In the process of phase unwrapping for an image obtained by an interferometer or in-line holography, noisy image data may pose difficulties. Traditional phase unwrapping algorithms used to estimate a two-dimensional phase distribution include much estimation error, due to the effect of singular points. This paper introduces an accurate phase-unwrapping algorithm based on three techniques: a rotational compensator, unconstrained singular point positioning, and virtual singular points. The new algorithm can confine the effect of singularities to the local region around each singular point. The phaseunwrapped result demonstrates that accuracy is improved, compared with past methods based on the least-squares approach.

In contrast to conventional X-ray therapy, proton beam therapy (PBT) can confine radiation doses to tumours because of the presence of the Bragg peak. However, the precision of the treatment is currently limited by the uncertainty in the beam range. Recently, a unique range verification methodology has been proposed based on simulation studies that exploit spherical ionoacoustic waves with resonant frequency (SPIREs). SPIREs are emitted from spherical gold markers in tumours initially introduced for accurate patient positioning when the proton beam is injected. These waves have a remarkable property: their amplitude is linearly correlated with the residual beam range at the marker position. Here, we present proof-of-principle experiments using short-pulsed proton beams at the clinical dose to demonstrate the feasibility of using SPIREs for beam-range verification with submillimetre accuracy. These results should substantially contribute to reducing the range uncertainty in future PBT applications.

Purpose Ionoacoustics is one of the promising approaches to verify the beam range in proton therapy. However, the weakness of the wave signal remains a main hindrance to its application in clinics. Here we studied the potential use of a fixed‐field alternating gradient accelerator (FFA), one of the accelerator candidates for future proton therapy. For such end, magnitude of the pressure wave and range accuracy achieved by the short‐pulsed beam of FFA were assessed, using both simulation and experimental procedure. Methods A 100 MeV proton beam from the FFA was applied on a water phantom, through the acrylic wall. The beam range measured by the Bragg peak (BP)‐ionization chamber (BPC) was 77.6 mm, while the maximum dose at BP was estimated to be 0.35 Gy/pulse. A hydrophone was placed 20 mm downstream of the BP, and signals were amplified and stored by a digital oscilloscope, averaged, and low‐pass filtered. Time‐of‐flight (TOF) and two relative TOF values were analyzed in order to determine the beam range. Furthermore, an acoustic wave transport simulation was conducted to estimate the amplitude of the pressure waves. Results The range calculated when using two relative TOF was 78.16 ± 0.01 and 78.14 ± 0.01 mm, respectively, both values being coherent with the range measured by the BPC (the difference was 0.5‒0.6 mm). In contrast, utilizing the direct TOF resulted in a range error of 1.8 mm. Fivefold and 50‐fold averaging were required to suppress the range variation to below 1 mm for TOF and relative TOF measures, respectively. The simulation suggested the magnitude of pressure wave at the detector exceeded 7 Pascal. Conclusion A submillimeter range accuracy was attained with a pulsed beam of about 21 ns from an FFA, at a clinical energy using relative TOF. To precisely quantify the range with a single TOF measurement, subsequent improvement in the measuring system is required.

Compacted bentonite, of which the major clay mineral is montmorillonite, is a candidate buffer material for geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste.In this study, a microfocus X-ray computed tomography (micro-CT, X-ray microscope), which enables non-destructive, three-dimensional observation of the interior microstructure of a sample with high resolution (several microns), examined compacted montmorillonite samples under dry and water-saturated states. The images thus obtained were analyzed by a computer code developed for this study to obtain Preprint submitted to Elsevier 22 December 2007the information on the size and shape of montmorillonite grains in the samples before and after the water saturation. From the results of the image analysis, it can be supposed that the outer montmorillonite sheets of grains swelled and formed a gel, whereas the inner montmorillonite sheets did not change significantly in the water-saturation process.

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