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At least 775 records · Page 43

Characterizing the radiation response of Cherenkov glass detectors with isotopic sources

Abstract Cherenkov detectors are widely used for particle identification and threshold detectors in high-energy physics. Glass Cherenkov detectors that are sensitive to beta emissions originating from neutron activation have been demonstrated recently as a potential replacement for activation foils. In this work, we set the groundwork to evaluate large Cherenkov glass detectors for sensitivity to MeV photons through first understanding the measured response of small Cherenkov glass detectors to isotopic gamma-ray sources. Counting and pulse height measurements are acquired with reflected glass Cherenkov detectors read out with a photomultiplier tube. Simulation was used to inform our understanding of the measured results. This simulation included radioactive source decay, radiation interaction, Cherenkov light generation, optical ray tracing, and photoelectron production. Implications for the use of Cherenkov glass detectors to measure low energy gammaray response are discussed.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

GaAs/AlGaAs superlattice miniband detector with 14.5 microns peak response

Extended long wavelength infrared detection with a miniband-type AlGaAs/GaAs superlattice structure is reported. The experimental response band of the detector is peaked near 14.5 microns in good agreement with the theoretical response, provided that electron-elecltron interactions are taken into account. The detector operates at a low bias voltage, which could lead to important advantages in application to IR focal plane arrays.

Bandara, K. M. S. V.↗

SU-E-T-592: OSL Response of Al2O3:C Detectors Exposed to Therapeutic Proton Beams

Purpose: To characterize the response of Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}:C optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) detectors (OSLDs) exposed to therapeutic proton beams of differing beam quality. Methods: We prepared Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}:C OSLDs from the same material as commercially available nanoDot dosimeters (Landauer, Inc). We irradiated the OSLDs in modulated proton beams of varying quality, as defined by the residual range. An absorbed dose to water of 0.2 Gy was delivered to all OSLDs with the residual range values varying from 0.5 to 23.5 cm (average LET in water from ∼0.5 to 2.5 keV/µm). To investigate the beam quality dependence of different emission bands within the OSL spectrum, we performed OSLD readouts using both continuous-wave stimulation (CW-OSL) and pulsed stimulation (P-OSL) with two sets of optical filters (Hoya U-340 and Kopp 5113). For all readout modes, the relative absorbed dose sensitivity ( S{sub rel} ) for each beam quality was calculated using OSLDs irradiated in a 6 MV photon beam as a reference. Results: We found that the relative absorbed dose sensitivity was highly dependent on both readout mode and integration time of the OSL signal. For CW-OSL signals containing only the blue emission band, S{sub rel} was between 0.85 and 0.94 for 1 s readouts and between 0.82 and 0.93 for 10 s readouts. Similarly, for P-OSL readouts containing only the blue emission band S{sub rel} ranged from 0.86 to 0.91, and 0.82 to 0.93 for 1 s and 10 s readouts, respectively. For OSLD signals containing only the UV emission band, S{sub rel} ranged from 1.00 to 1.46, and 0.97 to 1.30 for P-OSL readouts of 1 s and 10 s, respectively. Conclusion: For measurements of absorbed dose using Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}:C OSLDs in therapeutic proton beams, dependence on beam quality was smallest for readout protocols that selected the blue emission band with small integration times. DA Granville received financial support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Understanding the Phase of Responsivity and Noise Sources in Frequency-Domain Multiplexed Readout of Transition Edge Sensor Bolometers

Abstract Cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiments have deployed focal planes with $$\mathcal {O}(10^{4})$$ O ( 10 4 ) transition edge sensor (TES) bolometers cooled to sub-Kelvin temperatures by multiplexing the readout of many TES channels onto a single pair of wires. Digital Frequency-domain Multiplexing (DfMux) is a multiplexing technique used in many CMB polarization experiments, such as the Simons Array, SPT-3 G, and EBEX. The DfMux system studied here uses LC filters with resonant frequencies ranging from 1.5 to 4.5 MHz connected to an array of TESs. Each detector has an amplitude-modulated carrier tone at the resonant frequency of its accompanying LC resonator. The signal is recovered via quadrature demodulation where the in-phase (I) component of the demodulated current is in phase with the complex admittance of the circuit and the quadrature (Q) component is orthogonal to I. Observed excess current noise in the Q component is consistent with fluctuations in the resonant frequency. This noise has been shown to be non-orthogonal to the phase of the detector’s responsivity. We present a detailed analysis of the phase of responsivity of the TES and noise sources in our DfMux readout system. Further, we investigate how modifications to the TES operating resistance and bias frequency can affect the phase of noise relative to the phase of the detector responsivity, using data from Simons Array to evaluate our predictions. We find that both the phase of responsivity and phase of noise are functions of the two tuning parameters, which can be purposefully selected to maximize signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

MODIS On-board Blackbody Performance

Currently, there are two MODIS instruments operated on-orbit: one on-board the Terra spacecraft launched in December 1999 and the other on-board the Aqua spacecraft launched in May 2002. MODIS is a scanning radiometer that has 16 thermal emissive bands (TEBs) in the MWIR and LWIR regions. The remaining spectral bands are in the VISINIR and SWIR regions. The TEBs have a total of 160 detectors (10 detectors per band), which are calibrated on-orbit using an on-board blackbody (BB). MODIS TEB calibration is performed via a quadratic algorithm with its linear calibration coefficients updated on a scan-by-scan basis using each detector's response to the BB. The offset and nonlinear terms of the quadratic calibration equation are stored in a look-up table (LUT). The LUT parameters are derived from pre-launch calibration and updated on-orbit from BB observations, as needed. Typically, the BB is set at a fixed temperature. Periodically, a warm-up and cool-down activity is performed, which enables the BB temperature to be varied from instrument ambient up to 315K. The temperature of the BB is measured each scan using 12 thermistors, which were fully characterized pre-launch with reference to the NIST temperature scale. This paper describes MODIS on-board BB operational activities and performance. The TEB detector response (short-term stability and long-term changes) and noise characterization results derived from BB observations and their impact on the TEB calibration uncertainty are also presented.

Xiong, Xiaoxiong↗

Reconstruction of cosmic-ray muon events with CUORE

We report the in-situ 3D reconstruction of through-going muons in the CUORE experiment, a cryogenic calorimeter array searching for neutrinoless double beta (0vββ) decay, leveraging the segmentation of the detector. Due to the slow time response of the detector, time-of-flight estimation is not feasible. Therefore, the track reconstruction is performed using a multi-objective optimization algorithm that relies on geometrical information from the detector as a whole. We measure the integral flux of cosmic-ray muons underground at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso, and find our value to be in good agreement with other experiments that have performed a similar measurement. To our knowledge, this work represents the first demonstration of 3D particle tracking and reconstruction of through-going muons with per-event angular determination in a millikelvin cryogenic detector array. The analysis performed for this work will be critical for validating the muon-related background in CUPID, a next-generation 0vββ experiment, and for follow-up studies on detector response and on delayed products induced by cosmic-ray muons.

Adams, D. Q. [University of South Carolina]↗

Excess Heat Capacity in Mo/Au Transition Edge Sensor Bolometric Detectors

Excessheat capacity in a bolometric detector has the consequence of increasing or leading to multiple device time con-stants.The Mo/Au bilayer transition edge sensor (TES) bolo-metric detectors intended for the high resolution mid-infrared spectrometer (HIRMES) have two response time, one of which is a few times longer than that estimated from materials used in the design. The relative contribution of this settling time to the overall time response of the detectors is roughly proportional with the pixel area, which ranges between ~0.3 and 2.6 mm2.Use of laser ablation to remove sections of the silicon membranes comprising the pixels results in a detector response with a smaller contribution from the secondary time constant.Additional information about the nature of this excess heat capacity is gleaned from glancing in-cidence x-ray diffraction, which reveals the presence of molyb-denum silicides near the silicon surface from the bi-layer deposi-tion.Quantitative analysis of the concentration of excess molyb-denum, estimated with secondary ion mass spectroscopy, is com-mensurate to the additional heat capacity needed to explain the anomalous time response of the detectors.

HIRMES↗

The response of covered silicon detectors to monoenergetic gamma rays.

Measurements have been made of the efficiency in detecting gamma rays of a 0.3-mm-, 3-mm-, and 5-mm-thick silicon detector covered with different absorbers. Calibrated sources over the range from 279 keV to 2.75 MeV were used. The need for the absorbers to obtain meaningful results and their contribution to the response of the detectors at electron biases from 50 to 200 keV are discussed in detail. It is shown that the results are virtually independent of the atomic number of the absorber. In addition, the role of the absorber in increasing the efficiency with increasing photon energy for low bias settings is demonstrated for the 0.3-mm crystal. Qualitative explanations are given for the shapes of all curves of efficiency versus energy at each bias.

Reier, M.↗

Single hadron response measurement and calorimeter jet energy scale uncertainty with the ATLAS detector at the LHC

The uncertainty on the calorimeter energy response to jets of particles is derived for the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). First, the calorimeter response to single isolated charged hadrons is measured and compared to the Monte Carlo simulation using proton-proton collisions at centre-of-mass energies of √s = 900 GeV and 7 TeV collected during 2009 and 2010. Then, using the decay of K s and Λ particles, the calorimeter response to specific types of particles (positively and negatively charged pions, protons, and anti-protons) is measured and compared to the Monte Carlo predictions. Finally, the jet energy scale uncertainty is determined by propagating the response uncertainty for single charged and neutral particles to jets. The response uncertainty is 2–5 % for central isolated hadrons and 1–3 % for the final calorimeter jet energy scale.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Infrared response measurements on radiation-damaged Si/Li/ detectors.

The improved infrared response (IRR) technique has been used to qualitatively compare radiation effects on Si(Li) detectors with energy levels reported for silicon in the literature. Measurements have been made on five commercial silicon detectors and one fabricated in-house, both before and after irradiation with fast neutrons, 1.9-MeV protons, and 1.6-MeV electrons. Effects dependent upon the extent of radiation damage have been observed. It seems likely that the photo-EMF, or photo-voltage, effect is the basic mechanism for the observation of IRR in p-i-n diodes with a wide i-region. Experimental characteristics of the IRR measurement are in agreement with those of the photovoltage effect.

Sher, A. H.↗

In situ ozone instrumentation for 10-Hz measurements - Development and evaluation

The development of the fast-response ozone detector for the Electra aircraft is described. The selection of a technique to meet the design goal of 10-Hz detection is examined in terms of detection principles, instrument sampling parameters, signal conditioning, and aircraft and sampling environment. An instrument which employs a NO technique for detection of ozone with a reaction chamber volume of 16 cu cm, a pressure of 60 torr, and a sample flow of 1000 standard cu cm/min was developed. Laboratory and flight testings of the detector were conducted in order to evaluate its performance. The data reveal that the fast-response ozone detector is highly reliable with a response of 0.1 sec to 90 percent of reading, has a lower detection limit of 1 ppbv, and an S/N of 20 at 20 ppbv ozone.

Gregory, G. L.↗

An effect of the networks of the subgrain boundaries on spectral responses of thick CdZnTe detectors

CdZnTe (CZT) crystals used for nuclear-radiation detectors often contain high concentrations of subgrain boundaries and networks of poligonized dislocations that can significantly degrade the performance of semiconductor devices. These defects exist in all commercial CZT materials, regardless of their growth techniques and their vendor. We describe our new results from examining such detectors using IR transmission microscopy and white X-ray beam diffraction topography. We emphasize the roles on the devices performances of networks of subgrain boundaries with low dislocation densities, such as poligonized dislocations and mosaic structures. Specifically, we evaluated their effects on the gamma-ray responses of thick, >10 mm, CZT detectors. Our findings set the lower limit on the energy resolution of CZT detectors containing dense networks of subgrain boundaries, and walls of dislocations.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Analysis of the response of innovative neutron detectors with monoenergetic neutron beams

Various neutron detectors are currently under development at the University of Pisa. The response of these devices is investigated using monoenergetic neutron beams produced at the CN accelerator of INFN Legnaro National Laboratories with thin lithium target bombarded by protons at different energies, exploiting the {sup 7}Li(p,n){sup 7}Be reaction.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

SU-E-T-763: Towards the Mechanical Doping of Plastic Scintillators

Purpose: The doping of plastic scintillators with high-Z elements changes the radiation interaction cross section of the medium and therefore changes the intrinsic response of the detector. The selection of doped plastic scintillators available commercially is limited. This research aims to develop a novel methodology for the mechanical doping of plastic scintillating materials. The ultimate goal of this project is to use doped scintillators of varying intrinsic behavior to unfold the LET (energy) spectrum of any radiation beam. Methods: Commercially available BC408 plastic scintillator was obtained and crushed into uniform powder (using ball mill). Two separate materials were tested for light output signal: uncrushed scintillator and scintillating powder bound by glue. Commercially available U301 UV-hardening glue was used. Scintillation response was measured by creating a thin housing of black acrylic that allowed light from each scintillator to be guided to an optical fiber via a taper. The optical fiber was connected to a PMT; signal was measured using an electrometer. Tests were conducted to determine if crushing+bonding distorted linearity and energy dependence of detector response. Linearity was tested for by irradiating (uncrushed and crushed+glued) for varying durations ensuring signal scaled accordingly; this was done using 300kV x-rays and 6MeV electrons. The effect on energy dependence was examined by obtaining a signal ratio (100kV vs. 300kV; 6MeV vs. 18MeV) for both uncrushed and crushed+glued scintillating material. Results: Crushing and binding with U301 glue did not have an effect on linearity. Energy dependence was changed by 20.3%; crushing+bonding decreased the sensitivity at low energy radiation. Conclusion: This work indicates that crushing and binding of plastic scintillating material does not change the linearity of its response to radiation but does have an effect on the energy dependence. Future work involves addition of high-Z dopants (W, Mo, Pb) and characterization of the detector response.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗