Medical and Hospital News  
INTERN DAILY
Mini X-ray sensor for high-precision medical applications
by Staff Writers
Paris, France (SPX) Apr 04, 2017


Optical antenna coupled to a scintillation cluster attached to the end of an optical fiber. The blue beam represents X-ray radiation; the intense, bright green sphere is the scintillation cluster; and the sparks within the body of the optical antenna are the photons emitted by the scintillators after absorbing X-rays. The optical antenna strongly directs this emitted light toward a very narrow single-mode optical fiber. Image courtesy Miguel Angel Suarez, FEMTO-ST (CNRS / UFC / UTBM / ENSMM).

The ability to detect X-rays on a tiny scale paves the way for high-precision medical imaging and therapies. Such detection capabilities have been achieved by researchers from the CNRS, the University of Franche-Comte (UFC), and Aix-Marseille University (AMU), who attached an X-ray sensor to the end of an optical fiber. Their work was published in Optics Letters on March 28, 2017.

X-ray radiation lets us closely examine matter, whether for medical purposes or inspection of industrial parts. But X-ray sensors are cumbersome, and this limits their medical applications, especially endoscopy. So scientists are grappling with the challenge of miniaturizing them, which is no easy task. X-rays are not directly detected.

They are first absorbed by a luminescent material - called a scintillator - which in turn emits photons of visible light that are picked up by a camera or photodetector. On a small scale, a scintillator emits very few photons, and they radiate in all directions. The tiny stream of protons that does reach the camera is hard to detect.

Yet researchers have found a solution, using an optical antenna that redirects and channels photons released by a miniature scintillator. This ultracompact system allows X-ray detection in volumes as small as a few cubic micrometers. Invented by a team from FEMTO-ST (CNRS / University of Franche-Comte / UTBM / ENSMM) in collaboration with researchers from CINaM (CNRS / AMU) and the UTINAM Institute (CNRS / UFC), it is attached to an optical fiber only 125 um in diameter1. The researchers first grew a polymer microtip at the end of the fiber.

Then they grafted a tiny cluster of scintillators, or scintillation cluster, to this tip. They finally applied a thin layer of metal to complete the optical antenna, whose role is to direct light, just as horn antennas direct microwaves. Thus, when X-rays come into contact with the scintillation cluster, it emits light that the antenna directs toward the fiber.

All that remains is to connect a light detector to the other end of the fiber. The goal was to end up with a device ready for industrial production: growth of the optical antenna on the fiber through photopolymerization and grafting of the scintillator are both suitable for low-cost mass production.

Use of the system was demonstrated with low-energy (10 keV2) X-rays. To develop medical applications, the team would like to crank it up a notch: tens of kilo-electron volts for radioscopy and hundreds of kilo-electron volts for therapeutic uses. But the researchers also want to pursue other ideas over the long term.

Optical antennas could reduce the delay between X-ray absorption and scintillator light emission, making it possible to create much faster X-ray detectors. And although spatial resolution is currently on the order of a micrometer, new procedures could bring it down to 100 nm3. The detector might be used as a probe for scanning microscopy, with one application being localized analysis of the chemical makeup of composite materials.

This work was funded by the Laboratory of Excellence "ACTION", and the team of scientists applied for a French National Research Agency (ANR) grant to further pursue basic and applied research in this field.

Ultracompact X-ray dosimeter based on scintillators coupled to a nano-optical antenna. Xie Z et al. Opt Lett. 2017 Mar 28.

INTERN DAILY
Web-based counseling lowers blood pressure as much as meds: study
Washington (AFP) March 18, 2017
People who received regular lifestyle counseling online were able to lower their blood pressure as much as a medication would, researchers said Saturday. Their study involved 264 people with high blood pressure and an average age of 58. The subjects' average blood pressure began at around 140/90 mmHg, meaning they had what is clinically known as stage 1 hypertension. Most were alread ... read more

Related Links
CNRS
Hospital and Medical News at InternDaily.com


Thanks for being here;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5 Billed Monthly


paypal only


Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

INTERN DAILY
Mosul humanitarian crisis deepens as displacement peaks

Colombia opens probe into deadly landslide

Trump's visceral response prompts Syria strikes

Over 6,000 flee 'terrifying' violence in S.Sudan town: UN

INTERN DAILY
ISRO Beams in Private Firm to Make Two Satellites for Navigation

Satnavs 'switch off' parts of the brain

Technology can reduce GPS outages from Northern Lights, researchers say

DevOps process reduces GPS OCX development time for Raytheon

INTERN DAILY
Married couples with shared ancestry tend to have similar genes

Great apes know when people are wrong: study

Researchers uncover prehistoric art and ornaments from Indonesian 'Ice Age'

Parallel computation provides deeper insight into brain function

INTERN DAILY
Puffins who migrate together have more chicks together

Tiny plankton wields biological 'Gatling gun' in microbial Wild West

New species evolve faster as mountains form

Gene sleuths open line of attack on coral-killing starfish

INTERN DAILY
Scientists image one of the largest viruses on the planet

Transgenic plants against malaria

Thousands of monkeys are dying from yellow fever in Brazil

UN body urges China to act as bird flu deaths spike

INTERN DAILY
Billionaire Warren Buffet becomes face of Coke in China

US authorities bust visa fraud scheme for wealthy Chinese

Warhol Mao portrait fetches $12.7m in Hong Kong auction

Hong Kong anti-graft body arrests 72 over vote-rigging

INTERN DAILY
Philippines seeks US, China help to combat sea pirates

INTERN DAILY








The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.