Imaging alpha particle - scintillation sheet response

[Terri Bruce]

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Has anyone ever used a standard microscope set up to image alpha particles
as they hit a scintillation sheet? I have a client who wants to see if we
can do this and what type of resolution we may be able to get.

We've tried several things, but no luck so far. Any suggestions?

Thanks!
Terri

[Guy Cox-2]

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Terri,

        Since this is essentially localization microscopy, with only a few particles arriving at a time, you should be able to get resolution limited only by the number of photons.  Unfortunately the number of photons is likely to be very low .... You would probably need an intensified camera.  

        You don't explain why you are doing it this way rather than the more familiar method of using a sheet of polycarbonate plastic, which will forms tracks which can be revealed by mild etching.  These tracks are easy to observe.

                                                                 Guy

-----Original Message-----
From: Confocal Microscopy List [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Terri Bruce
Sent: Tuesday, 3 November 2015 3:12 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Imaging alpha particle - scintillation sheet response

*****
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*****

Has anyone ever used a standard microscope set up to image alpha particles as they hit a scintillation sheet? I have a client who wants to see if we can do this and what type of resolution we may be able to get.

We've tried several things, but no luck so far. Any suggestions?

Thanks!
Terri

[Terri Bruce]

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Hi Guy,

We've tried imaging using TIRF and an EMCCD camera (the Leica GSD system), but to no avail. I asked the same question regarding the use of polycarbonate plastic or even traditional film capture, but the group that I'm working with wanted to see if we could potentially get this to work. I did find a paper that built and used what they referred to as an alpha particle camera (Back and Jacobsson, J. of Nucl. Med., 51(10), October 2010), which is actually pretty interesting,  but the group I'm working with really wants to see what kind of resolution they can achieve on a standard microscope. So the setup that is in the paper is not really what they want. I've tried several approaches, including using HyD detectors, without success, so I thought that I would throw the question out there to see if anyone else had ever tried to do it.

Just another exciting day in the life of a core director!

Thanks!
Terri

Terri F. Bruce, Ph.D.                                                                        
Assistant Professor
Academic Program Director & Manager
Clemson Light Imaging Facility
Office of the Dean,
College of Agriculture, Forestry & Life Sciences
Clemson University
024-A Life Sciences Facility
Clemson, SC 29634
Phone: [phone]; FAX: [phone]
E-mail: [hidden email]

Like us on facebook! https://www.facebook.com/ClemsonLightImagingFacility

-----Original Message-----
From: Confocal Microscopy List [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Guy Cox
Sent: Tuesday, November 03, 2015 1:18 AM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: Imaging alpha particle - scintillation sheet response

*****
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*****

Terri,

        Since this is essentially localization microscopy, with only a few particles arriving at a time, you should be able to get resolution limited only by the number of photons.  Unfortunately the number of photons is likely to be very low .... You would probably need an intensified camera.  

        You don't explain why you are doing it this way rather than the more familiar method of using a sheet of polycarbonate plastic, which will forms tracks which can be revealed by mild etching.  These tracks are easy to observe.

                                                                 Guy

-----Original Message-----
From: Confocal Microscopy List [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Terri Bruce
Sent: Tuesday, 3 November 2015 3:12 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Imaging alpha particle - scintillation sheet response

*****
To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
*****

Has anyone ever used a standard microscope set up to image alpha particles as they hit a scintillation sheet? I have a client who wants to see if we can do this and what type of resolution we may be able to get.

We've tried several things, but no luck so far. Any suggestions?

Thanks!
Terri

[Guy Cox-2]

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Terri,

  I did hope that Jim Pawley would jump in here since he really is the detection king.  But it does seem to me that this isn't a question for EMCCD cameras.   You want enormous gain (or you won't see anything) and the lower QE of an ICCD is a nuisance you will just have to accept.  At least there is essentially no background in your signal.   I am talking about the sort of camera that I'd have to sign my life away to get here in Australia, but for you it is only a matter of cost!  And I'm sure you could get a demo - they want to sell these things.

                                                                              Guy


-----Original Message-----
From: Confocal Microscopy List [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Terri Bruce
Sent: Wednesday, 4 November 2015 4:47 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: Imaging alpha particle - scintillation sheet response

*****
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Hi Guy,

We've tried imaging using TIRF and an EMCCD camera (the Leica GSD system), but to no avail. I asked the same question regarding the use of polycarbonate plastic or even traditional film capture, but the group that I'm working with wanted to see if we could potentially get this to work. I did find a paper that built and used what they referred to as an alpha particle camera (Back and Jacobsson, J. of Nucl. Med., 51(10), October 2010), which is actually pretty interesting,  but the group I'm working with really wants to see what kind of resolution they can achieve on a standard microscope. So the setup that is in the paper is not really what they want. I've tried several approaches, including using HyD detectors, without success, so I thought that I would throw the question out there to see if anyone else had ever tried to do it.

Just another exciting day in the life of a core director!

Thanks!
Terri

Terri F. Bruce, Ph.D.                                                                        
Assistant Professor
Academic Program Director & Manager
Clemson Light Imaging Facility
Office of the Dean,
College of Agriculture, Forestry & Life Sciences Clemson University 024-A Life Sciences Facility Clemson, SC 29634
Phone: [phone]; FAX: [phone]
E-mail: [hidden email]

Like us on facebook! https://www.facebook.com/ClemsonLightImagingFacility

-----Original Message-----
From: Confocal Microscopy List [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Guy Cox
Sent: Tuesday, November 03, 2015 1:18 AM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: Imaging alpha particle - scintillation sheet response

*****
To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
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*****

Terri,

        Since this is essentially localization microscopy, with only a few particles arriving at a time, you should be able to get resolution limited only by the number of photons.  Unfortunately the number of photons is likely to be very low .... You would probably need an intensified camera.  

        You don't explain why you are doing it this way rather than the more familiar method of using a sheet of polycarbonate plastic, which will forms tracks which can be revealed by mild etching.  These tracks are easy to observe.

                                                                 Guy

-----Original Message-----
From: Confocal Microscopy List [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Terri Bruce
Sent: Tuesday, 3 November 2015 3:12 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Imaging alpha particle - scintillation sheet response

*****
To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
*****

Has anyone ever used a standard microscope set up to image alpha particles as they hit a scintillation sheet? I have a client who wants to see if we can do this and what type of resolution we may be able to get.

We've tried several things, but no luck so far. Any suggestions?

Thanks!
Terri

[Oshel, Philip Eugene]

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Terri,

Do your clients want to image the scintillation flashes caused by alpha
particles, or do they want to "image" individual alpha particles? If the
latter, you might want to look at electron-capture cameras used for TEM,
such as:
http://www.directelectron.com/

Designed for electrons, but I'd think they'd work for alpha particles.
Be worth contacting them and asking.

Phil

> Hi Guy,
>
> We've tried imaging using TIRF and an EMCCD camera (the Leica GSD system), but to no avail. I asked the same question regarding the use of polycarbonate plastic or even traditional film capture, but the group that I'm working with wanted to see if we could potentially get this to work. I did find a paper that built and used what they referred to as an alpha particle camera (Back and Jacobsson, J. of Nucl. Med., 51(10), October 2010), which is actually pretty interesting,  but the group I'm working with really wants to see what kind of resolution they can achieve on a standard microscope. So the setup that is in the paper is not really what they want. I've tried several approaches, including using HyD detectors, without success, so I thought that I would throw the question out there to see if anyone else had ever tried to do it.
>
> Just another exciting day in the life of a core director!
>
> Thanks!
> Terri
>
> Terri F. Bruce, Ph.D.
> Assistant Professor
> Academic Program Director&  Manager
> Clemson Light Imaging Facility
> Office of the Dean,
> College of Agriculture, Forestry&  Life Sciences
> Clemson University
> 024-A Life Sciences Facility
> Clemson, SC 29634
> Phone: [phone]; FAX: [phone]
> E-mail: [hidden email]
>
> Terri,
>
> Since this is essentially localization microscopy, with only a few particles arriving at a time, you should be able to get resolution limited only by the number of photons.  Unfortunately the number of photons is likely to be very low .... You would probably need an intensified camera.
>
> You don't explain why you are doing it this way rather than the more familiar method of using a sheet of polycarbonate plastic, which will forms tracks which can be revealed by mild etching.  These tracks are easy to observe.
>
>
> Has anyone ever used a standard microscope set up to image alpha particles as they hit a scintillation sheet? I have a client who wants to see if we can do this and what type of resolution we may be able to get.
>
> We've tried several things, but no luck so far. Any suggestions?
>
> Thanks!
> Terri

--
Philip Oshel
Microscopy Facility Supervisor
Biology Department
024C Brooks Hall
Central Michigan University
Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859
[phone]

[George McNamara]

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*****

Hi Terri,
Can you put the same directly on the detector?

from a google search:     alpha particle cmos camera

http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-see-alpha-particles/\
My favorite line part:
*HIS PROJECT USES A SMALL AMOUNT OF RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL.*
*A small radio active source extracted from a smoke detector is used. *
*DO NOT SWALLOW THE SAMPLE
DO NOT CARRY THE SAMPLE IN YOUR POCKET
AVOID HANDLING THE SAMPLE LONG PERIODS OF TIME
LIMIT YOUR EXPOSURE BY _NOT _KEEPING THE SAMPLE NEAR YOU AND STORING IT
IN A STEEL OR ALUMINUM CASE
MAKE SURE THE CASE IS CLEARLY MARKED TO PREVENT OTHERS FROM HANDLING IT*


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpcezRL65Lk
(the link for more information was dead).


I've posted information on cosmic ray particles imaging

http://works.bepress.com/gmcnamara/19/

August 2013 (101st anniversary of discover) update: Microscopy Today
(July 2013 edition) published my article on cosmic ray particles
imaging. Please see

http://onlinedigeditions.com/publication/?i=167312

Cosmic rays image shows 83.33 hours of cosmic ray particles striking a
Hamamatsu ORCA-ER digital CCD camera. Each of the three color channels
are 10,000 exposures, 10 seconds each. Camera background has been
removed and gamma adjusted for better contrast. August 7, 2012, marks
the 100th anniversary of the discovery of cosmic rays. I was employed at
University of Miami at the time of the image acquisition.


also
http://works.bepress.com/gmcnamara/20/
http://works.bepress.com/gmcnamara/24/


You might also want to spike some radioactivity into a scintillant
(BBO?) and image a droplet on a microscope.

See also

/LUX Biotechnology/ GLOWELL^(TM) luminometry standards
http://www.bmglabtech.com/media/35216/1044126.pdf


enjoy,

George


On 11/3/2015 11:46 PM, Terri Bruce wrote:

> *****
> To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
> http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
> Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
> *****
>
> Hi Guy,
>
> We've tried imaging using TIRF and an EMCCD camera (the Leica GSD system), but to no avail. I asked the same question regarding the use of polycarbonate plastic or even traditional film capture, but the group that I'm working with wanted to see if we could potentially get this to work. I did find a paper that built and used what they referred to as an alpha particle camera (Back and Jacobsson, J. of Nucl. Med., 51(10), October 2010), which is actually pretty interesting,  but the group I'm working with really wants to see what kind of resolution they can achieve on a standard microscope. So the setup that is in the paper is not really what they want. I've tried several approaches, including using HyD detectors, without success, so I thought that I would throw the question out there to see if anyone else had ever tried to do it.
>
> Just another exciting day in the life of a core director!
>
> Thanks!
> Terri
>
> Terri F. Bruce, Ph.D.
> Assistant Professor
> Academic Program Director&  Manager
> Clemson Light Imaging Facility
> Office of the Dean,
> College of Agriculture, Forestry&  Life Sciences
> Clemson University
> 024-A Life Sciences Facility
> Clemson, SC 29634
> Phone: [phone]; FAX: [phone]
> E-mail: [hidden email]
>
> Like us on facebook! https://www.facebook.com/ClemsonLightImagingFacility
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Confocal Microscopy List [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Guy Cox
> Sent: Tuesday, November 03, 2015 1:18 AM
> To: [hidden email]
> Subject: Re: Imaging alpha particle - scintillation sheet response
>
> *****
> To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
> http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
> Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
> *****
>
> Terri,
>
> Since this is essentially localization microscopy, with only a few particles arriving at a time, you should be able to get resolution limited only by the number of photons.  Unfortunately the number of photons is likely to be very low .... You would probably need an intensified camera.
>
> You don't explain why you are doing it this way rather than the more familiar method of using a sheet of polycarbonate plastic, which will forms tracks which can be revealed by mild etching.  These tracks are easy to observe.
>
>                                                                   Guy
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Confocal Microscopy List [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Terri Bruce
> Sent: Tuesday, 3 November 2015 3:12 PM
> To: [hidden email]
> Subject: Imaging alpha particle - scintillation sheet response
>
> *****
> To join, leave or search the confocal microscopy listserv, go to:
> http://lists.umn.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=confocalmicroscopy
> Post images on http://www.imgur.com and include the link in your posting.
> *****
>
> Has anyone ever used a standard microscope set up to image alpha particles as they hit a scintillation sheet? I have a client who wants to see if we can do this and what type of resolution we may be able to get.
>
> We've tried several things, but no luck so far. Any suggestions?
>
> Thanks!
> Terri
>
>    

--



George McNamara, Ph.D.
Single Cells Analyst
L.J.N. Cooper Lab
University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
Houston, TX 77054
Tattletales http://works.bepress.com/gmcnamara/42
http://works.bepress.com/gmcnamara/75
https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgemcnamara