Guadilla, V., Algora, A., Estienne, M., Fallot, M., Gelletly, W., Porta, A., et al. (2024). First measurements with a new fl-electron detector for spectral shape studies. J. Instrum., 19(2), P02027–21pp.
Abstract: The shape of the electron spectrum emitted in /3 decay carries a wealth of information about nuclear structure and fundamental physics. In spite of that, few dedicated measurements have been made of /3 -spectrum shapes. In this work we present a newly developed detector for /3 electrons based on a telescope concept. A thick plastic scintillator is employed in coincidence with a thin silicon detector. The first measurements employing this detector have been carried out with mono -energetic electrons from the high-energy resolution electron -beam spectrometer at Bordeaux. Here we report on the good reproduction of the experimental spectra of mono -energetic electrons using Monte Carlo simulations. This is a crucial step for future experiments, where a detailed Monte Carlo characterization of the detector is needed to determine the shape of the /3 -electron spectra by deconvolution of the measured spectra with the response function of the detector. A chamber to contain two telescope assemblies has been designed for future /3 -decay experiments at the Ion Guide Isotope Separator On -Line facility in Jyvaskyla, aimed at improving our understanding of reactor antineutrino spectra.
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Poley, L., Stolzenberg, U., Schwenker, B., Frey, A., Gottlicher, P., Marinas, C., et al. (2021). Mapping the material distribution of a complex structure in an electron beam. J. Instrum., 16(1), P01010–33pp.
Abstract: The simulation and analysis of High Energy Physics experiments require a realistic simulation of the detector material and its distribution. The challenge is to describe all active and passive parts of large scale detectors like ATLAS in terms of their size, position and material composition. The common method for estimating the radiation length by weighing individual components, adding up their contributions and averaging the resulting material distribution over extended structures provides a good general estimate, but can deviate significantly from the material actually present. A method has been developed to assess its material distribution with high spatial resolution using the reconstructed scattering angles and hit positions of high energy electron tracks traversing an object under investigation. The study presented here shows measurements for an extended structure with a highly inhomogeneous material distribution. The structure under investigation is an End-of-Substructure-card prototype designed for the ATLAS Inner Tracker strip tracker – a PCB populated with components of a large range of material budgets and sizes. The measurements presented here summarise requirements for data samples and reconstructed electron tracks for reliable image reconstruction of large scale, inhomogeneous samples, choices of pixel sizes compared to the size of features under investigation as well as a bremsstrahlung correction for high material densities and thicknesses.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Aparisi Pozo, J. A., Bailey, A. J., Cabrera Urban, S., Cardillo, F., Castillo, F. L., et al. (2021). Measurements of sensor radiation damage in the ATLAS inner detector using leakage currents. J. Instrum., 16(8), P08025–46pp.
Abstract: Non-ionizing energy loss causes bulk damage to the silicon sensors of the ATLAS pixel and strip detectors. This damage has important implications for data-taking operations, charged-particle track reconstruction, detector simulations, and physics analysis. This paper presents simulations and measurements of the leakage current in the ATLAS pixel detector and semiconductor tracker as a function of location in the detector and time, using data collected in Run 1 (2010-2012) and Run 2 (2015-2018) of the Large Hadron Collider. The extracted fluence shows a much stronger vertical bar z vertical bar-dependence in the innermost layers than is seen in simulation. Furthermore, the overall fluence on the second innermost layer is significantly higher than in simulation, with better agreement in layers at higher radii. These measurements are important for validating the simulation models and can be used in part to justify safety factors for future detector designs and interventions.
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Olleros, P., Caballero, L., Domingo-Pardo, C., Babiano, V., Ladarescu, I., Calvo, D., et al. (2018). On the performance of large monolithic LaCl3(Ce) crystals coupled to pixelated silicon photosensors. J. Instrum., 13, P03014–17pp.
Abstract: We investigate the performance of large area radiation detectors, with high energy-and spatial-resolution, intended for the development of a Total Energy Detector with gamma-ray imaging capability, so-called i-TED. This new development aims for an enhancement in detection sensitivity in time-of-flight neutron capture measurements, versus the commonly used C6D6 liquid scintillation total-energy detectors. In this work, we study in detail the impact of the readout photosensor on the energy response of large area (50 x 50 mm(2)) monolithic LaCl3(Ce) crystals, in particular when replacing a conventional mono-cathode photomultiplier tube by an 8 x 8 pixelated silicon photomultiplier. Using the largest commercially available monolithic SiPM array (25 cm(2)), with a pixel size of 6 x 6 mm(2), we have measured an average energy resolution of 3.92% FWHM at 662 keV for crystal thick-nesses of 10, 20 and 30 mm. The results are confronted with detailed Monte Carlo (MC) calculations, where optical processes and properties have been included for the reliable tracking of the scintillation photons. After the experimental validation of the MC model, we use our MC code to explore the impact of a smaller photosensor segmentation on the energy resolution. Our optical MC simulations predict only a marginal deterioration of the spectroscopic performance for pixels of 3 x 3 mm(2).
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BRIKEN Collaboration(Tarifeño-Saldivia, A. et al), Tain, J. L., Domingo-Pardo, C., Agramunt, J., Algora, A., Morales, A. I., et al. (2017). Conceptual design of a hybrid neutron-gamma detector for study of beta-delayed neutrons at the RIB facility of RIKEN. J. Instrum., 12, P04006–22pp.
Abstract: BRIKEN is a complex detection system to be installed at the RIB-facility of the RIKEN Nishina Center. It is aimed at the detection of heavy-ion implants, β-particles, γ-rays and β-delayed neutrons. The whole detection setup involves the Advanced Implantation Detection Array (AIDA), two HPGe Clover detectors and a large set of 166 counters of 3He embedded in a high-density polyethylene matrix. This article reports on a novel methodology developed for the conceptual design and optimisation of the 3He-tubes array, aiming at the best possible performance in terms of neutron detection. The algorithm is based on a geometric representation of two selected parameters of merit, namely, average neutron detection efficiency and efficiency flatness, as a function of a reduced number of geometric variables. The response of the detection system itself, for each configuration, is obtained from a systematic MC-simulation implemented realistically in Geant4. This approach has been found to be particularly useful. On the one hand, due to the different types and large number of 3He-tubes involved and, on the other hand, due to the additional constraints introduced by the ancillary detectors for charged particles and gamma-rays. Empowered by the robustness of the algorithm, we have been able to design a versatile detection system, which can be easily re-arranged into a compact mode in order to maximize the neutron detection performance, at the cost of the gamma-ray sensitivity. In summary, we have designed a system which shows, for neutron energies up to 1(5) MeV, a rather flat and high average efficiency of 68.6%(64%) and 75.7%(71%) for the hybrid and compact modes, respectively. The performance of the BRIKEN system has been also quantified realistically by means of MC-simulations made with different neutron energy distributions.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aaboud, M. et al), Alvarez Piqueras, D., Barranco Navarro, L., Cabrera Urban, S., Castillo Gimenez, V., Cerda Alberich, L., et al. (2017). Study of the material of the ATLAS inner detector for Run 2 of the LHC. J. Instrum., 12, P12009–59pp.
Abstract: The ATLAS inner detector comprises three different sub-detectors: the pixel detector, the silicon strip tracker, and the transition-radiation drift-tube tracker. The Insertable B-Layer, a new innermost pixel layer, was installed during the shutdown period in 2014, together with modifications to the layout of the cables and support structures of the existing pixel detector. The material in the inner detector is studied with several methods, using a low-luminosity root s = 13 TeV pp collision sample corresponding to around 2.0 nb(-1) collected in 2015 with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. In this paper, the material within the innermost barrel region is studied using reconstructed hadronic interaction and photon conversion vertices. For the forward rapidity region, the material is probed by a measurement of the efficiency with which single tracks reconstructed from pixel detector hits alone can be extended with hits on the track in the strip layers. The results of these studies have been taken into account in an improved description of the material in the ATLAS inner detector simulation, resulting in a reduction in the uncertainties associated with the charged-particle reconstruction efficiency determined from simulation.
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ATLAS Collaboration(Aaboud, M. et al), Alvarez Piqueras, D., Barranco Navarro, L., Cabrera Urban, S., Castillo Gimenez, V., Cerda Alberich, L., et al. (2016). A measurement of material in the ATLAS tracker using secondary hadronic interactions in 7 TeV p p collisions. J. Instrum., 11, P11020–41pp.
Abstract: Knowledge of the material in the ATLAS inner tracking detector is crucial in under-standing the reconstruction of charged-particle tracks, the performance of algorithms that identify jets containing b-hadrons and is also essential to reduce background in searches for exotic particles that can decay within the inner detector volume. Interactions of primary hadrons produced in pp collisions with the material in the inner detector are used to map the location and amount of this material. The hadronic interactions of primary particles may result in secondary vertices, which in this analysis are reconstructed by an inclusive vertex-finding algorithm. Data were collected using minimum-bias triggers by the ATLAS detector operating at the LHC during 2010 at centre-of-mass energy root s = 7 TeV, and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 19 nb(-1). Kinematic properties of these secondary vertices are used to study the validity of the modelling of hadronic interactions in simulation. Secondary-vertex yields are compared between data and simulation over a volume of about 0.7m(3) around the interaction point, and agreement is found within overall uncertainties.
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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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ATLAS Collaboration(Aad, G. et al), Bernabeu Verdu, J., Cabrera Urban, S., Castillo Gimenez, V., Costa, M. J., Fassi, F., et al. (2014). Operation and performance of the ATLAS semiconductor tracker. J. Instrum., 9, P08009–73pp.
Abstract: The semiconductor tracker is a silicon microstrip detector forming part of the inner tracking system of the ATLAS experiment at the LHC. The operation and performance of the semiconductor tracker during the first years of LHC running are described. More than 99% of the detector modules were operational during this period, with an average intrinsic hit efficiency of (99.74 +/- 0.04)%. The evolution of the noise occupancy is discussed, and measurements of the Lorentz angle, delta-ray production and energy loss presented. The alignment of the detector is found to be stable at the few-micron level over long periods of time. Radiation damage measurements, which include the evolution of detector leakage currents, are found to be consistent with predictions and are used in the verification of radiation background simulations.
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XENON Collaboration(Aprile, E. et al), & Orrigo, S. E. A. (2014). Conceptual design and simulation of a water Cherenkov muon veto for the XENON1T experiment. J. Instrum., 9, P11006–20pp.
Abstract: XENON is a dark matter direct detection project, consisting of a time projection chamber (TPC) filled with liquid xenon as detection medium. The construction of the next generation detector, XENON1T, is presently taking place at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) in Italy. It aims at a sensitivity to spin-independent cross sections of 2.10(47) cm(2) for WIMP masses around 50 GeV/c(2), which requires a background reduction by two orders of magnitude compared to XENON100, the current generation detector. An active system that is able to tag muons and muon-induced backgrounds is critical for this goal. A water Cherenkov detector of similar to 10m height and diameter has been therefore developed, equipped with 8 inch photomultipliers and cladded by a reflective foil. We present the design and optimization study for this detector, which has been carried out with a series of Monte Carlo simulations. The muon veto will reach very high detection efficiencies for muons (> 99.5%) and showers of secondary particles from muon interactions in the rock (> 70%). Similar efficiencies will be obtained for XENONnT, the upgrade of XENON1T, which will later improve the WIMP sensitivity by another order of magnitude. With the Cherenkov water shield studied here, the background from muon-induced neutrons in XENON1T is negligible.
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