Speaker
Description
FOOT (FragmentatiOn Of Target) is an applied nuclear physics experiment with the aim of performing high precision cross section measurements for fragmentation reactions of interest in Hadrontherapy and Radioprotection in Space. An in-depth knowledge of the physical and biological effects caused by nuclear fragments is in fact of great interest for both the improvement of Hadrontherapy treatment planning and the development of effective spacecraft shielding systems in long-term human missions in deep space (e.g. Mars explorations). However, the data needed to accurately model the behavior of nuclear fragments in these fields are currently scarce or totally unavailable in literature. To fill in the gaps in nuclear databases, the FOOT collaboration will perform a set of measurements with light ion beams, such as C and O, in the energy range of 100-800 MeV/n impinging on tissue-like and shielding material targets.
The FOOT experiment allows for a precise identification of the produced nuclear fragments through the measurement of their kinematic characteristics. Each detector has been studied to give the best possible resolution with the aim of performing measurements in inverse kinematics and with composite targets. To this purpose, the apparatus has been developed with the capability of accurately characterizing both the primary beam and all the fragments produced in nuclear reactions with the target. The system comprehends two complementary setups: an emulsion chamber spectrometer, specialized in the detection of lighter fragments (Z $\leq$ 3), and an electronic setup, dedicated to heavier particles (Z $\geq$ 3), which includes a magnetic spectrometer, a Time-Of-Flight system and a calorimeter.
In 2021, two data acquisition campaigns have been carried out with the electronic setup: one with $^{16}$O beams at the GSI laboratories (Darmstadt, Germany) and one with $^{12}$C ions at the CNAO facility (Pavia, Italy). On both occasions, fragmentation measurements were performed using graphite and polyethylene targets.
In this contribution, after an overview of the current status of the FOOT experiment, the first cross section measurements obtained from the GSI and CNAO campaigns are presented.