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Registration Desk is open from 08:00 – 18:00
The proposed ultra-high luminosity, circular electron-positron colliders,
FCC-ee and CEPC, feature a very rich and diverse physics programme including
i) precise measurements of Higgs boson couplings;
ii) a ultra-precise electroweak programme promising indirect sensitivity to
New Physics up to the 70-TeV scale;
iii) a next-generation heavy-flavour programme with statistics exceeding that
of Belle II by more than one order of magnitude;
and iv) direct searches for feebly Beyond-Standard-Model particles over a wide
parameter space.
Very advanced detector designs are required to fully exploit this diverse
physcis programme. Key requirements include excellent resolutions on the
measurement of momentum, energy, and impact parameters; exquisite particle
identification capabilities over a wide momentum range including foton/pi0
separation; sensitivity to far-displaced vertices in the tracking (and
possibly the calorimeter) volume; and very precise asolute and relative
normalisation. The talk will pressent an overview of the detector requirements
and of the status of the detector design efforts.
Understanding the properties of nuclear matter and its emergence through the underlying partonic structure and dynamics of quarks and gluons requires a new experimental facility in hadronic physics known as the Electron-Ion Collider (EIC). The EIC will address some of the most profound questions concerning the emergence of nuclear properties by precisely imaging gluons and quarks inside protons and nuclei such as their distributions in space and momentum, their role in building the nucleon spin and the properties of gluons in nuclei at high energies. This presentation will introduce the EIC, and give an introduction to the experimental equipment and how it fulfills the requirements of the EIC science. At the end a short summary about the status of the EIC project will be given.
The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) is a particle-physics experiment that measures cosmic ray components in low-earth orbit. With its permanent magnet and instrumentation, AMS analyzes cosmic rays across a rigidity range from 1 GV to several TVs. Since its installation on the International Space Station in 2011, AMS has been discerning antimatter from matter. It will continue to collect data until the station decommissioning scheduled for 2030.
By 2026, the collaboration will enhance the AMS silicon tracker with AMS-L0. This upgrade will increase by 300% the acceptance in many analysis channels while identifying nuclei before their fragmentation. AMS-L0 involves installing an additional tracking layer above the existing instrument to provide particle input coordinates and charge measurements over $4~m^2$.
The two silicon micro-strip planes that make up the layer are stacked back-to-back and arranged 45 degrees to each other. Each plane is divided into quarters with an active area of $1~m^2$.
We will briefly outline the design and construction of one of the AMS-L0 quarter planes. We will next delve into the characterization conducted by particle beam exposition of the single constructing element of AMS-L0. Finally, we will present the results of ions identification up to $Z=29$ (Nickel) and spatial resolution of $11~\mu m$.
A new generation of space experiments is essential to address the unresolved questions raised by recent measurements from current experiments, and to further advance our understanding of cosmic rays. The challenge of the direct detection at increasingly higher energies, combined with enhanced energy and angular resolutions, is shaping the design of future detectors. The High Energy cosmic-Radiation Detection facility (HERD) onboard the China Space Station will be the next calorimetric experiment for the direct detection of cosmic rays. The detector will be equipped with a scintillating-fiber tracker (FIT) read out with silicon photomultipliers. A miniature of a FIT sector, called MiniFIT, was designed, built and tested with particle beams at CERN. The FIT design, together with the design and physics performance of MiniFIT and the space qualification of a FIT demonstrator will be presented in this contribution.
The High Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) is expected to deliver an integrated luminosity of 3000-4000~fb$^{-1}$ after 10 years of operation with peak instantaneous luminosity reaching about 5-7.5$\times10^{34}$cm$^{-2}$s$^{-1}$. During Long Shutdown 3, several components of the CMS detector will undergo major changes, called Phase-2 upgrades, to be able to operate in the challenging environment of the HL-LHC. The current CMS tracker will be replaced. The Phase-2 Outer Tracker (OT) will have high radiation tolerance, higher granularity, and the capability to handle higher data rates. Moreover, the OT will provide tracking information to the Level-1 trigger, for the first time at hadron colliders, allowing trigger rates to be kept at a sustainable level without sacrificing physics potential. For this, the OT will be made of modules with two closely spaced silicon sensors read out by front-end ASICs, which can correlate hits in the two sensors creating short track segments (stubs), used for tracking in the L1 track finder. The modules come in two flavors: strip-strip (2S) and pixel-strip (PS), containing different sensor configurations and multiple ASICs. This contribution will present the design of the Phase-2 OT, the first results with pre-production devices, and the quality assurance procedures used to ensure the functionality of the modules: from fulfilling the precision specification of the module assembly procedure to ensuring the proper communication among the module's ASICs.
ATLAS is currently preparing for the HL-LHC upgrade, with an all-silicon Inner Tracker (ITk) that will replace the current Inner Detector. The ITk will feature a pixel detector surrounded by a strip detector, with the strip system consisting of 4 barrel layers and 6 endcap disks. After completion of final design reviews in key areas, such as Sensors, Modules, Front-End electronics and ASICs, a large scale prototyping program has been completed in all areas successfully. We present an overview of the Strip System, and highlight the final design choices of sensors, module designs and ASICs. We will summarize results achieved during prototyping and the current status of production and pre-production on various detector components, with an emphasis on QA and QC procedures.
ALICE is upgrading its inner three silicon tracker layers with a bent wafer-scale monolithic pixel detector (ITS3).
Each layer comprises two sensors, 27 cm long, 50 µm thick and bent to concentric half-layers around the beam pipe (radii: 19, 25, 32 mm) supported by carbon foam stiffeners. The sensors with 40 mW/cm² consumption and a material budget of 0.07% X0 per layer are air-cooled.
Fabrication of 27 cm long sensors, requires stitching at foundry level connecting identical reticle-sized sensor elements, bypassing the need for flexible printed circuits.
Pixel test structures on a 300 mm, 65 nm TPSCo technology were validated with a resolution of 5 µm, an efficiency of > 99%, a fake hit rate of < 10^-2/pixel/s and a radiation load of 10^15 1 MeV neq cm^-2. These findings were further corroborated with 26 cm long Monolithic Stitched Sensor prototypes, confirming the stitching and integration process in laboratory and beam tests.
Prototype silicon sensors thinned to ≤ 50 µm were successfully bent to the ITS3's required radii while retaining full functionality. Mechanical engineering models with 50 µm thick dummy sensors demonstrated a mechanical stability of ± 0.5 μm under an 8 m/s airflow, consistent with the sensor’s power consumption and the interconnection scheme. The design of the final full-function sensor prototype (MOSAIX) with a pixel size of 22.8 x 20.8 µm2 is underway.
The contribution will report on the R&D phase, the final sensor design and detector integration.
The Belle II experiment currently records data at the SuperKEKB e+e- collider, which holds the world luminosity record of 4.7x10^34 cm-2.s-1 and plans to push up to 6x10^35 cm-2 s-1. In such luminosity range for e+e- collisions, the inner detection layers should both cope with a hit rate dominated by beam-induced parasitic particles and provide minute tracking precision. A R&D program has been established to develop a new pixelated vertex detector (VTX), based on the most recent CMOS pixel detection technologies. The VTX design matches the current vertex detector radial acceptance, from 14 mm up to 140 mm. It includes 5 to 6 layers for an overall material budget lower than 3 % of X0. All layers are equipped with the same depleted monolithic active pixel sensors, OBELIX, adapted from the TJ-Monopix2 sensor originally developed for the ATLAS experiment. This contribution will review the latest results on the in beam characterization after irradiation of the TJ-Monopix2 forerunner sensor and on the detection modules early prototyping.
Registration Desk is open from 08:30 – 17:00
ÖAW Studienstiftung "Werkstattgespräche" is the high-potential carrier program for undergraduates of the Austrian Academy of Sciences
The IGNITE project develops technical solutions for the next generation of trackers at colliders. It plans to implement an integrated module, comprising sensor, electronics, and fast readout, aimed at fast 4D-tracking. System pixels are required to have pitch around 50 µm and time resolution below 30 ps. In the present paper we present measurement results concerning the performance of the first-born prototype ASIC (Ignite0), which explores circuital solutions for Analog Front End and Time-to-Digital Converter circuits. After measurements, the AFE and TDC show time resolution around 20 ps rms in nominal conditions. Such prototype structures have been tested before being integrated in a subsequent design, containing a 64x64 pixel matrix for the readout of pixelated sensors. We also present the design criteria and expected performance of the Ignite32 (32x32 pixels) and Ignite64 (64x64 pixels). ASIC.
LHCb plans an Upgrade II detector for 2034 to operate at luminosities of 1.5x10$^{34}cm^{-2}s^{-1}$, accumulating over 300 fb$^{-1}$. This will result in about 42 interactions per crossing, producing approximately 2000 charged particles within acceptance.
The higher luminosity requires a new VErtex LOcator (VELO) with enhanced capabilities to handle increased data rates, radiation levels, and occupancies. New techniques are needed to assign b hadrons to their primary vertices and perform real-time pattern recognition, involving a new 4D hybrid pixel detector with advanced rate and timing capabilities.
Prototype front-end ASICs are under design in 28 nm technology, including large processing power and rapid analog response, which requires fast rise times and high power consumption, yet limited by vacuum operation and cooling constraints. The ASIC must handle extreme hit rates and added timing information. The sensor must provide time measurements with 35 ps resolution and resist to 2.5x10$^{16}$ 1 MeV n$_{eq}$ cm$^{-2}$, while keeping the and spatial resolution below 12 µm.
The mechanical design will minimize material and achieve an integrated module with thinned sensors and ASICs combined with lightweight cooling.
This presentation will highlight promising technologies for the HL-LHC upgrade, emphasizing timing precision for vertexing in next-generation detectors. Recent beam test results on time measurements and possible R\&D scenarios will be presented.
Future high-energy and high-intensity colliders will require precise particle tracking in space and time up to very high fluences, above 10$^{17}$ 1 MeV equivalent n/cm$^2$. To design future tracker detectors that can operate in such extreme radiation conditions, radiation-tolerant sensors with 4D tracking capabilities must be manufactured.
We will present a pioneering silicon sensor concept that profits from the saturation of the radiation effects observed at high fluences. It uses thin substrates, intrinsically less affected by irradiation, and internal multiplication of the signal up to the target fluences.
This breakthrough is possible thanks to a new concept of the implant responsible for signal multiplication in Low-Gain Avalanche Diodes (LGADs) obtained through the compensation of p- and n-type dopants. This strategy is more resilient to radiation, as both acceptor and donor atoms will undergo deactivation with irradiation, but if accurately engineered, their difference will remain constant. Therefore, the compensated LGADs will empower the 4D tracking ability up to extreme fluences.
The first batch of compensated LGADs was released by FBK at the end of 2022. Sensor characterisation and signal analysis before and after irradiation will be presented. Possible improvements to the present design will be introduced. The path to extend the validity of the present models to very high fluences will be discussed.
The increase of the particle flux (pile-up) at the high-luminosity phase of the Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) with an instantaneous luminosity up to $\mathcal{L} \approx 7.5\times10^{34}$ cm$^{-2}$s$^{-1}$ will have a severe impact on the ATLAS detector reconstruction and trigger performance. The High-Granularity Timing Detector (HGTD) will be installed in the forward region for pile-up mitigation and luminosity measurements. Two double-sided layers, based on Low-Gain Avalanche Detectors (LGADs) and custom ASICs, will provide a time resolution of better than 50 ps per track throughout the HL-LHC period. The chosen radiation-hardened LGAD technology provides suitable gain to reach the required signal-to-noise ratio, and a granularity of 1.3 × 1.3 mm$^2$. At total of 3.7M channels will cover more than 6 m$^2$ of silicon. As part of the Quality Control (QC) during the sensor production, a comprehensive measurement programme is pursued, consisting of electrical and functional tests on sensors and dedicated test structures (QC-TS) before and after radiation exposure. This contribution introduces the requirements and the technical design of the overall detector system and describes the design of the LGAD sensors and the QC-TS, as well as the QC strategy during the sensor production. Electrical measurements and test-beam performance results for the recently concluded pre-series production of LGAD sensors and QC-TS are presented.
The CMS Mip Timing Detector (MTD) is a vital part of the CMS upgrade for the High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC), which will start operations in 2030. The HL-LHC will achieve $3000\;\textrm{fb}^{-1}$ of integrated luminosity over 10 years, pushing the boundaries of precision measurements and rare process searches. To manage the significant increase in pile-up interactions, the MTD incorporates the Barrel Timing Layer (BTL), composed of 166,000 LYSO crystals and 332,000 custom Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs), offering a time resolution of 30-60 picoseconds to improve event reconstruction.
Recent large-scale system tests have demonstrated the full functionality of the end-to-end acquisition chain with up to 4600 detector channels, using production versions of both front-end and back-end electronics. The prototyping phase has also validated the detector's timing resolution, expected to be 30 ps at the start of operations, with strategies in place to mitigate radiation damage. Full assembly is projected to complete by mid-2025.
The aim of the LHCb Upgrade II is to operate at a luminosity of up to 1.5 x 10$^{34}$ cm$^{-2}$ s$^{-1}$ to collect a data set of 300 fb$^{-1}$. The required substantial modifications of the LHCb electromagnetic calorimeter during Long Shutdown 4 (LS4) due to high radiation doses in the central region and increased particle densities are referred to as PicoCal.
Several scintillating sampling ECAL technologies are currently being investigated in an ongoing R&D campaign in view of the PicoCal: Spaghetti Calorimeter (SpaCal) with garnet scintillating crystals and tungsten absorber, SpaCal with scintillating plastic fibres and lead absorber, and Shashlik with polystyrene tiles, lead absorber and fast WLS fibres.
Timing capabilities with tens of picoseconds precision for neutral electromagnetic particles and increased granularity with denser absorber in the central region are needed for pile-up mitigation. Time resolutions of better than 20 ps at high energy were observed in test beam measurements of prototype SpaCal and Shashlik modules. The presentation will also cover results from detailed simulations to optimise the design and physics performance of the PicoCal.
Future high-energy e⁺e⁻ collider experiments, such as the Future Circular Collider (FCC) and the Circular Electron Positron Collider (CEPC), will prioritize precise measurements of Higgs boson properties while exploring electroweak interactions, quantum chromodynamics and heavy-flavour physics. An excellent calorimetric performance is vital for identifying significant processes through the measurement of invariant masses of final-state objects.
The IDEA detector, as outlined in the FCC and CEPC CDRs, features a dual-readout (DR), fiber-based calorimeter. The design includes rows of scintillating fibers and optical fibers for Cherenkov light measurement, with SiPM readout. This setup enhances energy measurements for hadronic showers while maintaining good resolution for electromagnetic showers, all within a single unsegmented calorimeter. Its lateral segmentation facilitates the separation of closely spaced energy deposits from different particles, and fast optical sensors provide timing information for advanced reconstruction techniques.
The DR community is developing prototypes to demonstrate the design feasibility and scalability and to validate the simulations. This contribution introduces the DR technique and an overview of the prototype construction methods. Results from test-beam campaigns in 2023 (electromagnetic-shower-sized prototype) and 2024 (closer to an hadronic-shower-sized prototype) at CERN SPS are presented.
Precision measurements of the Higgs, W/Z bosons at future lepton colliders require the calorimetry system to achieve unprecedented jet performance. Among Higgs factories, the Circular Electron Positron Collider (CEPC) can provide an early option. The CEPC calorimeter working group has proposed a new electromagnetic calorimeter based on finely segmented scintillating crystals to be compatible with the particle-flow paradigm and also to achieve an optimal EM energy resolution of better than $3~\%/\sqrt{E(GeV)}$ with the homogeneous structure. As a major design, the calorimeter consists of multiple longitudinal layers of long crystal bars that are individually read out by silicon photomultipliers. In every two adjacent layers, crystal bars are in an orthogonal arrangement to gain an effective transverse granularity at the level of $1\times1~cm^2$. Extensive R&D efforts have been carried out to develop a first crystal calorimeter physics prototype and to evaluate the physics performance with a new particle-flow algorithm dedicated to the long-bar configuration. The crystal calorimeter prototype was exposed at testbeam facilities to evaluate the electromagnetic shower performance and to address a few critical issues on system integration. This contribution will introduce the crystal calorimeter design optimisations and latest performance studies in simulation. Highlights of the crystal calorimeter prototype development and preliminary beamtest results will also be presented.
A novel hybrid dual-readout calorimeter concept consisting of a homogeneous crystal electromagnetic section followed by a fiber-based hadronic section can represent a cost-effective solution to achieve an energy resolution of $3\%/\sqrt{E}$ for EM particles, $27\%/\sqrt{E}$ for neutral hadrons, and 4-5% for 50 GeV jets - a key performance benchmark for physics studies at future e+e- collider experiments.
Such a combined performance in particle reconstruction is the result of boosting the longitudinal and transverse segmentation of the crystals compared to state-of-the-art homogeneous calorimeters and by including the simultaneous readout of the Cherenkov and scintillation light from the same active element using the combination of two independent SiPMs and dedicated optical filters. With these features as well as a state-of-the-art time resolution for electromagnetic showers, this calorimeter concept aims at collecting as much information as possible for use in advanced particle flow dual-readout algorithms.
In this contribution, we present the results of extensive laboratory and beam tests measurements performed in 2024 on single calorimetric cells made of various crystals, SiPMs, and optical filters, which have informed the technological choices for the ongoing construction of a full containment calorimeter prototype.
Hyper-Kamiokande (HK) is a next-generation water Cherenkov detector under construction, featuring a large cylindrical tank measuring 71 meters high and 68 meters in diameter, with a fiducial volume of 188 kilotons. Its physics program includes studying neutrino oscillations, astrophysical neutrinos, and searching for nucleon decay, with a primary focus on investigating leptonic CP violation. To achieve this, HK will be equipped with approximately 20,000 50 cm photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) and around 800 multi-photomultiplier (mPMT) modules, which represent a novel technology initially developed for KM3NeT. Each mPMT module consists of 19 small PMTs, 7.7 cm in diameter, housed within a pressure vessel. The mPMT has several advantages such as improved granularity, reduced dark rate, and enhanced directional information, all while offering an almost isotropic field of view and the ability to detect local coincidences. These characteristics will significantly enhance HK’s physics capabilities. Structurally, the mPMT module has an upper section where the PMTs are positioned beneath an acrylic dome, while the underside contains the main electronics mounted on a cooling steel backplate. The module is powered via POE, with each PMT having its own high-voltage board. The final design of the mPMT is almost complete, with mass production set to begin in 2025 and HK scheduled to start data collection in 2027. This contribution outlines the mPMT design, its advantages, and testing results.
Neutrino-less double-beta ($0\nu\beta\beta$) decay is a rare nuclear process with profound implications for verifying the Majorana nature of neutrinos and determining their masses.The Majorana nature of neutrinos is crucial for understanding neutrino properties and the origin of the matter-dominant universe.
The KamLAND-Zen experiment, located at the Kamioka underground laboratory in Japan, has been at the forefront of the search for $0\nu\beta\beta$ decays for more than a decade.The experiment started a search for $0\nu\beta\beta$ decay of xenon-136 nuclei in 2011 (KamLAND-Zen 400), which was upgraded in 2019 by doubling the number of xenon nuclei and a tenfold reduction in uranium and thorium contamination (KamLAND-Zen 800).A combined analysis of the KamLAND-Zen 400 and 800 dataset has provided the world's most stringent limits on the effective Majorana neutrino mass of 36-156 meV with different nuclear matrix elements.This result establishes KamLAND-Zen as a pioneering effort in the global pursuit to unravel the fundamental properties of the neutrino.
The KamLAND-Zen collaboration has taken the next step forward: The upcoming phase of KamLAND-Zen, KamLAND2-Zen, will employ a new high light-yield liquid scintillator, light collecting mirror and high quantum efficiency photomultipliers.
This oral presentation aims to the process of developing the prototype detector installing these improvements and its performance evaluation by simply reproducing a part of the KamLAND2-Zen.
The Pacific Ocean Neutrino Experiment (P-ONE) is a planned cubic kilometer undersea neutrino detector that will be deployed off the coast of Canada. The goal of P-ONE is to study high-energy neutrinos and their production mechanisms in faraway cosmic sources. P-ONE will consist of 1400 modules, which are being developed with the goal of precision timing and calibration to optimize angular resolution and sensitivity to these sources. The P-ONE optical modules will each contain 16 photomultiplier tubes to collect Cherenkov light that is produced as a result of neutrino interactions in the water. In addition, the modules will contain environmental sensors, calibration flashers, acoustic receivers, and a muon tagger. The modules also have a mainboard that contains a sophisticated ADC to quickly collect and digitize data, as well as an FPGA for onboard storage and data processing. This talk will focus on the P-ONE detection module design as a whole, with specific focus on the mainboard, ADC, and the testing of the software and firmware done in the development of these modules.
We present the development and initial testing of
a device that opens the way for a novel class of Hybrid Pixel
Detectors (HPDs) achieved by coupling a low-noise, event-driven
analog readout ASIC with a solid state fine-pitch pixel sensor.
Our new HPD builds upon XPOL-III, a cutting-edge 180 nm
CMOS VLSI ASIC integrating over 100,000 pixels with fully
analog, low-noise readout at 50 μm pitch on a hexagonal grid,
covering an active area of 15 × 15 mm^2. We developed two
versions of the hybrid device: one with 750 μm thick and
100 μm pixel pitch, Schottky-type CdTe sensor, and one with
300 μm thick and 50 μm pixel pitch silicon sensor. In this
work, we present measurements confirming that our new detector
effectively mitigates the long-standing issue of charge-sharing
that typically degrades the resolution of small-pixel HPDs.
This is achieved through precise, low-threshold measurements of
the charge collected by the pixels within the event cluster. The
assembled devices exhibit excellent spatial and energy resolution
with full single-photon sensitivity, highlighting their potential
for advanced X-ray spectral imaging applications.Measurement results open up exciting perspectives for the implementation of high-performance HPDs in various fields requiring precise X-ray imaging and spectroscopy.We will discuss the detailed performance metrics of the two devices and explore the implications of this technology for future
developments in X-ray detection systems.
In high-energy physics, there is a need to investigate silicon sensor concepts that offer large-area coverage and cost-efficiency for particle tracking detectors. Sensors based on CMOS imaging technology present a promising alternative silicon sensor concept.
As this technology follows a standardised industry process, it can provide lower sensor production costs and enable fast and large-scale production from various vendors.
The CMOS Strips project is investigating passive CMOS strip sensors fabricated by LFoundry in a 150 nm technology. The stitching technique was employed to develop two different strip sensor formats. The strip implant layout varies in doping concentration and width, allowing to study various depletion concepts and electric field configurations.
The performance of irradiated and unirradiated samples was evaluated based on several test beam campaigns conducted at the DESY II test beam facility. Additionally, the detector response was simulated using Monte Carlo methods combined with TCAD Device simulations.
This contribution provides studies on the test beam performance of the sensors concerning their hit detection efficiency and resolution.
In particular, the simulated detector response is presented and compared to test beam data.
Furthermore, an outlook on the next sensor submission for the CMOS Strips project, which will include an active front-end stage, is presented.
Particle accelerators operated primarily for cancer treatment are valuable for testing high-energy physics (HEP) instruments. However, beam instrumentation, particularly primary beam monitors, cannot commonly measure the low particle rates typically used for HEP instrumentation tests. We are working on a primary beam monitor capable of detecting single particles while operational at clinical particle rates.
We will present the full development cycle of the monitor, from initial sensor tests to beam tests with final prototypes. Initial tests were carried out using both silicon and silicon carbide particle sensors. Silicon carbide sensors proved ideal due to their negligible dark current, making them the ideal choice for targeted applications. Strip sensors were optimized for high-voltage operation using TCAD simulations to extend the lifetime of radiation damage sensors. A tiled sensor layout was adopted for sufficient production yield. Sensors were manufactured at CNM, Barcelona, on 6-inch wafers.
The readout electronics were optimized for low component count and easy integration into the existing control system. Overall, the system can be equipped with up to 512 strips with a pith of 250 µm and read out at a rate of 37 kHz in synchronous or 70 kHz in interleaving mode. Besides being a beam monitor, the system was developed as a basis for future research on beam steering algorithms. For this purpose, real-time data transfer and accelerator control interfaces are provided.
A high rate beam telescope, comprised of eight Timepix4-based sensor planes, has been constructed, featuring both thin (100 μm) planar sensors for better temporal measurements and thick (300 μm) sensors for more precise spatial measurements.
The Timepix4 ASIC, compatible with various sensor technologies, consists of a matrix of 448×512 pixels with a 55 μm square pitch. Simultaneous measurement of Time of Arrival (ToA) and Time over Threshold (ToT) is performed for individual pixel hits. The ToA, digitised with a 195 ps time bin via per-pixel Time-to-Digital Converters (TDCs), enables precise timing measurements. The ToT is proportional to the collected charge, contributing to sub-pixel spatial resolution and correcting for timewalk, essential for good ToA resolution. The telescope is equipped with two fast microchannel plate detectors (MCPs) with quartz windows for Cherenkov light generation. MCP signals are processed to provide timestamp precision below 20 ps, crucial for characterising and calibrating temporal measurements of the telescope and fast-sensor prototypes.
The telescope achieved a pointing resolution of 2 μm. After several per-pixel time corrections, the combined time resolution of 90 ps per track is obtained using information from the timepix4 ASICs alone.
This presentation will show the most recent results from the Timepix4 telescope and DUT results from fast sensor technologies such as trench-isolated and inverted LGADs, as well as 3D sensors.
Muon-spin spectroscopy at continuous sources has long been limited to a muon stopping rate of approximately \SI{40}{kHz}.
The primary constraint arises from the requirement that only a single muon can be present in the sample during the \SI{10}{\mu s} data collection window.
This limitation stems from the widespread use of scintillator-based detectors to track incoming muons and outgoing positrons, which lack the ability to handle higher rates effectively.
To overcome this limitation and facilitate muon-spin relaxation (\mSR) measurements with sub-milimeter samples, ultra-thin Si-pixel detectors can be utilised.
These detectors enable the reconstruction of the position where the muon stops within the sample, leveraging this additional spatial information to significantly increase the measurable muon rate.
In this work, we present results from a Si-pixel-based spectrometer that uses vertex reconstruction for both incoming muons and emitted positrons.
For the first time, we successfully measured a \mSR ~spectrum employing monolithic Si-pixel detectors.
Furthermore, combining this spectrometer with a scintillating fibre detector provides not only enhanced spatial but also good timing measurement, achieving a resolution of \SI{500}{ps}.
We conducted several test runs at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) and the Mainz Microtron (MAMI) to validate the performance and capabilities of this advanced detector system.
A prototype of a novel digital electromagnetic calorimeter, EPICAL-2, has been developed. The R&D is performed in the context of the ALICE-FoCal and is strongly related to studies of imaging in proton CT. Digital calorimetry also proves promising for future collider projects like EIC, ILC, CLIC, or FCC.
Based on proof of principle with a first prototype, EPCIAL-2 has been constructed as an advanced second prototype. EPICAL-2 consists of 24 layers with alternating tungsten absorbers and ALPIDE MAPS. The design features an active area of approximately $30\, \mathrm{x}\, 30\, \mathrm{mm}^2$ and a depth of 20 radiation lengths, totaling over 25 million pixels.
EPICAL-2 test-beam measurements were performed at DESY in February 2020 and CERN-SPS in September 2021. The DESY test-beam campaign results have been published in [1], showing good energy resolution and linearity.
This contribution will report on the energy resolution and linearity measured at CERN-SPS and compare it to a detailed MC simulation. Furthermore, shower shape studies will be presented, which provide unique feedback to GEANT developers. Finally, studies of the Moliere radius in the EPICAL-2 will be shown.
[1] J.Alme et al 2023 JINST 18 P01038
Among the Future Collider proposals the Muon Collider offers unique advantages for advancing energy frontier research. However, the Beam Induced Background (BIB), from muon decay along the beam pipe, poses a significant challenge for detector design and events reconstruction. Despite the use of Tungsten conical absorbers in the forward regions, an irreducible component of BIB enters the detector, characterized by low momentum and out-of-time arrival component respect the bunch crossing. The BIB flux on the barrel inner face of the electromagnetic calorimeter is about 300 particles per $cm^{2}$, with a total ionizing dose of $10^{-4}$ Grad/y and a neutron fluence of $10^{14} n_{1MeV}cm^{-2}y^{-1}$. To mitigate BIB effects, innovative solutions are needed. One promising development is CRILIN (CRystal calorImeter with Longitudinal INformation), a semi-homogeneous electromagnetic calorimeter based on Lead Fluoride crystals ($PbF_{2}$) read by UV-extended Silicon Photomultipliers. This novel calorimeter proposal, featuring high granularity, longitudinal segmentation and excellent expected timing, offers the potential to mitigate BIB effects and achieve a high energy resolution (less than $10\% \sqrt{E}$). This talk will present simulation results on the performance of CRILIN and recent experimental test results from CRILIN prototype, highlighting its potential in the challenging Muon Collider environment.
In order to achieve a pixel diode inherent signal amplification, low-gain avalanche diodes (LGADs) have come into focus of pixel detector developments. However, in contrast to conventional diode arrays, the detector response in the pixel gap areas is still problematic for LGADs.
MARTHA, an acronym for Monolithic Array of Reach Through Avalanche photo diodes, is a novel concept for proportional mode APDs, that provides a 100% fill factor and a high detection efficiency also in the gap regions. An n-doped field drop layer between the n+ pixel structure and an unstructured p-doped multiplication layer suppresses electric field peaks at the pixel edges and leads to a fairly homogeneous amplification over the sensor area.
Edge breakdown suppression could already be demonstrated by static measurements on special diodes. In the following talk we present first dynamic and position dependent measurements on segmented sensors.
The development of advanced scintillating materials for electromagnetic calorimeters is a key challenge for future High-Energy Physics (HEP) experiments, particularly in environments with high collision rates, such as the High-Luminosity LHC and next-generation particle colliders. These experiments require scintillators capable of both fast scintillation performance and precise time resolution to ensure accurate energy measurements, event separation and particle identification. Achieving these goals demands materials that combine high light yield ($\geq10^3$ photons/MeV), short scintillation decay times ($\tau_{\mathrm{eff}}\leq10$ ns), and the ability to maintain performance under intense radiation conditions. Garnet-based scintillators, including GAGG:Ce,Mg and YAG:Ce,Mg,Ca, have emerged as strong candidates due to their potential to
fulfill all of the above requirements. In this work, we focus on the ongoing R\&D in the framework of the European Project TWISMA, whose purpose is to develop advanced scintillation materials for calorimeters in HEP. We performed experimental measurements on various YAG and GAGG samples to evaluate both energy and time resolution capabilities. Simulation are performed to complement the experimental results, providing valuable feedback for crystal producers to refine material properties and meet the demands of high-luminosity environments.
An innovative single-photon detector based on a vacuum tube with a photocathode, a microchannel plate, and a Timepix4 CMOS ASIC as its read-out anode is presented. This detector is designed to detect up to 1 billion photons per second over a $7\,cm^2$ active area, achieving simultaneously exceptional position and timing resolutions of $5-10\,\mu m$ and less than $50\,ps$, respectively. Comprising approximately 230,000 pixels equipped with both analog and digital front-end electronics, the Timepix4 ASIC allow to perform measurements using a data-driven architecture and to reach data transmission rates of up to 160 Gb/s.
The configuration and readout of the Timepix4 are controlled by FPGA-based external electronics. Experimental measurements performed using an assembly bonded to a $100\,\mu m$ thick n-on-p Si sensor, illuminated by an infrared pulsed picosecond laser, demonstrated a timing resolution of $110\,ps$ per single pixel hit, accounting for contributions from the silicon substrate. This resolution improves to below $50\,ps$ when considering pixel clusters.
Six detector prototypes with different types of MCP-stacks and end-spoiling depths have been produced by Hamamatsu Photonics. Their characterisation will be presented, including dark count rate, gain, spatial and timing resolution measurements, performed in the lab and in a test-beam campaign at the CERN SPS facility.
The PICosecond subMICron (PICMIC) is a new detection concept that intends to simultaneously exploit the remarkable intrinsic spatial and time precision of the MicroChannel Plate (MCP) detectors. The concept is itself made of two new ones. The first is similar in principle to the GPS system and allows, with a limited number of electronic channels, a precise measurement of the arrival time of particles crossing the MCP. The second, conceived to measure the position of these particles, uses tiny pixels that are interconnected in an original way. The new scheme leads to an excellent granularity without suffering of the usual ambiguity encountered in the strip-based readout systems while operated with a much smaller number of electronic channels with respect to a pixel-based readout one.
Both the spatial and the time measurement systems were individually tested and validated before to be assembled in a first prototype. The prototype equipped with an alpha source allowed the validation of the whole concept. We present in this paper the PICMIC concept, the realization of the two measurement systems as well as the first results obtained with the prototype and how we intend to trasnsofrm it into a photon detector preserving the excellent MCP spatial granularity.
Extensive studies of effects of annealing at 60°C on charge collection efficiency were made during development and production of sensors for ATLAS ITk strip detector. After irradiation with neutrons or low energy protons, at bias voltages below ~ 900 V, “typical” annealing behaviour was observed: beneficial effect of short term annealing was followed by a drop of charge collection efficiency at longer annealing times.
After irradiation with high energy 24 GeV/c protons at CERN IRRAD facility usual annealing was observed at low fluences but not at high fluence. Charge collection was measured with 320 µm thick n-in-p type strip detectors, ATLAS18, using Alibava system. After first few tens of minutes at 60°C, annealing was beneficial at low fluences, but at high fluences charge collection efficiency didn’t increase. It stayed unchanged or even dropped. Edge-TCT measurements indicated that the unusual annealing may be related to the double peak electric field profile in the detector. The double peak profile is caused by polarization of space charge within the depleted region. Different annealing of positively and negatively charged defects may result in the observed annealing behaviour of charge collection.
In this contribution results of charge collection and E-TCT measurements with detectors irradiated with 24 GeV/c protons will be presented. Edge-TCT annealing study after irradiation with low energy protons will be shown and compared with high energy proton results.
To face the higher levels of radiation due to the 10-fold increase in integrated luminosity during the H-L LHC, the CMS detector will replace the current endcap calorimeters with the new High-Granularity Calorimeter (HGCAL). The electromagnetic section as well as the high-radiation regions of the hadronic section of the HGCAL (fluences above 1.0e14 neq/cm2) will be equipped with silicon pad sensors, covering a total area of 620 m2. Fluences up to 1.0e16 neq/cm2 and doses up to 1.5 MGy are expected. The whole HGCAL will operate at -35°C in order to mitigate the effects of radiation damage. The sensors are processed on novel 8-inch p-type wafers with an active thickness of 300 μm, 200 μm and 120 μm and cut into hexagonal shapes for optimal use of the wafer area and tiling. With each main sensor several small sized test structures (e.g pad diodes) are hosted on the wafers, used for quality assurance and radiation hardness tests. In order to investigate the radiation-induced bulk damage, these diodes have been irradiated with neutrons at JSI (Jožef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana) to fluences between 2.0e15 and 1.5e16 neq/cm2. In this talk electrical characterisation and charge collection measurements of the irradiated silicon diodes will be presented. The study focuses on the isothermal annealing behaviour of the bulk material at temperatures of 6.5°C, 20°C, 40°C and 60°C.
Allpix Squared is a versatile open-source simulation framework for semiconductor detectors, enabling detailed end-to-end simulations for both single sensors and more complex setups. While originally developed for silicon pixel detectors in HEP, the framework is capable of simulating several detector types, semiconductor materials, and geometries for a variety of applications in e.g. space and synchrotrons. It also takes advantage of multi-processor architectures for fully parallel event simulation.
The framework is based on an extensible system of modules that implement simulation steps. Modules include an interface to Geant4 for describing the interaction of particles with matter, various algorithms for charge transport in the sensor, and digitisation of the signals in the front-end electronics. A new interface to SPICE is being developed for more sophisticated front-end simulations. Detailed field, potential, and doping maps imported from TCAD simulations can be used to accurately model the motion and recombination behaviour of charge carriers. In addition new physical models such as impact ionization and trapping have been integrated. Simulation of gain layers and 3D sensors are possible, and actively used in the community.
This contribution will give an overview of the framework and its components, and highlight recent additions and ongoing developments. Example simulations carried out with the framework will be shown to demonstrate its versatility and predictive power.
Organic technologies are of active scientific interest due to their tuneable, scalable, and cost-effective nature. I will present radiation sensors based on organic semiconductor technology, particularly applications related to detection of hadronic radiation consisting of α radiation and thermal and fast neutrons. Neutron detection is useful in various fields, from fundamental particle and atomic physics research to the medical field and nuclear security portal monitors.
These organic sensors focus on NDI-type organic polymers including a novel material with carborane, a polyhedral cluster of carbon, boron, and hydrogen, directly incorporated in the molecular backbone ($o$CbT$_{2}$-NDI), sensitising to thermal neutrons via the boron neutron capture process. A comparison will be made with a similar polymer (PNDI(2OD)2T) with homogeneously dispersed boron carbide (B$_{4}$C) nanoparticles, and a control sensor without any boron which is sensitive to more energetic fast neutrons.
Beyond this, I will present on the expansion of this technology: scaling up the size of the sensors, and creating an array system synchronising multiple detectors to work together. These modes are being probed for the application of making portal radiation detectors at strategic locations (ports, airports, areas of high pedestrian traffic) to identify illicit materials such as weapons grade plutonium and uranium.
Energetic proton beams (60-230MeV) are used in proton therapy. Currently, x-ray imaging is used before each proton therapy treatment to accurately tune the proton beam, but the conversion to proton range introduces an error up to 3%, which could be cut by using proton imaging instead. At this moment no device for proton imaging is available on the market. We propose a GaN detector for proton imaging. GaN is a wide band-gap material, chemically and mechanically stable and technologically mature. The high displacement energy of GaN, makes it more robust to proton irradiation than most other semiconductors. We fabricated and tested GaN Schottky and pin diodes for proton detection and we demonstrated that they are sensitive (minimum detectable proton beam <1pA), linear as a function of proton current, fast (<1s) and robust. Detecting low proton currents opens the way to proton imaging with matrix of diodes and with high resolution, since diodes can be as small as tens of µm. We fabricated on a single 3 inches sapphire wafer a 1D array of 128 GaN pin diodes with a 500µm pitch. The diodes are branched to a read-out circuit placed out of the irradiation field. At Cyrcé-IPHC (25 MeV) we biased and translated the detector to scan metallic and plastic objects in proton beam contrast: the first proton radiographies with a GaN detector. Next, by creating a two-dimensional array we aim to obtain the first compact, static detector for “real time proton imaging”.
Flash radiotherapy (RT), characterized by the delivery of ultra-high dose rates (UHDR), recently demonstrated a reduced toxicity towards surrounding non-malignant tissues while mantaining damage efficiency and tumour control. Conventional dosimeters, as ionization chambers and thick solid state detectors, under UHDR beams suffer of unwanted effects as e.g. ion-recombination effects. The frontier research for Flash RT dosimeters is directed towards thin solid state devices. In this respect, inorganic halide perovskites as CsPbBr3 combines a high theoretical sensitivity to high-energy particle beams and the possibility to be deposited as thin layers directly on flexible electronics. This work presents first measurement of perovskite detectors under flash RT. Inorganic CsPbBr3 perovskite 1um-thick films are deposited by magnetron sputtering on substrates carrying interdigitated electrodes. Then, detectors have been exposed to the 9MeV electron beam produced by the EF with triode-gun (SIT-Sordina) in Pisa (CPFR) with single and train-pulses with different dose per pulse DPP and frequencies, in the ranges (0.2-11Gy) and (1-245Hz). Current responses during pulsed beam are monitored in real-time with sampling times down to µs. Charge collected by the perovksite detectors showed to depend linearly on the DPP in the entire investigated range, with no evidence of saturation effects. We thank Fondazione Pisa for funding CPFR with the grant “prog. n.134/2021
Registration Desk is open from 08:30 – 12:30
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is driving innovation in medical imaging as different technologies are emerging favoring faster readout, better crystal-to-detector couplings, better energy and coincidence time resolution, etc. The microchannel plate photomultiplier (MCP PMT) allows us to measure the interaction detection time precisely, significantly reducing random coincidences. Detectors, such as large area picosecond photodetectors (LAPPDs), are an ideal candidate for the development of state-of-the-art Cherenkov light based PET scanners. To test the feasibility of the overall system and the electronics with LAPPDs, we first studied the imaging performance of a PET demonstrator based on multianode PMTs (MAPMTs). We will present a comprehensive study of the demonstrator (60 mm radius) with 16 detectors, based on 9x9 arrays of LYSO scintillators (2.05x2.05x20 $mm^3$) mounted on 4x4 channel photomultipliers (4.5x4.5 $mm^2$ pixels). Since the active areas of the scintillators and the MAPMT are different, a 4 mm thick UV-permeable plexiglass reflector in a pyramidical shape (10° bevel angle) is used as a light guide. The coincidence events are obtained by placing a 22Na source at the center of the ring. The PMTs are readout using the TOFPET2.v2 ASICs from PETSys. We will also discuss the factors driving the optimal performance and the overall imaging capability of the apparatus. Later, we’ll perform a comparative study between MAPMTs and LAPPDs using the same readout system.
PETALO (Positron Emission TOF Apparatus with Liquid xenOn) is a project that uses liquid xenon (LXe) as a scintillation medium, silicon photomultipliers as a readout and fast electronics to provide a significant improvement in PET-TOF technology. Liquid xenon allows one to build a continuous detector with a high stopping power for 511-keV gammas. In addition, SiPMs enable a fast and accurate measurement of the time and energy with a small dark count rate at the low temperatures required from LXe. PETit, the first PETALO prototype built at IFIC (Valencia), consists of an aluminum box with one volume of LXe and two planes of VUV SiPMs, which register the scintillation light emitted in xenon by the gammas coming from a Na22 radioactive source placed in the middle. The LXe volume is divided in small, highly reflective cells to enhance light collection.
In this talk I will describe the PETALO concept and present the first measurements performed with PETit.
Achieving excellent time resolution is crucial in time-of-flight (TOF) positron emission tomography (PET) for improving the signal-to-noise ratio and image quality. High-frequency (HF) front-end electronics offer a solution for achieving excellent performance in TOF-PET applications by exploiting the fastest light production mechanisms in crystals. Moreover, as the achievable coincidence time resolution (CTR) approaches 100 ps, the effect of the gamma-ray depth of interaction (DOI) becomes a contribution to mitigate. To address this issue, we explore two approaches using newly developed multi-channel HF electronics. First, a double-sided readout method retrieves DOI information by analyzing time and charge differences at both ends of a scintillator. Second, a single-sided readout employs a light-sharing mechanism with a matrix of depolished scintillators and a light guide to retrieve the DOI information. Both methods achieve state-of-the-art results, with a 20 mm LYSO:Ce matrix providing a CTR of 133 $\pm$ 2 ps and a DOI resolution of 2.2 $\pm$ 0.2 mm. To enhance detector sensitivity, these techniques are applied to high-stopping-power materials like BGO and heterostructured scintillators. Furthermore, we propose a novel algorithm that recovers inter-crystal scattering (ICS) events in pixellated detectors, estimating the crystal of first interaction, which can improve reconstructed resolution with better LOR delineation for coincidence events.
Radiotherapy with ion beams is a highly precise cancer treatment modality. As such, its quality might be influenced by even minor anatomical changes within the patient like swellings or tumor shrinkage. Therefore methods to assess the quality of the treatment during the irradiation is of utmost interest.
Contrary to X-ray imaging, methods without exposing the patient to additional radiation dose are attractive. Secondary radiation emerging from the treated patient is a yet unexploited source of potential information.
Our team investigates how far secondary ions, the nuclear fragments of the treatment ion beam, can gain information about the quality of the dose distribution in the patient.
We developed a clinical secondary ion tracking system based on pixelized hybrid semiconductor detectors Timepix, which were developed by the Medipix Collaboration at CERN. The tracker consists of 7 pairs of double-sized Timepix3 detectors.
In 2023 we have started a clinical study called InViMo at the Heidelberg Ion-Beam Therapy Center (HIT) in Germany. It aims to explore the benefit of nuclear fragment emission tracking from head cancer patients.
In this contribution the clinical ion tracker, together with its integration in the clinical environment, is presented. Moreover, preliminary results from the first patient cohort will be shown.
Many years of research and development of High Voltage Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors (HVMAPS) have culminated in the final design for the Mu3e pixel sensor, MuPix11. Following the requirements of the Mu3e experiment MuPix11 has been developed to provide excellent vertex, time and momentum resolution in a high rate environment and allowing to construct ultra-thin detector layers with 1\,\textperthousand material budget.
While the MuPix sensor architecture was settled in 2018, the HV-MAPS technology kept evolving towards higher levels of functionality integration and improved time resolution, approaching the 1\, ns regime.
In this work, the MuPix11 chip will be presented including results from testbeam and laboratory characterisation, as the status and results of the construction of the Mu3e pixel detector. Further, the current state of the generic HV-MAPS development and an outlook towards future developments will be given.
AstroPix is a novel high-voltage CMOS active pixel sensor being developed for a next generation gamma-ray space telescope, AMEGO-X, and the ePIC electron-iron collider detector. AstroPix has to be $500~\rm{\mu m}$ thick and to be fully depleted by supplying bias voltage. The energy resolution must be < 6 keV (FWHM) at 60 keV and the pixel pitch should be $500\times500~\rm{{\mu m}}^2$. Furthermore, given the space-based nature of AMEGO-X, the power consumption of AstroPix needs to be limited ($<1.5~\rm{mW/{cm}^2}$). The first version of AstroPix was developed based on the experience of the developments of both ATLASPix and MuPix. The third version of AstroPix, AstroPix3, reached the target pixel pitch with a mean energy resolution of 6.2 keV (FWHM) at 60 keV and its power consumption is $4.1~\rm{mW/{cm}^2}$ (Y. Suda et al 2024 NIMA 1068). The latest version of AstroPix, AstroPix4, features an improved time stamp generation and readout architecture, aiming to achieve a time resolution of 3 ns (N. Striebig et al 2024 JINST 19). The pixel capacitance was reduced by improving the routing and minimizing the metal-to-n-well capacitance, which resulted in lower noise floor. As a result, most of the pixels in the tested AstroPix4 chip can detect the 14 keV photopeak from Co-57, which could not be detected with AstroPix3. In this work, we report about basic performance of AstroPix4, such as I-V, noise, energy calibration/resolution/threshold, and depletion depth.
The RD50-MPW4, the latest HV-CMOS pixel sensor in the series from the CERN-RD50-CMOS group, advances radiation tolerance, granularity, and timing resolution for future experiments like HL-LHC and FCC. Fabricated by LFoundry in December 2023 using a 150nm CMOS process, it features a 64 x 64 pixel matrix with a $62 \times 62\mu m^2$ pitch and employs a column-drain readout architecture. The RD50-MPW3, its predecessor, faced noise coupling issues between the digital periphery and the pixels, limiting threshold settings to $\gtrsim 5ke^-$ and restricting operation to the matrix's top half.
The RD50-MPW4 solves these issues by separating the power domains for digital and analog components, enabling more sensitive threshold settings and full matrix operation. Additionally, a new backside biasing scheme and an improved guard ring structure support bias voltages up to 800V, enhancing radiation hardness.
Test with unirradiated samples showed >99.9% efficiency, ~16$\mu m$ spatial resolution, and ~10ns timing resolution. Several samples were irradiated at JSI to fluences from $1 \times 10^{14}$ up to $3 \times 10^{16}$ $1MeV n_{eq} cm^{-2}$. This presentation covers IV measurements, injection scans at varying temperatures before and after annealing, and results from the latest test beam campaign, allowing the comparison of irradiated and non-irradiated samples and demonstrating the technology's suitability for high-radiation environments.
Monolithic active pixel sensors with depleted substrates present a promising option for pixel detectors in high-radiation environments. High-resistivity silicon substrates and high bias voltage capabilities in commercial CMOS technologies facilitate depletion of the charge sensitive volume. TJ-Monopix2 and LF-Monopix2 are the most recent large-scale chips in their respective development line, aiming for the ATLAS Inner Tracker outer layer requirements.
LF-Monopix2 is designed in 150nm LFoundry CMOS technology and integrates all in-pixel electronics within a large charge collection electrode relative to the pixel pitch of 50 x 150 µm$^2$. This approach facilitates short drift distances and a homogeneous electric field across the sensor.
A tolerance to non-ionizing radiation without degradation of the detection efficiency has been demonstrated to levels of up to 2 x $10^{15}$ 1 MeV $n_\text{eq}$ / cm$^2$.
TJ-Monopix2 is designed in 180nm TowerSemi CMOS technology and features a small charge collection electrode, with separated in-pixel electronics. Process modifications in form of an additional n-type implant minimize regions with low electric field and improve the charge collection efficiency impaired by the long drift distances. The detector capacitance of approximately 3 fF enables low-noise and low-power operation.
This contribution highlights the performance of both Monopix2 chips after X-ray irradiation to 100 Mrad evaluated in laboratory and test beam measurements.
The Scintillating Fibre (SciFi) tracker has been operated in the current LHCb experiment design during LHC Run 3 and will continue to take data until the end of Run 4. The high radiation environment damages the detector parts and reduces the over-all light yield, compromising the required hit efficiency. Moreover, the LHCb Upgrade II will see the addition of timing information in different subdetectors, with the need of an adequate amount of detected light to ensure the requested performance. Microlens-enhanced Silicon PhotoMultipliers (SiPMs) allow to improve photon-detection efficiency in the SciFi tracker upgrade. From the first prototypes and R\&D phase (presented in 2022), simulation studies and new production iterations have perfected the detector design and results show an improvement up to 22\% for the photon-detection efficiency and light yield, a reduction of external cross-talk by 40\% and better time resolution, compared to conventional coated SiPMs.
The LHCb experiment at CERN has been upgraded for the Run 3 operation of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). A new concept of tracking detector based on Scintillating Fibres (SciFi) read out with multichannel silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) was installed during its upgrade. One of the main challenges the SciFi tracker will face during its operation is the high radiation environment due to fast neutrons, where the SiPMs are located. In view of LHCb Upgrade II in 2033, the radiation levels will increase significantly and the SciFi tracker must undergo a major upgrade. By the end of the lifetime, the expected radiation fluence reaches 3E12 neq/cm2 at the SiPMs location. To cope with the increase in radiation, cryogenic cooling with liquid Nitrogen is being investigated as a possible solution to mitigate the performance degradation of the SiPMs induced by radiation damage. Thus, a detailed performance study of different layouts of SiPM modules produced by FBK and Hamamatsu is being carried out. These detectors have been designed to operate at cryogenic temperatures. Several detectors were irradiated at Ljubljana at different neutron fluences and tested in a dedicated cryogenic setup down to 100K. Key performance parameters such as breakdown voltage, dark count rate, photodetection efficiency, cross-talk, and after pulsing are characterized as a function of the temperature, over-voltage, and neutron fluence. The main results of this study are going to be presented.
The ALICE Collaboration is proposing a completely new apparatus, ALICE 3, for the LHC Run 5 and beyond. A key subsystem for high-energy charged particle identification will be a Ring-Imaging Cherenkov (RICH) detector consisting of an aerogel radiator and a photodetector surface based on Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPM) arrays in a proximity-focusing configuration. A thin high-refractive index slab of transparent material (window), acting as a second Cherenkov radiator, is glued on the SiPM arrays to achieve precise charged particle timing.
We assembled a small-scale prototype instrumented with different Hamamatsu SiPM array sensors coupled with various window materials and pitches ranging from 1 to 3 mm. The Cherenkov radiator consisted of a 2 cm thick aerogel tile. The prototype was successfully tested in beam test campaigns at the CERN PS T10 beam line with pions and protons.
The data were collected with a complete chain of front-end and readout electronics based on the Petiroc 2A and Radioroc 2 together with a picoTDC to measure charges and times. We measured a single photon Cherenkov angular resolution better than 4 mrad in the momentum range between 8 and 10 GeV/c combined with a charged particle time resolution better than 70 ps.
In this talk we present the current status of the R&D performed for the ALICE 3 RICH detector and the beam test results obtained with the RICH prototype.
The dual-radiator RICH (dRICH) detector of the ePIC experiment at the future Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) will make use of SiPMs for the detection of Cherenkov light. The photodetector will cover ~ 3 m² with 3x3 mm² pixels, for a total of more than 300k readout channels and will be the first application of SiPMs for single-photon detection in a HEP experiment. SiPMs are chosen for their low cost and high efficiency in magnetic fields (~ 1 T at the dRICH location). However, as they are not radiation hard, careful testing and attention are required to preserve single-photon counting capabilities and maintain the dark count rates (DCR) under control over the years of running of the ePIC experiment.
We present an overview of the ePIC-dRICH detector system and the current status of the R&D performed for the operation of the SiPM optical readout subsystem. Special focus will be given to recent beam test results of a large-area prototype SiPM readout plane consisting of a total of up to 2048 3x3 mm² sensors. The photodetector prototype is modular and based on a novel EIC-driven photodetection unit (PDU) developed by INFN, which integrates 256 SiPM pixel sensors, cooling and TDC electronics in a volume of ~ 5x5x14 cm³. Several PDU modules have been built and successfully tested with particle beams at CERN-PS in October 2023 and in May 2024. The data have been collected with a complete chain of front-end and readout electronics based on the ALCOR chip, developed by INFN Torino.
The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is a long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment, being built with the goal of determining the neutrino mass ordering, the possible CP-violating phase in the neutrino mixing matrix as well as the observation of proton decay and the detection of supernova neutrinos.
The System for on-Axis Neutrino Detection (SAND) is one of the three components of the DUNE Near Detector complex. Its primary goals are to monitor the neutrino beam, perform measurements to control systematic uncertainties for the oscillation analysis, precision measurements of neutrino cross- sections and short-baseline neutrino physics.
SAND is composed of a 0.6T solenoid and an electromagnetic calorimeter made of alternating lead/scintillating fibers layers, both refurbished from the KLOE experiment. The Straw Target Tracker (STT) occupies the majority of the internal volume. It is composed of alternating planes of thin graphite/polymer targets and straw tube planes, providing multiple nuclear targets for the measurement of $\nu$-p and $\nu$-C cross-sections. A 1-ton active target for $\nu$-Ar interactions, known as GRAIN, is located in front of the STT. GRAIN will use a novel readout technique based on imaging of the scintillation light with SiPM-based cameras.
All of the SAND detectors, including their baseline design and alternative solutions, will be discussed in this contribution.
The AMS-100 Experiment, a magnetic spectrometer in space, will use plastic scintillators read out by silicon photomultipliers (SiPM) as a time of flight (ToF) detector. The scintillating fiber tracker (SciFi) of AMS-100 will use scintillating fibers (250~$\mu$m thick) read out by SiPMs. The ToF and the SciFi Tracker will be operated in vacuum at cryogenic temperatures.
We will present time resolution and signal shape measurements with a ToF-prototype in the temperature range of $+30^{\circ}$C to $-196^{\circ}$C. Long term tests of a ToF prototype in vacuum and thermocycling tests of the ToF components will be shown.
Thermal studies and light yield measurements of a SciFi tracker prototype at room temperature and at $-196^{\circ}$C in vacuum will be presented.
In the context of the Pentadimensional Tracking Space Detector project (PTSD), we are currently developing a demonstrator to increase the Technological Readiness Level of LGAD Si-microstrip tracking detectors for applications in space-borne instruments. Low Gain Avalanche Diodes (LGAD) is a consolidated technology developed for particle detectors at colliders which allows for simultaneous and accurate time (<100 ps) and position (~ 10 µm) resolutions with segmented Si sensors. It is a candidate technology that could enable for the first time 5D tracking (position, charge, and time) in space using LGAD Si-microstrip tracking systems. The intrinsic gain of LGAD sensors may also allow to decrease the sensor thickness while achieving signal yields similar to those of Si-microstrips currently operated in Space.
In this contribution we discuss the activities for the design and development of a low-consumption LGAD Si-microstrip device. We also discuss possible applications and breakthrough opportunities in next generation large area cosmic-ray and sub-GeV gamma-ray detectors that could be enabled by LGAD Si-microstrip tracking detectors in Space, and we propose the design of a cost-effective instrument to be deployed on a CubeSat platform to enable and qualify the operations of LGAD Si-microstrip detectors in Space.
Gravitational-wave astronomy began its remarkable legacy on September 14th, 2015, with the ground-breaking detection of a GW signal produced by the coalescence of two black holes. The exciting outcomes from this young research field range from cosmology and multimessenger astrophysics to fundamental physics. The current GW detectors are broadband (10 - 10000 Hz) Michelson interferometers that cope with quantum noise by squeezing the vacuum quantum states of the light entering the antisymmetric port of the instrument.
The present generation of detectors make use of a long and detuned resonator, called Filter Cavity (FC), to optimize the quantum readout from the instrument at each frequency band, and enhance the overall performance.
However, there is another approach aiming at the same outcome without the employment of a FC. The scientific goal of the experiment illustrated here is to effectively implement this new scheme, based on the parallel homodyne detection and combination of a pair of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) entangled squeezed beams. This experiment is under implementation in the site of the Virgo GW detector, the European Gravitational Observatory (EGO) found in Cascina (Pisa, Italy).
The scientific results from the EPR experiment can impact the layout of the foreseen upgrades for the Virgo detector, and above all for the next generation detectors such as the Einstein Telescope and Cosmic Explorer, which are currently thought to use km-long multiple FCs.
Answering the most puzzling questions in fundamental physis drives a continuous quest for the development of new detection techniques allowing to go beyond traditional measurement approaches. On this purpose, an increasing R&D activity for the development of new detection strategies based on exploiting the extreme sensitivity of quantum systems is currently ongoing, aiming at introducing innovative sensors with frontier performances. Among the quantum systems being currently investigated in this rapidly evolving interdisciplinary field, Single Molecule Magnets (SMMs, molecular crystals where each molecule substantially behaves as a tiny, isolated magnet) are considered to have promising potentialities for developments in the context of spin-based devices. After an introduction to these relatively new materials, we present the INFN R&D project NAMASSTE and its results, which give strong evidence for the potential application of quantum sensing based on SMMs to particle detection.
This work proposes a novel architecture that utilizes recent advancements in quantum-limited sensing technology and pixelated silicon sensors to search for new invisible particles. The design features a nanometer-scale, optically levitated sensor embedded with unstable radioisotopes, and surrounded by pixelated silicon detectors. By measuring the recoil of the optomechanical sensor at the standard quantum limit, alongside the momenta and energies of outgoing visible particles following the decay of the embedded isotopes, the total momentum of the emitted invisible particles can be fully reconstructed. This design primarily targets the search for heavy sterile neutrinos in the keV-MeV mass range. It can also be applied to explore new parameter space in other beyond Standard Model physics.
This talk will present the basic concept of the architecture, the detailed design, the simulations and preliminary test results.
In the LHC long shutdown 3, the ALICE experiment upgrades the inner layers of its Inner Tracker System with three layers of wafer-scale stitched sensors bent around the beam pipe. Two stitched sensor evaluation structures, the MOnolithic Stitched Sensor (MOSS) and MOnolithic Stitched Sensor with Timing (MOST) allow the study of yield dependence on circuit density, power supply segmentation, stitching demonstration for power and data transmission, performance dependence on reverse bias, charge collection performance, parameter uniformity across the chip, and performance of wafer-scale data transmission.
The MOST measures 25.9 cm x 0.25 cm, has more than 900,000 pixels of 18x18 μm2 and emphasizes the validation of pixel circuitry with maximum density, together with a high number of power domains separated by switches allowing to power down faulty circuits. It employs 1 Gb/s 26 cm long data transmission using asynchronous, data-driven readout. This readout preserves information on time of arrival and time over threshold. In the MOSS, by contrast, regions with different in-pixel densities are implemented to study yield dependence and are read synchronously.
MOST test results validated the concept of power domain switching and the data transmission over 26 cm stitched lines for the implementation of the full-size, full-functionality ITS3 prototype sensor, MOSAIX.
This contribution will summarize the performance of the stitched sensor test structures with emphasis on the MOST.
The ALICE collaboration is currently developing a new vertex detector ("ITS3"), foreseen to be installed in 2026 - 2028 during LHC long shutdown 3 to replace the three innermost layers (Inner Barrel) of the current Inner Tracking System as from Run 4 onwards. ITS3 comprises the use of ultra-thin (down to 50 micrometers) silicon wafers and stitching technologies in 65nm CMOS imaging process to produce large area (9.8cm x 26.7cm) Monolithic Active Pixels Sensors with a very low power consumption and a very low material budget, which will be bent to half-cylindrical shapes of 19, 25.2 and 31.5 mm bending radii for layer 0, 1 and 2 respectively.
Within the comprehensive R&D program for the ITS3 different large area stitched prototype structures with various pixel pitch and matrix sizes have been produced and tested before and after irradiation with TID and NIEL to validate the ITS3 technology approach, resulting in detection efficiencies of >99% and fake hit rates of <1e-2/pixel/s. In this contribution we present an overview on detection performance measurements obtained for such prototypes in test beams using various chip settings.
Monolithic active pixel sensors (MAPS) are attractive candidates for the next generation of vertex and tracking detectors for future lepton colliders. Especially an only recently accessible 65 nm CMOS imaging technology, that allows for higher logic density at lower power consumption compared to currently used imaging processes, is of high interest. Intensive simulation and characterisation of prototypes have proven the feasibility of further investigating the chosen technology.
The contribution is going to highlight the advancements of the prototypes going from a few analog pixels to a fully integrated chip with a 64x16 pixel matrix, including different readout modes. Characterisation highlights of a 4 pixel analog test structure featuring a charge sensitive amplifier during test beam and laboratory studies, including efficiency, time resolution and charge calibration are going to be presented. The same analog pixel cell is also included in the H2M chip, which explores the capabilities of a digital on top design approach. The design and readout modes of H2M are introduced together with the DAQ system based on Caribou.
Detailed characterization results will be presented both from laboratory and test beam campaigns, including threshold equalisation and charge calibration. Efficiencies of above 99% are determined. It is concluded that the technology is feasible to tackle many of the challenges of lepton collider experiments.
Registration Desk is open from 08:30 – 17:00
During the second long shutdown of the LHC at CERN, the most important Phase-1 upgrade within the ATLAS experiment was replacement of the two inner endcap stations of the Muon Spectrometer, with the New Small Wheels (NSW). Consisting of two novel detector technologies, the small-strip Thin Gap Chambers (sTGC) and the resistive strips Micromegas (MM), the NSW is targeting the rejection of fake muons at the endcap region between pseudorapidity $1.3<|\eta|<2.4$. Furthermore, thanks to the excellent muon tracking and the improved triggering capability NSW contributes to the identification of muons coming from the interaction point with high precision. Following an extensive effort during 2023 to finalise the commissioning of the new detectors, by 2024 both technologies were integrated successfully into the ATLAS data acquisition, reconstruction, simulation and trigger, offering a significant reduction of the ATLAS Level-1 trigger rate and further reducing the readout dead-time. Despite the demanding challenges and increased luminosity delivered by LHC, the ATLAS NSW completed important milestones and now demonstrates its readiness towards the end of the Run3 data-taking period of LHC. This contribution will present an overview of the advancements made within 2024, followed by a detailed report of the NSW performance in terms of tracking and triggering, using data recorded from pp collisions at 13.6 TeV.
Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs) are critical components of the muon systems of most HL-LHC experiments. Until 2023, all HL-LHC RPC systems used a so-called standard mixture, consisting of 95.7% C$_2$H$_2$F$_4$ (R134a), 5% i-C$_4$H$_{10}$, and 0.3% SF$_6$, highly tuned for RPC performance but having very high global warming potential (GWP). Environmental impact and increasing difficulty in procuring this type of fluorinated gases imposes to pursue a solution for the long-term experiment’s plans, such as a new mixture having a lower GWP and preserving, as well, the detector performance and longevity. In the last 2 years, ATLAS muons are pursuing such strategy, by progressively replacing TFE (GWP: 1300) with CO$_2$ (GWP:1), and validating the choice with extensive aging tests performed on realistic ATLAS RPC prototypes. This led ATLAS to be the first experiment replacing the RPC gas mixture in July 2023 with a new mixture, where 30% of TFE has been replaced with CO$_2$; the ATLAS RPC system behavior has been since then studied carefully, to spot in vivo any eventual sign of accelerated aging. More challenging perspectives, presently under validation, prior to apply them in the experiment, include a further reduction of TFE to 40%, and a lowering, or a total replacement of SF$_6$, which GWP (23500) is extremely high. We will present the experience of this 2-year long study, including the results of one full HL-LHC year of the ATLAS RPC system with the new gas.
Gaseous detectors play a vital role in particle physics experiments, especially in collider detectors, where they are used in trackers, muon chambers, and calorimeters. However, future advancements face challenges due to limitations on traditional detector gases, driven by regulatory and environmental concerns. To overcome this, our team developed the concept of "hybrid gaseous detectors". This innovative approach involves shifting part of the electron multiplication process from the gaseous medium to a high secondary electron emission yield solid-state layer applied directly to the anode surface inside the detector. By doing this, we can reduce the operating voltage and the gas flow rate significantly as well as enable the utilization of alternative, more sustainable gas mixtures. The concept was first tested on Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs) and showed promising results. We extended the hybrid design to drift tubes by coating the central anode wire. Recently, we developed hybrid RPCs with optical readout where the chambers also have SiPMs integrated. Here, we report on the development of hybrid gaseous detectors and discuss future directions which involve optimizing the coating materials, expanding to other detector types, and exploring new use cases.
The IDEA detector concept for a future e+e- collider incorporates an ultra-low-mass helium-based drift chamber as the central tracking system. This chamber is designed to deliver high- efficiency tracking, precise momentum measurements, and excellent particle identification through the cluster counting technique. Simulations using Garfield++ demonstrate that this technique achieves twice the resolution of the traditional dE/dx method for charged particles.Experimental validation has been conducted through beam tests at CERN, using various helium gas mixtures, wire orientations, and gas gains. These tests confirm the Poisson nature of ionization clusters and highlight the effectiveness of advanced algorithms for identifying electron peaks and clusters despite challenges like signal overlap in the time domain. This talk will discuss the expected tracking and particle identification performance based on detailed simulated physics events and test beam analyses. Additionally, key aspects of the drift chamber's construction will be explored, including the evaluation of new wire materials, advanced wire soldering techniques and the optimization of the drift cell design. The latest mechanical simulation studies will also be covered.
The Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events (CUORE) is the first cryogenic experiment searching for $0\nu\beta\beta$ decay that has reached the one-tonne mass scale. The detector, located at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) in Italy, consists of 988 TeO$_{2}$ crystals arranged in a compact cylindrical structure of 19 towers. CUORE began its first physics data run in 2017 at a base temperature of about 10 mK and, in March 2024, released the most recent result of the search for $0\nu\beta\beta$, corresponding to two tonne-year TeO$_{2}$ exposure. This is the most significant volume of data acquired with a solid state detector and the most sensitive measurement of $0\nu\beta\beta$ decay in $^{130}$Te conducted. In this talk, we will describe the CUORE experiment, including the cryostat, the front-end electronics, the data acquisition system, and the data processing chain. Finally, we will present the current status of the CUORE search for $0\nu\beta\beta$ with the updated statistics of two tonne$\cdot$yr exposure, the CUORE background model, and the measurement of the $^{130}$Te $2\nu\beta\beta$ decay half-life.
The search for neutrinoless double beta (0$\nu\beta\beta$) decay is considered the most promising method to prove the Majorana nature of neutrinos, and its discovery would provide insight on the mass hierarchy and on the absolute mass scale of the neutrino. The discovery of 0$\nu\beta\beta$ decay would inform theories predicting the observed matter anti-matter asymmetry of the Universe being a consequence of lepton number violation through leptogenesis.
Building upon the success of GERDA and MAJORANA experiments, the LEGEND (Large Enriched Germanium Detector for Neutrinoless bb Decay) Collaboration aims at building a $^{76}$Ge-based 0$\nu\beta\beta$ experiment with a sensitivity on the half-life beyond $10^{28}$ years, to fully span the inverted neutrino mass ordering region. In the first phase, LEGEND-200, 200 kg of enriched germanium detectors are being deployed in an upgraded version of the GERDA facility at LNGS. With an exposure of 1 t$\cdot$yr and a BI of 0.5 cts/(FWHM$\cdot$t$\cdot$yr), LEGEND-200 will be able to reach a sensitivity of about $10^{27}$ yr at 90% C.L. In the second phase, the enriched germanium mass will be increased to 1000 kg. With a background index of 0.025 cts/(FWHM$\cdot$t$\cdot$yr) and an exposure of 10 t$\cdot$yr, LEGEND-1000 aims to reach a 3$\sigma$ half-life discovery sensitivity of 1.3$\times 10^{28}$ yr.
In this talk an overview of the LEGEND project will be presented together with the operational status and current results of LEGEND-200.
We present the latest developments of the LIME underground data taking campaign at Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS). The LIME detector is the largest 50 L prototype of the CYGNO/INITIUM project, whose aim is to build a large gaseous Time Projection Chamber (TPC) with optical readout using a He:CF4 gas mixture for directional Dark Matter spin-dependent and spin-independent searches. Within the LIME detector, the primary ionisation charges resulting from particle interactions are amplified by a triple Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM). During the amplification process, scintillation visible light is produced and is readout by a CMOS-based Active Pixel Sensor and a set of four fast Photomultiplier Tubes (PMTs). This approach enables detailed 3D event reconstruction while keeping the sensors outside the sensitive volume, thereby reducing background contamination. LIME exhibited linearity in the response to electron recoils from 4 keV to 40 keV and a very good discriminating power between electron and nuclear recoils above 20 keV. The results obtained in the five data-taking runs performed underground in the LNGS will be presented. Given the success of the LIME campaign, we are realising a larger 0.4 m$^3$ demonstrator, called CYGNO04, to be deployed at the LNGS between the end of 2024 and 2026 to demonstrate the scalability of the project and the performances of our experimental technique on a larger volume scale.
The TESSERACT project will search for sub-GeV dark matter via advanced ultra-sensitive athermal phonon detectors. The experiment leverages advancements in Quasiparticle-trap-assisted Electrothermal-feedback Transition-edge-sensors (QETs) with large superconducting fins allowing for high phonon collection efficiency. Tesseract achieves sensitivity to nuclear-type, electron-type, and dark photon-type dark matter interactions though coupling of the QETs to independent targets of superfluid liquid helium (HeRALD) as well as sapphire and GaAs crystals (SPICE). Detectors will share identical readouts and be installed within the same experimental setting. This multi-target approach both maximizes sensitivity and allows for both identification and suppression of novel instrumental and physical backgrounds. The experiment is presently in a period of targeted R&D with the first physics results based on demonstrator setups to be expected this year and all detector concepts working. We will present the status of these sensors, expected sensitivities, and our road map towards installation of detectors within the Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane (LSM) in France.
3D diamond detector is a relatively new concept that is characterised by an electrode array fabricated inside a Chemical Vapour Deposition (CVD) diamond plate using a femto-second laser, resulting in electrically conducting graphitic paths. This fabrication method allows for various complicated electrode structures, making it possible to design novel electrode geometries and optimise the spatial/temporal performance of 3D diamond devices. In this paper, multiple 3D diamond detector structures are modelled. Their electric fields are simulated using Sentaurus TCAD and the signal response is simulated with Monte Carlo method using Garfield++. Then a Deep Neural Network (DNN) based algorithm is built to analyse the signal waveform from hit events and improve the detector’s spatial/temporal resolution by predicting the accurate hit position and time of arrival. Utilising these tools, the performance of different 3D diamond detector structures are analysed. To test the detector performance experimentally, detector prototypes with various structures are built with a femto-second laser equipped with an optical correction using Spatial Light Modulators (SLMs). The Two Photon Absorption (TPA) technique is used to generate point-like charge distributions inside 3D diamond sensor, so that the detector response is examined with high spatial and temporal resolution.
The increase in luminosity at the HL-LHC has led to the need for both increased radiation resistance in particle sensors, along with the need for timing capabilities, and lastly, to an increase in the granularity of vertex detectors. 3D detectors have an inherent good resistance to radiation damage that have allowed, after several years of R&D, to push their radiation hardness up to the maximum fluences of interest for HL-LHC (~2×1016 neq/cm2). In recent years, FBK has introduced several technological variations to reduce sensor pitch and improve timing performance. Specifically, regarding the reduction in pitch, the use of stepper-based lithography instead of mask aligner has allowed a significant improvement in the definition of critical details and process yield. This technology is currently used at FBK for the production of 3D pixel detectors for both ATLAS and CMS. To improve time resolution performance, a 3D trench-based detector, rather than one based on columns, has been introduced. Due to a more uniform electric field and weighting field distribution within the active volume, these sensors have indeed shown outstanding results in terms of timing resolution, close to 10 ps. The talk will illustrate an overview of technological aspects as well as initial measurements on 3D-column production batches and a batch of 3D trenches fabricated in the AIDA Innova project.
Future new high luminosity colliders will require exeptionally radiation hard detectors, in particular those that will be closer to the interaction regions, i.e. tracking and vertexing detectors. The TimeSPOT R&D project has developed a new family of 3D silicon pixel sensors with 55 μm pitch that have shown an incredible time resolution of about 10 ps thanks to their new “trench” design. In these detectors, specially designed vertical (3D) trench junctions within the pixel create a uniform electric field region 25 μm thick, independent of the sensor’s thickness, allowing to collect charge carriers created by a crossing charged particle very rapidly. These very thin drift regions also minimize charge carrier losses occurring in radiation damaged detectors and it has been demonstrated that these 3D detectors can still operate efficiently after neutron irradiations up to fluences of 1E+17 1MeVneq/cm2. A new irradiation run at the TRIGA Mark II Reactor at the Jožef Stefan Institute has just been concluded, reaching extreme fluences of 1E+18 1MeVneq/cm2. Irradiated 3D pixels are currently being tested at INFN Cagliari laboratories with red and infrared micrometrically focused laser beams allowing to perform a complete mapping of the charge collection efficiency on the pixel area. These new results will be presented at the conference together with other recent results, showing that these 3D silicon pixels can still operate efficiently under extreme radiation damage conditions.
In the new era of LHC experiments, fast-timing detectors are becoming a major priority. The LHCb upgrade II shall implement 4D tracking, enabling primary vertices spread in time to be distinguished, while maintaining high spatial resolution. Within VELO detector, a temporal hit resolution of 50ps within pixels of pitch < 50um is required. These demanding requirements necessitate a shift to non-standard hybrid sensor designs, which is the focus of the CERN EP R&D work package 1.1.
The Silicon Electron Multiplier (SiEM) is a sensor design that exploits an in-built amplification region generated around a metallic electrode grid. Two production processes have been investigated to produce SiEM demonstrators: metal-assisted chemical etching, a project with PSI, and deep reactive ion etching, a project with CNM. In addition, the production of 3D column sensors with timing-motivated designs is being pursued. The impact of the column geometry on spatial resolution, detection efficiency, and front-end timing jitter has been studied.
Hybrid sensor R&D necessitates the development of a suite of sensor characterisation tools. The multichannel board has been designed for the fast readout of test structures through 16 channels simultaneously and it is based on a transimpedance amplifier with a gain of ~70.
This contribution shall present WP 1.1 results from SiEM demonstrator manufacturing, 3D sensor design studies, and 16-channel board v2 laboratory and test-beam characterisation.
The Mu2e experiment will search for charge-lepton flavor violating (CLFV) muon to electron conversion. It aims to achieve a four-orders of magnitude improvement in sensitivity over previous experiments, allowing it to probe new physics at mass scales up to 10^4 TeV. A precision momentum measurement is needed to resolve the monoenergetic electron that is the signal of CLFV conversion from muon decay-in-orbit backgrounds. This precision measurement is achieved in Mu2e using a low-mass cylindrical straw tracker operated in vacuum, consisting of 21,000 thin-wall mylar straws held at tension. The Mu2e tracker is now in production and will be completed during 2025. We will discuss the design and status of the experiment and the tracker detector, and show results from data taken with the first tracker module.
The COMET experiment at J-PARC aims to search for a lepton-flavour violating process of muon to electron conversion, with a branching-ratio sensitivity of $10^{−17}$. The expected signal of this process is monochromatic 105 MeV single electron. To distinguish such a low energy signal, a material budget of detector is essential since the detection accuracy is primarily limited by multiple scattering.
To realize the required low material detector, a vacuum-compatible ultra-thin-wall straw tracker, 20$\mu$m-thick Mylar straw with 70nm Al cathode, has been developed employing ultrasonic-welding technique. This was reported in VCI2016, and the detector performances such as detection efficiency and intrinsic spacial resolutions were reported in VCI2019. In parallel to 20$\mu$m straw production, further thinner straw, 12$\mu$m-thick, was developed for the COMET upgrade, ie. COMET Phase-II. Details of R&D on 12$\mu$m straw were reported in VCI2022.
In the process of developing the 12$\mu$m straw, it became clear that it would be fundamentally difficult to make it any thinner using the current straw manufacturing method based on ultrasonic welding. Our R&D showed that the limit is around 10-12$\mu$m. Then, the brand-new extremely light straw was developed with a nonwoven graphite-textile. This was enabled by a collaboration with the nano-tech textile science.
In VCI2025, detailed R&D of the brand-new nonwoven graphite straw will be presented, in addition to the R&D status of the 12$\mu$m-thick straw.
Recently, advancements in high-intensity laser technology have enabled the exploration of non-perturbative Quantum Electrodynamics (QED) in strong-field regimes. Notable aspects include non-linear Compton scattering and Breit-Wheeler pair production, observable when colliding high-intensity laser pulses and relativistic electron beams. The LUXE experiment at DESY and the E320 experiment at SLAC aim to study these phenomena by measuring the created high-flux Compton electrons and photons. We propose a novel detector system featuring a segmented gas-filled Cherenkov detector with a scintillator screen and camera setup, designed to efficiently detect high-rate Compton electrons. Preliminary results from E320 measurement campaigns demonstrate methods for reconstructing electron energy spectra, aiming to reveal crucial features of non-perturbative QED.
The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) has among its primary goals the determination of the neutrino mass ordering and the CP-violating phase in the PMNS mixing matrix.
An important component of the DUNE Near Detector complex is the System for On-Axis Neutrino Detection (SAND), which includes GRAIN, a novel Liquid Argon (LAr) detector designed to image neutrino interactions using scintillation light.
GRAIN is designed to provide a fine-grained reconstruction of neutrino interactions in LAr and to provide a control sample for neutrino events in the Near Detector's Liquid Argon Time Projection Chambers.
GRAIN uses an innovative optical readout system based on SiPM matrices coupled either to UV-Lenses or Coded Aperture masks to take "pictures" of the LAr scintillation light emission, eliminating the dependence on slow charge collection.
This contribution will discuss the current design of GRAIN, the development of its optical elements and image reconstruction algorithms, as well as the construction of a prototype demonstrator with two cameras with 256 pixels and cold readout electronics.
The RES-NOVA project detects cosmic neutrinos (e.g., Sun, Supernovae) via coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering (CEνNS) using archaeological Pb-based cryogenic detectors. The high CEνNS cross-section and ultra-high radiopurity of archaeological Pb enable a highly sensitive, cm-scale observatory equally sensitive to all neutrino flavors. In its first phase, RES-NOVA plans to operate a (30 cm)³ demonstrator detector. It will detect SN bursts from the entire Milky Way with >3σ sensitivity using PbWO₄ detectors with a 1 keV threshold, precisely constraining main supernova parameters by observing (anti-)νμ/τ.
Beyond neutrino detection, RES-NOVA significantly enhances dark matter (DM) detection potential. Pb's large atomic mass and sensitivity to low-energy nuclear recoils make it excellent for detecting DM from our galactic halo. RES-NOVA aims to probe unexplored DM parameter spaces, potentially unveiling new insights into its nature. This dual capability allows important astroparticle physics results even without SN observations.
In this contribution, we outline the potential of this new experimental approach for neutrino and dark matter detection, emphasizing experimental sensitivity and the performance of the first prototype detectors.
Gravitational waves are distortions of spacetime generated by extremely violent astrophysical events, as predicted by Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. In 2015, groundbreaking technologies in gravitational wave detectors (GW) opened a new window for observing the universe, marking the beginning of the GW era. Building on the success of the second-generation detectors, Advanced LIGO and Advanced VIRGO, the "Einstein Telescope" (ET) will be a third-generation GW detector. Its entire structure will be constructed underground at depths of 100 to 300 meters to shield it from vibrations caused by both seismic activity and human activity, which contribute to what is known as "noise." ET will incorporate cutting-edge technologies in a multi-interferometer configuration, allowing it to observe a volume of the universe approximately a thousand times greater than its predecessors, with the goal of exploring the entire universe through gravitational waves. ET will have enhanced sensitivity compared to current interferometers. To achieve these targets at low frequencies (a few Hz to around 100 Hz), we are developing magnetic noise mitigation strategies, which will be explained in the presentation.
The upgrade of the LHC to the High Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) by the end of this decade will impose significant challenges on the detectors of the LHC experiments. Increased luminosity of up to $7.5\cdot10^{34}\,cm^{−2}s^{−1}$ with up to 200 simultaneous p-p interactions per bunch crossing and foreseen run-times equivalent to up to $4000\,fb^{-1}$ make it necessary to develop new detectors that can cope with the corresponding radiation damage, occupancy, and bandwidth needs. Among other detector upgrades, ATLAS will replace its entire inner tracking system with a new, all-silicon inner tracker (ITk) with a 5-layer hybrid pixel detector at its heart. This new pixel detector will feature a sensitive surface of about $13\,m^{2}$ and employ several silicon sensor technologies as well as innovative concepts like serial detector powering and evaporative CO2 cooling to unprecedented scales.
The ITk pixel project has finished its design and prototyping period and the different detector components are either in the pre-production or production phase. This contribution will give a comprehensive overview of the detector design, the overall project status and the biggest challenges towards production. It will include lessons learned from module pre-production, experience with the RD53B front-end chip, as well as first results on module loading on mechanical support structures. Recent results of system-level tests as well as the remaining project timelines will also be discussed.
The High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) operation will push the CMS experiment to its limits, with an instantaneous peak luminosity of $7.5 \times 10^{34} \, \text{cm}^{-2}\text{s}^{-1}$ and an integrated luminosity of $300 \, \text{fb}^{-1}$ per year. This environment will expose the CMS Inner Tracker (IT) Pixel Detector at the center of CMS to unprecedented radiation, with a 1 MeV neutron equivalent fluence of $2.3 \times 10^{16} \, \text{neq}/\text{cm}^2$ and a total ionizing dose of $1.2 \, \text{Grad}$. To endure these conditions and handle hit rates of $3.2 \, \text{GHz}/\text{cm}^2$ while managing a pileup of 140-200 collisions per bunch crossing, the new IT system will employ a highly granular design with thin silicon sensors, small pixels ($25 \times 100 \, \mu\text{m}^2$), and fast, radiation-hard electronics based on a $65 \, \text{nm}$ CMOS ASIC developed by the RD53 collaboration. A novel serial powering scheme and high-bandwidth readout system will support the upgraded modules, while lightweight carbon-fiber mechanics with two-phase CO$_2$ cooling will ensure structural integrity. The design will extend the tracking coverage up to $|\eta| \approx 4$. This contribution presents an overview of the CMS IT upgrade project, focusing on the ongoing activities and status of the module production of all the IT subsystems.
In preparation for the extreme operating conditions of the HL-LHC and to introduce state-of-the-art capabilities to the experiment, the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector will undergo a major upgrade. A key innovation consists of the MIP Timing Detector (MTD), designed to measure the hit time of charged particles with a resolution better than 50 ps. The MTD will enable 4D reconstruction algorithms and allow the discrimination of interaction vertices within the same bunch crossing thanks to the time tagging information added to each track. To achieve the necessary time precision, the Endcap Timing Layer (ETL), covering the pseudorapidity region 1.6 < η < 3, will utilize Low-Gain Avalanche Diodes (LGADs), a novel silicon-based technology, read out by a custom-designed ASIC called ETROC. The ETL module exploits 16x16 pixels LGAD arrays that are bump-bonded to the corresponding ASIC ETROC. Over the past year, the first bump-bonded assemblies featuring ETROC2— the first full-size, fully functional prototype—were produced and tested in beam test campaigns at DESY and SPS. This presentation will cover the main design features of both the LGAD and ETROC2, recent progress in the ETL collaboration, the testing procedures for the newly fabricated assemblies, and the latest results obtained from beam tests of the full bump-bonded assemblies.
A Xenon ElectroLuminescence (AXEL) experiment aims to search for neutrinoless double beta decay (0νββ) using a xenon gas time projection chamber. We have developed a special readout plane for ionization electrons called Electroluminescence Light Collection Cell (ELCC), which enables to achieve high energy resolution, background rejection with track patterns and collecting large mass of 0νββ candidate at the same time. Performance of the detector has been demonstrated using a 180L-size prototype. A Cockcroft-Walton high voltage generator is placed inside the chamber and has successfully applied up to –34.3 kV in 7 bar Xe gas. We obtained an energy spectrum with a lot of sharp peaks and have achieved (0.79±0.12) % FWHM energy resolution at 2615 keV. Performance of the background rejection using machine learning is evaluated with obtained electron tracks. Reconstruction method with the Richardson-Lucy deconvolution is under development to obtain sharper tracks. A 1000L-size detector is under construction to demonstrate the 0νββ search. High voltage generation up to –76 kV with the Cockcroft-Walton circuit, discharge resistive structure of ELCC, large-area SiPM with low RI contamination package, higher-density readout digitizer and scintillation light detection plate for higher efficiency of t0 reconstruction have been developed.
The Super Tau-Charm Facility (STCF) is an electron-positron collider to be built in China. It is designed to operate in the center-of-mass energy range of 2 to 7 GeV with a peak luminosity of $0.5×10^{35}\ cm^{-2}s^{-1}$ or higher. In the STCF detector, the Inner TracKer (ITK) is an important component of the tracking system and needs to achieve a spatial resolution in the $r$-$\phi$ direction of <$100\ \mu m$ and a low material budget of <0.3% X₀ per layer. One proposed design is a Cylindrical Micro Resistive Groove ($C$-$\mu RGroove$) Micro Pattern Gas Detector (MPGD) and a series of key technologies are studied. The 2D readout structure with the grounded strip-shaped groove on the top copper layer and additional strips under the bottom of the groove is proposed to achieve a low material budget, which also addresses the issue of charge-sharing and enhances the induced signal amplitude. Beam test results of the first prototype $C$-$\mu RGroove$ at the CERN-SPS beamline with 150 GeV/C muons show a detection efficiency of >95% and a spatial resolution of <$100\ \mu m$ for vertically incident particles. The hit position is reconstructed using an algorithm combining the micro-time projection chamber method and the charge center-of-gravity method. The high channel density and high counting rate pose a great challenge to the readout electronics, so a customized mixed-signal ASIC is also designed to perform low-noise signal processing and amplitude & time measurement in one chip.
The Near Detector (ND280) of the T2K experiment at JPARC was recently upgraded to reduce systematic uncertainties affecting the measurement of oscillation parameters. Two large horizontal Time-Projection Chambers were added to measure charged particles produced at high azimuthal angle from the central active target. Each High-Angle TPC (HATPC) has an active gaseous volume of approximately 3m^3 enclosed within a lightweight Field Cage, designed to provide optimal mechanical and electrical properties while material budget and dead volume.
The readout system uses innovative Micromegas, which incorporate a resistive layer on top of the pad plane to improve spatial resolution thanks to the charge “spreading” effect. These technologies were tested in Beam Tests and Cosmic Ray measurement campaigns.
The installation at J-PARC was carried out in two stages, during the fall of 2023 and spring of 2024, followed by commissioning phases using cosmic ray data and neutrino beam. In June 2024, T2K had a 1st cycle (1 month) of data-taking with the fully upgraded ND280. A 2nd cycle is scheduled for the end of 2024.
This talk will summarize detector design, construction methods, and solutions developed to overcome the several technical challenges involved. Results from the characterization and commissioning of the HATPCs will be highlighted, including the first results from neutrino beam data, along with the detector's basic performance concerning energy loss, spatial, and momentum resolution.
A Time Projection Chamber (TPC) module with GridPixes consisting of Timepix3 chips with integrated amplification grids have a high efficiency to detect single ionization electrons. This combination promises excellent tracking and dE/dx potential necessary to exploit the full physics reach of future colliders such as ILC, CLIC, CEPC, FCCee or EIC.
We have constructed a module with 32 GridPix chips and its performance was measured using data taken in a testbeam at DESY. The module was placed in between silicon detectors providing external tracking and then slided into the magnet at DESY. The analyzed data were taken at electron beam momenta of 5 and 6 GeV/c and at B = 0T and 1T.
The diffusion coefficients were measured with high precision. The tracking systematical uncertainties in the pixel plane were measured to be smaller than 13 microns.
The dE/dx or dN/dx resolution for electrons in the 1 T data was measured.
The projected particle identification performance of a GridPix TPC in ILD was evaluated. The expected pi/K separation for momenta in the range of 2.5-45 GeV/c is more than 4.5 sigma.
Other Pixel TPC analysis results will be presented: the single electron efficiency at high hit rates, the characterization of hit bursts and the resolution in the precision plane as a function of the incident track angle.
Finally, also the status of a new GridPix production center at Bonn will be discussed.
Low Gain Avalanche Diodes (LGADs) are silicon sensors employing charge multiplication to achieve a charge gain in the order of 10. The initial development of these sensors was spur by the High Luminosity upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC), where these sensors will be used to measure the time of arrival of minimum ionizing particles with a precision of about 30 ps. To achieve this performance, LGADs improve the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the detector system due to their gain and have been engineered to withstand the harsh radiation environment of the HL-LHC experiments. A feature of the first implementation of LGADs is the presence of areas without gain between the readout channels, reducing the fill factor of the devices. Different technological solutions were explored to improve the LGAD fill factor, resulting in different sensor structures. Due to their time resolution for charged particles and improved SNR, LGAD sensors are finding applications outside high energy physics. FBK is active in the development of LGAD sensors and has accumulated experience with these sensors through the fabrication of several sensor batches. The features of different LGAD structures are summarized in this talk together with selected examples of the applications of LGAD sensors and their performances.
Low Gain Avalanche Detectors (LGADs) are characterized by a fast rise time (~500ps) and extremely good time resolution (down to 17ps). For the application of this technology to near future experiments, the intrinsic low granularity of LGADs and the large power consumption of readout chips for precise timing is problematic. AC-coupled LGADs, where the readout metal is AC-coupled through an insulating oxide layer, could solve both issues at the same time thanks to the 100% fill factor and charge-sharing capabilities.
Extensive characterization of AC-LGAD devices with both laser TCT and probe station (IV/CV) will be shown in this contribution, comparing the effect of various parameters among the readout electrode dimensions (strip/pad metal contact length and width, pitch) and sensor production details (manufacturer, N+ layer resistivity, dielectric capacitance, bulk thickness, doping of the gain layer). We will present the first results on AC-LGADs irradiated with 1 MeV reactor neutrons at JSI/Ljubljana to fluences on the order of 1e13 to 1e15 n/cm2. Using a rotational stage in our laser TCT system, we will show our initial investigation of charge sharing in AC-LGADs for hits incident on the sensor at an angle to evaluate the effect of the tilted installation which is typical for silicon pixel and strip sensor modules in tracking detectors.
In the past 10 years, two design innovations, the introduction of low-gain (LGAD) and of resistive read-out (RSD), have radically changed the performance of silicon detectors. The LGAD mechanism, increasing the signal-to-noise ratio by about a factor of 20, leads to improved time resolution (typically 30 ps for a 50-micron thick sensor), while resistive read-out, sharing the collected charge among read-out electrodes, leads to excellent spatial resolution even using large pixels (about 15 microns for 450-micron pixel size).
This contribution presents the design strategy and the first results of the latest design evolution of silicon sensors for 4D tracking, the DC-coupled Resistive Silicon Detector (DC-RSD). The DC-RSD is a thin LGAD with a resistive DC-coupled read-out. This design leads to signal containment within a predetermined number of electrodes using isolating trenches (TI technology). Several test structures and application-oriented devices have been implemented in the wafer layout. The sensors, produced at FBK in the framework of the 4DSHARE project, have been fully characterized with a laser TCT system and recently tested at DESY with an electron beam.
The study of first prototype production will provide us with immediate feedback on the soundness of the DC-RSD concepts.
4D tracking will be a crucial component of any future collider experiment, as it provides pile-up discrimination (for high luminosity experiments) and time of flight (for precision experiments) without loss of spatial resolution. 4D tracking devices must be able to withstand the high radiation environment of the future collider experiments without a significant loss of precision. One such candidate is the Resistive AC-coupled Silicon Detector (RSD), a resistive AC-coupled LGAD developed for high-precision 4D tracking.
This contribution presents the studies of the properties of proton- and neutron- irradiated RSD sensors. Sensors from the latest RSD FBK production have been irradiated and characterized in the laboratory with static and dynamic (Transient Current Technique to simulate incident MIPs) measurements. These studies include quantifying gain layer deterioration and charge trapping within the sensor at fluences of 1.0e15, 2.0e15, and 3.5e15 cm^-2 of 1 MeV neutron equivalences with protons and neutrons. The results of this detailed irradiation campaign show the feasibility of RSDs for use in future colliders and provide a path for further improvements of their radiation hardness.
The Belle II experiment at the SuperKEKB asymmetric e+e⁻ collider recorded data from 2019 to 2022, before entering its first long shutdown. During this period, 428 fb⁻¹ of data were collected at the Y(4S) resonance, where the cross section for B-meson pair production is highest.
During the shutdown, the PiXel detector (PXD), which forms the inner two layers of the VerteX detector (VXD), was replaced by a new detector with a fully populated second layer. This PXD2 retains the DEPFET technology of its predecessor and thus comprises all-silicon modules integrating both the support structure and sensors with pixel sizes ranging from 50×55 μm² to 50×85 μm², thinned down to 75 μm in the sensitive region, resulting in a material budget of 0.21% X₀ per layer. Readout is handled by 14 ASICs of three types, which are bump-bonded to the sensors. The cooling system consists of a two-phase CO₂ system for the readout ASICs and N₂ gas flow for the low power sensor matrix.
Installation of PXD2 was completed in summer 2023, followed by full integration testing. Beam operation commenced in February 2024. Since May, PXD2 has been temporarily shut down for safety reasons after being partially damaged by two uncontrolled beam losses. PXD2 is expected to resume operation in 2025 after modifications on the accelerator side.
This presentation will cover the installation, commissioning, early operation and performance of PXD2 compared to PXD1, as well as the impact of beam-induced damage.
In 2024 the Belle II experiment resumed data taking after the Long Shutdown 1, required to install a two-layer pixel detector and upgrade components of the accelerator.
We describe the challenges of this upgrade, reporting on the operational experience.
With new data, SVD confirmed the high hit efficiency, the large signal-to-noise and the good cluster position resolution.
Over the next years, the SuperKEKB instantaneous luminosity is expected to increase to target luminosity, resulting in a larger SVD occupancy caused by beam-background. Considerable efforts have been made to improve SVD reconstruction software by exploiting the excellent SVD hit-time resolution to determine the collision time (event-T0) and reject off-time particle hits. A novel procedure to group SVD hits event-by-event, based on their time, has been developed by using the grouping information during reconstruction, significantly reducing the fake rate while preserving the tracking efficiency.
The front-end chip (APV25) is operated in “multi-peak” mode, reading six samples. A 3/6-mixed acquisition mode, based on the timing precision of the trigger, has been successfully tested in physics runs to reduce background occupancy, trigger dead-time and data size.
Studies on the radiation damage have shown that, although the sensor current and the strip noise have shown a moderate increase due to radiation, the performance will not be seriously degraded during the lifespan of the detector.
The upgraded Inner Tracking System (ITS2) of the ALICE experiment at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN is based on Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors (MAPS). With a sensitive area of about 10 m^2 and 12.5 billion pixels, ITS2 represents the largest pixel detector in high-energy physics. The detector consists of seven concentric layers equipped with ALPIDE pixel sensors manufactured in the TowerJazz 180 nm CMOS Imaging Sensor process. The ALPIDE chips feature a pixel pitch of O(30 µm) reaching an intrinsic spatial resolution of about 5 µm. ITS2 has a very low material budget of 0.36% X_0/layer for the three innermost layers and 1.1% X_0/layer for the outer layers. The high spatial resolution and low material budget in combination with small radial distance of the innermost layer of 23 mm from the interaction point make the detector well suited for secondary vertex reconstruction as well as for tracking at low transverse momentum.
This contribution will review the detector performance during the LHC Run 3 and give an overview on the calibration methods and running experience.
The tracking performance of the ATLAS detector relies critically on its 4-layer Pixel Detector. Its original part consisting in 3 layers of planar pixel sensor is continuously operating since the start of LHC collisions in 2009, while its innermost layer, the Insertable B Layer (IBL) at about 3 cm from the beam line, was installed in 2014 before the start of LHC Run2 and consists of both planar and 3D pixel sensors.
As the closest detector component to the interaction point, this detector is subjected to a significant amount of radiation over its lifetime. At present, at the end of 2024 Run3 LHC collisions, ATLAS Pixel Detector on innermost layers, is operating after integrating fluence of O(10**15) 1 MeV n_eq cm-2.
The ATLAS collaboration is continually evaluating the impact of radiation on the Pixel Detector.
In this talk the key status and performance metrics of the ATLAS Pixel Detector are summarised at various levels of fluence and bias voltage values, putting focus on performance and operating conditions with special emphasis to radiation damage and mitigation techniques adopted, with prediction of their evolution until the end of LHC Run3 in 2026.
These results provide useful indications for the optimisation of the operating conditions for the new generation of pixel trackers under construction for HI-LHC upgrades.
The PICOSEC Micromegas (MM) is a gaseous detector for a precise timing measurement at the level of tens of ps. It combines a Cherenkov radiator equipped with a photocathode and a two-stage MM amplification structure. During the proof-of-concept phase, the first detector achieved an excellent time resolution below 25 ps for measurements with 150 GeV muons. Current developments towards applicable detector are progressing in several areas, including scaling the detector for larger areas, studies of the robust photocathode materials, implementation of the resistive detectors, multichannel readout and the optimization of the detector design. This work presents a new single channel detector prototype, developed to improve stability and ensure signal integrity to optimize timing performance. The first tests on the new detector, utilizing a MM with a metallic anode (Φ10 mm) and a CsI photocathode, achieved an excellent time resolution of 12.5 ps in muon beam tests. Due to the improvements observed on MM with metallic anode, the design was adapted to a resistive MM. Single photoelectron measurements were performed to evaluate the signal characteristics of both prototypes with metallic and resistive anodes. Additionally, timing performance was assessed with either CsI or DLC photocathode during beam tests, and both detectors exhibited similar time resolution. During these measurements, the impact of vertical digitization noise on the time resolution was also observed and investigated.
The PICOSEC-Micromegas (PICOSEC-MM) detector is a novel gaseous detector providing precise timing on the order of tens of picoseconds. The precision is achieved by eliminating the time jitter from charged particles in ionization gaps, using UV Cherenkov light emitted in a crystal, and captured by a Micromegas photodetector coupled with a photocathode. Timing resolution below 25 ps for MIPs was demonstrated in single-channel prototypes. This study investigates key aspects, including the search for different resistive technologies, resistive sharing and uRWELL, resilient photocathodes, addressing technological challenges, developing scalable front-end/back-end electronics, as well as research of eco-friendly gas mixtures. New single and multi-channel detector prototypes have been designed to withstand the intense particle flux environment and face timing requirements of possible application scenarios. Test beam campaigns showed improvement in the timing response uniformity reaching 17 ps time resolution, per single-pad level. Various readout options, including custom preamplifiers, fast charge-sensitive preamplifiers, and digitization using SAMPIC, were explored to support multi-channel module readout. The PICOSEC Micromegas detectors have proven able to offer good timing resolution over large detection areas and provide flexible readout granularity for potential spatial resolution, making them an appealing technology for precise timing systems and fast photon detection.
In the framework of the ECFA Roadmap for Detector R&D the presented work aims to establish the use of single amplification stage resistive MPGD based on Micromegas (MM) technology as a tracking/tagging detector for future HEP experiments. The main characteristics of the proposed solution are: ability to efficiently operate up to 10 MHz/cm2 counting rate; high granularity readout with small pads (~ 1 mm2); good spatial and time resolutions (below 100 𝜇m and 10 ns, respectively). Optimization of the spark protection system, stability and robustness under operation are the primary challenges of the project. Several MM detectors have been built and tested, with different sizes, ranging from small active area (4.8x4.8 cm2), to medium size (400 cm2) up to large active area (40x50 cm2), implementing different configurations of the resistive spark protection layer. Two families can be defined based on the different charge evacuation method: pad-patterned embedded resistors and double-layer of Diamond Like Carbon structures foils.
Characterization and performance studies, conducted using radioactive sources, X-rays and particle beams, will be presented. A comparison of the results obtained with different resistive layouts is provided, with a particular focus on the response under high-rate exposure. Key results on efficiency, tracking and timing performance from test-beam data will be presented, including also preliminary data on the first large size prototype.
We describe the design, fabrication and initial test of a new generation of Gas Pixel Detector where the amplification structure is built directly on top of a CMOS ASIC. In this concept the chip works at the same time as readout electronics, collection plane and electron amplification structure.
We use an ASIC from the XPOL family, successfully operating on-board the IXPE polarimetric and imaging space telescope. It comprises 100k 50 um pitch hexagonal pixels and a large area analog readout, combined with a very fine pitch 1-D or 2-D gas proportional charge amplifying structure based on the concept of the micro-gap chamber.
The charge multiplying structure is built directly on the uppermost metal layer of the chip, i.e. on the metal pads which act as the charge collecting electrodes each connected to the input stage of their respective individual pre-amplifier. This is achieved by adding two thin (about 2 μm thick) finely patterned layers, one insulator and one metal, as a post-processing micro-fabrication step. These three layers together constitute the anode-cathode gap of a micro-gap like charge multiplication structure.
The goal is to exploit the intrinsic sub-micron precision of the process and the extremely small exposed dielectric material to improve the compactness, space and energy response uniformity and the gain stability over time.
Low-Gain Avalanche Diodes (LGADs) with an active thickness of $\sim$50 $\mu$m have shown precise timing capabilities, achieving resolutions around 30 ps, as well as precise spatial resolution. As of now, their performance seem not to be affected by the radiation, at least up to fluences of 2.5$\times$10$^{15}$ 1 MeV n$_{eq}$/cm$^2$. In late 2022, FBK developed a batch of thin LGADs with thicknesses between 15 and 45 $\mu$m, which proved that reducing the substrate thickness further enhances timing resolution and radiation tolerance.
The sensors feature an engineered design optimized for high electric fields and thin substrates, together with the use of boron and carbon co-implantation in the multiplication region, improving the sensors radiation resistance. These are the most radiation-tolerant LGADs produced by FBK, so far.
Extensive tests, including I-V and C-V measurements, laser stimuli, and charged particle interactions, were performed before and after irradiation. The study focused on how reduced thickness impacts collected charge and timing resolution, crucial for high-performance sensors in radiation-heavy environments.
This new generation of LGAD sensors sets a benchmark for radiation-resistant detectors, offering enhanced timing precision and durability, critical for high-energy physics applications. The latest results on sensor characterization before and after irradiation will be presented, along with the most recent timing resolution outcomes.
Low Gain Avalanche Detectors (LGADs) show outstanding precision timing performance for high-energy physics (HEP) particle detection and will be employed in detector upgrades for the High-Luminosity LHC. However, traditional p-type LGADs face limitations in detecting low-penetrating particles, such as soft X-rays and low-energy protons. To address this, n-type LGADs (nLGADs) have been developed. This study presents an overview of the efforts to characterize nLGADs produced at IMB-CNM, focusing on initial device characteristics and their performance after proton irradiation. Step-by-step irradiation with low fluences and high-fluence exposures were conducted to explore the impact on the device performance. Investigations cover the electrical characterisation of the devices before and after irradiation. Advanced techniques like Two Photon Absorption -Transient Current Technique (TPA-TCT) and UV TCT were employed to study electric field distributions and the reduction of gain after irradiation. Neutron irradiation of nLGADs is currently underway to complement existing studies by comparing radiation-induced degradation from different particle types, providing insights into donor removal in the gain layer. Combined with prior research on acceptor removal in standard pLGADs, this work offers valuable input for advancing nLGAD technology and developing future HEP detector concepts, such as the compensated LGAD.
This contribution presents the design, production, and initial testing of newly developed 4H-SiC Low Gain Avalanche Detectors (LGADs). The evaluation includes performance metrics such as the internal gain layer’s efficiency in enhancing signal generation. Initial laboratory and Transient Current Technique (TCT) measurements provide insight into the device’s stability and response to the signal.
Due to the increase of availability provided by the industry, 4H-SiC is emerging as a strong candidate for the next-generation of semiconductor detectors. These new sensors are promising due to the inherent radiation tolerance of 4H-SiC and its stable operation across a wide temperature range. However, due to the materials wider-bandgap compared to standard silicon, and difficulty to produce layers thicker than 50 \textmu m, an internal charge multiplication layer needs to be introduced.
The presented 4H-SiC LGADs, fabricated by OnSemi, are optimized for an N-type substrate/epi wafer. The initial TCT and laboratory test results demonstrate fast charge collection and uniform multiplication across multiple samples produced on a single wafer, aligning well with the performed TCAD simulations.
In collaboration with Fondazione Bruno Kessler, the Paul Scherrer Institute is developing Low-Gain Avalanche Diode (LGAD) sensors for soft X-ray science at synchrotrons and free electron lasers. While hybrid pixel detectors using standard silicon sensors are limited to photon energies above 1 keV due to quantum efficiency and signal-to-noise ratio constraints, LGAD technology extends their use to soft X-rays. Techniques such as Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering (RIXS) can benefit from the high frame rates and large area coverage offered by these detectors. This contribution presents the development of inverse LGAD (iLGAD) sensors for soft X-rays, focusing on their use with the charge-integrating JUNGFRAU chip in RIXS experiments. We utilize rectangular pixels with a 25 µm pitch that enable high spatial resolution through position interpolation. Results from pilot experiments at the European XFEL and SwissFEL are discussed, along with ongoing improvements and future plans
The LHCb experiment was upgraded during the Long Shutdown 2 of the LHC (2019-2021) to collect data at five times the instantaneous luminosity of Runs 1 and 2 (2 x 10^33 cm-2 s-1) using a triggerless data acquisition system. Upgrade I for the RICH system consists of new photon detectors and readout electronics together a new optical system for RICH1, with the purpose to continue to provide excellent particle identification at the new operating luminosity. The front-end readout system features an FPGA based programmable time-gate for allowing the suppression of backgrounds like scintillation, signal induced noise and out-of-time photons. The gate is currently operated at 6.25 ns, suppressing the backgrounds by a factor of four. After a vacuum incident affecting the operation of LHCb in 2023, this has been a productive year with the collection of over 9 fb-1 in 2024. The key performance indicators of the LHCb RICH system will be presented together with the performance in particle identification.
The LHCb experiment will undergo its high luminosity detector upgrade to operate at a maximal instantaneous luminosity of 1.5 × 1034cm−2s−1. This increase poses a challenge to the tracking system to achieve proper track reconstruction with a tenfold higher occupancy. In Upgrade II, new tracking stations, called Mighty-Tracker, will replace the Scintillating Fibre (SciFi) Tracker. The Mighty-Tracker comprises of silicon pixels in the inner region and scintillating fibres in the outer region. The silicon pixels provide the necessary granularity and radiation tolerance to handle the high track density expected in
the central region, while the scintillating fibres are well suited for the peripheral acceptance region.
To address the needs of LHCb, a new monolithic High Voltage CMOS sensor called MightyPix is currently being developed for the silicon region. The MightyPix sensor, based on the High Voltage
CMOS series, is specifically designed to meet the anticipated requirements in terms of pixel size, timing resolution, radiation tolerance, power consumption and data transmission among other parameters, while being compatible with the LHCb 40 MHz readout system. Recent progress towards MightyPix have been achieved, including evaluation of fabricated prototypes and design towards the next chip iteration MightyPix2. Additionally, recent advancements in the mechanical and electronic design of the silicon modules, including cooling, will be presented
The CMS Muon system is undergoing a comprehensive upgrade to prepare for the High Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC), ensuring optimal performance under increased particle rates and luminosity. Key upgrades include enhancements to existing detectors and electronics, as well as the addition of new muon stations to expand coverage and improve resolution. The upgrades include enhancements to both the front-end and back-end electronics for the Drift Tubes (DT) and Cathode Strip Chambers (CSC), as well as back-end electronics for the Resistive Plate Chambers (RPC). Additionally, new detectors, such as improved Resistive Plate Chambers (iRPC) and Gas Electron Multipliers (GEM), are being introduced. New on-board DT electronics will enhance resolution and trigger capabilities, while iRPC chambers will improve efficiency at high rates. Additionally, new GEM stations will extend pseudorapidity coverage and boost momentum resolution. Production and installation of these components are planned during upcoming technical stops, ensuring the CMS Muon system is fully equipped to meet the rigorous demands of the HL-LHC. This talk will provide an overview of the current progress, challenges, and test results, illustrating the CMS collaboration’s preparation for the next phase of high-energy physics research.
We present a compact scintillating fiber timing detector developed for the Mu3e experiment. Mu3e is a novel experiment that will search for the charged lepton avor violating neutrinoless mu+ -> e+e-e+ decay with unprecedented sensitivity of 10^-16. In cojunction with the Si-pixel tracker, the fiber detector will allow for a full 4D track reconstruction (in space and in time).
We will report in detail the development of the SciFi detector, from the scintillating fibers through the SiPM array photosensors up to the front-end electronics and the data acquisition, including the
time calibration of the detector. The SciFi detector is formed by staggering three layers of Kurary SCSF-78 250 um multiclad scintillating fibers. The fiber ribbons are coupled at both ends to multi-channel silicon photomultiplier arrays. We will focus on the performance of this very thin (thickness of ~720 um, i.e. < 0:2% of a radiation length) fiber detector in terms of the achieved timing resolution of ~250 ps, matched clusters detection effciency of ~97%, and spatial resolution of ~100 um. We will also report on developments to improve the light yield of existing scintillating fibers.
The 3000 channels of the fiber detector will be read out with a dedicated mixed mode ASIC,the MuTRiG, especially developed for this experiment. We will discuss in detail the functioning, operation, and performance of the MuTRiG ASIC, and the development of the front-end electronics.
Registration Desk is open from 08:30 – 13:00
Liquid detectors have been used since the 1950s for the discovery of neutrinos and today are widely used in neutrino physics, dark matter searches and astroparticle experiments. These detectors mainly use cryogenic noble liquids, water or liquid scintillators as target medium.
To address fundamental open questions in neutrino physics and rare event searches, more sensitive and larger liquid detectors are needed. A dedicated R&D program on instrumentation and technology is being developed, including pixelated TPCs, efficient VUV photon detection systems, low noise cryogenic electronics, new target materials, and large infrastructures and facilities.
In this talk the main technological advances and challenges in liquid detectors will be covered, including ongoing and planned small- and large-scale experiments exploiting liquid targets.
The DarkSide-20k experiment is the latest generation dual-phase Liquid Argon-TPC hunting for Dark Matter. In particular, its goal is to discover or to extend the current sensitivity limits on the search for WIMP-like particles. This detector brings together the successful concept of the DarkSide-50 detector, and the experience gained on large volume membrane cryostats developed within the DUNE program. It features large-area, SiPM-based optical planes for light readout, and it exploits a unique target, i.e. argon extracted deep underground (underground argon, UAr) and depleted from its beta-decaying isotope 39Ar, therefore extremely radio-quiet.
Currently, the detector design is being finalized, with construction of the TPC components starting next year. In the meantime, the main cryostat that will contain the detector has been constructed in Hall C of the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS), Italy. At the same time, characterization and production of the SiPM-based photo sensors started in LNGS facility NOA, with the goal of starting assembling the readout planes in late 2025.
This contribution will describe the DarkSide-20k detector, and then it will report on the ongoing activities. At LNGS underground: construction of the cryostat and the atmospheric argon (AAr) cryogenic plant were completed. AAr will provide the thermal bath in which the main detector, filled with UAr, will be operated. At LNGS on the surface: preproduction and characterization of the photon detector units (PDUs), which will then be long-term tested in Napoli and analysed for failures in Pisa. Several other PDU test sites were put into operation across the collaboration, and their activities will be presented.
After the long construction phase until 2024, we recently started operation of the SuperFGD for the upgraded T2K Near detector. To improve the systematic uncertainty for the neutrino oscillation measurement in the T2K experiment, especially sensitivity to measure the CP violation in the neutrino sector, the SuperFGD plays a key role as a fully active tracking detector with the fine-grained structure and 2 tons of target mass. The detector has a novel structure, consisting of approximately 2 millions of 1 cm^3 plastic scintillator cubes, about 56k wave-length shifting fibers penetrating the cubes from 3 directions, and many readouts such as MPPCs and electronics. It provides a capability to detect short tracks with low energy, excellent detection efficiency for 4-pi angle, and neutron detection capability. This report will cover the SuperFGD construction, operational experience, and status of detector performance evaluations.
Recent progress in quantum measurement systems is remarkable. There are new proposals and R&D that utilize quantum enhancements not adopted before. Examples include superconducting quantum sensors, atom interferometry, quantum spin sensors, etc. They are mainly motivated by industrial applications toward secure communications systems, quantum computing, and highly sensitive sensors. Given the excellent potential of the new quantum measurement systems, there are also new proposals to use them for particle physics and cosmology.
In this review, I will survey currently available and emerging technologies and their applications to explain where we stand. I will then discuss future directions and new proposals for particle physics and cosmology.
Superconducting qubits, widely employed in quantum computing, are emerging as promising candidates for innovative particle detection methods due to their sensitivity to small energy deposits. In this work, we explore the potential of transmon qubits as particle detectors through experiments conducted on a chip manufactured at the Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems (SQMS) Center at Fermilab and tested in a shielded underground facility at the INFN Gran Sasso Laboratory (LNGS). The system was fully characterized using GEANT4-based simulations and irradiated with gamma sources of variable activity to assess the qubits' response to different levels of radiation.
Using a fast decay detection protocol with tens of microseconds resolution, we monitored the state transitions of the qubits. Results show that transmons successfully detect particle interactions under controlled gamma irradiation, demonstrating a correlation between radiation exposure and state changes. However, in the absence of controlled gamma sources, similar rates of radiation-like events were observed on chips tested both above ground at Fermilab and underground at LNGS, demonstrating that intrinsic noise sources dominate over cosmic and environmental radiation.
This study offers new insights into the use of superconducting qubits as particle detectors and highlights the need of identifying and mitigating dominant noise sources to improve detector performance and advance quantum-enhanced instrumentation.
The Resistive Plate Chambers (RPC) are gaseous detectors with excellent timing performance used for muon triggering in LHC experiments. They operate using a gas mixture of C2H2F4/i-C4 H10/SF6, which allows their operation in avalanche mode, essential for high-luminosity collider experiments. This mixture provides optimal gas density, low current, and a large separation between avalanche and streamer modes, ensuring high efficiency, rate capability, and longevity. The gas mixture has a high Global Warming Potential (GWP), due to C2H2F4 (GWP~1450, being the GWP of CO2=1) and SF6 (GWP~22400). Since both gases are no longer recommended for industrial use, their availability will gradually reduce, making the search for an alternative gas mixture an urgent priority. The most challenging component to replace is the SF6, which acts as streamer suppressor, enabling RPC operation at low currents, essential for high rate capability. In this study, the SF6 is replaced with the Chloro-Trifluoropropene, C3H2ClF3 (GWP~ 1). The performance of the RPC detector, including efficiency, streamer probability, and time resolution, has been evaluated at high γ-irradiation rates, simulating conditions expected at the High Luminosity LHC and future colliders. The status of the aging campaign conducted on these environment-friendly gas mixtures is also presented. Additionally, the feasibility of using a gas mixture in future experiments with GWP=10 by replacing both C2H2F4 and SF6, has been explored.
The combination of gaseous detectors with high-granularity charge readout offers very specific possibilities, which otherwise could not be achieved. Examples are high-resolution tracking of low-momentum particle beams (i.e. requiring low-material budget), X-ray polarimetry and the detection of low-energetic (< 2 keV) X-rays, as well as rare-event searches that rely on event-selection based on geometrical parameters.
In this presentation, a new research line within the CERN EP R&D programme is shown, where the Timepix4 is embedded into Micro-Pattern Gaseous Detectors (MPGDs). The Timepix4 is advantageous because of its size (~ 7 cm² active area with 448 x 512 square pixels of 55 µm pitch) and its Through Silicon Vias (TSVs). The latter enables a full connection of the ASIC from the back side. Thus, it can be tiled on four sides, allowing it to cover even large areas without losing active area.
In terms of detector technologies, both triple-GEM and µRWELL are employed. The triple-GEM serves mainly as a technology demonstrator and helps to understand the signal induction and acquisition processes. A first detector prototype was already operated successfully, resulting in the first X-ray image taken with a TSV-Timepix4. The µRWELL is still in the exploration and production phase, with a µRWELL read out by a Timepix4 (without embedding technology) expected soon.
In recent years, silicon carbide (SiC) has gained growing interest as a material for radiation-hard particle detectors due to its increasing availability for industrial power devices. Compared to silicon, SiC offers lower leakage currents post-irradiation, higher thermal conductivity, and larger charge carrier saturation velocity. Its suitability for particle detection and the influence of radiation-induced defects on its performance are under intensive study in the HEP community. This presentation highlights recent research on 4H-SiC conducted at HEPHY Vienna.
4H-SiC p-in-n sensors, neutron-irradiated up to fluences of 1e18 neq/cm², have been characterized for their current-voltage (IV) and capacitance-voltage (CV) behavior, as well as their charge collection efficiency (CCE). For fluences <1e15 neq/cm², UV-TCT measurements revealed a CCE exceeding 100% under forward bias, which depends on beam focus and charge injection rate. Based on these measurements, a 4H-SiC bulk radiation damage model was developed for TCAD simulations. It accurately predicts the loss of rectification in forward bias, capacitance flattening, and CCE degradation after irradiation.
Further work includes a TCAD design of a 4H-SiC low-gain avalanche diode (LGAD) for an upcoming production run, the design of amplifier electronics and sensors using a 2μm 4H-SiC-CMOS process, and studies using 4H-SiC devices as active dosimeters and for characterizing FLASH beams at a local ion beam cancer therapy center.
The ALPHA-g experiment at CERN's Antiproton Decelerator recently published the first direct measurement of the gravitational free fall of antihydrogen [Nature 621, 716–722 (2023)]. The anti-atoms were produced and trapped in a magnetic-minimum trap and slowly released by ramping down the upper and lower solenoidal coils. One of crucial prerequisite for experiment sensitive to gravitational force is a detector system capable of localization of antihydrogen annihilation products (typically 3 to 4 charged pions) with sufficient vertical precision, while suppressing the rate of cosmic ray background.
Because of the required length and available space between cryostats (detector height >2.3m and radius between 10.6cm and 24.3cm), radial time projection chamber was chosen as a tracking detector and a thin barrel scintillator detector was installed around it for time of flight discrimination. This contribution will describe the design, commissioning and performance of both detectors, their readout electronics and reconstruction. Recent improvements in calibration and background suppression with multivariate analysis will also be shown.
There is a growing demand for intelligent instrumentation to enable rich data extraction from detectors without overwhelming data rates. Machine Learning (ML) deployed close to the detector, in the data acquisition chain, provides opportunities to select and efficiently compress relevant data. In 2024 both the CMS and ATLAS experiments at the LHC have used ML in their first stage hardware event filters to select interesting collision data from the sea of background. This achievement showcases the strong cooperation between ML experts, domain scientists, and hardware developers in the adoption of ML ‘at the edge’. Techniques and tools enabling the efficient use of ML in hardware include extreme quantization; optimized ML architectures; and low latency, low power, and high throughput hardware implementations. This talk will describe the technology behind edge ML, as well as applications in particle detectors and other domains including medical imaging and earth observation, demonstrating the transformative potential across diverse fields.
NIMA Best Poster Award and ICFA Awards