NEMO-3 Collaboration(Argyriades, J. et al), Diaz, J., Martin-Albo, J., Monrabal, F., Novella, P., Serra, L., et al. (2011). Spectral modeling of scintillator for the NEMO-3 and SuperNEMO detectors. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A, 625(1), 20–28.
Abstract: We have constructed a GEANT4-based detailed software model of photon transport in plastic sontillator blocks and have used it to study the NEMO-3 and SuperNEMO calorimeters employed in experiments designed to search for neutnnoless double beta decay We compare our simulations to measurements using conversion electrons from a calibration source of (BI)-B-207 and show that the agreement is improved if wavelength-dependent properties of the calorimeter are taken into account In this article we briefly describe our modeling approach and results of our studies.
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Oliveira, C. A. B., Sorel, M., Martin-Albo, J., Gomez-Cadenas, J. J., Ferreira, A. L., & Veloso, J. F. C. A. (2011). Energy resolution studies for NEXT. J. Instrum., 6, P05007–13pp.
Abstract: This work aims to present the current state of simulations of electroluminescence (EL) produced in gas-based detectors with special interest for NEXT – Neutrino Experiment with a Xenon TPC. NEXT is a neutrinoless double beta decay experiment, thus needs outstanding energy resolution which can be achieved by using electroluminescence. The process of light production is reviewed and properties such as EL yield and associated fluctuations, excitation and electroluminescence efficiencies, and energy resolution, are calculated. An EL production region with a 5 mm width gap between two infinite parallel planes is considered, where a uniform electric field is produced. The pressure and temperature considered are 10 bar and 293 K, respectively. The results show that, even for low values of VUV photon detection efficiency, good energy resolution can be achieved: below 0.4% (FWHM) at Q(beta beta) = 2.458 MeV.
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Carles, M., Lerche, C. W., Sanchez, F., Mora, F., & Benlloch, J. M. (2011). Position correction with depth of interaction information for a small animal PET system. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A, 648, S176–S180.
Abstract: In this work we study the effects on the spatial resolution when depth of interaction (001) information is included in the parameterization of the line of response (LOR) for a small animal positron emission tomography (PET) system. One of the most important degrading factors for PET is the parallax error introduced in systems that do not provide DOI information of the recorded gamma-rays. Our group has designed a simple and inexpensive method for DOI determination in continuous scintillation crystals. This method is based, on one hand, in the correlation between the scintillation light distribution width in monolithic crystals and the DOI, and, on the other hand, on a small modification of the widely applied charge dividing circuits (CDR). In this work we present a new system calibration that includes the DOI information, and also the development of the correction equations that relates the LOR without and with DOI information. We report the results obtained for different measurements along the transaxial field of view (FOV) and the image quality enhancement achieved specially at the edge of the FOV.
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Garcia, A. R., Martinez, T., Cano-Ott, D., Castilla, J., Guerrero, C., Marin, J., et al. (2012). MONSTER: a time of flight spectrometer for beta-delayed neutron emission measurements. J. Instrum., 7, C05012–12pp.
Abstract: The knowledge of the beta-decay properties of nuclei contributes decisively to our understanding of nuclear phenomena: the beta-delayed neutron emission of neutron rich nuclei plays an important role in the nucleosynthesis r-process and constitutes a probe for nuclear structure of very neutron rich nuclei providing information about the high energy part of the full beta strength (S-beta) function. In addition, beta-delayed neutrons are essential for the control and safety of nuclear reactors. In order to determine the neutron energy spectra and emission probabilities from neutron precursors a MOdular Neutron time-of-flight SpectromeTER (MONSTER) has been proposed for the DESPEC experiment at the future FAIR facility. The design of MONSTER and status of its construction are reported in this work.
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ATLAS Tile Calorimeter Community(Abdallah, J. et al), Castillo Gimenez, V., Costelo, J., Ferrer, A., Fullana, E., Gonzalez, V., et al. (2013). The optical instrumentation of the ATLAS Tile Calorimeter. J. Instrum., 8, P01005–21pp.
Abstract: The Tile Calorimeter, covering the central region of the ATLAS experiment up to pseudorapidities of +/-1.7, is a sampling device built with scintillating tiles that alternate with iron plates. The light is collected in wave-length shifting (WLS) fibers and is read out with photomultipliers. In the characteristic geometry of this calorimeter the tiles lie in planes perpendicular to the beams, resulting in a very simple and modular mechanical and optical layout. This paper focuses on the procedures applied in the optical instrumentation of the calorimeter, which involved the assembly of about 460,000 scintillator tiles and 550,000 WLS fibers. The outcome is a hadronic calorimeter that meets the ATLAS performance requirements, as shown in this paper.
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NEXT Collaboration(Alvarez, V. et al), Carcel, S., Cervera-Villanueva, A., Diaz, J., Ferrario, P., Gil, A., et al. (2013). Radiopurity control in the NEXT-100 double beta decay experiment: procedures and initial measurements. J. Instrum., 8, T01002–19pp.
Abstract: The “Neutrino Experiment with a Xenon Time-Projection Chamber” (NEXT) is intended to investigate the neutrinoless double beta decay of Xe-136, which requires a severe suppression of potential backgrounds. An extensive screening and material selection process is underway for NEXT since the control of the radiopurity levels of the materials to be used in the experimental set-up is a must for rare event searches. First measurements based on Glow Discharge Mass Spectrometry and gamma-ray spectroscopy using ultra-low background germanium detectors at the Laboratorio Subterraneo de Canfranc (Spain) are described here. Activity results for natural radioactive chains and other common radionuclides are summarized, being the values obtained for some materials like copper and stainless steel very competitive. The implications of these results for the NEXT experiment are also discussed.
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Ros, A., Lerche, C. W., Sebastia, A., Sanchez, F., & Benlloch, J. M. (2014). Retroreflector arrays for better light collection efficiency of gamma-ray imaging detectors with continuous scintillation crystals without DOI misestimation. J. Instrum., 9, P04009–14pp.
Abstract: A method to improve light collection efficiency of gamma-ray imaging detectors by using retroreflector arrays has been tested, simulations of the behaviour of the scintillation light illuminating the retroreflector surface have been made. Measurements including retroreflector arrays in the setup have also been taken. For the measurements, positron emission tomography (PET) detectors with continuous scintillation crystals have been used. Each detector module consists of a continuous LSO-scintillator of dimensions 49x49x10 mm(3) and a H8500 position-sensitive photo-multiplier (PSPMT) from Hamamatsu. By using a continuous scintillation crystal, the scintillation light distribution has not been destroyed and the energy, the centroids along the x- and y-direction and the depth of interaction (DOI) can be estimated. Simulations have also been run taking into account the use of continuous scintillation crystals. Due to the geometry of the continuous scintillation crystals in comparison with pixelated crystals, a good light collection efficiency is necessary to correctly reconstruct the impact point of the gamma-ray. The aim of this study is to investigate whether micro-machine retro-reflectors improve light yield without misestimation of the impact point. The results shows an improvement on the energy and centroid resolutions without worsening the depth of interaction resolution. Therefore it can be concluded that using retroreflector arrays at the entrance side of the scintillation crystal improves light collection efficiency without worsening the impact point estimation.
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Doncel, M., Cederwall, B., Martin, S., Quintana, B., Gadea, A., Farnea, E., et al. (2015). Conceptual design of a high resolution Ge array with tracking and imaging capabilities for the DESPEC (FAIR) experiment. J. Instrum., 10, P06010–15pp.
Abstract: We present results of Monte Carlo simulations for the conceptual design of the high-resolution DESPEC Germanium Array Spectrometer (DEGAS) proposed for the Facility for Ion and Antiproton Research (FAIR) under construction at Darmstadt, Germany. The project is carried out in three phases, although only results for the two first phases will be addressed in this work. The first phase will consist of a re-arrangement of the EUROBALL cluster detectors previously used in the RISING campaign at GSI. The second phase is based on coupling AGATA-type triple-cluster detectors with EUROBALL cluster detectors in a compact geometry around the active ion implantation target of DESPEC.
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Barrio, J., Etxebeste, A., Lacasta, C., Muñoz, E., Oliver, J. F., Solaz, C., et al. (2015). Performance of VATA64HDR16 ASIC for medical physics applications based on continuous crystals and SiPMs. J. Instrum., 10, P12001–12pp.
Abstract: Detectors based on Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) coupled to continuous crystals are being tested in medical physics applications due to their potential high resolution and sensitivity. To cope with the high granularity required for a very good spatial resolution, SiPM matrices with a large amount of elements are needed. To be able to read the information coming from each individual channel, dedicated ASICs are employed. The VATA64HDR16 ASIC is a 64-channel, charge-sensitive amplifier that converts the collected charge into a proportional current or voltage signal. A complete assessment of the suitability of that ASIC for medical physics applications based on continuous crystals and SiPMs has been carried out. The input charge range is linear from 20 pC up to 55 pC. The energy resolution obtained at 511 keV is 10% FWHM with a LaBr3 crystal and 16% FWHM with a LYSO crystal. A coincidence timing resolution of 24 ns FWHM is obtained with two LYSO crystals.
Keywords: Solid state detectors; Photon detectors for UV, visible and IR photons (solid-state) (PIN diodes, APDs, Si-PMTs, G-APDs, CCDs, EBCCDs, EMCCDs etc); Front-end electronics for detector readout; Gamma detectors (scintillators, CZT, HPG, HgI etc)
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Gomez-Cadenas, J. J., Benlloch-Rodriguez, J. M., Ferrario, P., Monrabal, F., Rodriguez, J., & Toledo, J. F. (2016). Investigation of the coincidence resolving time performance of a PET scanner based on liquid xenon: a Monte Carlo study. J. Instrum., 11, P09011–18pp.
Abstract: The measurement of the time of flight of the two 511 keV gammas recorded in coincidence in a PET scanner provides an effective way of reducing the random background and therefore increases the scanner sensitivity, provided that the coincidence resolving time (CRT) of the gammas is sufficiently good. The best commercial PET-TOF system today (based in LYSO crystals and digital SiPMs), is the VEREOS of Philips, boasting a CRT of 316 ps (FWHM). In this paper we present a Monte Carlo investigation of the CRT performance of a PET scanner exploiting the scintillating properties of liquid xenon. We find that an excellent CRT of 70 ps (depending on the PDE of the sensor) can be obtained if the scanner is instrumented with silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) sensitive to the ultraviolet light emitted by xenon. Alternatively, a CRT of 160 ps can be obtained instrumenting the scanner with (much cheaper) blue-sensitive SiPMs coated with a suitable wavelength shifter. These results show the excellent time of flight capabilities of a PET device based in liquid xenon.
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