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At least 37 records · Page 2

Novel Liquid Argon Time-Projection Chamber Readouts

Liquid argon time-projection chambers (LArTPCs) have become a prominent tool for experiments in particle physics. Recent years have yielded significant advances in the techniques used to capture the signals generated by these cryogenic detectors. This article summarizes these novel developments for detection of ionization electrons and scintillation photons in LArTPCs. New methods to capture ionization signals address the challenges of scaling traditional techniques to the large scales necessary for future experiments. Pixelated readouts improve signal fidelity and expand the applicability of LArTPCs to higher-rate environments. Methods that leverage amplification in argon enable measurements in the keV regime and below. Techniques to enhance collection of argon scintillation photons improve calorimetry and expand the physics program for very large detectors. Future efforts aim to demonstrate systems for the combined detection of both electrons and photons.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗

SLAC microresonator RF(SMuRF) electronics: A tone-tracking readout system for superconducting microwave resonator arrays

Here, we describe the newest generation of the SLAC Microresonator RF (SMuRF) electronics, a warm digital control and readout system for microwave-frequency resonator-based cryogenic detector and multiplexer systems, such as microwave superconducting quantum interference device multiplexers (μmux) or microwave kinetic inductance detectors. Ultra-sensitive measurements in particle physics and astronomy increasingly rely on large arrays of cryogenic sensors, which in turn necessitate highly multiplexed readout and accompanying room-temperature electronics. Microwave-frequency resonators are a popular tool for cryogenic multiplexing, with the potential to multiplex thousands of detector channels on one readout line. The SMuRF system provides the capability for reading out up to 3328 channels across a 4–8 GHz bandwidth. Notably, the SMuRF system is unique in its implementation of a closed-loop tone-tracking algorithm that minimizes RF power transmitted to the cold amplifier, substantially relaxing system linearity requirements and effective noise from intermodulation products. Here, we present a description of the hardware, firmware, and software systems of the SMuRF electronics, comparing achieved performance with science-driven design requirements. In particular, we focus on the case of large-channel-count, low-bandwidth applications, but the system has been easily reconfigured for high-bandwidth applications. The system described here has been successfully deployed in lab settings and field sites around the world and is baselined for use on upcoming large-scale observatories.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Accessing new physics with an undoped, cryogenic CsI CEvNS detector for COHERENT at the SNS

We consider the potential for a 10 kg undoped cryogenic CsI detector operating at the Spallation Neutron Source to measure coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering and its sensitivity to discover new physics beyond the standard model (BSM). Through a combination of increased event rate, lower threshold, and good timing resolution, such a detector would significantly improve on past measurements. We considered tests of several BSM scenarios such as neutrino nonstandard interactions and accelerator-produced dark matter. This detector’s performance was also studied for relevant questions in nuclear physics and neutrino astronomy, namely the weak charge distribution of Cs and I nuclei and detection of neutrinos from a core-collapse supernova. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Snowmass Neutrino Frontier NF10 Topical Group Report: Netrino Detectors

We discuss here future neutrino detectors with physics goals ranging from the eV to the EeV scale. The focus is on future enabling technologies for such detectors, rather than existing detectors or those under construction. The report includes methodologies across the broad spectrum of neutrino physics: liquid noble and other cryogenic detectors, including LAr and LXe TPCs; photon-based detectors including technologies enabling hybrid Cherenkov/scintillation detectors; low-threshold detectors which use a wide variety of technologies to probe physics like coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering or detection of cosmic background neutrinos; and ultra-high energy detectors including optical and radio detectors, as well as tracking detectors for use at the forward physics facility of the LHC.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

The Design and Integrated Performance of SPT-3G

Abstract SPT-3G is the third survey receiver operating on the South Pole Telescope dedicated to high-resolution observations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB). Sensitive measurements of the temperature and polarization anisotropies of the CMB provide a powerful data set for constraining cosmology. Additionally, CMB surveys with arcminute-scale resolution are capable of detecting galaxy clusters, millimeter-wave bright galaxies, and a variety of transient phenomena. The SPT-3G instrument provides a significant improvement in mapping speed over its predecessors, SPT-SZ and SPTpol. The broadband optics design of the instrument achieves a 430 mm diameter image plane across observing bands of 95, 150, and 220 GHz, with 1.2′ FWHM beam response at 150 GHz. In the receiver, this image plane is populated with 2690 dual-polarization, trichroic pixels (∼16,000 detectors) read out using a 68× digital frequency-domain multiplexing readout system. In 2018, SPT-3G began a multiyear survey of 1500 deg 2 of the southern sky. We summarize the unique optical, cryogenic, detector, and readout technologies employed in SPT-3G, and we report on the integrated performance of the instrument.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Magnetic Microcalorimeter (MMC) Gamma-Ray Detectors with Ultra-High Energy Resolution. Comprehensive Technology Readiness Assessment

Magnetic Microcalorimeter (MMC) gamma ray detectors have demonstrated very high energy resolution of 38 eV FWHM for gamma ray energies below 100 keV. This is an order or magnitude better than conventional HPGe detector and can remove most line-overlap problems in NDA by gamma spectroscopy below ~130 keV. Unlike superconducting transition edge sensors (TESs), MMCs have a reproducible and almost perfectly linear response, which greatly simplifies adding spectra from different detector pixels and reduces systematic errors in quantitative assays. The instrument is currently at TRL-5 but could advance to TRL-6 by improving the signal processing software and using the system for the quantitative analysis of a safeguards sample provided by e.g. the IAEA. Making MMC detectors commercially viable and used more widely then depends on making the technology more reliable, specifically by increasing the device uniformity and yield, and by developing commercial software. This situation is often only half-jokingly referred to as the “valley of death” and could be addressed though the SBIR program. Our collaborators at STAR Cryoelectronics LLC are well qualified to further advance MMC development, and XIA LLC is well-positioned to develop the data acquisition system and write the software for MMC readout. In addition, the advance to TRL-6 would be desirable to increase the visibility and showcase the value of MMC spectrometers, e.g. by placing one of them into the Safeguards Analytical Laboratory (SAL) at the IAEA, whose NDA experts have recently started to show interest in cryogenic detector technology. As a result of this LCP, we also now have an instrument at LLNL that we will use for various applications of MMCs in nuclear safeguards and science. We are confident that as the number of high-profile results increases, so will the interest in and commercial viability of this technology.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Magnetic Microcalorimeter (MMC) Gamma-Ray Detectors with Ultra-High Energy Resolution. Comprehensive Technology Readiness Assessment

Magnetic Microcalorimeter (MMC) gamma ray detectors have demonstrated very high energy resolution of 38 eV FWHM for gamma ray energies below 100 keV. This is an order or magnitude better than conventional HPGe detector and can remove most line-overlap problems in NDA by gamma spectroscopy below ~130 keV. Unlike superconducting transition edge sensors (TESs), MMCs have a reproducible and almost perfectly linear response, which greatly simplifies adding spectra from different detector pixels and reduces systematic errors in quantitative assays. The instrument is currently at TRL-5 but could advance to TRL-6 by improving the signal processing software and using the system for the quantitative analysis of a safeguards sample provided by e.g. the IAEA. Making MMC detectors commercially viable and used more widely then depends on making the technology more reliable, specifically by increasing the device uniformity and yield, and by developing commercial software. This situation is often only half-jokingly referred to as the “valley of death” and could be addressed though the SBIR program. Our collaborators at STAR Cryoelectronics LLC are well qualified to further advance MMC development, and XIA LLC is well-positioned to develop the data acquisition system and write the software for MMC readout. In addition, the advance to TRL-6 would be desirable to increase the visibility and showcase the value of MMC spectrometers, e.g. by placing one of them into the Safeguards Analytical Laboratory (SAL) at the IAEA, whose NDA experts have recently started to show interest in cryogenic detector technology. As a result of this LCP, we also now have an instrument at LLNL that we will use for various applications of MMCs in nuclear safeguards and science. We are confident that as the number of high-profile results increases, so will the interest in and commercial viability of this technology.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Characterization of UV optical components for photon detector calibration in liquid argon TPCs

Large liquid argon time projection chambers (LArTPCs)require stable and well-characterized delivery of ultraviolet (UV)light for in situ calibration of photosensors at cryogenictemperatures. This article reports bench-top and cryogenicmeasurements of the optical components used in a UV lightcalibration system, including multi-mode fused-silica fibers,SMA-to-SMA connectors, optical fiber feedthroughs, andlight-diffuser assemblies. Light loss in several fiber types and SMAconnectors was measured across wavelengths from275–970 mm. In addition,light-loss measurements of the tested fibers after severalliquid-nitrogen thermal cycles showed no statistically significantdegradation relative to baseline measurements, and high-rate pulsedexposure (30–90 million pulses from a275 nm LED) likewise showed nomeasurable aging in jacketed fibers. A compact, palm-sized,3D-printed PEEK diffuser housing with stacked UV-grade fused-silicadiffusers yields Lambertian emission and the most uniform angulardistribution. Optical components exhibiting improved UV transmissionwere deployed successfully in multiple DUNE small- and large-scaleprototypes, demonstrating reliable operation of UV light calibrationsystem. These findings inform component selection and calibrationprocedures for achieving reliable, uniform UV light delivery inlarge-scale cryogenic detectors such as DUNE.

Behera, B. [South Dakota Sch. Mines Tech.] (ORCID:↗

Bandwidth and Aliasing in the Microwave SQUID Multiplexer

The microwave SQUID multiplexer (μmux) has enabled higher bandwidth or higher channel counts across a wide range of experiments in particle physics, astronomy, and spectroscopy. The large multiplexing factor coupled with recent commercial availability of microwave components and warm electronics readout systems make it an attractive candidate for systems requiring large cryogenic detector counts. Since the multiplexer is considered for both bolometric and calorimetric applications across several orders of magnitude of signal frequencies, understanding the bandwidth of the device and its interaction with readout electronics is key to appropriately designing and engineering systems. Here we discuss several important factors contributing to the bandwidth properties of μmux systems, including the intrinsic device bandwidth, interactions with warm electronics readout systems, and aliasing. Further, we present simulations and measurements of μmux devices coupled with SLAC Microresonator RF (SMuRF) tone-tracking electronics and discuss several implications for future experimental design.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Nonlinear signal distortion corrections through quantum sensing

Having accurate gate generation is essential for precise control of a quantum system. The generated gate usually suffers from linear and nonlinear distortion. Previous works have demonstrated how to use a qubit to correct linear frequency distortions but have not commented on how to handle nonlinear distortions. This is an important issue as we show that nonlinear amplitude distortions from the RF electronics can affect Rabi pulses by as much as 10%. We present work that demonstrates how a transmon qubit can be used as a highly sensitive cryogenic detector to characterize these nonlinear amplitude distortions. We show that a correction can drive these errors down to <1% over a 700 MHz range. The correction technique provides a method to minimize the effects of signal distortions and can be easily applied to broadband control pulses to produce higher fidelity arbitrary quantum gates.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Design and construction of a new detector to measure ultra-low radioactive-isotope contamination of argon

Large liquid argon detectors offer one of the best avenues for the detection of galactic weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) via their scattering on atomic nuclei. The liquid argon target allows exquisite discrimination between nuclear and electron recoil signals via pulse-shape discrimination of the scintillation signals. Atmospheric argon (AAr), however, has a naturally occurring radioactive isotope, 39Ar, a ß emitter of cosmogenic origin. For large detectors, the atmospheric 39Ar activity poses pile-up concerns. The use of argon extracted from underground wells, deprived of 39Ar, is key to the physics potential of these experiments. The DarkSide-20k dark matter search experiment will operate a dual-phase time projection chamber with 50 tonnes of radio-pure underground argon (UAr), that was shown to be depleted of 39Ar with respect to AAr by a factor larger than 1400. Assessing the 39Ar content of the UAr during extraction is crucial for the success of DarkSide-20k, as well as for future experiments of the Global Argon Dark Matter Collaboration (GADMC). This will be carried out by the DArT in ArDM experiment, a small chamber made with extremely radio-pure materials that will be placed at the centre of the ArDM detector, in the Canfranc Underground Laboratory (LSC) in Spain. The ArDM LAr volume acts as an active veto for background radioactivity, mostly ?-rays from the ArDM detector materials and the surrounding rock. This article describes the DArT in ArDM project, including the chamber design and construction, and reviews the background required to achieve the expected performance of the detector.

Noble liquid detectors, Dark Matter detectors, Cry↗

Pulse shape discrimination in CUPID-Mo using principal component analysis

CUPID-Mo is a cryogenic detector array designed to search for neutrinoless double-beta decay ($0\nu\beta\beta$) of $^{100}$Mo. It uses 20 scintillating $^{100}$Mo-enriched Li$_2$MoO$_4$ bolometers instrumented with Ge light detectors to perform active suppression of $\alpha$ backgrounds, drastically reducing the expected background in the $0\nu\beta\beta$ signal region. As a result, pileup events and small detector instabilities that mimic normal signals become non-negligible potential backgrounds. These types of events can in principle be eliminated based on their signal shapes, which are different from those of regular bolometric pulses. We show that a purely data-driven principal component analysis based approach is able to filter out these anomalous events, without the aid of detector response simulations.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Improved bound on nonlinear quantum mechanics using a cryogenic radio frequency experiment

There are strong arguments that quantum mechanics may be nonlinear in its dynamics. A discovery of nonlinearity would hint at a novel understanding of the interplay between gravity and quantum field theory, for example. As such, experiments searching for potential nonlinear effects in the electromagnetic sector are important. Here, in this study, we outline such an experiment, consisting of a stream of random bits (which were generated using Rigetti’s Aspen-M-3 chip) as input to an rf signal generator coupled to a cryogenic detector. Projective measurements of the qubit state, which is originally prepared in an equal superposition, serve as the random binary output of a signal generator. Thereafter, spectral analysis of the rf detector would yield a detectable excess signal predicted to arise from such a nonlinear effect. A comparison between the projective measurements of the quantum bits vs the classical baseline showed no power excess. This sets a new limit on the electromagnetic nonlinearity parameter |ε| ⪅ 1.15 x 10 -12 , at a 90.0% confidence level. This is the most stringent limit on nonlinear quantum mechanics thus far and an improvement by nearly a factor of 50 over the previous experimental limit.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Characterization of Amplification Properties of the Superconducting-Ferromagnetic Transistor

Here we report on the measurement results of the superconducting-ferromagnetic transistors (SFTs). The devices were made at Northwestern University and Hypres (SeeQC), Inc. (Nevirkovets et al., 2014; 2015). SFT is a multiterminal device with the SIS'FIFS (or SFIFS'IS) structure (where S, I, and F denote a superconductor, an insulator, and a ferromagnetic material, respectively) exploiting intense quasiparticle injection in order to modify the nonlinear I-V curve of a superconducting tunnel junction. SFT is capable of providing voltage, current, and power amplification while having good input/output isolation. We characterized the devices using different measurement techniques. We measured S parameters of the single- and double-acceptor devices at frequencies up to 5 MHz. Importantly, we confirmed that the isolation between the input and output of the device is quite good. However, the techniques typically employed to characterize semiconductor devices do not allow for revealing the full potential of our low-resistive SFT devices, especially those having two acceptors. In the latter case, we also tested the devices using the battery-powered current sources with floating grounds. Analyzing double-acceptor I-V curves recorded at different levels of injection currents, for an optimal load, we deduced a small-signal voltage gain of 33 and a power gain of 2.4. We suggest that further improvement of the SFT device parameters is possible in optimized devices, so that the device potentially may serve as a preamplifier for readout of output signals of cryogenic detectors and be useful as an element of other superconductor-based circuits. In addition, we used scanning transmission electron microscopy to identify some problems in the fabrication of the devices without any planarization.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Design of a Cryogenic Scintillation Neutrino Detector at the Spallation Neutron Source

We successfully verified in the following three aspects the feasibility of using a cryogenic scintillating crystal-based neutrino detector at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), Oak Ridge National Laboratory, for the detection of low-mass dark matter particles and non-standard neutrino interactions (NSIs), as part of the detector R&D effort of the COHERENT experiment. First, we demonstrated the possibility of using silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) at cryogenic temperatures to replace traditional photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) as light sensors. Second, we verified that the high light yield of undoped CsI crystals measured above 13 keVee at 77 K still holds down to 5.9 keVee. Third, we successfully measured nuclear quenching factor of undoped cryogenic CsI at the Triangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory with the help from our Duke collaborators. The first achievement resulted in a publication in European Physics Journal C. The second resulted in an arXiv pre-print, which is under journal review. The last one indicates that the performance of the proposed detector may be better than what was assumed in the literature. The analysis is in the final stage and will result in another journal publication. In addition, two graduate students involved in this project graduated with master’s degrees during the project period. Both decided to continue their research as PhD students. One open-source data analysis code package was created and is publicly available on GitHub. A set of tutorials about Monte Carlo simulation of radiation interacting with detectors were created on YouTube, receiving more than 100,000 views.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

LBNF/DUNE Cryostats and Cryogenics Infrastructure for the DUNE Far Detector (Design Report)

DUNE is an international experiment dedicated to addressing some of the questions at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics, including the mystifying preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early universe. The dual-site experiment will employ an intense neutrino beam focused on both a near detector and a cryogenic far detector. The DUNE far detector implements liquid argon time-projection chamber (LArTPC) technology, and combines many tens-of-kilotons of fiducial mass with sub-centimeter spatial resolution to collect neutrino events and image them with high precision. Given its size, this detector will be implemented as a set of up to four modules, each of which will require its own cryostat that will contain approximately 17.5 metric kilotons of ultra-pure liquid argon (LAr). The cryogenics infrastructure to support the detector modules includes systems to receive, transfer, store, purify, and maintain the LAr. This design report describes the cryostats and the cryogenics infrastructure required for the first two detector modules; this infrastructure is designed to support expansion to up to four far detector modules.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗