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Becker, R., Buck, A., Casella, C., Dissertori, G., Fischer, J., Howard, A., et al. (2017). The SAFIR experiment: Concept, status and perspectives. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A, 845, 648–651.
Abstract: The SAFIR development represents a novel Positron Emission Tomography (PET) detector, conceived for preclinical fast acquisitions inside the bore of a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner. The goal is hybrid and simultaneous PET/MRI dynamic studies at unprecedented temporal resolutions of a few seconds. The detector relies on matrices of scintillating LSO-based crystals coupled one-to-one with SiPM arrays and readout by fast ASIC5 with excellent timing resolution and high rate capabilities. The paper describes the detector concept and the initial results in terms of simulations and characterisation measurements.
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Jordan, D., Algora, A., & Tain, J. L. (2016). An event generator for simulations of complex beta-decay experiments. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A, 828, 52–57.
Abstract: This article describes a Monte Carlo event generator for the design, optimization and performance characterization of beta decay spectroscopy experimental set-ups. The event generator has been developed within the Geant4 simulation architecture and provides new features and greater flexibility in comparison with the current available decay generator.
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Hernandez-Prieto, A., Quintana, B., Martin, S., & Domingo-Pardo, C. (2016). Study of accuracy in the position determination with SALSA, a gamma-scanning system for the characterization of segmented HPGe detectors. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A, 823, 98–106.
Abstract: Accurate characterization of the electric response of segmented high-purity germanium (HPGe) detectors as a function of the interaction position is one of the current goals of the Nuclear Physics community seeking to perform gamma-ray tracking or even imaging with these detectors. For this purpose, scanning devices must be developed to achieve the signal-position association with the highest precision. With a view to studying the accuracy achieved with SALSA, the SAlamanca Lyso-based Scanning Array, here we report a detailed study on the uncertainty sources and their effect in the position determination inside the HPGe detector to be scanned. The optimization performed on the design of SALSA, aimed at minimizing the effect of the uncertainty sources, afforded an intrinsic uncertainty of 2 mm for large coaxial detectors and 1 mm for planar ones.
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Faus-Golfe, A., Navarro, J., Fuster Martinez, N., Resta Lopez, J., & Giner Navarro, J. (2016). Emittance reconstruction from measured beam sizes in ATF2 and perspectives for ILC. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A, 819, 122–138.
Abstract: The projected emittance (2D) and the intrinsic emittance (4D) reconstruction method by using the beam size measurements at different locations is analyzed in order to study analytically the conditions of solvability of the systems of equations involved in this process. Some conditions are deduced and discussed, and general guidelines about the locations of the measurement stations have been obtained to avoid unphysical results. The special case of the multi-Optical Transition Radiation system (m-OTR), made of four measurement stations, in the Extraction Line (EXT) of Accelerator Test Facility 2 (ATF2) has been simulated in much detail and compared with measurements. Finally a feasibility study of a multi station system for fast transverse beam size measurement, emittance reconstruction and coupling correction in the Ring to Main Linac (RTML) of International Linear Collider (ILC) Diagnostic sections of the RTML has been discussed in detail.
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Agramunt, J. et al, Tain, J. L., Albiol, F., Algora, A., Domingo-Pardo, C., Jordan, M. D., et al. (2016). Characterization of a neutron-beta counting system with beta-delayed neutron emitters. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A, 807, 69–78.
Abstract: A new detection system for the measurement of beta-delayed neutron emission probabilities has been characterized using fission products with well known beta-delayed neutron emission properties. The setup consists of BELEN-20, a 4 pi-neutron counter with twenty He-3 proportional tubes arranged inside a large polyethylene neutron moderator, a thin Si detector for beta counting and a self-triggering digital data acquisition system. The use of delayed-neutron precursors with different neutron emission windows allowed the study of the effect of energy dependency on neutron, beta and beta-neutron rates. The observed effect is well reproduced by Monte Carlo simulations. The impact of this dependency on the accuracy of neutron emission probabilities is discussed. A new accurate value of the neutron emission probability for the important delayed-neutron precursor I-137 was obtained, P-n = 7.76(14)%.
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Lalovic, N., Louchart, C., Michelagnoli, C., Perez-Vidal, R. M., Ralet, D., Gerl, J., et al. (2016). Performance of the AGATA gamma-ray spectrometer in the PreSPEC set-up at GSI. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A, 806, 258–266.
Abstract: In contemporary nuclear physics, the European Advanced GAmma Tracking Array (AGATA) represents a crucial detection system for cutting-edge nuclear structure studies. AGATA consists of highly segmented high-purity germanium crystals and uses the pulse-shape analysis technique to determine both the position and the energy of the y-ray interaction points in the crystals. It is the tracking algorithms that deploy this information and enable insight into the sequence of interactions, providing information on the full or partial absorption of the 7 ray. A series of dedicated performance measurements for an AGATA set-up comprising 21 crystals is described. This set-up was used within the recent PreSPEC-AGATA experimental campaign at the GSI Helmholtzzentrum fur Schwerionenforschung. Using the radioactive sources Co-56, Co-60 and Eu-152, absolute and normalized efficiencies and the peak-to-total of the array were measured. These quantities are discussed using different data analysis procedures. The quality of the pulse-shape analysis and the tracking algorithm are evaluated. The agreement between the experimental data and the Geant4 simulations is also investigated.
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Tain, J. L., Algora, A., Agramunt, J., Guadilla, V., Jordan, M. D., Montaner-Piza, A., et al. (2015). A decay total absorption spectrometer for DESPEC at FAIR. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A, 803, 36–46.
Abstract: This paper presents the design of a total absorption gamma-ray spectrometer for the determination of beta-decay intensity distributions of exotic nuclear species at the focal plane of the FAIR-NUSTAR Super Fragment Separator. The spectrometer is a key instrument in the DESPEC experiment and the proposed implementation follows extensive design studies and prototype tests. Two options were contemplated, based on Nal(TI) and LaBr3:Ce inorganic scintillation crystals respectively. Monte Carlo simulations and technical considerations determined the optimal configurations consisting of sixteen 15 x 15 x 25 cm(3) crystals for the Nal(Tl) option and one hundred and twenty-eight 5.5 x 5.5 x 11 cm(3) crystals for the LaBr3:Ce option. Minimization of dead material was crucial for maximizing the spectrometer full-energy peak efficiency. Module prototypes were build to verify constructional details and characterize their performance. The measured energy and timing resolution was found to agree rather well with estimates based on simulations of scintillation light transport and collection. The neutron sensitivity of the spectrometer, important when measuring beta-delayed neutron emitters, was investigated by means of Monte Carlo simulations.
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Aliaga, R. J., Herrero-Bosch, V., Capra, S., Pullia, A., Duenas, J. A., Grassi, L., et al. (2015). Conceptual design of the TRACE detector readout using a compact, dead time-less analog memory ASIC. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A, 800, 34–39.
Abstract: The new TRacking Array for light Charged particle Ejectiles (TRACE) detector system requires monitorization and sampling of all pulses in a large number of channels with very strict space and power consumption restrictions for the front-end electronics and cabling, Its readout system is to be based on analog memory ASICs with 64 channels each that sample a 1 μs window of the waveform of any valid pulses at 200 MHz while discarding any other signals and are read out at 50 MHz with external ADC digitization. For this purpose, a new, compact analog memory architecture is described that allows pulse capture with zero dead time in any channel while vastly reducing the total number of storage cells, particularly for large amounts of input channels. This is accomplished by partitioning the typical Switched Capacitor Array structure into two pipelined, asymmetric stages and introducing FIFO queue-like control circuitry for captured data, achieving total independence between the capture and readout operations.
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n_TOF Collaboration(Weiss, C. et al), Domingo-Pardo, C., Tain, J. L., & Tarifeño-Saldivia, A. (2015). The new vertical neutron beam line at the CERN n_TOF facility design and outlook on the performance. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A, 799, 90–98.
Abstract: At the neutron Lime-of-flight facility n_TOF at CERN a new vertical beam line was constructed in 2014, in order to extend the experimental possibilities at this facility to an even wider range of challenging cross-section measurements of interest in astrophysics, nuclear technology and medical physics. The design of the beam line and the experimental hall was based on FLUKA Monte Carlo simulations, aiming at maximizing the neutron flux, reducing the beam halo and minimizing the background from neutrons interacting with the collimator or back-scattered in the beam dump. The present paper gives an overview on the design of the beam line and the relevant elements and provides an outlook on the expected performance regarding the neutron beam intensity, shape and energy resolution, as well as the neutron and photon backgrounds.
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Grkovski, M., Brzezinski, K., Cindro, V., Clinthorne, N. H., Kagan, H., Lacasta, C., et al. (2015). Evaluation of a high resolution silicon PET insert module. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res. A, 788, 86–94.
Abstract: Conventional PET systems can be augmented with additional detectors placed in close proximity of the region of interest. We developed a high resolution PET insert module to evaluate the added benefit of such a combination. The insert module consists of two back-to-back 1 mm thick silicon sensors, each segmented into 1040 1 mm(2) pads arranged in a 40 by 26 array. A set of 16 VATAGP7.1 ASICs and a custom assembled data acquisition board were used to read out the signal from the insert module. Data were acquired in slice (20) geometry with a Jaszczak phantom (rod diameters of 12-4.8 mm) Filled with F-18-FDG and the images were reconstructed with ML-EM method. Both data with full and limited angular coverage from the insert module were considered and three types of coincidence events were combined. The ratio of high-resolution data that substantially improves quality of the reconstructed image for the region near the surface of the insert module was estimated to be about 4%. Results from our previous studies suggest that such ratio could be achieved at a moderate technological expense by using an equivalent of two insert modules (an effective sensor thickness of 4 mm).
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