Speaker
Description
In high-energy physics, electromagnetic calorimeters based on scintillating crystals are essential for precise energy measurements of electrons and photons. Recent studies have demonstrated that orienting high-Z crystals along major crystallographic axes enhances detector performance by exploiting strong-field effects in particle–lattice interactions. For electrons, positrons, and photons with energies above a few GeV, strong-field effects lead to enhanced radiation emission and pair production probability, accelerating the development of electromagnetic showers and effectively reducing the radiation length [1].
Within this framework, an electromagnetic calorimeter based on oriented scintillating crystals represents a novel strategy for the realization of innovative ECAL systems, characterized by improved photon detection efficiency, enhanced shower containment, and better particle identification (PID) capabilities [2].
The ORiEnted calOrimeter (OREO) project, which is part of the CERN DRDCALO collaboration, has constructed the first prototype of an electromagnetic calorimeter based on PWO-UF crystals aligned along the ⟨100⟩ crystallographic axis.
We present an overview of the OREO construction and beam test campaigns performed at the CERN PS and SPS, which validate the calorimetric concept and quantify the performance gains achieved in the axial configuration. The results demonstrate a more compact longitudinal shower development, improved PID and gamma-detection efficiency with respect to the amorphous case, supporting the adoption of oriented crystal calorimetry in particle and astroparticle experiments.
[1] Eur. Phys. J. C (2025) 85: 1239
[2] Front. Sens. 6:1659893 (2025)