY
| | - Uli Weber
- , GSI Helmholtzzentrum fur Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Darmstadt, Hessen, GERMANY
| | - Hilke Vorwerk
- Department of Radiotherapy and Radiooncology, University Medical Center Giessen-Marburg, Marburg, GERMANY
| | - Rita Engenhart-Cabillic
- University Medical Center Giessen-Marburg, Department of Radiotherapy and Radiooncology, Marburg, GERMANY
| | - Klemens Zink
- University Medical Center Giessen-Marburg, Department of Radiotherapy and Radiooncology, Marburg, GERMANY
| | - Kilian-Simon Baumann
- Department of Radiotherapy and Radiooncology, University Medical Center Giessen-Marburg, Marburg, GERMANY
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Piontek D, Klagges S, Schubotz B, Werner C, Wulff J. Documented New Cases of Cancer in the Clinical Cancer Registries of the German State of Saxony During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Dtsch Arztebl Int 2021; 118:328-329. [PMID: 34140084 DOI: 10.3238/arztebl.m2021.0216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Revised: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 04/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Bäumer C, Plaude S, Khalil DA, Geismar D, Kramer PH, Kröninger K, Nitsch C, Wulff J, Timmermann B. Clinical Implementation of Proton Therapy Using Pencil-Beam Scanning Delivery Combined With Static Apertures. Front Oncol 2021; 11:599018. [PMID: 34055596 PMCID: PMC8149965 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.599018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Proton therapy makes use of the favorable depth-dose distribution with its characteristic Bragg peak to spare normal tissue distal of the target volume. A steep dose gradient would be desired in lateral dimensions, too. The widespread spot scanning delivery technique is based, however, on pencil-beams with in-air spot full-widths-at-half-maximum of typically 1 cm or more. This hampers the sparing of organs-at-risk if small-scale structures adjacent to the target volume are concerned. The trimming of spot scanning fields with collimating apertures constitutes a simple measure to increase the transversal dose gradient. The current study describes the clinical implementation of brass apertures in conjunction with the pencil-beam scanning delivery mode at a horizontal, clinical treatment head based on commercial hardware and software components. Furthermore, clinical cases, which comprised craniopharyngiomas, re-irradiations and ocular tumors, were evaluated. The dosimetric benefits of 31 treatment plans using apertures were compared to the corresponding plans without aperture. Furthermore, an overview of the radiation protection aspects is given. Regarding the results, robust optimization considering range and setup uncertainties was combined with apertures. The treatment plan optimizations followed a single-field uniform dose or a restricted multi-field optimization approach. Robustness evaluation was expanded to account for possible deviations of the center of the pencil-beam delivery and the mechanical center of the aperture holder. Supplementary apertures improved the conformity index on average by 15.3%. The volume of the dose gradient surrounding the PTV (evaluated between 80 and 20% dose levels) was decreased on average by 17.6%. The mean dose of the hippocampi could be reduced on average by 2.9 GyRBE. In particular cases the apertures facilitated a sparing of an organ-at-risk, e.g. the eye lens or the brainstem. For six craniopharyngioma cases the inclusion of apertures led to a reduction of the mean dose of 1.5 GyRBE (13%) for the brain and 3.1 GyRBE (16%) for the hippocampi.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Bäumer
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen, Essen, Germany
- West German Cancer Center (WTZ), University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany
- Faculty of Physics, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany
| | - Sandija Plaude
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen, Essen, Germany
- West German Cancer Center (WTZ), University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Dalia Ahmad Khalil
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen, Essen, Germany
- West German Cancer Center (WTZ), University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
- Department of Particle Therapy, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Dirk Geismar
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen, Essen, Germany
- West German Cancer Center (WTZ), University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Particle Therapy, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Paul-Heinz Kramer
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen, Essen, Germany
- West German Cancer Center (WTZ), University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Kevin Kröninger
- Faculty of Physics, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany
| | | | - Jörg Wulff
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen, Essen, Germany
- West German Cancer Center (WTZ), University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Beate Timmermann
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen, Essen, Germany
- West German Cancer Center (WTZ), University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Particle Therapy, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
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Verbeek N, Wulff J, Janson M, Bäumer C, Zahid S, Timmermann B, Brualla L. Experiments and Monte Carlo simulations on multiple Coulomb scattering of protons. Med Phys 2021; 48:3186-3199. [PMID: 33772808 DOI: 10.1002/mp.14860] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Revised: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Monte Carlo simulations as well as analytical computations of proton transport in material media require accurate values of multiple Coulomb scattering (MCS) angles. High-quality experimental data on MCS angles in the energy range for proton therapy are, however, sparse. In this work, MCS modeling in proton transport was evaluated employing an experimental method to measure these angles on a medical proton beamline in clinically relevant materials. Results are compared to Monte Carlo simulations and analytical models. MATERIALS AND METHODS Aluminum, brass, and lucite (PMMA) scatterers of clinically relevant thicknesses were irradiated with protons at 100, 160, and 220 MeV. Resulting spatial distributions of individual pencil beams were measured with a scintillating screen. The MCS angles were determined by deconvolution and a virtual point source approach. Results were compared to those obtained with the Monte Carlo codes PENH, TOPAS, and RayStation Monte Carlo, as well as the analytical models RayStation Pencil Beam Algorithm and the Molière/Fano/Hanson variant of the Molière theory. RESULTS Experimental data obtained with the presented methodology agree with previously published results within 6%, with an average deviation of 3%. The combined average uncertainty of the experimental data yielded 1.8%, while the combined maximum uncertainty was below 4%. The obtained Monte Carlo results for PENH, TOPAS, and RayStation deviate on average for all considered energies, materials and thicknesses, by 2.5%, 3.4%, and 2.8% from the experimental data, respectively. For the analytical models, the average deviations amount to 4.5% and 2.9% for the RayStation Pencil Beam Algorithm and the Molière/Fano/Hanson model, respectively. CONCLUSION The experimental method developed for the present work allowed to measure MCS angles in clinical proton facilities with good accuracy. The presented method permits to extend the database on experimental MCS angles which is rather limited. This work further provides benchmark data for lucite in thicknesses relevant for clinical applications. The data may serve to validate dose engines of treatment planning systems and secondary dose check software. The Monte Carlo and analytical algorithms studied are capable of reproducing MCS data within the required accuracy for clinical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nico Verbeek
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen WPE, Essen, Germany.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, West German Cancer Center WTZ, Essen, Germany
| | - Jörg Wulff
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen WPE, Essen, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, West German Cancer Center WTZ, Essen, Germany
| | | | - Christian Bäumer
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen WPE, Essen, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, West German Cancer Center WTZ, Essen, Germany.,Radiation Oncology and Imaging, German Cancer Consortium DKTK, Heidelberg, Germany.,Technische Universität Dortmund, Otto-Hahn-Str. 4a, Dortmund, 44227, Germany
| | - Sameera Zahid
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen WPE, Essen, Germany.,Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Beate Timmermann
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen WPE, Essen, Germany.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, West German Cancer Center WTZ, Essen, Germany.,Radiation Oncology and Imaging, German Cancer Consortium DKTK, Heidelberg, Germany.,Department of Particle Therapy, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Lorenzo Brualla
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen WPE, Essen, Germany.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, West German Cancer Center WTZ, Essen, Germany
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Carlino A, Palmans H, Gouldstone C, Trnkova P, Noerrevang O, Vestergaard A, Freixas GV, Bosmans G, Lorentini S, Schwarz M, Koska B, Wulff J, Vatnitsky S, Stock M. Results of an independent dosimetry audit for scanned proton beam therapy facilities. Z Med Phys 2021; 31:145-153. [PMID: 33712295 DOI: 10.1016/j.zemedi.2021.01.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2020] [Revised: 12/13/2020] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE An independent dosimetry audit based on end-to-end testing of the entire chain of radiation therapy delivery is highly recommended to ensure consistent treatments among proton therapy centers. This study presents an auditing methodology developed by the MedAustron Ion Beam Therapy Center (Austria) in collaboration with the National Physical Laboratory (UK) and audit results for five scanned proton beam therapy facilities in Europe. METHODS The audit procedure used a homogeneous and an anthropomorphic head phantom. The phantoms were loaded either with an ionization chamber or with alanine pellets and radiochromic films. Homogeneously planned doses of 10Gy were delivered to a box-like target volume in the homogeneous phantom and to two clinical scenarios with increasing complexity in the head phantom. RESULTS For all tests the mean of the local differences of the absolute dose to water determined with the alanine pellets compared to the predicted dose from the treatment planning system installed at the audited institution was determined. The mean value taken over all tests performed was -0.1±1.0%. The measurements carried out with the ionization chamber were consistent with the dose determined by the alanine pellets with a mean deviation of -0.5±0.6%. CONCLUSION The developed dosimetry audit method was successfully applied at five proton centers including various "turn-key" Cyclotron solutions by IBA, Varian and Mevion. This independent audit with extension to other tumour sites and use of the correspondent anthropomorphic phantoms may be proposed as part of a credentialing procedure for future clinical trials in proton beam therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio Carlino
- MedAustron Ion Therapy Center, Medical Physics, Wiener Neustadt, Austria.
| | - Hugo Palmans
- MedAustron Ion Therapy Center, Medical Physics, Wiener Neustadt, Austria; National Physical Laboratory, Teddington, United Kingdom
| | | | - Petra Trnkova
- HollandPTC, Huismansingel 4, Delft, The Netherlands; Erasmus MC, Department of Radiation Oncology, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Ole Noerrevang
- Danish Centre for Particle Therapy, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Anne Vestergaard
- Danish Centre for Particle Therapy, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Gloria Vilches Freixas
- Maastro Proton Therapy, Department of Radiation Oncology, GROW School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Geert Bosmans
- Maastro Proton Therapy, Department of Radiation Oncology, GROW School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University Medical Centre, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Stefano Lorentini
- Centro di Protonterapia, APSS, Via al Desert 14, 38122 Trento, Italy
| | - Marco Schwarz
- Centro di Protonterapia, APSS, Via al Desert 14, 38122 Trento, Italy; TIFPA-INFN, Trento, Italy
| | - Benjamin Koska
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen, Hufelandstr. 55, Essen, Germany; University Hospital Essen, Hufelandstr. 55, Essen, Germany
| | - Jörg Wulff
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen, Hufelandstr. 55, Essen, Germany; University Hospital Essen, Hufelandstr. 55, Essen, Germany
| | | | - Markus Stock
- MedAustron Ion Therapy Center, Medical Physics, Wiener Neustadt, Austria
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den Boer E, Wulff J, Mäder UI, Engwall E, Bäumer C, Perko Z, Timmermann B. Technical Note: Investigating interplay effects in pencil beam scanning proton therapy with a 4D XCAT phantom within the RayStation treatment planning system. Med Phys 2021; 48:1448-1455. [PMID: 33411339 DOI: 10.1002/mp.14709] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2020] [Revised: 12/27/2020] [Accepted: 12/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE Pencil beam scanning (PBS) for moving targets is known to be impacted by interplay effects. Four-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT)-based motion evaluation is crucial for understanding interplay and developing mitigation strategies. Availability of high-quality 4DCTs with variable breathing traces is limited. Purpose of this work is the development of a framework for interplay analysis using 4D-XCAT phantoms in conjunction with time-resolved irradiation patterns in a commercial treatment planning system (TPS). Four-dimensional dynamically accumulated dose distributions (4DDDs) are simulated in an in-silico study for a PBS liver treatment. METHODS An XCAT phantom with 50 phases, varying linearly in amplitude each by 1 mm, was combined with the RayStation TPS (7.99.10). Deformable registration was used with time-resolved dose calculation, mapping XCAT phases to motion signals. To illustrate the applicability of the method a two-field liver irradiation plan was used. A variety sin4 type motion signals, varying in amplitude (1-20 mm), period (1.6-5.2 s) and phase (0-2π) were applied. Either single variable variations or random combinations were selected. The interplay effect within a clinical target (5 cm diameter) was characterized in terms of homogeneity index (HI5), with and without five paintings. In total 2092 scenarios were analyzed within RayStation. RESULTS A framework is presented for interplay research, allowing for flexibility in determining motion management techniques, increasing reproducibility, and enabling comparisons of different methods. A case study showed the interplay effect was correlated with amplitude and strongly affected by the starting phase, leading to large variance. The average of all scenarios (single fraction) resulted in HI5 of 0.31 (±0.11), while introduction of five times layered repainting reduced this to 0.11(±0.03). CONCLUSION The developed framework, which uses the XCAT phantom and RayStation, allows detailed analysis of motion in context of PBS with comparable results to clinical cases. Flexibility in defining motion patterns for detailed anatomies in combination with time-resolved dose calculation, facilitates investigation of optimal treatment and motion mitigation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erik den Boer
- West German Proton Therapy Center Essen (WPE), Essen, Germany.,Technical University Delft, Delft, Netherlands
| | - Jörg Wulff
- West German Proton Therapy Center Essen (WPE), Essen, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.,West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Essen, Germany.,Institute of Medical Physics and Radiation Protection (IMPS), Technical University Mittelhessen, Gießen, Germany
| | - UIf Mäder
- Institute of Medical Physics and Radiation Protection (IMPS), Technical University Mittelhessen, Gießen, Germany
| | | | - Christian Bäumer
- West German Proton Therapy Center Essen (WPE), Essen, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.,West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Essen, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany.,TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, Germany
| | | | - Beate Timmermann
- West German Proton Therapy Center Essen (WPE), Essen, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany.,West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Essen, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany.,Department of Particle Therapy, Essen, Germany
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Kern A, Bäumer C, Kröninger K, Wulff J, Timmermann B. Impact of air gap, range shifter, and delivery technique on skin dose in proton therapy. Med Phys 2020; 48:831-840. [PMID: 33368345 DOI: 10.1002/mp.14626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Revised: 11/20/2020] [Accepted: 11/20/2020] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Side effects of radiation therapy may include skin damage. The surface dose is of great interest and contains the buildup effect. In particular, the proton therapy community requires further experimental data to quantify doses in the surface region. This specification includes the skin dose, which is defined according to ICRU Report No. 39 at 70 μm water equivalent depth. The aim of this study is to gather more knowledge of the skin dose by varying key parameters defined by the patient treatment plan. This consists of clinical aspects such as the influence of the air gap, the application of a range shifter (RS), or the proton delivery technique. MATERIAL/METHODS Skin doses were determined with a PTW 23391 extrapolation chamber with three thin Kapton® entrance windows operated as a conventional ionization chamber. The impact on the skin dose for quasi-monoenergetic pencil beam scanning (PBS) proton beams was evaluated for clinical air gaps between 3.5 and 51.1 cm. The differences in skin dose were assessed by irradiating equivalent fields with an RS of 51 mm water equivalent thickness (RS51) and without. Furthermore, the delivery techniques PBS, uniform scanning (US), and double scattering (DS) were compared by defining a spread-out Bragg peak (SOBP). TOPAS (V.3.1.2) was used to model an IBA nozzle with PBS and to score dose to water at the surface of a water phantom. RESULTS For the monoenergetic fields without the application of the RS the skin dose was constant down to an air gap of 6.2 cm. A lower air gap of 3.5 cm showed a variation in skin dose by up to 2.4% compared to the results obtained with larger air gaps. With the inserted RS51 an increase in the skin dose was found for air gaps smaller than 11.3 cm. Experimentally, a dose difference of 1.4% was recorded for an air gap of 6.2 cm by inserting an RS and none. With the Monte Carlo calculations the largest dose increase was observed at the air gap of 3.5 cm with 1.7% and 4.0% relative to the skin dose results without the RS and to the largest evaluated air gap of 51.1 cm, respectively. The SOBP comparison of the beam modalities at the measuring plane at the isocenter revealed higher skin doses without RS (including RS) by up to +1.9% (+1.5%) for DS and +1.3% (+1.1%) for US compared to PBS. For all three techniques an approx. 2% rise in skin dose was observed for the largest evaluated air gap of 37.7 cm to an air gap of 6.2 cm when using an RS51. CONCLUSION The study investigated aspects of skin dose of a water equivalent phantom by varying key parameters of a proton treatment plan. Parameters like the RS, the air gap, and the delivery modality have an impact on the order of 4.0% for the skin dose at the depth of 70 μm. The increases in skin dose are the effects of the contribution of the increased electron fluence at small air gaps and the emitted hadronic particles produced by the RS.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Kern
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), Essen, 45147, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, Essen, 45147, Germany.,Faculty of Physics, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, 44227, Germany.,West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Essen, 45147, Germany
| | - C Bäumer
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), Essen, 45147, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, Essen, 45147, Germany.,West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Essen, 45147, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, 69120, Germany.,Faculty of Physics, Essen, 45147, Germany
| | - K Kröninger
- Faculty of Physics, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, 44227, Germany
| | - J Wulff
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), Essen, 45147, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, Essen, 45147, Germany.,West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Essen, 45147, Germany
| | - B Timmermann
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), Essen, 45147, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, Essen, 45147, Germany.,West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Essen, 45147, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, 69120, Germany.,Clinic for Particle Therapy, Essen, 45147, Germany
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Verbeek N, Wulff J, Bäumer C, Smyczek S, Timmermann B, Brualla L. Single pencil beam benchmark of a module for Monte Carlo simulation of proton transport in the PENELOPE code. Med Phys 2020; 48:456-476. [PMID: 33217026 DOI: 10.1002/mp.14598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2019] [Revised: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE PENH is a recently coded module for simulation of proton transport in conjunction with the Monte Carlo code PENELOPE. PENELOPE applies class II simulation to all type of interactions, in particular, to elastic collisions. PENH uses calculated differential cross sections for proton elastic collisions that include electron screening effects as well as nuclear structure effects. Proton-induced nuclear reactions are simulated from information in the ENDF-6 database or from alternative nuclear databases in ENDF format. The purpose of this work is to benchmark this module by simulating absorbed dose distributions from a single finite spot size proton pencil beam in water. MATERIALS AND METHODS Monte Carlo simulations with PENH are compared with simulation results from TOPAS Monte Carlo (v3.1p2) and RayStation Monte Carlo (v6). Different beam models are examined in terms of mean energy and energy spread to match the measured profiles. The phase-space file is derived from experimental measurements. Simulated absorbed dose distributions are compared to experimental data obtained with the ionization chamber array MatriXX 2D detector (IBA Dosimetry) in a water tank. The experiments were conducted with a clinical IBA pencil beam scanning dedicated nozzle. In all simulations a Fermi-Eyges phase-space representation of a single finite spot size proton pencil beam is used. RESULTS In general, there is a good agreement between simulated results and experimental data up to a distance of 3 cm from the central axis. In the core region (region where the dose is more than 10% of the maximum dose) PENH shows, overall, the smallest deviations from experimental data, with the largest radial rms (root mean square) smaller than 0.2. The results achieved by TOPAS and RayStation in that region are very close to those of PENH. For the halo region, that is the area of the dose distribution outside the core region reaching down to 0.01% of the maximum intensity, the largest rms achieved by TOPAS is always smaller than 0.5, yielding better results than the rest of the codes. CONCLUSION The physics modeling of the PENELOPE/PENH code yields results consistent with measurements in the dose range relevant for proton therapy. The discrepancies between PENH appearing at distances larger than 3 cm from the central-beam axis are accountable to the lack of neutron simulation in this code. In contradistinction, TOPAS has a better agreement with experimental data at large distances from the central-beam axis because of the simulation of neutrons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nico Verbeek
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen WPE, Essen, Germany.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, West German Cancer Center WTZ, Essen, Germany
| | - Jörg Wulff
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen WPE, Essen, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, West German Cancer Center WTZ, Essen, Germany
| | - Christian Bäumer
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen WPE, Essen, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, West German Cancer Center WTZ, Essen, Germany.,Radiation Oncology and Imaging, German Cancer Consortium DKTK, Heidelberg, Germany.,Technische Universität Dortmund, Otto-Hahn-Str. 4a, Dortmund, 44227, Germany
| | - Sabrina Smyczek
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen WPE, Essen, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, West German Cancer Center WTZ, Essen, Germany.,Faculty of Physics, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf HHU, Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Beate Timmermann
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen WPE, Essen, Germany.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, West German Cancer Center WTZ, Essen, Germany.,Radiation Oncology and Imaging, German Cancer Consortium DKTK, Heidelberg, Germany.,Department of Particle Therapy, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany
| | - Lorenzo Brualla
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen WPE, Essen, Germany.,Faculty of Medicine, University of Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, West German Cancer Center WTZ, Essen, Germany
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37
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Aartsen MG, Abbasi R, Ackermann M, Adams J, Aguilar JA, Ahlers M, Ahrens M, Alispach C, Amin NM, Andeen K, Anderson T, Ansseau I, Anton G, Argüelles C, Auffenberg J, Axani S, Bagherpour H, Bai X, Balagopal A, Barbano A, Barwick SW, Bastian B, Basu V, Baum V, Baur S, Bay R, Beatty JJ, Becker KH, Becker Tjus J, BenZvi S, Berley D, Bernardini E, Besson DZ, Binder G, Bindig D, Blaufuss E, Blot S, Bohm C, Böser S, Botner O, Böttcher J, Bourbeau E, Bourbeau J, Bradascio F, Braun J, Bron S, Brostean-Kaiser J, Burgman A, Buscher J, Busse RS, Carver T, Chen C, Cheung E, Chirkin D, Choi S, Clark BA, Clark K, Classen L, Coleman A, Collin GH, Conrad JM, Coppin P, Correa P, Cowen DF, Cross R, Dave P, De Clercq C, DeLaunay JJ, Dembinski H, Deoskar K, De Ridder S, Desai A, Desiati P, de Vries KD, de Wasseige G, de With M, DeYoung T, Dharani S, Diaz A, Díaz-Vélez JC, Dujmovic H, Dunkman M, DuVernois MA, Dvorak E, Ehrhardt T, Eller P, Engel R, Evenson PA, Fahey S, Fazely AR, Fedynitch A, Felde J, Fienberg AT, Filimonov K, Finley C, Fox D, Franckowiak A, Friedman E, Fritz A, Gaisser TK, Gallagher J, Ganster E, Garrappa S, Gerhardt L, Glauch T, Glüsenkamp T, Goldschmidt A, Gonzalez JG, Grant D, Grégoire T, Griffith Z, Griswold S, Günder M, Gündüz M, Haack C, Hallgren A, Halliday R, Halve L, Halzen F, Hanson K, Hardin J, Haungs A, Hauser S, Hebecker D, Heereman D, Heix P, Helbing K, Hellauer R, Henningsen F, Hickford S, Hignight J, Hill GC, Hoffman KD, Hoffmann R, Hoinka T, Hokanson-Fasig B, Hoshina K, Huang F, Huber M, Huber T, Hultqvist K, Hünnefeld M, Hussain R, In S, Iovine N, Ishihara A, Jansson M, Japaridze GS, Jeong M, Jones BJP, Jonske F, Joppe R, Kang D, Kang W, Kappes A, Kappesser D, Karg T, Karl M, Karle A, Katz U, Kauer M, Kellermann M, Kelley JL, Kheirandish A, Kim J, Kintscher T, Kiryluk J, Kittler T, Klein SR, Koirala R, Kolanoski H, Köpke L, Kopper C, Kopper S, Koskinen DJ, Koundal P, Kowalski M, Krings K, Krückl G, Kulacz N, Kurahashi N, Kyriacou A, Lanfranchi JL, Larson MJ, Lauber F, Lazar JP, Leonard K, Leszczyńska A, Li Y, Liu QR, Lohfink E, Lozano Mariscal CJ, Lu L, Lucarelli F, Ludwig A, Lünemann J, Luszczak W, Lyu Y, Ma WY, Madsen J, Maggi G, Mahn KBM, Makino Y, Mallik P, Mancina S, Mariş IC, Maruyama R, Mase K, Maunu R, McNally F, Meagher K, Medici M, Medina A, Meier M, Meighen-Berger S, Merz J, Meures T, Micallef J, Mockler D, Momenté G, Montaruli T, Moore RW, Morse R, Moulai M, Muth P, Nagai R, Naumann U, Neer G, Nguyen LV, Niederhausen H, Nisa MU, Nowicki SC, Nygren DR, Obertacke Pollmann A, Oehler M, Olivas A, O'Murchadha A, O'Sullivan E, Palczewski T, Pandya H, Pankova DV, Park N, Parker GK, Paudel EN, Peiffer P, Pérez de Los Heros C, Philippen S, Pieloth D, Pieper S, Pinat E, Pizzuto A, Plum M, Popovych Y, Porcelli A, Prado Rodriguez M, Price PB, Przybylski GT, Raab C, Raissi A, Rameez M, Rauch L, Rawlins K, Rea IC, Rehman A, Reimann R, Relethford B, Renschler M, Renzi G, Resconi E, Rhode W, Richman M, Riedel B, Robertson S, Rongen M, Rott C, Ruhe T, Ryckbosch D, Rysewyk Cantu D, Safa I, Sanchez Herrera SE, Sandrock A, Sandroos J, Santander M, Sarkar S, Sarkar S, Satalecka K, Scharf M, Schaufel M, Schieler H, Schlunder P, Schmidt T, Schneider A, Schneider J, Schröder FG, Schumacher L, Sclafani S, Seckel D, Seunarine S, Shefali S, Silva M, Smithers B, Snihur R, Soedingrekso J, Soldin D, Song M, Spiczak GM, Spiering C, Stachurska J, Stamatikos M, Stanev T, Stein R, Stettner J, Steuer A, Stezelberger T, Stokstad RG, Stößl A, Strotjohann NL, Stürwald T, Stuttard T, Sullivan GW, Taboada I, Tenholt F, Ter-Antonyan S, Terliuk A, Tilav S, Tollefson K, Tomankova L, Tönnis C, Toscano S, Tosi D, Trettin A, Tselengidou M, Tung CF, Turcati A, Turcotte R, Turley CF, Ty B, Unger E, Unland Elorrieta MA, Usner M, Vandenbroucke J, Van Driessche W, van Eijk D, van Eijndhoven N, Vannerom D, van Santen J, Verpoest S, Vraeghe M, Walck C, Wallace A, Wallraff M, Watson TB, Weaver C, Weindl A, Weiss MJ, Weldert J, Wendt C, Werthebach J, Whelan BJ, Whitehorn N, Wiebe K, Wiebusch CH, Williams DR, Wills L, Wolf M, Wood TR, Woschnagg K, Wrede G, Wulff J, Xu XW, Xu Y, Yanez JP, Yodh G, Yoshida S, Yuan T, Zhang Z, Zöcklein M. eV-Scale Sterile Neutrino Search Using Eight Years of Atmospheric Muon Neutrino Data from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory. Phys Rev Lett 2020; 125:141801. [PMID: 33064514 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.125.141801] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The results of a 3+1 sterile neutrino search using eight years of data from the IceCube Neutrino Observatory are presented. A total of 305 735 muon neutrino events are analyzed in reconstructed energy-zenith space to test for signatures of a matter-enhanced oscillation that would occur given a sterile neutrino state with a mass-squared differences between 0.01 and 100 eV^{2}. The best-fit point is found to be at sin^{2}(2θ_{24})=0.10 and Δm_{41}^{2}=4.5 eV^{2}, which is consistent with the no sterile neutrino hypothesis with a p value of 8.0%.
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Affiliation(s)
- M G Aartsen
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - R Abbasi
- Department of Physics, Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, Illinois 60660, USA
| | | | - J Adams
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - J A Aguilar
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - M Ahlers
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - M Ahrens
- Oskar Klein Centre and Department of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - C Alispach
- Département de physique nucléaire et corpusculaire, Université de Genève, CH-1211 Genève, Switzerland
| | - N M Amin
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - K Andeen
- Department of Physics, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201, USA
| | - T Anderson
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - I Ansseau
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - G Anton
- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - C Argüelles
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - J Auffenberg
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - S Axani
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - H Bagherpour
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - X Bai
- Physics Department, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, South Dakota 57701, USA
| | - A Balagopal
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institut für Kernphysik, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - A Barbano
- Département de physique nucléaire et corpusculaire, Université de Genève, CH-1211 Genève, Switzerland
| | - S W Barwick
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, USA
| | | | - V Basu
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - V Baum
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - S Baur
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - R Bay
- Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - J J Beatty
- Department of Astronomy, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
- Department of Physics and Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
| | - K-H Becker
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - J Becker Tjus
- Fakultät für Physik & Astronomie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - S BenZvi
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, USA
| | - D Berley
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | | | - D Z Besson
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045, USA
| | - G Binder
- Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - D Bindig
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - E Blaufuss
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - S Blot
- DESY, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - C Bohm
- Oskar Klein Centre and Department of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - S Böser
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - O Botner
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - J Böttcher
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - E Bourbeau
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - J Bourbeau
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | | | - J Braun
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - S Bron
- Département de physique nucléaire et corpusculaire, Université de Genève, CH-1211 Genève, Switzerland
| | | | - A Burgman
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - J Buscher
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - R S Busse
- Institut für Kernphysik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - T Carver
- Département de physique nucléaire et corpusculaire, Université de Genève, CH-1211 Genève, Switzerland
| | - C Chen
- School of Physics and Center for Relativistic Astrophysics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
| | - E Cheung
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - D Chirkin
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - S Choi
- Department of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - B A Clark
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - K Clark
- SNOLAB, 1039 Regional Road 24, Creighton Mine 9, Lively, Ontario P3Y 1N2, Canada
| | - L Classen
- Institut für Kernphysik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - A Coleman
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - G H Collin
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - J M Conrad
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - P Coppin
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Dienst ELEM, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - P Correa
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Dienst ELEM, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - D F Cowen
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - R Cross
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, USA
| | - P Dave
- School of Physics and Center for Relativistic Astrophysics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
| | - C De Clercq
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Dienst ELEM, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - J J DeLaunay
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - H Dembinski
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - K Deoskar
- Oskar Klein Centre and Department of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - S De Ridder
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Gent, B-9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - A Desai
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - P Desiati
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - K D de Vries
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Dienst ELEM, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - G de Wasseige
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Dienst ELEM, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - M de With
- Institut für Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, D-12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - T DeYoung
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - S Dharani
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - A Diaz
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - J C Díaz-Vélez
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - H Dujmovic
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institut für Kernphysik, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - M Dunkman
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - M A DuVernois
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - E Dvorak
- Physics Department, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Rapid City, South Dakota 57701, USA
| | - T Ehrhardt
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - P Eller
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - R Engel
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institut für Kernphysik, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - P A Evenson
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - S Fahey
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - A R Fazely
- Department of Physics, Southern University, Baton Rouge, Lousiana 70813, USA
| | - A Fedynitch
- Institute for Cosmic Ray Research, the University of Tokyo, 5-1-5 Kashiwa-no-ha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8582, Japan
| | - J Felde
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - A T Fienberg
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - K Filimonov
- Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - C Finley
- Oskar Klein Centre and Department of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - D Fox
- Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | | | - E Friedman
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - A Fritz
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - T K Gaisser
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - J Gallagher
- Department of Astronomy, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - E Ganster
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | | | - L Gerhardt
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - T Glauch
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - T Glüsenkamp
- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - A Goldschmidt
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - J G Gonzalez
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - D Grant
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - T Grégoire
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - Z Griffith
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - S Griswold
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York 14627, USA
| | - M Günder
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - M Gündüz
- Fakultät für Physik & Astronomie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - C Haack
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - A Hallgren
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - R Halliday
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - L Halve
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - F Halzen
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - K Hanson
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - J Hardin
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - A Haungs
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institut für Kernphysik, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - S Hauser
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - D Hebecker
- Institut für Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, D-12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - D Heereman
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - P Heix
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - K Helbing
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - R Hellauer
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - F Henningsen
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - S Hickford
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - J Hignight
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - G C Hill
- Department of Physics, University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia
| | - K D Hoffman
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - R Hoffmann
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - T Hoinka
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - B Hokanson-Fasig
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - K Hoshina
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - F Huang
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - M Huber
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - T Huber
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institut für Kernphysik, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
- DESY, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - K Hultqvist
- Oskar Klein Centre and Department of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - M Hünnefeld
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - R Hussain
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - S In
- Department of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - N Iovine
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - A Ishihara
- Department of Physics and Institute for Global Prominent Research, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - M Jansson
- Oskar Klein Centre and Department of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - G S Japaridze
- CTSPS, Clark-Atlanta University, Atlanta, Georgia 30314, USA
| | - M Jeong
- Department of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - B J P Jones
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at Arlington, 502 Yates Street, Science Hall Room 108, Box 19059, Arlington, Texas 76019, USA
| | - F Jonske
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - R Joppe
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - D Kang
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institut für Kernphysik, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - W Kang
- Department of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - A Kappes
- Institut für Kernphysik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - D Kappesser
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - T Karg
- DESY, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - M Karl
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - A Karle
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - U Katz
- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - M Kauer
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - M Kellermann
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - J L Kelley
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - A Kheirandish
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - J Kim
- Department of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | | | - J Kiryluk
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794-3800, USA
| | - T Kittler
- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - S R Klein
- Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - R Koirala
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - H Kolanoski
- Institut für Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, D-12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - L Köpke
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - C Kopper
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - S Kopper
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487, USA
| | - D J Koskinen
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - P Koundal
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institut für Kernphysik, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - M Kowalski
- Institut für Physik, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, D-12489 Berlin, Germany
- DESY, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - K Krings
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - G Krückl
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - N Kulacz
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - N Kurahashi
- Department of Physics, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - A Kyriacou
- Department of Physics, University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia
| | - J L Lanfranchi
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - M J Larson
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - F Lauber
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - J P Lazar
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - K Leonard
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - A Leszczyńska
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institut für Kernphysik, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - Y Li
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - Q R Liu
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - E Lohfink
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - C J Lozano Mariscal
- Institut für Kernphysik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - L Lu
- Department of Physics and Institute for Global Prominent Research, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - F Lucarelli
- Département de physique nucléaire et corpusculaire, Université de Genève, CH-1211 Genève, Switzerland
| | - A Ludwig
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, UCLA, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
| | - J Lünemann
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Dienst ELEM, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - W Luszczak
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - Y Lyu
- Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - W Y Ma
- DESY, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - J Madsen
- Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, River Falls, Wisconsin 54022, USA
| | - G Maggi
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Dienst ELEM, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - K B M Mahn
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - Y Makino
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - P Mallik
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - S Mancina
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - I C Mariş
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - R Maruyama
- Department of Physics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520, USA
| | - K Mase
- Department of Physics and Institute for Global Prominent Research, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - R Maunu
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - F McNally
- Department of Physics, Mercer University, Macon, Georgia 31207-0001, USA
| | - K Meagher
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - M Medici
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - A Medina
- Department of Physics and Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
| | - M Meier
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - S Meighen-Berger
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - J Merz
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - T Meures
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - J Micallef
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - D Mockler
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - G Momenté
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - T Montaruli
- Département de physique nucléaire et corpusculaire, Université de Genève, CH-1211 Genève, Switzerland
| | - R W Moore
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - R Morse
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - M Moulai
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | - P Muth
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - R Nagai
- Department of Physics and Institute for Global Prominent Research, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - U Naumann
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - G Neer
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - L V Nguyen
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - H Niederhausen
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - M U Nisa
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - S C Nowicki
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - D R Nygren
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | | | - M Oehler
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institut für Kernphysik, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - A Olivas
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - A O'Murchadha
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - E O'Sullivan
- Oskar Klein Centre and Department of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - T Palczewski
- Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - H Pandya
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - D V Pankova
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - N Park
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - G K Parker
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at Arlington, 502 Yates Street, Science Hall Room 108, Box 19059, Arlington, Texas 76019, USA
| | - E N Paudel
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - P Peiffer
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - C Pérez de Los Heros
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - S Philippen
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - D Pieloth
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - S Pieper
- Department of Physics, University of Wuppertal, D-42119 Wuppertal, Germany
| | - E Pinat
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - A Pizzuto
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - M Plum
- Department of Physics, Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53201, USA
| | - Y Popovych
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - A Porcelli
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Gent, B-9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - M Prado Rodriguez
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - P B Price
- Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - G T Przybylski
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - C Raab
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - A Raissi
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand
| | - M Rameez
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - L Rauch
- DESY, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - K Rawlins
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alaska Anchorage, 3211 Providence Drive, Anchorage, Alaska 99508, USA
| | - I C Rea
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - A Rehman
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - R Reimann
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - B Relethford
- Department of Physics, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - M Renschler
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institut für Kernphysik, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - G Renzi
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - E Resconi
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - W Rhode
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - M Richman
- Department of Physics, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - B Riedel
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - S Robertson
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - M Rongen
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - C Rott
- Department of Physics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - T Ruhe
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - D Ryckbosch
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Gent, B-9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - D Rysewyk Cantu
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - I Safa
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - S E Sanchez Herrera
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - A Sandrock
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - J Sandroos
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - M Santander
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487, USA
| | - S Sarkar
- Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PU, United Kingdom
| | - S Sarkar
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1, Canada
| | | | - M Scharf
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - M Schaufel
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - H Schieler
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institut für Kernphysik, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - P Schlunder
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - T Schmidt
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - A Schneider
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - J Schneider
- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - F G Schröder
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institut für Kernphysik, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - L Schumacher
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - S Sclafani
- Department of Physics, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - D Seckel
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - S Seunarine
- Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, River Falls, Wisconsin 54022, USA
| | - S Shefali
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - M Silva
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - B Smithers
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at Arlington, 502 Yates Street, Science Hall Room 108, Box 19059, Arlington, Texas 76019, USA
| | - R Snihur
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - J Soedingrekso
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - D Soldin
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - M Song
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - G M Spiczak
- Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin, River Falls, Wisconsin 54022, USA
| | | | | | - M Stamatikos
- Department of Physics and Center for Cosmology and Astro-Particle Physics, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA
| | - T Stanev
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - R Stein
- DESY, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - J Stettner
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - A Steuer
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - T Stezelberger
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - R G Stokstad
- Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - A Stößl
- Department of Physics and Institute for Global Prominent Research, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | | | - T Stürwald
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - T Stuttard
- Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - G W Sullivan
- Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA
| | - I Taboada
- School of Physics and Center for Relativistic Astrophysics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
| | - F Tenholt
- Fakultät für Physik & Astronomie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - S Ter-Antonyan
- Department of Physics, Southern University, Baton Rouge, Lousiana 70813, USA
| | | | - S Tilav
- Bartol Research Institute and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware 19716, USA
| | - K Tollefson
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan 48824, USA
| | - L Tomankova
- Fakultät für Physik & Astronomie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - C Tönnis
- Institute of Basic Science, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea
| | - S Toscano
- Université Libre de Bruxelles, Science Faculty CP230, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - D Tosi
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | | | - M Tselengidou
- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - C F Tung
- School of Physics and Center for Relativistic Astrophysics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, USA
| | - A Turcati
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - R Turcotte
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institut für Kernphysik, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - C F Turley
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - B Ty
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - E Unger
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Uppsala University, Box 516, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - M A Unland Elorrieta
- Institut für Kernphysik, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, D-48149 Münster, Germany
| | - M Usner
- DESY, D-15738 Zeuthen, Germany
| | - J Vandenbroucke
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - W Van Driessche
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Gent, B-9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - D van Eijk
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - N van Eijndhoven
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Dienst ELEM, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium
| | - D Vannerom
- Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA
| | | | - S Verpoest
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Gent, B-9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - M Vraeghe
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Gent, B-9000 Gent, Belgium
| | - C Walck
- Oskar Klein Centre and Department of Physics, Stockholm University, SE-10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - A Wallace
- Department of Physics, University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia
| | - M Wallraff
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - T B Watson
- Department of Physics, University of Texas at Arlington, 502 Yates Street, Science Hall Room 108, Box 19059, Arlington, Texas 76019, USA
| | - C Weaver
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - A Weindl
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Institut für Kernphysik, D-76021 Karlsruhe, Germany
| | - M J Weiss
- Department of Physics, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, USA
| | - J Weldert
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - C Wendt
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - J Werthebach
- Department of Physics, TU Dortmund University, D-44221 Dortmund, Germany
| | - B J Whelan
- Department of Physics, University of Adelaide, Adelaide 5005, Australia
| | - N Whitehorn
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, UCLA, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA
| | - K Wiebe
- Institute of Physics, University of Mainz, Staudinger Weg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - C H Wiebusch
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
| | - D R Williams
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35487, USA
| | - L Wills
- Department of Physics, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - M Wolf
- Physik-department, Technische Universität München, D-85748 Garching, Germany
| | - T R Wood
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - K Woschnagg
- Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - G Wrede
- Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, D-91058 Erlangen, Germany
| | - J Wulff
- Fakultät für Physik & Astronomie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, D-44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - X W Xu
- Department of Physics, Southern University, Baton Rouge, Lousiana 70813, USA
| | - Y Xu
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794-3800, USA
| | - J P Yanez
- Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E1, Canada
| | - G Yodh
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California, Irvine, California 92697, USA
| | - S Yoshida
- Department of Physics and Institute for Global Prominent Research, Chiba University, Chiba 263-8522, Japan
| | - T Yuan
- Department of Physics and Wisconsin IceCube Particle Astrophysics Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin 53706, USA
| | - Z Zhang
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York 11794-3800, USA
| | - M Zöcklein
- III. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, D-52056 Aachen, Germany
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Aartsen M, Abbasi R, Ackermann M, Adams J, Aguilar J, Ahlers M, Ahrens M, Alispach C, Amin N, Andeen K, Anderson T, Ansseau I, Anton G, Argüelles C, Auffenberg J, Axani S, Bagherpour H, Bai X, Balagopal V. A, Barbano A, Barwick S, Bastian B, Basu V, Baum V, Baur S, Bay R, Beatty J, Becker KH, Becker Tjus J, BenZvi S, Berley D, Bernardini E, Besson D, Binder G, Bindig D, Blaufuss E, Blot S, Bohm C, Böser S, Botner O, Böttcher J, Bourbeau E, Bourbeau J, Bradascio F, Braun J, Bron S, Brostean-Kaiser J, Burgman A, Buscher J, Busse R, Carver T, Chen C, Cheung E, Chirkin D, Choi S, Clark B, Clark K, Classen L, Coleman A, Collin G, Conrad J, Coppin P, Correa P, Cowen D, Cross R, Dave P, De Clercq C, DeLaunay J, Dembinski H, Deoskar K, De Ridder S, Desai A, Desiati P, de Vries K, de Wasseige G, de With M, DeYoung T, Dharani S, Diaz A, Díaz-Vélez J, Dujmovic H, Dunkman M, DuVernois M, Dvorak E, Ehrhardt T, Eller P, Engel R, Evenson P, Fahey S, Fazely A, Fedynitch A, Felde J, Fienberg A, Filimonov K, Finley C, Fox D, Franckowiak A, Friedman E, Fritz A, Gaisser T, Gallagher J, Ganster E, Garrappa S, Gerhardt L, Glauch T, Glüsenkamp T, Goldschmidt A, Gonzalez J, Grant D, Grégoire T, Griffith Z, Griswold S, Günder M, Gündüz M, Haack C, Hallgren A, Halliday R, Halve L, Halzen F, Hanson K, Hardin J, Haungs A, Hauser S, Hebecker D, Heereman D, Heix P, Helbing K, Hellauer R, Henningsen F, Hickford S, Hignight J, Hill G, Hoffman K, Hoffmann R, Hoinka T, Hokanson-Fasig B, Hoshina K, Huang F, Huber M, Huber T, Hultqvist K, Hünnefeld M, Hussain R, In S, Iovine N, Ishihara A, Jansson M, Japaridze G, Jeong M, Jones B, Jonske F, Joppe R, Kang D, Kang W, Kappes A, Kappesser D, Karg T, Karl M, Karle A, Katz U, Kauer M, Kellermann M, Kelley J, Kheirandish A, Kim J, Kintscher T, Kiryluk J, Kittler T, Klein S, Koirala R, Kolanoski H, Köpke L, Kopper C, Kopper S, Koskinen D, Koundal P, Kowalski M, Krings K, Krückl G, Kulacz N, Kurahashi N, Kyriacou A, Lanfranchi J, Larson M, Lauber F, Lazar J, Leonard K, Leszczyńska A, Li Y, Liu Q, Lohfink E, Lozano Mariscal C, Lu L, Lucarelli F, Ludwig A, Lünemann J, Luszczak W, Lyu Y, Ma W, Madsen J, Maggi G, Mahn K, Makino Y, Mallik P, Mancina S, Mariş I, Maruyama R, Mase K, Maunu R, McNally F, Meagher K, Medici M, Medina A, Meier M, Meighen-Berger S, Merz J, Meures T, Micallef J, Mockler D, Momenté G, Montaruli T, Moore R, Morse R, Moulai M, Muth P, Nagai R, Naumann U, Neer G, Nguyen L, Niederhausen H, Nisa M, Nowicki S, Nygren D, Obertacke Pollmann A, Oehler M, Olivas A, O’Murchadha A, O’Sullivan E, Palczewski T, Pandya H, Pankova D, Park N, Parker G, Paudel E, Peiffer P, Pérez de los Heros C, Philippen S, Pieloth D, Pieper S, Pinat E, Pizzuto A, Plum M, Popovych Y, Porcelli A, Prado Rodriguez M, Price P, Przybylski G, Raab C, Raissi A, Rameez M, Rauch L, Rawlins K, Rea I, Rehman A, Reimann R, Relethford B, Renschler M, Renzi G, Resconi E, Rhode W, Richman M, Riedel B, Robertson S, Rongen M, Rott C, Ruhe T, Ryckbosch D, Rysewyk Cantu D, Safa I, Sanchez Herrera S, Sandrock A, Sandroos J, Santander M, Sarkar S, Sarkar S, Satalecka K, Scharf M, Schaufel M, Schieler H, Schlunder P, Schmidt T, Schneider A, Schneider J, Schröder F, Schumacher L, Sclafani S, Seckel D, Seunarine S, Shefali S, Silva M, Smithers B, Snihur R, Soedingrekso J, Soldin D, Song M, Spiczak G, Spiering C, Stachurska J, Stamatikos M, Stanev T, Stein R, Stettner J, Steuer A, Stezelberger T, Stokstad R, Stößl A, Strotjohann N, Stürwald T, Stuttard T, Sullivan G, Taboada I, Tenholt F, Ter-Antonyan S, Terliuk A, Tilav S, Tollefson K, Tomankova L, Tönnis C, Toscano S, Tosi D, Trettin A, Tselengidou M, Tung C, Turcati A, Turcotte R, Turley C, Ty B, Unger E, Unland Elorrieta M, Usner M, Vandenbroucke J, Van Driessche W, van Eijk D, van Eijndhoven N, Vannerom D, van Santen J, Verpoest S, Vraeghe M, Walck C, Wallace A, Wallraff M, Watson T, Weaver C, Weindl A, Weiss M, Weldert J, Wendt C, Werthebach J, Whelan B, Whitehorn N, Wiebe K, Wiebusch C, Williams D, Wills L, Wolf M, Wood T, Woschnagg K, Wrede G, Wulff J, Xu X, Xu Y, Yanez J, Yodh G, Yoshida S, Yuan T, Zhang Z, Zöcklein M. Searching for eV-scale sterile neutrinos with eight years of atmospheric neutrinos at the IceCube Neutrino Telescope. Int J Clin Exp Med 2020. [DOI: 10.1103/physrevd.102.052009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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Burg JM, Horst F, Wulff J, Timmermann B, Vorwerk H, Zink K. Optical range determination of clinical proton beams in water. A comparison with standard measurement methods. Phys Med 2020; 73:197-203. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmp.2020.03.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2019] [Revised: 03/04/2020] [Accepted: 03/08/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
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Kern A, Bäumer C, Kröninger K, Mertens L, Timmermann B, Walbersloh J, Wulff J. Determination of surface dose in pencil beam scanning proton therapy. Med Phys 2020; 47:2277-2288. [PMID: 32037577 DOI: 10.1002/mp.14086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2019] [Revised: 02/03/2020] [Accepted: 02/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
PURPOSE/OBJECTIVE Quantification of surface dose within the first few hundred water equivalent µm is challenging. Nevertheless, it is of large interest for the proton therapy community to study dose effects in the skin. The experimental determination is affected by the detector properties, such as the detector volume and material. The International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements in its report 39 recommends assessing the skin dose at a depth of 0.07 mm. The aim of this study is the estimation of the absorbed dose at and around a depth of 70 µm. We used various dosimetric approaches in conjunction with proton pencil beam scanning delivery to determine the skin dose in a clinical setting. MATERIAL/METHODS Five different detectors were tested for determining the surface dose in water: EBT3 and HD-V2 GAFCHROMIC™ radiochromic film, LiF:Mg,Ti thermoluminescent dosimeter, IBA PPC05 plane-parallel ionization chamber, and PTW 23391 extrapolation chamber. The irradiation setup consisted of quasi-monoenergetic scanned proton pencil beams with kinetic energies of 100, 150, and 226.7 MeV, respectively. Radiochromic films were placed within a vertical stack and in wedge geometry and were analyzed with FilmQA Pro™ adopting triple channel dosimetry. The extrapolation chamber PTW 23391, which served as a reference in the current work, was used in a conventional ionization chamber setup with a fixed electrode gap of 2 mm. Three Kapton® entrance windows with thicknesses of 25, 50, and 75 µm were employed. Thermoluminescent dosimeters were provided as powder and were pressed onto a sheet of aluminum. Furthermore, the Monte Carlo code TOol for PArticle Simulation (TOPAS) in version 3.1.p2 was used to model an IBA pencil beam scanning nozzle and score dose to water in a water phantom. RESULTS The resulting depth dose curves were normalized to their 100% dose at the reference depth of 3 cm. We obtained the skin doses with the extrapolation chamber and with TOPAS. For the experimental approach this resulted in 79.7 ± 0.3%, 86.0 ± 0.6%, and 87.1 ± 0.1% for the proton energies 100, 150, and 226.7 MeV, respectively. The results for TOPAS were 80.1 ± 0.2% (100 MeV), 87.1 ± 0.5% (150 MeV), and 86.9 ± 0.4% (226.7 MeV), respectively. Based on the experimental results of the skin dose, we provided a clinically relevant surface extrapolation factor for the common measurement methods. This allows the result of the first measurement depth of a detector to be scaled to the dose at the skin depth. Most practical would be the use of the surface extrapolation factor for the PPC05 chamber, due to its direct reading, the wide availability in clinics and the low uncertainties. The calculated factors were 0.986 ± 0.004 for 100 MeV, 0.961 ± 0.008 for 150 MeV, and 0.963 ± 0.003 for 226.7 MeV. CONCLUSIONS In this study, dissimilar experimental approaches were evaluated with respect to measurements at depths close to the surface. The experimental depth dose curves are in good agreement with the simulation with TOPAS Monte Carlo. To the author's knowledge this was the first experimental determination of the skin dose according to the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements 39 definition in proton pencil beam scanning.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Kern
- West German Proton Therapy Center Essen (WPE), Essen, 45147, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, Essen, 45147, Germany.,Experimentelle Physik IV, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, 44227, Germany.,West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Essen, 45147, Germany
| | - C Bäumer
- West German Proton Therapy Center Essen (WPE), Essen, 45147, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, Essen, 45147, Germany.,Experimentelle Physik IV, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, 44227, Germany.,West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Essen, 45147, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, 69120, Germany
| | - K Kröninger
- Experimentelle Physik IV, TU Dortmund University, Dortmund, 44227, Germany
| | - L Mertens
- University Medical Center Mannheim, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, 68167, Germany
| | - B Timmermann
- West German Proton Therapy Center Essen (WPE), Essen, 45147, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, Essen, 45147, Germany.,West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Essen, 45147, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, 69120, Germany.,Clinic for Particle Therapy, Essen, 45147, Germany
| | - J Walbersloh
- Materialprüfungsamt Nordrhein-Westfalen, Dortmund, 44287, Germany
| | - J Wulff
- West German Proton Therapy Center Essen (WPE), Essen, 45147, Germany.,University Hospital Essen, Essen, 45147, Germany.,West German Cancer Center (WTZ), Essen, 45147, Germany
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Bäumer C, Fuentes C, Janson M, Matic A, Timmermann B, Wulff J. Stereotactical fields applied in proton spot scanning mode with range shifter and collimating aperture. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2019; 64:155003. [DOI: 10.1088/1361-6560/ab2ae7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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Kern A, Bäumer C, Kröninger K, Mertens L, Timmermann B, Walbersloh J, Wulff J. PO-0908 Determination of surface dose in pencil beam scanning proton therapy. Radiother Oncol 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/s0167-8140(19)31328-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Verbeek N, Smyczek S, Wulff J, Bäumer C, Timmermann B, Brualla L. PO-0904 Benchmarking of a module for Monte Carlo simulation of proton transport in the PENELOPE code. Radiother Oncol 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/s0167-8140(19)31324-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Pfeiler T, Bäumer C, Engwall E, Geismar D, Mäder U, Spaan B, Timmermann B, Wulff J. EP-1974 Usage of computer generated 4D CTs for interplay effect studies in scanned proton therapy. Radiother Oncol 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/s0167-8140(19)32394-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Wulff J, Baumann KS, Verbeek N, Bäumer C, Timmermann B, Zink K. Corrigendum: TOPAS/Geant4 configuration for ionization chamber calculations in proton beams (2018 Phys. Med. Biol. 63 115013). Phys Med Biol 2019. [DOI: 10.1088/1361-6560/ab0292] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
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Pfeiler T, Ahmad Khalil D, Ayadi M, Bäumer C, Blanck O, Chan M, Engwall E, Geismar D, Peters S, Plaude S, Spaan B, Timmermann B, Wulff J. Motion effects in proton treatments of hepatocellular carcinoma-4D robustly optimised pencil beam scanning plans versus double scattering plans. Phys Med Biol 2018; 63:235006. [PMID: 30468685 DOI: 10.1088/1361-6560/aaecfc] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Pencil beam scanning (PBS) proton therapy enables better dose conformality for complex anatomical geometries than passive proton scattering techniques, but is more susceptible to organ motion. This becomes an issue when treating moving tumours in the thorax or abdomen. Novel four-dimensional treatment planning approaches have been developed to increase the robustness of PBS plans against motion. However, their efficacy still needs to be examined by means of 4D dynamically accumulated dose (4DDD) analyses. This study investigates the potential use of 4D robust optimisation to maintain sufficient target coverage in the presence of organ motion, while sparing surrounding healthy tissue, for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The liver is particularly suited to study motion interplay effects since the treatment region exhibits smaller density gradients and more homogeneous tissue than targets in the thorax, making it less prone to range errors. A facility-specific beam time model, developed and experimentally validated previously, was used for the clinical evaluation. 4DDD analyses of eleven target volumes did not show a significant improvement of the target coverage using 4D robust optimisation, but a reduction of the dose to close-by organs at risk. Interplay effects were averaged out for the applied fractionation scheme of 15 fractions. Contrary to PBS, passive double scattering (DS) plans yielded homogeneous 4DDD dose distributions in a single fraction. But, in some cases, they exceeded organ at risk dose limits, which were only satisfied in PBS. The average normal liver dose could be decreased by almost 6% compared to non-robustly optimised PBS plans and by 16% compared to DS plans when implementing 4D robust optimisation. Except for some very small tumours with large motion amplitudes, 4D robustly optimised PBS plans were found to be clinically acceptable even without supplementary motion mitigation techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tina Pfeiler
- West German Proton Therapy Centre Essen (WPE), Essen, Germany. West German Cancer Centre (WTZ), Essen, Germany. TU Dortmund University, Experimental Physics 5, Dortmund, Germany. Department of Particle Therapy, University Hospital Essen, Essen, Germany. Author to whom any correspondence should be addressed
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Wulff J, Baumann KS, Verbeek N, Bäumer C, Timmermann B, Zink K. TOPAS/Geant4 configuration for ionization chamber calculations in proton beams. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 63:115013. [DOI: 10.1088/1361-6560/aac30e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
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Bäumer C, Janson M, Timmermann B, Wulff J. Collimated proton pencil-beam scanning for superficial targets: impact of the order of range shifter and aperture. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2018; 63:085020. [DOI: 10.1088/1361-6560/aab79c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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Pfeiler T, Bäumer C, Blanck O, Chan M, Engwall E, Geismar D, Peters S, Spaan B, Wulff J, Timmermann B. EP-2024: 4D evaluation of proton pencil beam scanning and double scattering for hepatocellular carcinoma. Radiother Oncol 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/s0167-8140(18)32333-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
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Schoffer O, Schülein S, Arand G, Arnholdt H, Baaske D, Bargou RC, Becker N, Beckmann MW, Bodack Y, Böhme B, Bozkurt T, Breitsprecher R, Buchali A, Burger E, Burger U, Dommisch K, Elsner G, Fernschild K, Flintzer U, Funke U, Gerken M, Göbel H, Grobe N, Gumpp V, Heinzerling L, Kempfer LR, Kiani A, Klinkhammer-Schalke M, Klöcking S, Kreibich U, Knabner K, Kuhn P, Lutze S, Mäder U, Maisel T, Maschke J, Middeke M, Neubauer A, Niedostatek A, Opazo-Saez A, Peters C, Schell B, Schenkirsch G, Schmalenberg H, Schmidt P, Schneider C, Schubotz B, Seide A, Strecker P, Taubenheim S, Wackes M, Weiß S, Welke C, Werner C, Wittekind C, Wulff J, Zettl H, Klug SJ. Tumour stage distribution and survival of malignant melanoma in Germany 2002-2011. BMC Cancer 2016; 16:936. [PMID: 27919243 PMCID: PMC5139127 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-016-2963-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2016] [Accepted: 11/22/2016] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Over the past two decades, there has been a rising trend in malignant melanoma incidence worldwide. In 2008, Germany introduced a nationwide skin cancer screening program starting at age 35. The aims of this study were to analyse the distribution of malignant melanoma tumour stages over time, as well as demographic and regional differences in stage distribution and survival of melanoma patients. METHODS Pooled data from 61 895 malignant melanoma patients diagnosed between 2002 and 2011 and documented in 28 German population-based and hospital-based clinical cancer registries were analysed using descriptive methods, joinpoint regression, logistic regression and relative survival. RESULTS The number of annually documented cases increased by 53.2% between 2002 (N = 4 779) and 2011 (N = 7 320). There was a statistically significant continuous positive trend in the proportion of stage UICC I cases diagnosed between 2002 and 2011, compared to a negative trend for stage UICC II. No trends were found for stages UICC III and IV respectively. Age (OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.97-0.97), sex (OR 1.18, 95% CI 1.11-1.25), date of diagnosis (OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.04-1.06), 'diagnosis during screening' (OR 3.24, 95% CI 2.50-4.19) and place of residence (OR 1.23, 95% CI 1.16-1.30) had a statistically significant influence on the tumour stage at diagnosis. The overall 5-year relative survival for invasive cases was 83.4% (95% CI 82.8-83.9%). CONCLUSIONS No distinct changes in the distribution of malignant melanoma tumour stages among those aged 35 and older were seen that could be directly attributed to the introduction of skin cancer screening in 2008.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olaf Schoffer
- Cancer Epidemiology, University Cancer Center, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany. .,Epidemiology, Department of Sport and Health Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Georg-Brauchle-Ring 56, 80992, Munich, Germany.
| | - Stefanie Schülein
- Cancer Epidemiology, University Cancer Center, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.,Epidemiology, Department of Sport and Health Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Georg-Brauchle-Ring 56, 80992, Munich, Germany
| | - Gerlinde Arand
- Onkologischer Schwerpunkt (OSP) Göppingen, Göppingen, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Nikolaus Becker
- National Centre for Tumour Diseases (NCT) Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - Yves Bodack
- Onkologische Qualitätssicherung (QS) in Westfalen-Lippe, Münster, Germany
| | - Beatrix Böhme
- Regional Clinical Cancer Registry Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | | | | | - Andre Buchali
- Tumour Centre Brandenburg, Frankfurt (Oder), Germany
| | - Elke Burger
- Regional Clinical Cancer Registry Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | | | | | - Gudrun Elsner
- Onkologischer Schwerpunkt (OSP) Göppingen, Göppingen, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Norbert Grobe
- Tumour Centre Neubrandenburg, Neubrandenburg, Germany
| | - Vera Gumpp
- Tumour Centre Freiburg/Comprehensive Cancer Centre Freiburg (CCCF), Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Ute Kreibich
- Cancer Register of Southwest Saxony, Zwickau, Zwickau, Germany
| | | | - Peter Kuhn
- Tumour Centre Ulm/Comprehensive Cancer Centre Ulm (CCCU), Ulm, Germany
| | - Stine Lutze
- Tumour Centre Vorpommern, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Uwe Mäder
- Tumour Centre Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | | | - Jan Maschke
- Tumour Centre Görlitz, Görlitz, Germany.,Department of Dermatology, University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | - Martin Middeke
- Comprehensive Cancer Centre (CCC) Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Christoph Peters
- Tumour Centre Freiburg/Comprehensive Cancer Centre Freiburg (CCCF), Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Claudia Welke
- Tumour Centre Ulm/Comprehensive Cancer Centre Ulm (CCCU), Ulm, Germany
| | - Carmen Werner
- Regional Clinical Cancer Registry Dresden, Dresden, Germany
| | | | - Jörg Wulff
- Cancer Register of Southwest Saxony, Zwickau, Zwickau, Germany
| | | | - Stefanie J Klug
- Cancer Epidemiology, University Cancer Center, Technische Universität Dresden, Dresden, Germany.,Epidemiology, Department of Sport and Health Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Georg-Brauchle-Ring 56, 80992, Munich, Germany
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