Fully automated volumetric modulated arc therapy technique for radiation therapy of locally advanced breast cancer.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate an a-priori multicriteria plan optimization algorithm (mCycle) for locally advanced breast cancer radiation therapy (RT) by comparing automatically generated VMAT (Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy) plans (AP-VMAT) with manual clinical Helical Tomotherapy (HT) plans. METHODS: The study included 25 patients who received postoperative RT using HT. The patient cohort had diverse target selections, including both left and right breast/chest wall (CW) and III-IV node, with or without internal mammary node (IMN) and Simultaneous Integrated Boost (SIB). The Planning Target Volume (PTV) was obtained by applying a 5 mm isotropic expansion to the CTV (Clinical Target Volume), with a 5 mm clip from the skin. Comparisons of dosimetric parameters and delivery/planning times were conducted. Dosimetric verification of the AP-VMAT plans was performed. RESULTS: The study showed statistically significant improvements in AP-VMAT plans compared to HT for OARs (Organs At Risk) mean dose, except for the heart and ipsilateral lung. No significant differences in V95% were observed for PTV breast/CW and PTV III-IV, while increased coverage (higher V95%) was seen for PTV IMN in AP-VMAT plans. HT plans exhibited smaller values of PTV V105% for breast/CW and III-IV, with no differences in PTV IMN and boost. HT had an average (± standard deviation) delivery time of (17 ± 8) minutes, while AP-VMAT took (3 ± 1) minutes. The average γ passing rate for AP-VMAT plans was 97%±1%. Planning times reduced from an average of 6 h for HT to about 2 min for AP-VMAT. CONCLUSIONS: Comparing AP-VMAT plans with clinical HT plans showed similar or improved quality. The implementation of mCycle demonstrated successful automation of the planning process for VMAT treatment of locally advanced breast cancer, significantly reducing workload.

Clinical validation of an automatic atlas-based segmentation tool for male pelvis CT images.

PURPOSE: This retrospective work aims to evaluate the possible impact on intra- and inter-observer variability, contouring time, and contour accuracy of introducing a pelvis computed tomography (CT) auto-segmentation tool in radiotherapy planning workflow. METHODS: Tests were carried out on five structures (bladder, rectum, pelvic lymph-nodes, and femoral heads) of six previously treated subjects, enrolling five radiation oncologists (ROs) to manually re-contour and edit auto-contours generated with a male pelvis CT atlas created with the commercial software MIM MAESTRO. The ROs first delineated manual contours (M). Then they modified the auto-contours, producing automatic-modified (AM) contours. The procedure was repeated to evaluate intra-observer variability, producing M1, M2, AM1, and AM2 contour sets (each comprising 5 structures × 6 test patients × 5 ROs = 150 contours), for a total of 600 contours. Potential time savings was evaluated by comparing contouring and editing times. Structure contours were compared to a reference standard by means of Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and mean distance to agreement (MDA), to assess intra- and inter-observer variability. To exclude any automation bias, ROs evaluated both M and AM sets as "clinically acceptable" or "to be corrected" in a blind test. RESULTS: Comparing AM to M sets, a significant reduction of both inter-observer variability (p < 0.001) and contouring time (-45% whole pelvis, p < 0.001) was obtained. Intra-observer variability reduction was significant only for bladder and femoral heads (p < 0.001). The statistical test showed no significant bias. CONCLUSION: Our atlas-based workflow proved to be effective for clinical practice as it can improve contour reproducibility and generate time savings. Based on these findings, institutions are encouraged to implement their auto-segmentation method.

Implementation of automatic plan optimization in Italy: Status and perspectives.

PURPOSE: To investigate and report on the diffusion and clinical use of automated radiotherapy planning systems in Italy and to assess the perspectives of the community of Italian medical physicists involved in radiotherapy on the use of these tools. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A survey of medical physicists (one per Institute) of 175 radiotherapy centers in Italy was conducted between February 21st and April 1st, 2021. The information collected included the institute's characteristics, plan activity, availability/use of automatic tools and related issues regarding satisfaction, criticisms, expectations, and perceived professional modifications. Responses were analysed, including the impact of a few variables such as the institute type and experience. RESULTS: 125 of the centers (71%) answered the survey, with regional variability (range: 47%-100%); among these, 49% have a TPS with some automatic option. Clinical use of automatic planning is present in 33% of the centers, with 13% applying it in >50% of their plans. Among the 125 responding centres the most used systems are Pinnacle (16%), Raystation (9%) and Eclipse (4%). The majority of participants consider the use of automated techniques to be beneficial, while only 1% do not see any advantage; 83% of respondents see the possibility of enriching their professional role as a potential benefit, while 3% see potential threats. CONCLUSIONS: Our survey shows that 49% of the responding centres have an automatic planning solution although clinically used in only 33% of the cases. Most physicists consider the use of automated techniques to be beneficial and show a prevalently positive attitude.

Validation of a secondary dose check tool against Monte Carlo and analytical clinical dose calculation algorithms in VMAT.

PURPOSE: Patient-specific quality assurance (QA) is very important in radiotherapy, especially for patients with highly conformed treatment plans like VMAT plans. Traditional QA protocols for these plans are time-consuming reducing considerably the time available for patient treatments. In this work, a new MC-based secondary dose check software (SciMoCa) is evaluated and benchmarked against well-established TPS (Monaco and Pinnacle3 ) by means of treatment plans and dose measurements. METHODS: Fifty VMAT plans have been computed using same calculation parameters with SciMoCa and the two primary TPSs. Plans were validated with measurements performed with a 3D diode detector (ArcCHECK) by translating patient plans to phantom geometry. Calculation accuracy was assessed by measuring point dose differences and gamma passing rates (GPR) from a 3D gamma analysis with 3%-2 mm criteria. Comparison between SciMoCa and primary TPS calculations was made using the same estimators and using both patient and phantom geometry plans. RESULTS: TPS and SciMoCa calculations were found to be in very good agreement with validation measurements with average point dose differences of 0.7 ± 1.7% and -0.2 ± 1.6% for SciMoCa and two TPSs, respectively. Comparison between SciMoCa calculations and the two primary TPS plans did not show any statistically significant difference with average point dose differences compatible with zero within error for both patient and phantom geometry plans and GPR (98.0 ± 3.0% and 99.0 ± 3.0% respectively) well in excess of the typical 95 % clinical tolerance threshold. CONCLUSION: This work presents results obtained with a significantly larger sample than other similar analyses and, to the authors' knowledge, compares SciMoCa with a MC-based TPS for the first time. Results show that a MC-based secondary patient-specific QA is a clinically viable, reliable, and promising technique, that potentially allows significant time saving that can be used for patient treatment and a per-plan basis QA that effectively complements traditional commissioning and calibration protocols.

Methodological approach to create an atlas using a commercial auto-contouring software.

PURPOSE: The aim of this work was to establish a methodological approach for creation and optimization of an atlas for auto-contouring, using the commercial software MIM MAESTRO (MIM Software Inc. Cleveland OH). METHODS: A computed tomography (CT) male pelvis atlas was created and optimized to evaluate how different tools and options impact on the accuracy of automatic segmentation. Pelvic lymph nodes (PLN), rectum, bladder, and femurs of 55 subjects were reviewed for consistency by a senior consultant radiation oncologist with 15 yr of experience. Several atlas and workflow options were tuned to optimize the accuracy of auto-contours. The deformable image registration (DIR), the finalization method, the k number of atlas best matching subjects, and several post-processing options were studied. To test our atlas performances, automatic and reference manual contours of 20 test subjects were statistically compared based on dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and mean distance to agreement (MDA) indices. The effect of field of view (FOV) reduction on auto-contouring time was also investigated. RESULTS: With the optimized atlas and workflow, DSC and MDA median values of bladder, rectum, PLN, and femurs were 0.91 and 1.6 mm, 0.85 and 1.6 mm, 0.85 and 1.8 mm, and 0.96 and 0.5 mm, respectively. Auto-contouring time was more than halved by strictly cropping the FOV of the subject to be contoured to the pelvic region. CONCLUSION: A statistically significant improvement of auto-contours accuracy was obtained using our atlas and optimized workflow instead of the MIM Software pelvic atlas.

Comprehensive Analysis of Radiomic Datasets by RadAR.

Quantitative analysis of biomedical images, referred to as radiomics, is emerging as a promising approach to facilitate clinical decisions and improve patient stratification. The typical radiomic workflow includes image acquisition, segmentation, feature extraction, and analysis of high-dimensional datasets. While procedures for primary radiomic analyses have been established in recent years, processing the resulting radiomic datasets remains a challenge due to the lack of specific tools for doing so. Here we present RadAR (Radiomics Analysis with R), a new software to perform comprehensive analysis of radiomic features. RadAR allows users to process radiomic datasets in their entirety, from data import to feature processing and visualization, and implements multiple statistical methods for analysis of these data. We used RadAR to analyze the radiomic profiles of more than 850 patients with cancer from publicly available datasets and showed that it was able to recapitulate expected results. These results demonstrate RadAR as a reliable and valuable tool for the radiomics community. SIGNIFICANCE: A new computational tool performs comprehensive analysis of high-dimensional radiomic datasets, recapitulating expected results in the analysis of radiomic profiles of >850 patients with cancer from independent datasets.

Automated planning through robust templates and multicriterial optimization for lung VMAT SBRT of lung lesions.

PURPOSE: To develop and validate a robust template for VMAT SBRT of lung lesions, using the multicriterial optimization (MCO) of a commercial treatment planning system. METHODS: The template was established and refined on 10 lung SBRT patients planned for 55 Gy/5 fr. To improve gradient and conformity a ring structure around the planning target volume (PTV) was set in the list of objectives. Ideal fluence optimization was conducted giving priority to organs at risk (OARs) and using the MCO, which further pushes OARs doses. Segmentation was conducted giving priority to PTV coverage. Two different templates were produced with different degrees of modulation, by setting the Fluence Smoothing parameter to Medium (MFS) and High (HFS). Each template was applied on 20 further patients. Automatic and manual plans were compared in terms of dosimetric parameters, delivery time, and complexity. Statistical significance of differences was evaluated using paired two-sided Wilcoxon signed-rank test. RESULTS: No statistically significant differences in PTV coverage and maximum dose were observed, while an improvement was observed in gradient and conformity. A general improvement in dose to OARs was seen, which resulted to be significant for chest wall V30 Gy , total lung V20 Gy , and spinal cord D0.1 cc . MFS plans are characterized by a higher modulation and longer delivery time than manual plans. HFS plans have a modulation and a delivery time comparable to manual plans, but still present an advantage in terms of gradient. CONCLUSION: The automation of the planning process for lung SBRT using robust templates and MCO was demonstrated to be feasible and more efficient.

Performance assessment of a new optimization system for robotic SBRT MLC-based plans.

PURPOSE: To assess the performance of a new optimization system, VOLO, for CyberKnife MLC-based SBRT plans in comparison with the existing Sequential optimizer. METHODS: MLC-plans were created for 25 SBRT cases (liver, prostate, pancreas and spine) using both VOLO and Sequential. Monitor units (MU), delivery time (DT), PTV coverage, conformity (nCI), dose gradient (R50%) and OAR doses were used for comparison and combined to obtain a mathematical score (MS) of plan quality for each solution. MS strength was validated by changing parameter weights and by a blinded clinical plan evaluation. The optimization times (OT) and the average segment areas (SA) were also compared. RESULTS: VOLO solutions offered significantly lower mean DT (-19%) and MU (-13%). OT were below 15 min for VOLO, whereas for Sequential, values spanned from 8 to 160 min. SAs were significantly larger for VOLO: on average 10 cm2 versus 7 cm2. VOLO optimized plans achieved a higher MS than Sequential for all tested parameter combinations. PTV coverage and OAR sparing were comparable for both groups of solutions. Although slight differences in R50% and nCI were found, the parameters most affecting MS were MU and DT. VOLO solutions were selected in 80% of cases by both physicians with 88% inter-observer agreement. CONCLUSIONS: The good performance of the VOLO optimization system, together with the large reduction in OT, make it a useful tool to improve the efficiency of CK SBRT planning and delivery. The proposed methodology for comparing different planning solutions can be applied in other contexts.

ADAM phantom to test 4D medical imaging and dose delivery devices.

Radiotherapy treatment of moving lesions is a challenging task in which different strategies can be used. The clinical implementation of the variety of complex technical solutions pursued to treat cancer, while sparing healthy tissues, requires accurate quality assurance tests and adequate phantoms. The aim of this work is to report on the anthropomorphic dynamic breathing model (ADAM) and on its applications to test image quality and dose delivery for four-dimensional (4D) techniques used to compensate for breathing-induced tumor motion. ADAM reproduces a male torso containing realistic ribs and spinal cord. Lungs move along circular or elliptical paths lying on sagittal planes, while the anterior chest surface moves independently up and down. Lungs host radiochromic films, a diamond detector and objects of known shape and dimensions to test 4D scanners. Markers are embedded around a target and a specific tool, hosting orthogonal radiochromic films, has been provided to perform end-to-end tests of tracking systems. To demonstrate ADAM's performance in testing techniques and methods used to image and treat moving lesions we report the results of three experiments performed to evaluate the accuracy of 4D computed tomography reconstructed volumes, the repeatability of measured dose in volumetric modulated arc treatments and tracking performances of a robotic system. The results obtained show that the percentage differences of reconstructed volumes, with respect to the known volume, depend on the breathing pattern and the pitch size (maximum 5% for breathing rate > 10 breaths per minute). Repeatability of measured dose maps obtained comparing radiochromic films was demonstrated (GI3%/2 mm > 99%). Differences between planned and delivered point dose measurements were <1%. Tracking errors were all below the tolerance level (range 0.6-0.9 mm). The results of this study demonstrate that ADAM is suitable to test techniques and methods used to image and treat moving lesions.

A multiparametric method to assess the MIM deformable image registration algorithm.

A quantitative evaluation of the performances of the deformable image registration (DIR) algorithm implemented in MIM-Maestro was performed using multiple similarity indices. Two phantoms, capable of mimicking different anatomical bending and tumor shrinking were built and computed tomography (CT) studies were acquired after applying different deformations. Three different contrast levels between internal structures were artificially created modifying the original CT values of one dataset. DIR algorithm was applied between datasets with increasing deformations and different contrast levels and manually refined with the Reg Refine tool. DIR algorithm ability in reproducing positions, volumes, and shapes of deformed structures was evaluated using similarity indices such as: landmark distances, Dice coefficients, Hausdorff distances, and maximum diameter differences between segmented structures. Similarity indices values worsen with increasing bending and volume difference between reference and target image sets. Registrations between images with low contrast (40 HU) obtain scores lower than those between images with high contrast (970 HU). The use of Reg Refine tool leads generally to an improvement of similarity parameters values, but the advantage is generally less evident for images with low contrast or when structures with large volume differences are involved. The dependence of DIR algorithm on image deformation extent and different contrast levels is well characterized through the combined use of multiple similarity indices.

Auto-planning for VMAT accelerated partial breast irradiation.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the quality of accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) plans generated by the Auto-Planning module of a commercial treatment planning system (TPS). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty patients, previously planned and treated with manual planning in a TPS (manM), were re-planned using manual (manP) and automatic (AP) module of a different TPS. Plans were compared in terms of dosimetric parameters, degree of modulation, monitor units and treatment time, and by blind qualitative scoring by a physician. Dosimetric verification was evaluated in terms of γ passing rate and point dose measurements. Statistical differences were evaluated using paired two-sided Wilcoxon's signed-rank test. RESULTS: A statistically significant improvement in PTV coverage was observed for AP plans compared to clinical plans, while no differences in organs at risk doses were observed. When compared to manP plans, a statistically significant improvement was observed for PTV coverage and homogeneity and for the ipsilateral breast and lung dosimetric parameters. The modulation degree was reduced with AP compared to manM treatment plans, while it was increased compared to manP treatment plans. No differences were observed in γ passing rate. Planning time was reduced from (54.5 ±â€¯8.0) min for manM planning and (62.8 ±â€¯15.0) min for manP planning to (9.8 ±â€¯1.1) min for AP. In the qualitative scoring, AP plans were considered superior both to manM (10/20 cases) and manP plans (12/20 cases) with high clinical relevance. CONCLUSION: Automatic planning for VMAT APBI was always at least equivalent and overall superior to manual planning.

Assessment of a guideline-based heart substructures delineation in left-sided breast cancer patients undergoing adjuvant radiotherapy : Quality assessment within a randomized phase III trial testing a cardioprotective treatment strategy (SAFE-2014).

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: In our institute, breast cancer patients undergoing adjuvant treatment are included in a protocol aimed to reduce cardiovascular morbidity (SAFE-2014, NCT2236806), assessing preclinical heart damage with heart speckle-tracking ultrasound. To develop a dose constraint related to subclinical heart damage, a reliable delineation of heart substructures based on a pre-existing guideline was made. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Heart substructures of 16 left-sided breast cancer patients included in the SAFE protocol were delineated by five operators. For each substructure, a multi-contour delineation based on a majority vote algorithm (MCD) was created. A consensus-based delineation (CBD) was developed by an independent team of two blinded operators. Dice similarity coefficients (DSC) between volumes delineated by different operators and the MCD were collected and reported, as well as DSC between CBD and MCD. RESULTS: Mean DSCs between heart chambers delineated by each operator and the corresponding MCDs ranged between 0.78 and 0.96. Mean DSC between substructures delineated by all single operators and the corresponding MCD ranged between 0.84 and 0.94. Mean DSC between CBD and the corresponding MCD ranged from 0.89 to 0.97. CONCLUSION: Results showed low inter-observer variability of heart substructure delineation. This constitutes an external validation of the contouring atlas used, allowing a reliable dosimetric assessment of these volumes within the SAFE-2014 trial.

CyberKnife MLC-based treatment planning for abdominal and pelvic SBRT: Analysis of multiple dosimetric parameters, overall scoring index and clinical scoring.

PURPOSE: This study evaluated the plan quality of CyberKnife MLC-based treatment planning in comparison to the Iris collimator for abdominal and pelvic SBRT. Multiple dosimetric parameters were considered together with a global scoring index validated by clinical scoring. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Iris and MLC plans were created for 28 liver, 15 pancreas and 13 prostate cases including a wide range of PTV sizes (24-643 cm3). Plans were compared in terms of coverage, conformity (nCI), dose gradient (R50%), homogeneity (HI), OAR doses, PTV gEUD, MU, treatment time both estimated by TPS (tTPS) and measured. A global plan quality score index was calculated for IRIS and MLC solutions and validated by a clinical score given independently by two observers. RESULTS: Compared to Iris, MLC achieved equivalent coverage and conformity without compromising OAR sparing and improving R50% (p < 0.001). MLC gEUD was slightly lower than Iris (p < 0.05) for abdominal cases. MLC reduced significantly MU (-15%) and tTPS (-22%). Time reduction was partially lost when measured. The global score index was significantly higher for MLC solutions which were selected in 73% and 64% of cases respectively by the first and second observer. CONCLUSION: Iris and MLC comparison was not straightforward when based on multiple dosimetric parameters. The use of a mathematical overall score index integrated with a clinical scoring was essential to confirm MLC plans advantages over Iris solutions.

Real-time beam monitoring for error detection in IMRT plans and impact on dose-volume histograms : A multi-center study.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to test the sensitivity of a transmission detector for online dose monitoring of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for detecting small delivery errors. Furthermore, the correlation of changes in detector output induced by small delivery errors with other metrics commonly employed to quantify the deviations between calculated and delivered dose distributions was investigated. METHODS: Transmission detector measurements were performed at three institutions. Seven types of errors were induced in nine clinical step-and-shoot (S&S) IMRT plans by modifying the number of monitor units (MU) and introducing small deviations in leaf positions. Signal reproducibility was investigated for short- and long-term stability. Calculated dose distributions were compared in terms of γ passing rates and dose-volume histogram (DVH) metrics (e.g., Dmean, Dx%, Vx%). The correlation between detector signal variations, γ passing rates, and DVH parameters was investigated. RESULTS: Both short- and long-term reproducibility was within 1%. Dose variations down to 1 MU (∆signal 1.1 ± 0.4%) as well as changes in field size and positions down to 1 mm (∆signal 2.6 ± 1.0%) were detected, thus indicating high error-detection sensitivity. A moderate correlation of detector signal was observed with γ passing rates (R2 = 0.57-0.70), while a good correlation was observed with DVH metrics (R2 = 0.75-0.98). CONCLUSION: The detector is capable of detecting small delivery errors in MU and leaf positions, and is thus a highly sensitive dose monitoring device for S&S IMRT for clinical practice. The results of this study indicate a good correlation of detector signal with DVH metrics; therefore, clinical action levels can be defined based on the presented data.

ADAM: A breathing phantom for lung SBRT quality assurance.

PURPOSE: Radiotherapy treatment of moving lesions is a challenging task in which different strategies can be used to adequately treat the tumor while sparing the surrounding tissue. The complexity of these strategies requires accurate and appropriate quality assurance tests. For this purpose, ADAM (Anthropomorphic Dynamic breAthing Model), a new phantom which simulates realistic patient breathing, was developed aiming to test the image quality and dose delivery in lung cancer treatments. MATERIALS AND METHODS: ADAM reproduces a male torso complete with a moving anterior chest wall and internal parts. The phantom's external body is printed with a 3D printer using acrylonitrile butadiene styrene. Internal lungs, ribs, spinal cord, and lung tumor (LT) are made of materials that simulate human tissues. Driven by an Arduino programmable board, the lungs can move along linear or elliptical paths while the anterior chest wall moves up and down. Phantom features and usability, reproducibility of LT position in the phantom chest, internal and external motion repeatability and tumor-to-surface motion correlation were investigated. RESULTS: Hounsfield Units of the employed materials demonstrates the phantom adequately simulates human tissues. Tests performed with the Synchrony system confirm ADAM's suitability for respiratory internal tracking. Reproducibility of the internal structure position is within 1mm as are internal and external motion repeatability. A strong positive correlation is found between the lung and chest wall positions (R2=0.999). CONCLUSIONS: ADAM demonstrates to be suitable to be employed with gating and tracking devices used in the treatment of moving lesions.

γTools: A modular multifunction phantom for quality assurance in GammaKnife treatments.

PURPOSE: We present the γTools, a new phantom designed to assess geometric and dosimetric accuracy in Gamma Knife treatments, together with first tests and results of applications. METHODS: The phantom is composed of two modules: the imaging module, a regular grid of 1660 control points to evaluate image distortions and image registration result and the dosimetry module for delivered dose distribution measurements. The phantom is accompanied by a MatLab routine for image distortions quantification. Dose measurement are performed with Gafchromic films fixed between two inserts and placed in various positions and orientations inside the dosimetry module thus covering a volume comparable to the full volume of a head. RESULTS: Tests performed to assess the accuracy and precision of the imaging module demonstrated sub-millimetric values. As an example of possible applications, the phantom was employed to measure image distortions of two MRI scanners and to perform dosimetric studies of single shots delivered to homogeneous and heterogeneous materials. Due to the phantom material, the measured absolute dose do not correspond to the planned dose; doses comparisons are thus carried out between normalized dose distributions. Finally, an end-to-end test was carried out in the treatment of a neuroma-like target which resulted in a 100% gamma passing rate (2% local, 2 mm) and a distance between the real target perimeter and the prescription isodose centroids of about 1 mm. CONCLUSIONS: The tests demonstrate that the proposed phantom is suitable to assess both the geometrical and relative dosimetric accuracy of Gamma Knife radiosurgery treatments.

In-air broad beam ionoluminescence microscopy as a tool for rocks and stone artworks characterisation.

Broad beam ionoluminescence (IL) microscopy is a promising technique for the non-destructive characterisation of rocks and stone objects. Luminescence imaging by means of broad ion beams has been sporadically used by other authors but, to our knowledge, its potential has not yet been fully investigated, neither in geological science nor in other fields. The in-air broad beam IL microscope was developed and installed at the INFN-LABEC external microbeam in Florence. Similar to the cathodoluminescence (CL) microscope, the apparatus exploits a CCD colour camera collecting images (few square millimetres wide, with ~10-µm spatial resolution) of the luminescence emitted by the sample hit by a defocused megaelectron volt (MeV) proton beam. The main differences with the well-established and widespread CL are the possibility of working in air (no sampling or conductive coatings required) and the possibility of combining the analysis with microbeam analysis, such as, for example, µ-IL and µ-PIXE (particle-induced X-ray emission). To show the potential of the technique, IL images of thin sections of lapis lazuli are compared with those obtained by means of an in-vacuum cold CL. An application to the study of stone artworks is also reported. This technique and apparatus will provide a valuable help for interdisciplinary applications, e.g. in geological sciences and in the cultural heritage field.

The external ion microbeam of the LABEC laboratory in florence: some applications to cultural heritage.

Ion beam analysis (IBA) techniques are a powerful analytical tool used to investigate the composition and structure of precious materials principally because they can be applied in atmosphere. Thus, the sample can be analyzed as is, and heating and charging effects are strongly diminished. Since IBA measurements can be made with low ion currents and acquisition time, the damage risk is limited. At the microbeam line of the LABEC laboratory, it is possible to exploit the potentials of IBA techniques in an external set up to reconstruct the distribution maps of all the detected elements over the analyzed area with spatial resolutions as low as 10 µm. This is an important feature when objects with inhomogeneous structures-on a scale of hundred microns or so-are investigated, as happens in some cases with artworks. The detection set up installed on our external microbeam allows us to use different IBA techniques simultaneously. Thus, in a single measurement run, it is possible to obtain complementary information on both sample composition and structure. Some applications to works of art are presented here as examples of the analytical capabilities of the external scanning microbeam in the cultural heritage field.

Multitechnique characterization of lapis lazuli for provenance study.

Lapis lazuli is one of the oldest precious stone, being used for glyptic as early as 7,000 years ago: jewels, amulets, seals, and inlays are examples of objects produced using this material. Only a few sources of lapis lazuli exist in the world due to the low probability of geological conditions in which it can form, so that the possibility to associate the raw material to man-made objects helps to reconstruct trade routes. Since art objects produced using lapis lazuli are valuable, only nondestructive investigations can be carried out to identify the provenance of the raw materials. Ionoluminescence (IL) is a good candidate for this task. Similar to cathodoluminescence (CL), IL consists in the collection of luminescence spectra induced by megaelectronvolt ion (usually protons) irradiation. The main advantage of IL consists in the possibility of working in air while measuring simultaneously the composition of major and trace elements by means of complementary ion beam analysis techniques like particle-induced X-ray emission (PIXE) or particle-induced gamma-ray emission (PIGE). In the present work, a systematic study of the luminescence properties of lapis lazuli under charged particle irradiation is reported. In the first phase, a multitechnique approach was adopted (CL, scanning electron microscopy with microanalysis, micro-Raman) to characterize luminescent minerals. This characterization was propaedeutic for IL/PIXE/PIGE measurements carried out on significant areas selected on the basis of results obtained previously. Criteria to identify provenance of lapis lazuli from four of the main sources (Afghanistan, Pamir Mountains in Tajikistan, Chile, and Siberia) were proposed.