We present a hardware tool that is capable of measuring wire tensions in particle physics detectors in a rapid and automatic way, greatly improving on the time required to perform quality control measurements compared to the traditional method of physically stimulating the wires. The instrument measures a wire tension by applying a combination of AC and DC current on the neighboring wires,...
Xenon scintillation has been widely used in recent particle physics experiments. However, information on primary scintillation yield in the absence of recombination is still scarce and dispersed. The mean energy required to produce a VUV scintillation photon (Wsc) in gaseous Xe has been measured in the range of 30-120 eV. Lower Wsc-values are often reported for alpha particles compared to...
We characterized and calibrated a triple Gas Electron Multiplier (triple-GEM) detector, and studied its possible applications in medical dosimetry. The response to various sources of radiation was analyzed, and its efficiency, gain, energy resolution, and time resolution were calculated. Then, radiation doses from an Iron-55 source and a medical portable X-ray machine were measured, obtaining...
The LHC will be upgraded in several phases that will allow significant expansion of its physics program. The luminosity of the accelerator is expected to exceed 5×1034cm−2s−1. In order to sustain the harsher conditions and to help maintaining good trigger efficiency and performance the Resistive Plate Chambers (RPC) system of the CMS experiment will be upgraded.
The present RPC system would...
In this work, we report the progress in the design and construction of an RPC detector fully built using additive manufacturing technology, an emerging/interdisciplinary engineering domain only partially utilized in HEP.
Our novel design of the 3D detector stack can be automatically and fully constructed in short time, ensuring repeatability and accuracy, while minimizing construction...
Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM)-based detectors using a layer of $^{10}B$ as a neutron converter is becoming popular for thermal neutron detection. A common strategy to simulate this kind of detector is based on two frameworks: Geant4 and Garfield++. The first one provides the simulation of the nuclear interaction between neutrons and the $^{10}B$ layer, while the last allows the simulation of...
High pressure gaseous Time Projection Chamber (TPC) with Micromegas, which is considered to be a very attractive solution for the next generation of ton scale 0vββ experiment, features the high granularity, high energy resolution, and low radioactive background. The PandaX-III experiment adopted the TPC scheme and will search for 0vββ of Xe-136 at China Jinping Underground Laboratory. In this...
To optimize the exploration of Super Heavy Elements (SHE), the key challenge is to understand the dynamics of fusion-fission reactions through the measurement of mass and angular distributions of the fission fragments. For the detection of the fission fragments, position-sensitive Multi-Wire Proportional Counters are usually used due to their high gain, good temporal and position resolutions....
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will restart in 2022 (Run-3), colliding protons with an instantaneous luminosity of 2 − 3 × 10^{34} cm^{−2} s^{−1}. A subsequent upgrade in 2025-27 (Long Shutdown 3 - LS3) will increase the luminosity up to 5 × 10^{34} cm^{−2} s^{−1}. The CMS muon system must enable a physics program that maintains sensitivity for electroweak measurements and for Beyond the...
Increasing demand for security scanners and medical imaging techniques has risen with the advancement of technology based on silicon sensors. However, these technologies are much expensive and require critical handling. The Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) foil based detector has been attempted to use as an imaging detector. GEM foil is generally constructed using 50 $\mu$m highly insulating film...
In the CMS Muon System gaseous detectors, the increase in luminosity will produce a particle background ten times higher than at the LHC. To cope with the high rate environment and maintain the actual performance, the triple-Gas Electron Multiplier technology is a promising candidate as high-rate capable detectors for the CMS-ME0 project. An intense R&D and prototype phase is currently ongoing...
A hybrid readout Time Projection Chamber (TPC) is a TPC which is simultaneously read out by means of optical readout and charge readout. Optical readout of the device provides 2D images of particle tracks in the active volume, while the charge readout provides additional information on the particle position perpendicular to the image plane. Such a hybrid TPC working at high pressure is an...
The dynamics of electrons and ions in gaseous ionization detectors have been studied reasonably well with particle simulation models developed using the Garfield++ numerical simulation framework. This is an important area of study since it allows prediction of the detector response in a given experimental situation. In this work, a fluid simulation model has been developed in the COMSOL...
Several upgrades of the CMS Resistive Plate Chamber (RPC) system are currently being implemented to ensure a highly performing muon system during the upcoming High Luminosity phase of the Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) which will have an increased integrated luminosity of 3000 fb$^{-1}$. An improved version of the existing RPCs (iRPCs) will be installed in the forward region of the 3rd and 4th...
Micromegas (MM) are being used as tracking detectors in HEP experiment upgrades. For applications at future accelerator experiments, we are developing the MM technology to increase its rate capability and reach a stable and efficient operation up to particle fluxes of 10 MHz/cm2.
In resistive MM, the anode plane hosts the readout elements overlayed by an insulator and a resistive plane to...
Long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments are currently limited by systematic error due to nuclear effects of neutrino interactions. Obtaining new input data, especially of nuclear-free neutrino interactions at MeV tracking threshold for protons, could help to reduce these uncertainties.
A suitable detector that could provide a large number of neutrino-hydrogen interactions is the...
In direct searches for dark matter, a dedicated, precise, and in-situ measurement of the neutron flux in underground laboratories is of paramount importance, as neutron induced backgrounds can mimic the standard dark matter signal.
We investigate the development of novel neutron spectroscopy technique, using spherical proportional counters (SPC) operated with N$_2$-based gas mixtures. This...
The introduction of resistive elements in gaseous detectors has been a real breakthrough, since it provided them with auto-triggering capabilities, spark protection and long term stability. Though, it adds a limitation on the maximum flux of particles that can be measured without efficiency loss, and this is of major relevance both for the operation of the experiments at the High Luminosity...
It is important to understand the calculation of electric field and current in RPC in order to envisage the working of the device. This is useful in optimizing its design and operation for specific applications. A method of calculating the 3D electric field using the law of full current conservation showed that the voltage drop across the gas gap is same as that applied across the resistive...
In order to investigate options for a future high rate TPC we have tested various gas gain structures and gas mixtures. Our goal was to focus on crucial TPC parameters: ion back flow, energy resolution (dE/dx), electron and ion drift speed, electron diffusion (in E- and B-fields), and stability. We concentrated on two options for the gain structure: 4 GEMs and MMG+2GEMs. We investigated a...
The muon telescopes of the Extreme Energy Events (EEE) Project are made up of 3 Multigap Resistive Plate Chambers (MRPC). The whole array is composed of 61 telescopes installed in Italian High Schools, constructed and operated by students and teachers, constantly supervised by CREF and INFN researchers.
The unconventional working sites are a unique test field for checking the robustness and...
The Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) is a general-purpose particle detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) designed to study a wide range of particles produced in high energy collisions. These particles interact with the beam pipe, shielding and detector supporting materials to produce neutrons, gammas, electrons and positrons, forming a common background radiation field for CMS. A Monte-Carlo...
Recent results on a new ion identification technique for Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (AMS), based on measuring the ion track ranges in low-pressure TPC, are presented. As a proof of principle, a low-pressure TPC with THGEM-based charge readout has been recently developed. In this work we developed a new, larger version of the TPC, with a dedicated thin silicon nitride window for efficient...
The time-dependent variation of detector response in MPGDs, especially THGEMs, is a challenging problem that has been attributed to the "charging up" and "charging down" processes of insulating materials present in these detector. Experimental studies of stabilization of gain with time due to these phenomena under various experimental conditions have been given in the presentation. Effects of...
At the CERN LHC experiments several gaseous detectors are operated with Freon based gas mixtures. CF4 is used for wire chambers and Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) detectors while C2H2F4 and SF6 for Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs). Under the effects of electric field and radiation, these gases undergo radiolytic dissociation producing new molecules and radicals, which could be detrimental to...
We have conducted systematic measurements for different particle types, pressures, and electric fields, resolving the second and third continuum components of the scintillation in high pressure xenon. We observe that the third continuum emission, despite being a subdominant contribution to the overall scintillation in the 150-500nm range, represents an important contribution to its fast...
