Seminarium Fizyki Jądra Atomowego

FOOT (FragmentatiOn Of Target) is an experimental program in applied nuclear physics focused on the understanding of nuclear fragmentation processes. Understanding these fragmentation processes is important in two major contexts: improving cancer treatments that use hadron beams and assessing radiation risks for astronauts during space missions. The FOOT physics program foresees a set of measurements conducted in both direct and inverse kinematics, employing particle beams and targets relevant to particle therapy and radiation protection in space. The principal objective is to determine double-differential cross sections—measured as functions of the emission angle and the energy of the produced fragments—in the energy interval from about 100 to 800 MeV per nucleon. The experiment aims to reach a measurement accuracy better than approximately 5%. For this purpose, the FOOT collaboration has developed two experimental setups. One setup uses nuclear emulsion detectors and is optimized for identifying fragments with charge Z≤3. The second setup relies on electronic detector systems and is intended primarily for detecting lighter fragments with charge Z≥2.

In this seminar the physics motivations of the experiment will be discussed, followed by an overview of the apparatus. Several preliminary and recent results will be presented, focusing on topics such as fragment charge identification, new measurements obtained with helium beams, and recent determinations of fragmentation cross sections. Future plans will also be discussed.