In this year’s workshops, we have asked leading experts in their respective fields to present on the current status of a wide range of cutting-edge technological developments. Topics range from the development and application of basic measurement techniques, to the decommissioning of nuclear reactors, which is being addressed using all available technologies, and to the practical application of nuclear medicine. All of these topics are designed to be of interest to non-specialist audiences, and to provide an opportunity for researchers from different fields to interact with each other.
While the presentations at the workshops will be given by experts, the discussions are expected to include researchers from all fields. In particular, young researchers are expected to participate in the discussions based on new dispatches.
Satoshi MIHARA
The planned workshops include:
Workshop date: Sunday 17 October 2021 (TBC)
The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station (FDNPS), operated by Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc., went into meltdown after the occurrence of a large tsunami caused by the Great East Japan Earthquake of March 11, 2011. Ten years have passed since the accident, and during that time, radiation measurement methods have been developed by groups in various countries to recover the environment in Fukushima Prefecture and to decommission the FDNPS. Dose rate mapping in an outdoor environment is being carried out through car-borne surveys and aerial monitoring, and these results are continuously provided to the national and local governments. On the other hand, in order to facilitate the decommissioning of the FDNPS, technologies such as dose rate monitoring by fiber type detectors in the containment vessel and visualization of the location of fuel debris by muon tomography have been developed. Visualization of radioactive substances using gamma-ray imagers and remote monitoring using a combination of robots and radiation detectors have also been implemented. In this workshop, the technologies developed for the environmental recovery of Fukushima and the decommissioning of FDNPS and their applications will be widely introduced, and the future prospects will be discussed.
Workshop organizers
Workshop date: TBD
A lot of research developments have been done in nuclear medicine physics, but the way to clinical realization is not always straightforward. Why does this happen? What are factors that determine a successful breakthrough? Intuitively, the more innovative an idea is, the longer the route to its realization will be. However findings in physics and engineering applicable in medical fields are meaningful before the final long awaited outcome is handed to physicians. What are the roles of academia and public research institutions along the route? What are the roles of industry? How can technologies be transferred effectively from academia to industry? In this workshop, we will consider some keys to realize innovative ideas by introducing successful and on-going challenges in moving from the lab bench to clinical practice in nuclear medicine. Not only devices and software will be presented, but also topics in some radiopharmaceuticals will be introduced. Anyone who is interested in research and development of medical equipment as well as physicians who are expecting realization of the state-of-the art technologies are welcome to join.
Workshop organizers
Workshop date: Sunday 17 October 2021 (TBC)
Neutrinos are elementary particles that are considered to be deeply related to the creation of matter and the annihilation of antimatter in the early universe. For the precise measurement of the neutrino oscillation that is one of the most important phenomena, the large-scale projects with the giant detectors and high intensity neutrino beams produced from the proton accelerators are in progress.
Workshop of âadvanced technologies for future large-scale neutrino experimentsâ will review the core technologies in the future projects. The workshop starts from introduction to the neutrino physics and future projects, followed by the focused talks on the technological topics, such as the high intensity accelerator and the control and monitoring systems, development of the high performance and high pressure tolerant photosensors, electronics and data acquisition systems in the giant detectors, and the development of large-scale tracking detector using liquid argon. The goals of the workshop are to introduce the new technologies which are essential to realize the future projects and to facilitate the discussion for further improvements and idea of new experimental project based on the technologies.
Workshop organizers
Workshop date: Sunday 17 October 2021 (TBC)
Quantum technology, such as quantum computer, attracts much attention in recent years. In nuclear medicine, PET and SPECT are powerful and highly sensitive imaging and MRI provides accurate morphological and functional information. Vigorous utilization of quantum aspect may bring further higher sensitivity, spatial resolution and enable novel principle in the field of biomedical imaging and sensing. In this workshop, possibility of biomedical applications inspired by quantum technology will be discussed. The topics could include, dynamic nuclear polarization, solid state quantum sensor like nitrogen vacancy center, quantum sensing using cascade multi photons, quantum entanglement in PET, laser assisted radiation or radionuclide detection, applications of advanced quantum beam source, and more.
Workshop organizers
Workshop date: Sunday 17 October 2021 (TBC)
Positron emission tomography (PET) in vivo visualizes the molecular pathway and is the most sensitive molecular imaging modality routinely applied in clinic.
Recent developments in PET technology dramatically increased the effective sensitivity by increasing the geometric coverage leading to total-body PET imaging. It has a number of ground-breaking properties including ultra-high sensitivity, ultra-large field of view (FoV) and the opportunity for ultra-fast scanning, which enables a tailor-made solution for more convenient and safer clinical practice, medical research and drug screening. Two commercially available long-axial FoV PET/CT systems are introduced into the market by United Imaging and Siemens Healthineers. Several alternative implementations are in active development.
Despite the advantage of total-body PET, the ultra-large FoV with tremendous numbers of detectors introduces new challenges to image reconstruction. This workshop will provide an in-depth discussion of these new challenges and an overview of the frontlines of developments.
Furthermore, the workshop will kick-off a challenge by launching a first benchmark dataset to tackle the technical challenges in total-body PET reconstruction. A brief tutorial about the challenge will be given during the workshop.
Workshop organizers