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All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2026

FPMS_XPeRT_INL_Poster

As nuclear energy expands and experimental programs increasingly rely on the facilities at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) for reactor and fuel testing, research capabilities must also expand to meet these demands. A new Fission Product Monitoring System (FPMS) has been deployed at the Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) at the Auxiliary Lead-out Experiment (ALE) House to support this expanding fuel testing mission. By tracking gaseous fission products releases from test fuel in near real-time, release rates, calculated from FPMS data, can be used to characterize the effectiveness of fuel cladding, especially for Tri-structural Isotropic (TRISO) fuel concepts. The new iteration of the FPMS supports up to 14 fission product monitors for online fission-product tracking via gamma-ray spectroscopy of the experiment’s effluent gas. Each monitor consists of a nominally 10% HPGe detector housed in a copper-lined lead shield with a warm gas trap. The new system features gamma-ray count rate information with a five-second temporal resolution and provides isotopic activity every five minutes, capable of resolving multiple overlapping fission product releases over a broad range of activities in near real-time. This work includes data from ATR cycle 175D data to demonstrate these capabilities. The hourly resolution data shows general trends and significant releases over the cycle, while the 5-minute resolution data allows for a more detailed examination of events due to unexpected particle releases.

46 - INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AN↗
DOE OSTI2023

NEXT-CRAB-0: a high pressure gaseous xenon time projection chamber with a direct VUV camera based readout

The search for neutrinoless double beta decay(0νββ) remains one of the most compelling experimentalavenues for the discovery in the neutrino sector.Electroluminescent gas-phase time projection chambers are wellsuited to 0νββ searches due to their intrinsicallyprecise energy resolution and topological event identificationcapabilities. Scalability to ton- and multi-ton masses requiresreadout of large-area electroluminescent regions with fine spatialresolution, low radiogenic backgrounds, and a scalable dataacquisition system. This paper presents a detector prototype thatrecords event topology in an electroluminescent xenon gas TPC viaVUV image-intensified cameras. This enables an extendable readoutof large tracking planes with commercial devices that reside almostentirely outside of the active medium. Following furtherdevelopment in intermediate scale demonstrators, this technique mayrepresent a novel and enlargeable method for topological eventimaging in 0νββ.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2023

DRiFT - Release 2.1.0: Organic Scintillators and Gas Detectors

DRiFT (a Detector Response Function Toolkit) is LANL-developed software that post-processes output from the extensively validated radiation transport code, MCNP, and generates realistic nuclear instrumentation response. DRiFT is designed to be flexible, enabling users to specify detector type and many experimental settings, as well as accommodating the addition of their own desired features. The focus of this release is on organic scintillator, gas detector, and associated capabilities, while semiconductor features are still under development. Organic scintillators are widely used in the areas of nuclear safeguards and nuclear non-proliferation efforts. DRiFT has several diagnostic and detector physics features relevant to detailed scintillator simulations including: tracking source particle information, scintillation light production, the effects of PMT quantum efficiency and gain, and digitizer settings. Users can select responses from many scintillator and PMT types supported natively by DRiFT, or add their own by following the instructions in this document. DRiFT also has several diagnostic and detector physics features relevant to neutron gas detector simulations including: gas detector wall effects, inactive areas at the end of detector tubes, and effects of a preamplifier. We acknowledge that DRiFT is under active development, bug reports and general questions and comments should be directed to Madison Andrews, madison@lanl.gov. This manual is divided into four parts: I) An overview of DRiFT, including how to obtain and install the executable, II) A description of the detector physics related to scintillators available, III) a description of more general DRiFT features the user may find useful, and IV) a description of the test suite and examples made available with the code release.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

Development of the CMS detector for the CERN LHC Run 3

Since the initial data taking of the CERN LHC, the CMSexperiment has undergone substantial upgrades and improvements. Thispaper discusses the CMS detector as it is configured for the thirddata-taking period of the CERN LHC, Run 3, which started in2022. The entire silicon pixel tracking detector was replaced. A newpowering system for the superconducting solenoid was installed. Theelectronics of the hadron calorimeter was upgraded. All the muonelectronic systems were upgraded, and new muon detector stationswere added, including a gas electron multiplier detector. Theprecision proton spectrometer was upgraded. The dedicated luminositydetectors and the beam loss monitor were refurbished. Substantialimprovements to the trigger, data acquisition, software, andcomputing systems were also implemented, including a new hybridCPU/GPU farm for the high-level trigger.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2026

Muon tracking in a LiquidO opaque scintillator detector

LiquidO is an innovative radiation detector concept. The core idea is to exploit stochastic light confinement in a highly scattering medium to self-segment the detector volume. In this paper, we demonstrate event-by-event muon tracking in a LiquidO opaque scintillator detector prototype. The detector consists of a 30 mm cubic scintillator volume instrumented with 64 wavelength-shifting fibres arranged in an 8 × 8 grid with a 3.2 mm pitch and read out by silicon photomultipliers. A wax-based opaque scintillator with a scattering length of approximately 0.5 mm is used. The tracking performance of this LiquidO detector is characterised with cosmic-ray muons and the position resolution is demonstrated to be 450 μm per row of fibres. These results highlight the potential of LiquidO opaque scintillator detectors to achieve fine spatial resolution, enabling precise particle tracking and imaging.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Application of recoil-imaging time projection chambers to directional neutron background measurements in the SuperKEKB accelerator tunnel

Gaseous time projection chambers (TPCs) with high readout segmentation are capable of reconstructing detailed 3D ionization distributions of nuclear recoils resulting from elastic neutron scattering. Here, using a system of six compact TPCs with pixel ASIC readout, filled with a 70:30 mixture of He:CO 2 gas, we analyze the first directional measurements of beam-induced neutron backgrounds in the tunnel regions surrounding the Belle II detector at the SuperKEKB e + e – collider. With the use of 3D recoil tracking, we show that these TPCs are capable of maintaining nearly 100% nuclear recoil purity to reconstructed ionization energies (E reco ) as low as 5 keV ee . Using a large sample of Monte-Carlo (MC)-simulated 4 He, 12 C, and 16 O recoil tracks, we find consistency between predicted and measured recoil energy spectra in five of the six TPCs, providing useful validation of the neutron production mechanisms modeled in simulation. Restricting this sample to 4 He recoil tracks with E reco > 40 keV ee , we further demonstrate axial angular resolutions within 8° and we introduce a procedure that under suitable conditions, correctly assigns the vector direction to 91% of these simulated 4 He recoils. Applying this procedure to assign vector directions to measured 4 He recoil tracks, we observe consistency between the angular distributions of observed and simulated recoils, providing first experimental evidence of localized neutron “hotspots” in the accelerator tunnel. Observed rates of nuclear recoils in these TPCs suggest that simulation overestimates the neutron flux from these hotspots. Despite this, we estimate these hotspots to produce the majority of neutron backgrounds in the accelerator tunnel at SuperKEKB’s target luminosity of 6.3 x 10 35 cm –2 s –1 , making them important regions to continue to monitor.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

Development of thin-gap GEM- μ RWELL hybrid detectors

Micro Pattern Gaseous Detectors (MPGDs) are used for tracking in High Energy Physics and Nuclear Physics because of their large area, excellent spatial resolution capabilities and low cost. However, for high energy charged particles impacting at a large angle with respect to the axis perpendicular to detector plane, the spatial resolution degrades significantly because of the long trail of ionization charges produced in clusters all along the track in the drift region of the detector. The long ionization charge trail results in registering hits from large number of strips in the readout plane which makes it challenging to precisely reconstruct the particle’s position using simple center of gravity algorithm. As a result, the larger the drift gap, the more severe the deterioration of spatial resolution for inclined tracks. For the same reason, the position resolution is also severely degraded in a large magnetic field, where the Lorentz E x B effect causes the ionization charges to follow a curved and longer path in the detector gas volume. In this paper, we report on the development of thin-gap MPGDs as a way to maintain excellent spatial resolution capabilities of MPGD detectors over a wide angular range of incoming particles. In a thin-gap MPGD, the thickness of the gas volume in the drift region is reduced from typically 3 mm to 1 mm or less. We present preliminary test beam results demonstrating the improvement in spatial resolution from 400 m with a standard 3 mm gap μ RWELL prototype to ~140 μ m with a double amplification GEM- μ RWELL thin-gap hybrid detector. Here, we also discuss the impact of a thin-gap drift volume on other aspects of the performance of MPGD technologies such as the efficiency and detector stability.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2022

Recoil imaging for dark matter, neutrinos, and physics beyond the Standard Model

Recoil imaging entails the detection of spatially resolved ionization tracks generated by particle interactions. This is a highly sought-after capability in many classes of detector, with broad applications across particle and astroparticle physics. However, at low energies, where ionization signatures are small in size, recoil imaging only seems to be a practical goal for micro-pattern gas detectors. This white paper outlines the physics case for recoil imaging, and puts forward a decadal plan to advance towards the directional detection of low-energy recoils with sensitivity and resolution close to fundamental performance limits. The science case covered includes: the discovery of dark matter into the neutrino fog, directional detection of sub-MeV solar neutrinos, the precision study of coherent-elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering, the detection of solar axions, the measurement of the Migdal effect, X-ray polarimetry, and several other applied physics goals. We also outline the R&D programs necessary to test concepts that are crucial to advance detector performance towards their fundamental limit: single primary electron sensitivity with full 3D spatial resolution at the $\sim$100 micron-scale. These advancements include: the use of negative ion drift, electron counting with high-definition electronic readout, time projection chambers with optical readout, and the possibility for nuclear recoil tracking in high-density gases such as argon. We also discuss the readout and electronics systems needed to scale-up such detectors to the ton-scale and beyond.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2021

Spectator Proton Detection and Reconstruction in Deep Inelastic D(E,EPS) Scattering

A Radial Time Projection Chamber (RTPC) was designed and installed in Jefferson Lab's Hall B as part of the BONuS12 (Barely Off-shell Nucleon Structure) experiment. The goal of BONuS12 is to accurately measure the structure function of the neutron by scattering 11 GeV electrons and detecting them with the CLAS12 spectrometer. Deuterium gas was used as an effective neutron target, and the new RTPC was used to detect low momentum spectator protons. Protons follow a curved path in the 5 Tesla solenoid that is part of CLAS12, ionizing the He-CO2 gas in an annular drift region surrounding the target. These ionization electrons are radially drifted outwards, amplified using cylindrical GEM (Gaseous Electron Multiplication) foils and recorded using readout pads located along the entire outer face of the cylindrical detector. The particle track reconstruction software discussed in detail in this thesis uses the signals from these pads to build tracks, which are reconstructed into the drift region using the arrival times of the signals and the positions of the pads. The proton momentum is measured from the track?s curvature and thus used to extract information about the struck neutron. This thesis introduces the theory of spectator tagging as an effective strategy for measuring neutron structure, by minimizing nuclear effects in the absence of a free neutron target. Along with discussing the many detectors that make up the CLAS12 spectrometer, the RTPC will be covered in detail, along with the tracking software designed to interpret the electronic signals to rebuild the low-momentum particle tracks, and fit them to extract the relevant kinematics. The results of the software, and preliminary analysis will be shown in the final chapter, as well as the discussion of possible improvements which could be made to the tracking software.

Payette, David↗
DOE OSTI2023

Equalizing the Pixel Response of the Imaging Photoelectric Polarimeter Onboard the IXPE Mission

The Gas Pixel Detector is a gas detector, sensitive to the polarization of X-rays, currently flying onboard the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE)—the first observatory dedicated to X-ray polarimetry. It detects X-rays and their polarization by imaging the ionization tracks generated by photoelectrons absorbed in the sensitive volume, and then reconstructing the initial direction of the photoelectrons. The primary ionization charge is multiplied and ultimately collected on a finely pixellated ASIC specifically developed for X-ray polarimetry. The signal of individual pixels is processed independently and gain variations can be substantial, of the order of 20%. Such variations need to be equalized to correctly reconstruct the track shape, and therefore its polarization direction. The method to do such equalization is presented here and is based on the comparison between the mean charge of a pixel with respect to the other pixels for equivalent events. The method is shown to finely equalize the response of the detectors onboard IXPE, allowing a better track reconstruction and energy resolution, and can in principle be applied to any imaging detector based on tracks.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Demonstration of neutrinoless double beta decay searches in gaseous xenon with NEXT

The NEXT experiment aims at the sensitive search of the neutrinoless double beta decay in 136 Xe, using high-pressure gas electroluminescent time projection chambers. The NEXT-White detector is the first radiopure demonstrator of this technology, operated in the Laboratorio Subterráneo de Canfranc. Achieving an energy resolution of 1% FWHM at 2.6 MeV and further background rejection by means of the topology of the reconstructed tracks, NEXT-White has been exploited beyond its original goals in order to perform a neu- trinoless double beta decay search. The analysis considers the combination of 271.6 days of 136 Xe-enriched data and 208.9 days of 136Xe-depleted data. A detailed background modeling and measurement has been developed, ensuring the time stability of the radiogenic and cosmogenic contributions across both data samples. Limits to the neutrinoless mode are obtained in two alternative analyses: a background-model-dependent approach and a novel direct background-subtraction technique, offering results with small dependence on the background model assumptions. With a fiducial mass of only 3.50 ± 0.01 kg of 136 Xe-enriched xenon, 90% C.L. lower limits to the neutrinoless double beta decay are found in the $T^{0v}_{1/2} > 5.5 \times 10^{23} - 1.3 \times 10^{24}$ yr range, depending on the method. The presented techniques stand as a proof-of-concept for the searches to be implemented with larger NEXT detectors.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2023

DRiFT - Release 1.1.1: Organic Scintillators

DRiFT (a Detector Response Function Toolkit) is LANL-developed software that postprocesses output from the extensively validated radiation transport code, MCNP, and generates realistic nuclear instrumentation response. DRiFT is designed to be flexible, enabling users to specify detector type and many experimental settings, as well as accommodating the addition of their own desired features. Although DRiFT development has included scintillator, gas, and semiconductor features, the focus of this release is on organic scintillator and associated capabilities. Organic scintillators are widely used in the areas of nuclear safeguards and nuclear non-proliferation efforts. DRiFT has several diagnostic and detector physics features relevant to detailed scintillator simulations including: tracking source particle information, scintillation light production, the effects of PMT quantum efficiency and gain, and digitizer settings. Users can select responses from many scintillator and PMT types supported natively by DRiFT, or add their own by following the instructions in this document. We acknowledge that DRiFT is under active development, bug reports and general questions and comments should be directed to Madison Andrews, madison@lanl.gov. This manual is divided into four parts: I) An overview of DRiFT, including how to obtain and install the executable, II) A description of the detector physics related to scintillators available, III) a description of more general DRiFT features the user may find useful, and IV) a description of the test suite and examples made available with the code release.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2021

DRiFT - Release 1.0.0 Organic Scintillators

DRiFT (a Detector Response Function Toolkit) is LANL-developed software that postprocesses output from the extensively validated radiation transport code, MCNP [1], and generates realistic nuclear instrumentation response. DRiFT is designed to be flexible, enabling users to specify detector type and many experimental settings, as well as accommodating the addition of their own desired features. Although DRiFT development has included scintillator [2], gas [3], and semiconductor features [4], the focus of this release is on organic scintillator and associated capabilities. Organic scintillators are widely used in the areas of nuclear safeguards and nuclear non-proliferation efforts [5, 6]. DRiFT has several diagnostic and detector physics features relevant to detailed scintillator simulations including: tracking source particle information, scintillation light production, the effects of PMT quantum efficiency and gain, and digitizer settings. Users can select responses from many scintillator and PMT types supported natively by DRiFT, or add their own by following the instructions in this document. We acknowledge that DRiFT is under active development, bug reports and general questions and comments should be directed to Madison Andrews, madison@lanl.gov. This manual is divided into four parts: I) An overview of DRiFT, including how to obtain and install the executable, II) A description of the detector physics related to scintillators available, III) a description of more general DRiFT features the user may find useful, and IV) a description of the test suite and examples made available with the code release.

61 RADIATION PROTECTION AND DOSIMETRY↗
DOE OSTI2024

Time projection chamber for GADGET II

The established Gaseous Detector with Germanium Tagging (GADGET) detection system is used to measure weak, low-energy 𝛽-delayed proton decays. It consists of the Gaseous Proton Detector equipped with a MICROMEGAS (MM) readout to detect protons and other charged particles calorimetrically, surrounded by the Segmented Germanium Array (SeGA) for high-resolution detection of prompt 𝛾 rays. To upgrade GADGET's Proton Detector to operate as a compact time projection chamber (TPC) for the detection, three-dimensional imaging and identification of low-energy 𝛽-delayed single- and multiparticle emissions mainly of interest to astrophysical studies. A new high granularity MM board with 1024 pads has been designed, fabricated, installed, and tested. A high-density data acquisition system based on generic electronics for TPCs (GET) has been installed and optimized to record and process the gas avalanche signals collected on the readout pads. The TPC's performance has been tested using a 220 Rn 𝛼-particle source and cosmic-ray muons. In addition, decay events in the TPC have been simulated by adapting the attpcroot data analysis framework. Furthermore, a novel application of two-dimensional convolutional neural networks for GADGET II event classification is introduced. The optimization of data throughput is also addressed. The GADGET II TPC is capable of detecting and identifying 𝛼 particles as well as measuring their track direction, range, and energy. The extracted energy resolution of the GADGET II TPC using P10 gas is about 5.4% at 6.288 MeV ( 220 Rn 𝛼 events), computed using charge integration. Based on a systematic simulation study, we estimated the detection efficiency of the GADGET II TPC for protons and 𝛼 particles, respectively. It has also been demonstrated that the GADGET II TPC is capable of tracking minimum-ionizing particles (i.e., cosmic-ray muons). From these measurements, the electron drift velocity was measured under typical operating conditions. In addition to being one of the first generation of micropattern gaseous detectors (MPGDs) to utilize a resistive anode applied to low-energy nuclear physics, the GADGET II TPC will also be the first TPC surrounded by a high-efficiency array of high-purity germanium 𝛾-ray detectors. As a result, the TPC of GADGET II has been designed, fabricated, and tested and is ready for operation at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams for radioactive-beam-line experiments.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Measurement of the background in the CMS muon detector in ${p}{p}$-collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 13$ TeV

The CMS detector, including its muon system, has been operating at the CERN LHC in increasingly challenging conditions for about 15 years. The muon detector was designed to provide excellent triggering and track reconstruction for muons produced in proton–proton collisons at an instantaneous luminosity ($\mathcal{L}$) of 1 x 10 34 cm –2 s –1 . During the Run 2 data-taking period (2015–2018), the LHC achieved an instantaneous luminosity of twice its design value, resulting in larger background rates and making the efficient detection of muons more difficult. While some backgrounds result from natural radioactivity, cosmic rays, and interactions of the circulating protons with residual gas in the beam pipe, the dominant source of background hits in the muon system arises from proton–proton interactions themselves. Charged hadrons leaving the calorimeters produce energy deposits in the muon chambers. In addition, high-energy particles interacting in the hadron calorimeter and forward shielding elements generate thermal neutrons, which leak out of the calorimeter and shielding structures, filling the CMS cavern. We describe the method used to measure the background rates in the various muon subsystems. These rates, in conjunction with simulations, can be used to estimate the expected backgrounds in the High-Luminosity LHC. This machine will run for at least 10 years starting in 2029 reaching an instantaneous luminosity of $\mathcal{L}$ = 5 x 10 34 cm –2 s –1 and increasing ultimately to $\mathcal{L}$ = 7.5 x 10 34 cm –2 s –1 . These background estimates have been a key ingredient for the planning and design of the muon detector upgrade.

Tytgat, M. (ORCID:0000000239902074)↗
DOE OSTI2023

Kinematics reconstruction in solenoidal spectrometers operated in active target mode

Here, we discuss the reconstruction of low-energy nuclear reaction kinematics from charged-particle tracks in solenoidal spectrometers working in Active Target Time Projection Chamber mode. In this operation mode, reaction products are tracked within the active gas medium of the Active Target with a three dimensional space point cloud. We have inferred the reaction kinematics from the point cloud using an algorithm based on a linear quadratic estimator (Kalman filter). The performance of this algorithm has been evaluated using experimental data from nuclear reactions measured with the Active Target Time Projection Chamber (AT-TPC) detector.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Advancing Detector R&D for High-Pressure Gaseous Argon TPCs in Precision Neutrino Physics

High-pressure gaseous argon time projection chambers (HPgTPCs) represent an emerging detector paradigm for neutrino physics, combining increased target density with the intrinsic tracking and low thresholds of gaseous detectors. This approach enables detailed reconstruction of exclusive final states, improved particle identification, and sensitivity to low-energy and rare processes — capabilities that are increasingly central to precision oscillation measurements and searches for beyond-the-Standard-Model signatures. This abstract presents an overview of ongoing detector R&D toward high-pressure gaseous argon TPC operation, with emphasis on micro-pattern gas detector (MPGD) charge amplification in argon-based mixtures. We report experimental characterization of triple-GEM structures at pressures relevant for neutrino applications, including studies of multiplication factor scaling, stability, and operational voltage envelopes across gas admixtures. Measurements performed at the TOAD and GORG test stands at Fermilab help define viable amplification and electronics noise regimes in conditions where higher density imposes stricter constraints on signal formation. These results provide essential input to the optimization of high-pressure gaseous argon detectors for future neutrino experiments, including near-detector concepts such as ND-GAr in DUNE Phase II near detector upgrade. More broadly, this program shows how dedicated detector R&D can expand the precision frontier in neutrino physics by enabling complementary reconstruction capabilities beyond conventional detectors.

McConnell, Brenna [Indiana U.] (ORCID:000900041138↗
DOE OSTI2024

Demonstration of event position reconstruction based on diffusion in the NEXT-white detector

Noble element time projection chambers are a leading technology for rare event detection in physics, such as for dark matter and neutrinoless double beta decay searches. Time projection chambers typically assign event position in the drift direction using the relative timing of prompt scintillation and delayed charge collection signals, allowing for reconstruction of an absolute position in the drift direction. In this paper, alternate methods for assigning event drift dis tance via quantification of electron diffusion in a pure high pressure xenon gas time projection chamber are explored. Data from the NEXT-White detector demonstrate the ability to achieve good position assignment accuracy for both high and low-energy events. Using point-like energy deposits from 83m Kr calibration electron captures (E ~ 45 keV), the position of origin of low-energy events is determined to 2 cm precision with bias < 1 mm. A convolutional neural network approach is then used to quantify diffusion for longer tracks (E ≥ 1.5 MeV), from radiogenic electrons, yielding a precision of 3 cm on the event barycenter. The precision achieved with these methods indicates the feasibility energy calibrations of better than 1% FWHM at Q ββ in pure xenon, as well as the potential for event fiducialization in large future detectors using an alternate method that does not rely on primary scintillation.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗