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At least 1,315 records · Page 73
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Comparison of Simulated and Experimentally Measured Detector Impulse Responses to Pulsed X-rays

The Gamma Array Simulation Toolkit (GAST) is a multi-physics software stack comprised of Geant4, MATLAB, and experimentally measured photomultiplier tube (PMT) impulse response waveforms that is used to model and inform the end-to-end performance of radiation detector systems. In order to validate the ability of GAST to predict the impulse response of a modeled detector configuration operated in current mode, experimental measurements using the Nevada National Security Site Transformational Diagnostics and Imaging 2 MeV endpoint energy electron linear accelerator (linac) with a tungsten target were performed. Seven different detector configurations consisting of unique combinations of scintillator material, size, reflectivity conditions, presence or absence of light guide, and PMT were evaluated. The resultant impulse response of each detector configuration was recorded and compared to a GAST simulation that emulated the respective linac experiment conditions. The comparison of the experimental and simulated detector impulse responses indicated that GAST can reliably predict detector impulse responses.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2021

Muon detectors, systems and methods

A muon detector system capable of determining muon direction and flight trajectory or path is disclosed. The muon detector system includes scintillators for determining muon direction, and an array of muon detectors arranged in orthogonal layers for determining flight trajectory. The system can be used for tomographic and telescopic mode imaging, and may be used for imaging concealed and/or subterranean objects.

Bonal, Nedra D.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Ceramic radiation detector device and method

A ceramic lithium indium diselenide or like radiation detector device formed as a pressed material that exhibits scintillation properties substantially identical to a corresponding single crystal growth radiation detector device, exhibiting the intrinsic property of the chemical compound, with an acceptable decrease in light output, but at a markedly lower cost due to the time savings associated with pressing versus single crystal growth.

Preston, Jeffrey R.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Enhancing the sensitivity of the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) dark matter experiment to low energy signals

Two-phase xenon detectors, such as that at the core of the forthcoming LZ dark matter experiment, use photomultiplier tubes to sense the primary (S1) and secondary (S2) scintillation signals resulting from particle interactions in their liquid xenon target. This paper describes a simulation study exploring two techniques to lower the energy threshold of LZ to gain sensitivity to low-mass dark matter and astrophysical neutrinos, which will be applicable to other liquid xenon detectors. The energy threshold is determined by the number of detected S1 photons; typically, these must be recorded in three or more photomultiplier channels to avoid dark count coincidences that mimic real signals. To lower this threshold: a) we take advantage of the double photoelectron emission effect, whereby a single vacuum ultraviolet photon has a $\sim20\%$ probability of ejecting two photoelectrons from a photomultiplier tube photocathode; and b) we drop the requirement of an S1 signal altogether, and use only the ionization signal, which can be detected more efficiently. For both techniques we develop signal and background models for the nominal exposure, and explore accompanying systematic effects, including the dependence on the free electron lifetime in the liquid xenon. When incorporating double photoelectron signals, we predict a factor of $\sim 4$ sensitivity improvement to the dark matter-nucleon scattering cross-section at $2.5$ GeV/c$^2$, and a factor of $\sim1.6$ increase in the solar $^8$B neutrino detection rate. Dropping the S1 requirement may allow sensitivity gains of two orders of magnitude in both cases. Finally, we apply these techniques to even lower masses by taking into account the atomic Migdal effect; this could lower the dark matter particle mass threshold to $80$ MeV/c$^2$.

Akerib, DS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Photo Doppler Velocimetry and Gamma/Neutron Yield Measurements of Godiva-IV Critical Assembly

The purpose of this experiment was to collect data for a dynamic benchmark of the Godiva-IV burst assembly. Data were taken using two different measurement systems. The gamma & neutron flux was measured using a calibrated, high-dynamic-range scintillator detector, the MHD-240. The measurement will be used to determine the total fission yield and alpha throughout the burst and shutdown sequence of Godiva-IV. The Photon Doppler Velocimetry (PDV) measurement detected the surface motion of the burst assembly as a function of time. The combined data will be used in a multi-physics simulation of the Godiva-IV burst assembly.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2021

Readout of Large Capacitance SiPMs by Weak Coupling to Charge Sensitive Amplifier

Large area and large capacitance silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) arrays are employed to collect scintillation light in noble liquid time projection chambers (TPC) such as DarkSide, nEXO, MEGII, protoDUNE and DUNE. Light readout using ASICs designed for operation in noble liquids is a solution for large meter-scale photon detectors. However, conventional readout requires a high voltage decoupling capacitor larger than SiPM capacitance (in the range of tens of nF) to achieve full charge transfer to the preamplifier. Here, we demonstrate a readout concept by weakly coupling (via a capacitor lower by an order of magnitude than SiPM capacitance) to a charge sensitive amplifier, LArASIC in this case, without any loss in the signal to noise ratio (S/N). The single-photoelectron detection, signal-to-noise ratio, timing resolution, and coincidence detection are experimentally characterized.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2021

Colorimetric radiation detector

A low cost, rapid, flexible radiation detector uses inorganic metal halide precursors and dyes that respond to self-quenching hybrid scintillation. Remote, high-contrast, laser sensing can be used to determine when exposure of the detector to radiation occurs (even temporally).

Boyle, Timothy J.↗
DOE OSTI2021

NOvA as a Supernova Observatory

Extra-solar system neutrino astronomy was born in February 1987 when a supernova in a nearby satellite galaxy deposited a couple dozen neutrino events across three solar neutrino and nucleon decay experiments. This marked the first-ever observation of supernova neutrinos, as well as the first supernova in our galactic neighborhood visible to the naked eye in nearly 400 years. There is still much we do not know about the dynamics of these powerful explosions, but one thing is certain: neutrinos play a central role in driving a supernova. They also provide a unique opportunity for probing the interior conditions of a collapsing stellar core. Since 1987, the number of neutrino detectors around the world has grown. When the next supernova occurs, detectors must be ready to seize the moment and record data from this rare event that only happens a couple times per century. The NOvA experiment has been prepared for this for some time, but it has been unclear how well NOvA will be ab le to se parate supernova-like events from the large cosmogenic backgrounds and extract meaningful physical insight. In this thesis, I show that the cosmic-induced backgrounds in the NOvA detectors---especially the far detector---can be reduced to an acceptable level for core-collapse supernovae within $\sim$15 kpc and that a determination of the neutrino mass ordering can be made for nearby supernovae under certain conditions. This thesis paves the way for future sensitivity studies and eventual analyses of real supernova data, and shows that NOvA's liquid scintillator neutrino detectors are a capable supernova observatory.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Evaluating the ProtoDUNE-SP Detector Performance to Measure a 6 GeV/c Positive Kaon Inelastic Cross Section on Argon

The ProtoDUNE Single-Phase Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber \\ (ProtoDUNE-SP LArTPC) is a prototype for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), a future long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment. Based at the CERN Neutrino Platform, ProtoDUNE-SP LArTPC collected data from a charged test beam in the fall of 2018. It then took data of cosmic-ray muons from November 2018 to the summer of 2020. The main goals of the prototype were to measure parameters related to charged particle passage in argon and evaluate the performance of the detector to inform future DUNE Far Detector development. The test beam provided kaons, pions, muons, protons, and electrons to the detector. These particles represent common final state particles in neutrino interactions, therefore providing information to DUNE on modeling charged particles in argon for its neutrino physics program. In addition to neutrino physics, DUNE has proposed an analysis using the DUNE Far Detector module to set limits for proton decay through the decay channel $p\rightarrow K^++\bar{\nu}$. This measurement would require information on kaons in argon, providing ProtoDUNE-SP LArTPC another opportunity to aid DUNE. This thesis describes the calibration of ProtoDUNE-SP and its detector performance, which serves as a benchmark for the performance of the DUNE Far Detector modules. A specific calibration highlighted is the evaluation of the liquid argon purity in the detector. These measurements use cosmic-ray muons reconstructed in the detector that are calibrated and matched to data from scintillator strips external to the TPC, known as the Cosmic Ray Tagger (CRT). The thesis will discuss the algorithms to match the data between the ProtoDUNE-SP LArTPC and the CRT and discuss the liquid argon purity measurements using one of the algorithms. Data sets of calibrated tracks measured the liquid argon contamination as consistently below 100 ppt oxygen equivalent. After these discussions on the ProtoDUNE-SP LArTPC detector, the thesis will present an evaluation of the inclusive inelastic, sometimes referred to as a reactive, cross section on argon of kaons from the ProtoDUNE-SP test beam with an average momentum of 6 GeV/c.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2022

Novel Sensors for Particle Tracking: a Contribution to the Snowmass Community Planning Exercise of 2021

Five contemporary technologies are discussed in the context of their potential roles in particle tracking for future high energy physics applications. These include sensors of the 3D configuration, in both diamond and silicon, submicron-dimension pixels, thin film detectors, and scintillating quantum dots in gallium arsenide. Drivers of the technologies include radiation hardness, excellent position, vertex, and timing resolution, simplified integration, and optimized power, cost, and material.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2021

Muon Neutrino Charged Current Single Pion Production on Various Targets in the MINERvA Detector

Measurements of neutrino oscillation parameters at accelerator-based experiments require precise knowledge of neutrino interaction cross sections. A significant fraction of neutrino interactions observed in these experiments produce single charged pions. While single charged pion production has been measured on hydrocarbon and water, few precise measurements exist for heavier targets, and there are no high statistics measurements that directly compare pion production on different targets. This thesis measures differential cross sections of muon neutrino charged current single charged pion production with no other mesons in the final state in a neutrino beam with a mean energy of $\approx 6$ GeV. The pion production is studied on targets of scintillator, carbon, water, iron, and lead at MINERvA, a neutrino cross section experiment located in the NuMI beamline at Fermilab. These measured cross sections are differential in $\mu^-$ and $\pi^+$ kinematics. A strong suppression of low $Q^2 $ and an enhancement of low $T_\pi$ are observed relative to commonly used neutrino interaction models in both the light and heavy nuclear targets. Incorporation of these observed effects in future neutrino oscillation experiments will improve their ability to measure energy of neutrino interactions, and therefore measure the parameters governing neutrino oscillations.

Bercellie, Aaron↗
DOE OSTI2022

Standard Analytical Methods for Pyrolysis Bio-Oils

There has been significant recent interest in the production of renewable fuels and chemicals from biomass and waste feedstocks. Pyrolysis pathways produce a liquid bio-oil product, which must be processed further, or upgraded, to yield fuel or chemical products. Bio-oils are very complex and often unstable samples, and research and development on upgrading processes needs reliable analytical information. In particular, chemical characterization techniques are needed to quantify both functional groups and individual compounds present in bio-oils. Reliable analytics are also needed to enable the bioenergy industry, as industrial facilities often have different analytical needs and capabilities than research facilities. In this presentation, we will discuss the development of a suite of standard analytical methods for pyrolysis bio-oils. Analytical methods to be discussed include: Determination of Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, and Oxygen in bio-oils; Accelerated Aging of Fast Pyrolysis Bio-oil using Carbonyl Titration; Determination of Water Content in Bio-oils by Volumetric Karl Fischer Titration; Determination of Carbon Functional Groups; Elemental Analysis of Bio-oils by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) - Na, K, Mg, Ca, S, P, and Fe; Determination of Phenolic Groups in Bio-oils using Revised Folin-Ciocalteu Methods: Single Cuvette and Plate Reader; Corrosivity of Bio-oils: Screening Test using Metal Leaching; Determination of Biogenic Content by 14C Measurement using Liquid Scintillation Counter. These new analytical methods are publicly available as Laboratory Analytical Procedures (https://www.nrel.gov/bioenergy/bio-oil-analysis.html), along with previously developed standard methods: GC-MS, Acid Titration, Carbonyl Titration, and 31P NMR. Additionally, the development of diffusion ordered NMR for characterization of bio-oil molecular weight will be discussed. Collectively, this suite of analytical methods represents the most comprehensive set of standard methods available for pyrolysis bio-oils. These standard methods are commonly used by the bioenergy community, and provide reliable information that enables research, scaleup, and industrial processing of biomass to produce renewable fuels and chemicals.

analytical↗
DOE OSTI2022

A potential probe of Fundamental Interactions using Multi-Modal Cosmic Ray events

The Horizon-T experiment in Tien Shan is based on the idea of measuring the time at which EAS disc passes the observation level with nanosecond accuracy. The detector system consists of ten charged particles registration points located at distances of up to several hundred meters from each other. The points are equipped with detectors based on registration of Cherenkov radiation in glass and registration of scintillation light in polystyrene. The detectors register the arrival times of charged particles at the observation level with a resolution of ~2 ns, as required to study the spatial and temporal characteristics of the EAS and the structure of the multi-modal events specifically. Over the period of the Horizon-T data taking since 2017 to present, a large number of multi-modal events were detected. The data has presented numerous challenges that show the direction towards the further development of the detector system and of the analysis methods and techniques that could be applied to these multi-modal events.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Muon neutrino charged current single pion production on various targets in the MINERvA detector

Measurements of neutrino oscillation parameters at accelerator-based experiments require precise knowledge of neutrino interaction cross sections. A significant fraction of neutrino interactions observed in these experiments produce single charged pions. While single charged pion production has been measured on hydrocarbon and water, few precise measurements exist for heavier targets, and there are no high statistics measurements that directly compare pion production on different targets. This thesis measures differential cross sections of muon neutrino charged current single charged pion production with no other mesons in the final state in a neutrinobeam with a mean energy of ≈ 6 GeV. The pion production is studied on targets of scintillator, carbon, water, iron, and lead at MINERvA, a neutrino cross section experiment located in the NuMI beamline at Fermilab. These measured cross sections are differential in μ - and π + kinematics. A strong suppression of low Q 2 and an enhancement of low π are observed relative to commonly used neutrino interaction models in both the light and heavy nuclear targets. Incorporation of these observed effects in future neutrino oscillation experiments will improve their ability to measure energy of neutrino interactions, and therefore measure the parameters governing neutrino oscillations.

Bercellie, Aaron↗
DOE OSTI2022

Snowmass Instrumentation Frontier IF08 Topical Group Report: Noble Element Detectors

Particle detectors making use of noble elements in gaseous, liquid, or solid phases are prevalent in neutrino and dark matter experiments and are also used to a lesser extent in collider-based particle physics experiments. These experiments take advantage of both the very large, ultra-pure target volumes achievable and the multiple observable signal pathways possible in noble-element based particle detectors. As these experiments seek to increase their sensitivity, novel and improved technologies will be needed to enhance the precision of their measurements and to broaden the reach of their physics programs. The areas of R&D in noble element instrumentation that have been identified by the HEP community in the Snowmass process are highlighted by five key messages: IF08-1) Enhance and combine existing modalities (scintillation and electron drift) to increase signal-to-noise and reconstruction fidelity; IF08-2) Develop new modalities for signal detection in noble elements, including methods based on ion drift, metastable fluids, solid-phase detectors and dissolved targets. Collaborative and blue-sky R&D should also be supported to enable advances in this area; IF08-3) Improve the understanding of detector microphysics and calibrate detector response in new signal regimes; IF08-4) Address challenges in scaling technologies, including material purification, background mitigation, large-area readout, and magnetization; and IF08-5) Train the next generation of researchers, using fast-turnaround instrumentation projects to provide the design-through-result training no longer possible in very-large-scale experiments. This topical group report identifies and documents recent developments and future needs for noble element detector technologies. In addition, we highlight the opportunity that this area of research provides for continued training of the next generation of scientists.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2021

NOvA as a Supernova Observatory

Extra-solar system neutrino astronomy was born in February 1987 when a supernova in a nearby satellite galaxy deposited a couple dozen neutrino events across three solar neutrino and nucleon decay experiments. This marked the first-ever observation of supernova neutrinos, as well as the first supernova in our galactic neighborhood visible to the naked eye in nearly 400 years. There is still much we do not know about the dynamics of these powerful explosions, but one thing is certain: neutrinos play a central role in driving a supernova. They also provide a unique opportunity for probing the interior conditions of a collapsing stellar core. Since 1987, the number of neutrino detectors around the world has grown. When the next supernova occurs, detectors must be ready to seize the moment and record data from this rare event that only happens a couple times per century. The NOvA experiment has been prepared for this for some time, but it has been unclear how well NOvA will be ab le to se parate supernova-like events from the large cosmogenic backgrounds and extract meaningful physical insight. In this thesis, I show that the cosmic-induced backgrounds in the NOvA detectors---especially the far detector---can be reduced to an acceptable level for core-collapse supernovae within $\sim$15 kpc and that a determination of the neutrino mass ordering can be made for nearby supernovae under certain conditions. This thesis paves the way for future sensitivity studies and eventual analyses of real supernova data, and shows that NOvA's liquid scintillator neutrino detectors are a capable supernova observatory.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Estimating β eff from static, late-time Feynman neutron noise measurements

The effective delayed neutron fraction, β eff , is a kinematic parameter describing the contribution of delayed neutrons to the effective multiplication factor, $\kappa$ eff , and is of great interest to the nuclear criticality safety community and beyond. In fact, $\kappa$ eff presently must be inferred (as opposed to directly measured) since variables like β eff must be obtained from simulation, reference tables, or a dynamic or pulsed measurement where the assembly of fissile material is perturbed and not in steady state. Several recent works have proposed neutron noise techniques to estimate β eff from static measurements (such as benchmark experiments). This work experimentally investigates an approach based on looking at late-time (up to thousands of seconds) correlated neutrons in Feynman histograms. This work utilizes measurements of weapons grade plutonium and highly enriched uranium to construct late-time Feynman histograms and investigate a proposed methodology of estimating β eff from a fit of the distribution. Data is shown from both He-3 detectors and an organic scintillator array. This work is preliminary in nature, demonstrating some experimental feasibility and proposing improvements for future investigations.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Examination of New Theory for Neutron Multiplicity Counting of Non-Point-Like Sources of Special Nuclear Material

The purpose of a nondestructive assay is to accurately verify the declared mass of special nuclear material (SNM) samples in a limited amount of time. One measurement modality is neutron multiplicity counting (NMC), which relates time-correlated neutron detection rates to the mass of SNM present. Traditional theory assumes point-like sources, which can be ill-posed for kilogram-quantity, bulk samples. Recent theory was developed to improve NMC accuracy for non-point-like samples. This work preliminarily examines the theory with measured data. The OSCAR prototype (a 3-by-4 array of 5.08-cm-thick, 5.08-cm-diameter trans-stilbene organic scintillators) measures configurations of 29.41-49.00 kg of highly enriched uranium (93wt% 235 U). Adjusted factorial moments for the emitted neutron multiplicity distributions are used to account for the shape and type of SNM being measured.

252Cf↗