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At least 919 records · Page 51
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

The Monte Carlo simulation of the Borexino detector

Borexino is a 300 ton sub-MeV liquid scintillator solar neutrino detector which has been running at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (Italy) since 2007. Thanks to its unprecedented radio-purity, it was able to measure the flux of 7 Be, 8 B, pp, and pep solar neutrinos and to detect geo-neutrinos. A reliable simulation of the detector is an invaluable tool for all Borexino physics analyses. The simulation accounts for the energy loss of particles in all the detector components, the generation of the scintillation photons, their propagation within the liquid scintillator volume, and a detailed simulation of the electronics chain. A novel efficient method for simulating the external background which survives the Borexino passive shield was developed. This technique allows to reliably predict the effect of the contamination in the peripheral construction materials. The techniques developed to simulate the Borexino detector and their level of refinement are of possible interest to the neutrino and dark matter communities, especially for current and future large-volume liquid scintillator experiments.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2021

Construction and commissioning of CMS CE prototype silicon modules

As part of its HL-LHC upgrade program, the CMS collaboration is developing a High Granularity Calorimeter (CE) to replace the existing endcap calorimeters. The CE is a sampling calorimeter with unprecedented transverse and longitudinal readout for both electromagnetic (CEE) and hadronic (CE-H) compartments. The calorimeter will be built with ~30,000 hexagonal silicon modules. Prototype modules have been constructed with 6-inch hexagonal silicon sensors with cell areas of 1.1 cm 2 , and the SKIROC2-CMS readout ASIC. Beam tests of different sampling configurations were conducted with the prototype modules at DESY and CERN in 2017 and 2018. This paper describes the construction and commissioning of the CE calorimeter prototype, the silicon modules used in the construction, their basic performance, and the methods used for their calibration.

Calorimeters↗
DOE OSTI2022

Fast and flexible analysis of direct dark matter search data with machine learning

We present the results from combining machine learning with the profile likelihood fit procedure, using data from the Large Underground Xenon (LUX) dark matter experiment. This approach demonstrates reduction in computation time by a factor of 30 when compared with the previous approach, without loss of performance on real data. We establish its flexibility to capture non-linear correlations between variables (such as smearing in light and charge signals due to position variation) by achieving equal performance using pulse areas with and without position-corrections applied. Its efficiency and scalability furthermore enables searching for dark matter using additional variables without significant computational burden. We demonstrate this by including a light signal pulse shape variable alongside more traditional inputs such as light and charge signal strengths. Furthermore, this technique can be exploited by future dark matter experiments to make use of additional information, reduce computational resources needed for signal searches and simulations, and make inclusion of physical nuisance parameters in fits tractable.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

First Dark Matter Search Results from the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) Experiment

The LUX-ZEPLIN experiment is a dark matter detector centered on a dual-phase xenon time projection chamber operating at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in Lead, South Dakota, USA. This Letter reports results from LUX-ZEPLIN's first search for weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) with an exposure of 60~live days using a fiducial mass of 5.5 t. A profile-likelihood ratio analysis shows the data to be consistent with a background-only hypothesis, setting new limits on spin-independent WIMP-nucleon, spin-dependent WIMP-neutron, and spin-dependent WIMP-proton cross sections for WIMP masses above 9 GeV/c 2 . The most stringent limit is set for spin-independent scattering at 36 GeV/c 2 , rejecting cross sections above 9.2×10 –48 cm 2 at the 90% confidence level.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

GeantV: Results from the Prototype of Concurrent Vector Particle Transport Simulation in HEP

Full detector simulation was among the largest CPU consumers in all CERN experiment software stacks for the first two runs of the Large Hadron Collider. In the early 2010s, it was projected that simulation demands would scale linearly with increasing luminosity, with only partial compensation from increasing computing resources. The extension of fast simulation approaches to cover more use cases that represent a larger fraction of the simulation budget is only part of the solution, because of intrinsic precision limitations. The remainder corresponds to speeding up the simulation software by several factors, which is not achievable by just applying simple optimizations to the current code base. In this context, the GeantV R&D project was launched, aiming to redesign the legacy particle transport code in order to benefit from features of fine-grained parallelism, including vectorization and increased locality of both instruction and data. This paper provides an extensive presentation of the results and achievements of this R&D project, as well as the conclusions and lessons learned from the beta version prototype.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Search by the SENSEI Experiment for Millicharged Particles Produced in the NuMI Beam

Millicharged particles appear in several extensions of the standard model, but have not yet been detected. These hypothetical particles could be produced by an intense proton beam striking a fixed target. We use data collected in 2020 by the SENSEI experiment in the MINOS cavern at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory to search for ultrarelativistic millicharged particles produced in collisions of protons in the NuMI beam with a fixed graphite target. The absence of any ionization events with 3 to 6 electrons in the SENSEI data allow us to place world-leading constraints on millicharged particles for masses between 30 to 380 MeV. This work also demonstrates the potential of utilizing low-threshold detectors to investigate new particles in beam-dump experiments, and motivates a future experiment designed specifically for this purpose. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

Search for long-lived charged particles using large specific ionisation loss and time of flight in 140 fb −1 of pp collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper presents a search for massive, charged, long-lived particles with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider using an integrated luminosity of 140 fb −1 of proton-proton collisions at $\sqrt{s}$ = 13 TeV. These particles are expected to move significantly slower than the speed of light. In this paper, two signal regions provide complementary sensitivity. In one region, events are selected with at least one charged-particle track with high transverse momentum, large specific ionisation measured in the pixel detector, and time of flight to the hadronic calorimeter inconsistent with the speed of light. In the other region, events are selected with at least two tracks of opposite charge which both have a high transverse momentum and an anomalously large specific ionisation. The search is sensitive to particles with lifetimes greater than about 3 ns with masses ranging from 200 GeV to 3 TeV. The results are interpreted to set constraints on the supersymmetric pair production of long-lived R-hadrons, charginos and staus, with mass limits extending beyond those from previous searches in broad ranges of lifetime.

beyond Standard Model↗
NASA NTRS2000

Charge Detector for the Imaging Calorimeter for ACCESS (ICA)

NASA's Advanced Cosmic Ray Experiment for the Space Station (ACCESS) Mission is planned to consist of a transition radiation detector (TRD) and a thin ionization calorimeter. In order to measure the charge of the primary cosmic ray, it is necessary for the calorimeter to have its own charge detector. Silicon detectors are chosen for the charge detector because of their excellent resolution, small size and nearly square shape. Monte Carlo simulations are performed to find the probability of misidentifying protons as alpha particles due to backscattered radiation from the calorimeter. Simulations were also used to investigate identifying primary cosmic rays that fragmented in the TRD before reaching the calorimeter. For this study algorithms have been developed for determining a direction of the core shower in the calorimeter. These algorithms are used to find the approximate location of the primary particle in the silicon detectors. Results show the probability to misidentify the charge depends upon the energy and direction of the primary particles.

Lee, Jeongin↗
NASA NTRS1974

Results of the asteroid/meteoroid particle experiment on Pioneer 10 /1.0-3.3 AU/

The asteroid/meteoroid detector (Sisyphus), an optical array to measure particle size and orbit, has been performing successfully on Pioneer 10 since it was initially activated on 9 March 1972. During the first ten months of operation over 200 meteoroid and asteroid events were detected between 1.0 and 3.3 AU. These events are being analyzed to determine the spatial concentration as a function of heliocentric distance. The early results of these analyses are presented with particular emphasis on the distribution in the asteroid belt. Preliminary orbital parameters for some particles which have been analyzed are presented with a discussion of instrumental limitations.

Neste, S. L.↗
DOE OSTI2020

Scintillating crystals for the Neutral Particle Spectrometer in Hall C at JLab

This report discusses the quality and performance of currently available PbWO crystals of relevance to high-resolution electromagnetic calorimetry, e.g. detectors for the Neutral Particle Spectrometer at Jefferson Lab or those planned for the Electron–Ion Collider. Since the construction of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and early PANDA (The antiProton ANnihilations at DArmstadt) electromagnetic calorimeter (ECAL) the worldwide availability of high quality PbWO 4 production has changed dramatically. We report on our studies of crystal samples from SICCAS/China and CRYTUR/Czech Republic that were produced between 2014 and 2019.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2026

Commissioning of an MPGD-based Drift Chamber for Heavy-ion Tracking in FRIB's Sweeper magnet system

A newly developed drift chamber equipped with an innovative hybrid Micro-Pattern Gaseous Detector based readout was commissioned at FRIB. The detector consists of a Multi-layer Thick Gas Electron Multiplier (M-THGEM) mounted over a high-granularity, position-sensitive readout board. Denoted as the Micro-Pattern Drift Chamber (MPDC), the new device is used to provide tracking capability as part of the detectors of the Sweeper magnet system for neutron-invariant-mass spectrometry at the Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB). The localization of impinging ions in a 30 × 30 cm 2 drift area is derived by processing the charge-avalanche distribution induced on the segmented readout board. The signals induced on the readout pads are processed by a compact, multi-channel Data Acquisition System (DAQ) based on the Scalable Readout System (SRS). To facilitate synchronization with other detector systems of the Sweeper magnet system, the SRS has been configured to accept an external trigger.

Gaseous detectors↗
DOE OSTI2021

Test of the universality of τ and μ lepton couplings in W-boson decays with the ATLAS detector

The standard model of particle physics encapsulates our best current understanding of physics at the smallest scales. A fundamental axiom of this theory is the universality of the couplings of the different generations of leptons to the electroweak gauge bosons. The measurement of the ratio of the decay rate of W bosons to τ leptons and muons, R ( τ/μ ), constitutes an important test of this axiom. Using 139 fb –1 of proton–proton collisions recorded with the ATLAS detector at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, we report a measurement of this quantity from di-leptonic $t\overline{t}$ events where the top quarks decay into a W boson and a bottom quark. We can distinguish muons originating from W bosons and those originating from an intermediate τ lepton through the muon transverse impact parameter and differences in the muon transverse momentum spectra. The measured value of R ( τ/μ ) is 0.992 ± 0.013 [± 0.007(stat) ± 0.011(syst)] and is in agreement with the hypothesis of universal lepton couplings as postulated in the standard model. This is the only such measurement from the Large Hadron Collider, so far, and obtains twice the precision of previous measurements.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Exploring the keV-scale physics potential of CUORE

We present the analysis techniques developed to explore the keV-scale energy region of the Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events (CUORE) experiment, based on more than 2 metric ton yr of data collected over five years. By prioritizing a stricter selection over a larger exposure, we are able to optimize data selection for thresholds at 10 keV and 3 keV with 691 kg yr and 11 kg yr of data, respectively. We study how the performance varies among the 988-detector array with different detector characteristics and data-taking conditions. We achieve an average baseline resolution of 2.54 ±0.14 keV FWHM and 1.18 ±0.02 keV FWHM for the data selection at 10 keV and 3 keV, respectively. The analysis methods employed reduce the overall background by about an order of magnitude, reaching 2.06±0.05 counts/(keV kg days) and 16±2 counts/(keV kg days) at the thresholds of 10 keV and 3 keV. We evaluate for the first time the near-threshold reconstruction efficiencies of the CUORE experiment, and find these to be 50 ±2% and 26 ±4% at 10 keV and 3 keV, respectively. This analysis provides crucial insights into rare decay studies, new physics searches, and keV-scale background modeling with CUORE. We demonstrate that ton-scale cryogenic calorimeters can operate across a wide energy range, from keV to MeV, establishing their scalability as versatile detectors for rare event and dark matter physics. These findings also inform the optimization of future large mass cryogenic calorimeters to enhance the sensitivity to low-energy phenomena.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2023

Capability Demonstration of a 3D CdZnTe Detector on a High-Altitude Balloon Flight

In collaboration between the University of Michigan and Los Alamos National Laboratory, a 3D position-sensing CdZnTe (CZT) detector prototype was built and integrated into a high-altitude balloon platform to evaluate its performance in a space-like mixed-radiation environment. The detector prototype, Orion Eagle, was designed to operate in near-vacuum environments without any temperature regulation. Orion Eagle was hand-launched from NASA’s Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility (CSBF) at Fort Sumner, NM on September 26, 2021, and successfully operated throughout a 9-hour flight, which reached 38.5 km in altitude. The flight met its objectives, successfully detecting atmospheric gamma rays and galactic cosmic rays, and raising the Technical Readiness Level from 4 to 6 for large-volume 3D CZT detector technology for space applications. Ionization tracks produced by charged particles create spatial signatures in the detector that are distinguishable from discrete gamma-ray interactions. Therefore, the 3D position-sensing capabilities using pixelated electrodes on a CZT detector can help enable discrimination of background charged particles from gamma-ray events without an anticoincidence shield. The potential for background rejection capability, ambient-temperature operation, gamma-ray coded-aperture and Compton imaging, and near High Purity Germanium (HPGe) energy resolution motivate the use of large-volume 3D CZT imaging spectrometers in future space missions.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
NASA NTRS1998

ISO Key Project: Exploring the full range of QUASAR/AGN properties

The PIA (PHOT Interactive Analysis) software was upgraded as new releases were made available by VILSPA. We have continued to analyze our data but, given the large number of still outstanding problems with the calibration and analysis (listed below), we remain unable to move forward on our scientific program. We have concentrated on observations with long (256 sec) exposure times to avoid the most extreme detector responsivity drift problems which occur with a change in observed flux level, ie. as one begins to observe a new target. There remain a significant number of problems with analyzing these data including: (1) the default calibration source (FCS) observations early in the mission were too short and affected by strong detector responsivity drifts; (2) the calibration of the FCS sources is not yet well-understood, particularly for chopped observations (which includes most of ours); (3) the detector responsivity drift is not well-understood and models are only now becoming available for fitting chopped data; (4) charged particle hits on the detector cause transient responsivity drifts which need to be corrected; (5) the "flat-field" calibration of the long-wavelength (array) detectors: C1OO, C200 leaves significant residual structure and so needs to be improved;(6) the vignetting correction, which affects detected flux levels in the array detectors, is not yet available; (7) the intra-filter calibrations are not yet available; and (8) the background above 60 microns has a significant gradient which results in spurious positive and negative "detections" in chopped observations. ISO Observation planning, conferences and talks, ground based observing and other grant related activities are also briefly discussed.

Wilkes, B.↗
NASA NTRS2007

The Anti-Coincidence Detector for the GLAST Large Area Telescope

This paper describes the design, fabrication and testing of the Anti-Coincidence Detector (ACD) for the Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope (GLAST) Large Area Telescope (LAT). The ACD is LAT's first-level defense against the charged cosmic ray background that outnumbers the gamma rays by 3-5 orders of magnitude. The ACD covers the top and 4 sides of the LAT tracking detector, requiring a total active area of -8.3 square meters. The ACD detector utilizes plastic scintillator tiles with wave-length shifting fiber readout. In order to suppress self-veto by shower particles at high gamma-ray energies, the ACD is segmented into 89 tiles of different sizes. The overall ACD efficiency for detection of singly charged relativistic particles entering the tracking detector from the top or sides of the LAT exceeds the required 0.9997.

Moiseev, A. A.↗
DOE OSTI2022

The straw tracking detector for the Fermilab Muon g-2 Experiment

The Muon g-2 Experiment at Fermilab uses a gaseous straw tracking detector to make detailed measurements of the stored muon beam profile, which are essential for the experiment to achieve its uncertainty goals. Positrons from muon decays spiral inward and pass through the tracking detector before striking an electromagnetic calorimeter. The tracking detector is therefore located inside the vacuum chamber in a region where the magnetic field is large and non-uniform. As such, the tracking detector must have a low leak rate to maintain a high-quality vacuum, must be non-magnetic so as not to perturb the magnetic field and, to minimize energy loss, must have a low radiation length. The performance of the tracking detector has met or surpassed the design requirements, with adequate electronic noise levels, an average straw hit resolution of (110 ± 20) μm, a detection efficiency of 97% or higher, and no performance degradation or signs of aging. The tracking detector's measurements result in an otherwise unachievable understanding of the muon's beam motion, particularly at early times in the experiment's measurement period when there are a significantly greater number of muons decaying. This is vital to the statistical power of the experiment, as well as facilitating the precise extraction of several systematic corrections and uncertainties. This paper describes the design, construction, testing, commissioning, and performance of the tracking detector.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗