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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Free-moving Quantitative Gamma-ray Imaging

The ability to map and estimate the activity of radiological source distributions in unknown three-dimensional environments has applications in the prevention and response to radiological accidents or threats as well as the enforcement and verification of international nuclear non-proliferation agreements. Such a capability requires well-characterized detector response functions, accurate time-dependent detector position and orientation data, a digitized representation of the surrounding 3D environment, and appropriate image reconstruction and uncertainty quantification methods. We have previously demonstrated 3D mapping of gamma-ray emitters with free-moving detector systems on a relative intensity scale using a technique called Scene Data Fusion (SDF). Here we characterize the detector response of a multi-element gamma-ray imaging system using experimentally benchmarked Monte Carlo simulations and perform 3D mapping on an absolute intensity scale. We present experimental reconstruction results from hand-carried and airborne measurements with point-like and distributed sources in known configurations, demonstrating quantitative SDF in complex 3D environments.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2023

Neutron time of flight (nToF) detectors for inertial fusion experiments

Neutrons generated in Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) experiments provide valuable information to interpret the conditions reached in the plasma. The neutron time-of-flight (nToF) technique is well suited for measuring the neutron energy spectrum due to the short time (100 ps) over which neutrons are typically emitted in ICF experiments. By locating detectors 10s of meters from the source, the neutron energy spectrum can be measured to high precision. Here, we present a contextual review of the current state of the art in nToF detectors at ICF facilities in the United States, outlining the physics that can be measured, the detector technologies currently deployed and analysis techniques used.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2023

National Ignition Facility Opacity Time Resolved Spectrometer Systems Engineering Final Project

The National Ignition Facility (NIF) is the world’s largest and most energetic laser facility. The NIF system is designed to produce high energy density (temperature and pressure) conditions through the application of its 192 laser beams. One of the users of NIF is the opacity platform developed to study the opacities at temperatures and densities relevant to the solar interior and stellar evolution. The platform was developed to study iron (Fe) opacity at temperatures relevant to the solar interior. The opacity campaign uses spectrometers to gather data. Spectrometers utilize crystals to produce x-ray spectra that are recorded on time-integrated and time-resolved detectors. The opacity spectrometer (OpSpec) currently fielded and in use at NIF uses a time integrated film channel to collect data. The opacity spectrometer time resolved (OpSpecTR) will utilize novel hCMOS detectors to capture time resolved images of spectra of interest. The key stakeholders identified for OpSpecTR included the physicists responsible for OpSpec and OpSpecTR, the Target Area Science and Engineering (TASE) department at NIF, the NIF and Photon Science (NIF & PS) Opacity program, the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) Physics and Engineering program, the Sandia hCMOS manufacturing and testing program, and the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) program sponsor. The Target and Experimental Operations (TEXOPS) was identified as a key stakeholder because the group includes the individuals that will physically interact with the OpSpecTR system as it participates in NIF experiments. The opacity platform collects data in a unique orientation relative to the existing diagnostics fielded at NIF. The existing infrastructure at NIF uses a diagnostic manipulator (DIM) to insert the diagnostic near the target chamber center to collect data during a NIF shot. Existing diagnostics collect data through the center line of the DIM axis and collect relevant data perpendicular to this axis. The opacity platform requires crystals mounted in a specific orientation which requires data collection parallel to the DIM axis. This deviation from standard NIF practices was a key factor in developing requirements.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS2019

Benchmarking Simulations of the Compton Spectrometer and Imager with Calibrations

The Compton Spectrometer and Imager (COSI) is a balloon-borne 𝛾-ray (0.2-5 MeV) telescope designed to study astrophysical sources. COSI employs a compact Compton telescope design utilizing 12 high-purity germanium double-sided strip detectors and is inherently sensitive to polarization. In 2016, COSI was launched from Wanaka, New Zealand and completed a successful 46-day flight on NASA’s new Super Pressure Balloon. In order to perform imaging, spectral, and polarization analysis of the sources observed during the 2016 flight, we compute the detector response from well-benchmarked simulations. As required for accurate simulations of the instrument, we have built a comprehensive mass model of the instrument and developed a detailed detector effects engine which applies the intrinsic detector performance to Monte Carlo simulations. The simulated detector effects include energy, position, and timing resolution, thresholds, dead strips, charge sharing, charge loss, crosstalk, dead time, and detector trigger conditions. After including these effects, the simulations closely resemble the measurements, the standard analysis pipeline used for measurements can also be applied to the simulations, and the responses computed from the simulations are accurate. We have computed the systematic error that we must apply to measured fluxes at certain energies, which is 6.3% on a rage. Here we describe the detector effects engine and the benchmarking tests performed with calibrations.

Sleator, Clio C.↗
NASA NTRS2020

Real Time Optical Receiver Project

The goals for the Real Time Optical Receiver project are to Infuse Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems High Photon Efficiency standard into missions, such as Artemis and to provide a real time ground receiver solution (fiber device, detector, real time FPGA-based receiver) that is: (1) Scalable: data rate, atmosphere conditions, telescope aperture, etc., and (2) Uses COTS components when available and work with companies to move custom parts to COTS.

Katz, Evan J.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Surface Trap Dynamics and Gamma‐Ray Detection Enhancement in Passivated FAPbBr 3 Perovskite Crystals

Perovskite‐based direct radiation detectors offer a compelling platform for room‐temperature gamma spectroscopy due to their high sensitivity, tunable optoelectronic properties, and compatibility with solution processing. While prior studies on formamidinium lead tribromide (FAPbBr 3 ) have shown that surface passivation mitigates deep trap state impact on the charge collection efficiency (CCE), the influence of surface‐based shallow traps on time‐resolved detector response remains largely unexplored. In this article, a digital signal processing (DSP) method is applied to analyze waveform rising edge dynamics in FAPbBr 3 single‐crystal detectors, identifying prompt and delayed charge collection components. Using the second derivative of the collected charge signal, the onset of shallow trap reemission is isolated, occurring 1.1 µs after carrier generation. Surface passivation suppressed deep trap states, shifting carrier occupancy toward shallower traps and extending the temporal window of delayed charge collection. This delayed contribution correlates with measurable changes in the temporal and amplitude distributions of detector events. By leveraging time‐domain filtering informed by these dynamics, a selective enhancement in signal quality and gamma peak‐to‐Compton ratio (PCR) is achieved, while preserving over 90% of photoelectric events. An improvement in the PCR to 1.80, from the original 1.09, is enabled by focusing on high collection efficiency events corresponding to reemitted carriers in the 1.1 to 3 µs range after the generation event. These results demonstrate a pathway for leveraging shallow trap dynamics to enhance spectral fidelity in time‐resolved perovskite detectors.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Mixed gain detector configurations for time-resolved X-ray solution scattering

X-ray detection at X-ray free-electron lasers is challenging in part due to the XFEL's extremely short and intense X-ray pulses. Experimental measurements are further complicated by the large fluctuations inherent to the self-amplified spontaneous emission process producing the X-rays. At the Linac Coherent Light Source the ePix10ka2M detector offers multiple gain modes, and auto-ranging between these, to increase the dynamic range while retaining low noise. For diffuse scattering techniques, such as time-resolved X-ray solution scattering, where the shape of the scattering pattern largely does not change between exposures, a fixed mix of different gain modes offers many of the same advantages as auto-ranging. We find that configuring individual ASICs in separate gain modes does not impact the intensity linearity of the gain response and has a limited effect on the effective dynamic range in regions with different gain mode settings while avoiding the complexities of auto-ranging. Small (<5%) non-linear gain contributions arise when pixels on the same ASIC are configured in different gain modes. We present a configuration scheme that is designed to select the optimal mixed gain configuration to minimize effects of saturation in the high-/medium-gain region, while maximizing the number of pixels with higher gain to improve the signal-to-noise ratio.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

Angular dependent measurement of electron-ion recombination in liquid argon for ionization calorimetry in the ICARUS liquid argon time projection chamber

This paper reports on a measurement of electron-ion recombination in liquid argon in the ICARUS liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC). A clear dependence of recombination on the angle of the ionizing particle track relative to the drift electric field is observed. An ellipsoid modified box (EMB) model of recombination describes the data across all measured angles. These measurements are used for the calorimetric energy scale calibration of the ICARUS TPC, which is also presented. The impact of the EMB model is studied on calorimetric particle identification, as well as muon and proton energy measurements. Accounting for the angular dependence in EMB recombination improves the accuracy and precision of these measurements.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

Legacy Survey of Space and Time Data Preview 1: visit_detector_table dataset type

The Legacy Survey of Space and Time Data Preview 1 (DP1) is the first release of data from the NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin Observatory. It consists of raw and calibrated single-epoch images, co-adds, difference images, detection catalogs, and other derived data products. DP1 is based on 1792 science-grade optical/near-infrared exposures acquired over 48 distinct nights by the Rubin Commissioning Camera, LSSTComCam, on the Simonyi Survey Telescope at the Summit Facility on Cerro Pachón, Chile during the first on-sky commissioning campaign in late 2024. DP1 covers a total of approximately 15 sq. deg. over seven roughly equally-sized non-contiguous fields, each independently observed in six broad photometric bands, ugrizy, spanning a range of stellar densities and latitudes and overlapping with external reference datasets. This dataset is a subset of the full data release consisting of the visit_detector_table dataset type. These are per-detector visit metadata. This release contains 1 dataset of this type.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Determining Optimal Running Conditions for TinyTPC Detector

Liquid argon time projection chambers, (LArTPCs), are particle detectors used to collect ionization charge information from particle trajectories, facilitating detailed particle track analysis. They are currently used as particle detectors in major physics projects such as the deep underground neutrino experiment (DUNE), to detect and study the nature of the elusive neutrino particle. TinyTPC is a small scale LArTPC featuring a pixelated readout system (LArPix) that we will use to study liquid argon doping. We expect this doping to enhance the resolution of LAr detectors, especially for low energy particles below 10 MeV which would expand the capabilities of currently running experiments. Housed within a cryostat filled with liquid argon, the TinyTPC will rely on a high and a low voltage system to collect data. In preparation for deployment we found and resolved issues in the HV and LV systems and we determined optimal running conditions in a test vessel. This presentation will go over the detector commissioning process that enabled data taking with the TinyTPC.

Gonzalez, Rebecca↗
DOE OSTI2023

First survey of centimeter-scale AC-LGAD strip sensors with a 120 GeV proton beam

We present the first beam test results with centimeter-scale AC-LGAD strip sensors, using the Fermilab Test Beam Facility and sensors manufactured by the Brookhaven National Laboratory. Sensors of this type are envisioned for applications that require large-area precision 4D tracking coverage with economical channel counts, including timing layers for the Electron Ion Collider (EIC), and space-based particle experiments. A survey of sensor designs is presented, with the aim of optimizing the electrode geometry for spatial resolution and timing performance. Several design considerations are discussed towards maintaining desirable signal characteristics with increasingly larger electrodes. The resolutions obtained with several prototypes are presented, reaching simultaneous 18 μm and 32 ps resolutions from strips of 1 cm length and 500 μm pitch. With only slight modifications, these sensors would be ideal candidates for a 4D timing layer at the EIC.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
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 NTRS1981

Time delay and integration detectors using charge transfer devices

An imaging system comprises a multi-channel matrix array of CCD devices wherein a number of sensor cells (pixels) in each channel are subdivided and operated in discrete intercoupled groups of subarrays with a readout CCD shift register terminating each end of the channels. Clock voltages, applied to the subarrays, selectively cause charge signal flow in each subarray in either direction independent of the other subarrays. By selective application of four phase clock voltages, either one, two or all three of the sections subarray sections cause charge signal flow in one direction, while the remainder cause charge signal flow in the opposite direction. This creates a form of selective electronic exposure control which provides an effective variable time delay and integration of three, six or nine sensor cells or integration stages. The device is constructed on a semiconductor sustrate with a buried channel and is adapted for front surface imaging through transparent doped tin oxide gates.

Mccann, D. H.↗
DOE OSTI2022

Characterization of BNL and HPK AC-LGAD sensors with a 120 GeV proton beam

We present measurements of AC-LGADs performed at the Fermilab's test beam facility using 120 GeV protons. Here we studied the performance of various strip and pad AC-LGAD sensors that were produced by BNL and HPK. The measurements are performed with our upgraded test beam setup that utilizes a high precision telescope tracker, and a simultaneous readout of up to 7 channels per sensor, which allows detailed studies of signal sharing characteristics. These measurements allow us to assess the differences in designs between different manufacturers, and optimize them based on experimental performance. We then study several reconstruction algorithms to optimize position and time resolutions that utilize the signal sharing properties of each sensor. We present a world's first demonstration of silicon sensors in a test beam that simultaneously achieve better than 6–10 μm position and 30 ps time resolution. This represents a substantial improvement to the spatial resolution than would be obtained with binary readout of sensors with similar pitch.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
NASA NTRS1990

High time-resolution imaging with the MAMA detector systems

Current uses of the MAMA detector which utilize the photon time-tagging capabilities of these detectors are reported. These applications currently include image stabilization by means of post-processing corrections of platform drift and speckle interferometry. The initial results of a sounding rocket experiment to obtain UV images of NGC 6240 and results from speckle interferometry of Neptune's moon Triton are presented.

Morgan, Jeffrey S.↗
DOE OSTI2025

Gain characterization of LGAD sensors with beta particles and 28-MeV protons

Low Gain Avalanche Diodes, also known as LGADs, are widely considered for fast-timing applications in high energy physics, nuclear physics, space science, medical imaging, and precision measurements of rare processes. Such devices are silicon-based and feature an intrinsic gain due to a p + -doped layer that allows the production of a controlled avalanche of carriers, with multiplication on the order of 10–100. This technology can provide time resolution on the order of 20–30 ps, and variants of this technology can provide precision tracking too. The characterization of LGAD performance has so far primarily been focused on the interaction of minimum ionizing particles for high energy and nuclear physics applications. This article expands the study of LGAD performance to highly-ionizing particles, such as 28-MeV protons, which are relevant for several future scientific applications, e.g. in biology and medical physics, among others. These studies were performed with a beam of 28-MeV protons from a tandem Van de Graaff accelerator at Brookhaven National Laboratory and beta particles from a ^90Sr source; these were used to characterize the response and the gain of an LGAD as a function of bias voltage and collected charge. Here, the experimental results are also compared to TCAD simulations.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Timing Performance of the CMS High Granularity Calorimeter Prototype

This paper describes the experience with the calibration,reconstruction and evaluation of the timing capabilities of the CMSHGCAL prototype in the beam tests in 2018. The calibrationprocedure includes multiple steps and corrections ranging from tensof nanoseconds to a few hundred picoseconds. The timing performanceis studied using signals from positron beam particles with energiesbetween 20 GeV and 300 GeV. The performance is studied as afunction of particle energy against an external timing reference aswell as standalone by comparing the two different halves of theprototype. The timing resolution is found to be 60 ps forsingle-channel measurements and better than 20 ps for full showersat the highest energies, setting excellent perspectives for theHGCAL calorimeter performance at the HL-LHC.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗