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At least 1,387 records · Page 77
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2017

A LYSO crystal array readout by silicon photomultipliers as compact detector for space applications

Precise measurements of GeV range gamma rays help narrow down among var- ious gamma emission models and increase sensitivity for dark matter searches. Construction of precise as well as compact instruments requires detectors with high efficiency, high stopping power, excellent energy resolution, and excellent angular resolution. Fast and bright crystal scintillators coupled with small foot- print photo-detectors are suitable candidates. We prototyped a detector array consisting of four LYSO crystals where each crystal is read out by a 2x2 SensL ArrayJ60035 silicon photomultipliers. The LYSO crystals were chosen because of their good light yield, fast decay time, demonstrated radiation hardness, and small radiation length. Here, we used the silicon photomultiplier arrays as photo- detectors because of their small size, simple readout, low voltage operation, and immunity to magnetic elds. We also studied the detector performance in the energy range of interest by exposing it to 2-16 GeV particles produced at the Test Beam Facility of Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory.

43 PARTICLE ACCELERATORS↗
DOE OSTI2020

Performance of position-sensitive resistive silicon detectors in the Forward Array Using Silicon Technology (FAUST)

The silicon telescopes of the Forward Array Using Silicon Technology (FAUST) have been recently upgraded with silicon detectors which use resistive charge-splitting to measure the position of charged particles. This is in addition to the measurement of the total energy that these charged particles deposit in the detector. The upgrade results in increased angular resolution with a much smaller number of signals than silicon strip detectors with similar resolution. Here, a novel method of calibration has been used to demonstrate the efficacy of these position-sensitive detectors, and the detectors have been used in a commissioning experiment.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2022

Investigation of sCVD diamond detectors for low energy heavy-ion reactions

Here the performance characteristics of single-crystalline diamond detectors at varying rates of heavy-ions below 50 MeV/u have been investigated. When tested with a 228 Th source, the energy resolution of these detectors is better than 1.0% FWHM for 8.8 MeV α-particles. With a slight reduction in the energy resolution, simultaneous timing resolution of 314 ps has been achieved. Isotopic resolution has been achieved up to magnesium using a diamond telescope at low rates with a 20 MeV/u 20 Ne + 12 C reaction. At moderate rates of direct 7.5 MeV/u 78 Kr, polarization effects are observed, though this effect can be diminished by increasing the applied voltage on the detector up to a limit. After an accumulated dose of 6.9 × 10 8 direct 78 Kr particles transmitting through the detector, a degradation in the energy resolution of the 8.8 MeV peak from 1.6% to 5.3% is observed, indicating that permanent damage has been done to the detector.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2023

High event rate analysis technique for the dual-axis duo-lateral position-sensitive silicon detectors of FAUST

The dual-axis duo-lateral (DADL) position-sensitive silicon detector was developed to obtain precise position and energy information for detected charged particles. The Forward Array Using Silicon Technology (FAUST) is currently equipped with 68 DADL detectors backed by CsI(Tl) scintillators for the study of charged particle correlations in heavy-ion collisions where precise position and energy information is essential. When conventional signal processing electronics were used for the DADL detectors, a position dependence of the measured energy as well as distortions in the calculated particle positions were observed. In previous work, waveforms from the detector after preamplification were studied to better understand the features that give rise to these distortions; therein, a waveform analysis technique was developed to improve the energy resolution and linearity in position reconstruction. However, the reading and writing of waveforms for an entire detector array limits data collection rates and adds significant burden in data storage and analysis speed. In this work, the integrators of a Struck SIS3316 ADC were utilized to process 228 Th source data to develop and optimize a new analysis method that captures the benefits of the waveform analysis technique while circumventing the waveform writing requirement. This integrator method – capable of 59 keV (FWHM) energy resolution – was used in the collection of 35 MeV/nucleon 28 Si + 12 C collision data using FAUST to investigate exotic decays of highly excited highly deformed nuclei. In this data, a position resolution of 0.4 mm (FWHM) was obtained for 25 MeV α-particles; for α-particles near this energy that originate from 8 Be ground state decays, a 8 Be ground state width of 30 keV (FWHM) was obtained. The impact of the energy-dependent DADL position resolution emergent from electronic noise on the quality of excited state measurement was modeled and compared to the experimental data.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
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 ↗
DOE OSTI2023

Demonstrating imaging plate detector stacks for proton radiography using exploding pusher capsules

A new detector design has been fielded on the Omega-60 laser facility using a D 3 He backlighter capsule to radiograph a magnetized experiment. D 3 He capsules produce a low flux (~ 10 8 total yield in 4π) of protons requiring detectors with close-to single-particle sensitivity to be employed. The new detector stack consisted of both imaging plate (IP) and CR-39 to detect 14.7 MeV protons where, historically, only CR-39 has been used. IP is sensitive to significant contributions in signal from both x-rays and protons so additional filtering has to be added to attenuate the x-rays. Here, the signals and features observed from a single shot are detected by both IP and CR-39, giving confirmation that it is protons creating the signatures on the IP. Measurements of PSL/pixel are used to calculate approximate on-shot proton yields and agree with commonly measured yields. A second IP is used at the rear of the stack to measure, and subsequently remove, a background signal. The spatial resolution at the IP is limited, primarily, by a range of proton energies with varying deflections being recorded at the detector, causing potential ‘blurring’ of features. We find for this setup that the blurring effect is less than the smallest identifiable features observed at the detector, and therefore of minimal impact. A large benefit to this new stack design is that IP can be scanned and processed on much faster timescales than CR-39 allowing for prompt shot feedback. Future designs and modifications to the stack design fielded on this experiment could help improve the contrast of the radiograph on IP, as well as detecting protons produced at alternative energies.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

The design and construction of the Chips water Cherenkov neutrino detector

Chips (CHerenkov detectors In mine PitS) was a prototype large-scale water Cherenkov detector located in northern Minnesota. The main aim of the R&D project was to demonstrate that construction costs of neutrino oscillation detectors could be reduced by at least an order of magnitude compared to other equivalent experiments. This article presents design features of the Chips detector along with details of the implementation and deployment of the prototype. While issues during and after the deployment of the detector prevented data taking, a number of key concepts and designs were successfully demonstrated.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

Design of the ECCE detector for the Electron Ion Collider

The EIC Comprehensive Chromodynamics Experiment (ECCE) detector has been designed to address the full scope of the proposed Electron Ion Collider (EIC) physics program as presented by the National Academy of Science and provide a deeper understanding of the quark-gluon structure of matter. To accomplish this, the ECCE detector offers nearly acceptance and energy coverage along with excellent tracking and particle identification. The ECCE detector was designed to be built within the budget envelope set out by the EIC project while simultaneously managing cost and schedule risks. Finally, this detector concept has been selected to be the basis for the EIC project detector.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Performance characterization of 5×5×12 mm 3 virtual Frisch-grid TlBr detectors

Thallium bromide (TlBr) is a promising material for semiconductor gamma-ray detectors due to its high atomic number (Tl = 81, Br = 35), high density (7.56 g/cm 3 ), and relatively low melting point (460 °C). These properties give TlBr several competitive features, including high detection efficiency, good energy resolution, and lower fabrication costs, making it suitable for applications requiring compact, highly sensitive gamma-ray detection systems. Recent developments of TlBr detectors have progressed toward thicker crystals, up to 10–20 mm, configured as pixelated or virtual Frisch-grid (VFG) devices with volumes >1 cm 3 . Despite these advances, challenges remain in practical implementation, including material and fabrication issues that affect energy resolution, device stability, performance, and longevity. These challenges are similar to those faced by HgI 2 and lead-halide perovskite detectors. Here, this study presents results from characterizing over 100 position-sensitive 5×5×12 mm 3 virtual Frisch-grid detectors fabricated by Radiation Monitoring Devices Inc. For a prototype Radioisotope Identification Device (RIID). The work identified factors limiting the performance and longevity of TlBr detectors, including stochastic response variations that limit the energy resolution to 2–3 % (at 662 keV) for most devices, performance degradation associated with defect decoration, and contact delamination. Addressing these issues advances the use of TlBr and similar materials for reliable, high-resolution gamma-ray spectroscopy.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2017

Impact of detector simulation in particle physics collider experiments

Through the last three decades, precise simulation of the interactions of particles with matter and modeling of detector geometries has proven to be of critical importance to the success of the international high-energy physics experimental programs. For example, the detailed detector modeling and accurate physics of the Geant4-based simulation software of the CMS and ATLAS particle physics experiments at the European Center of Nuclear Research (CERN) Large Hadron Collider (LHC) was a determinant factor for these collaborations to deliver physics results of outstanding quality faster than any hadron collider experiment ever before. This review article highlights the impact of detector simulation on particle physics collider experiments. It presents numerous examples of the use of simulation, from detector design and optimization, through software and computing development and testing, to cases where the use of simulation samples made a difference in the accuracy of the physics results and publication turnaround, from data-taking to submission. It also presents the economic impact and cost of simulation in the CMS experiment. Future experiments will collect orders of magnitude more data, taxing heavily the performance of simulation and reconstruction software for increasingly complex detectors. Consequently, it becomes urgent to find solutions to speed up simulation software in order to cope with the increased demand in a time of flat budgets. The study ends with a short discussion on the potential solutions that are being explored, by leveraging core count growth in multicore machines, using new generation coprocessors, and re-engineering of HEP code for concurrency and parallel computing.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

Energy-resolved fast-neutron radiography using an event-mode neutron imaging detector

Energy-resolved fast-neutron radiography is a powerful non-destructive technique that can be used to remotely measure the quantity and distribution of elements and isotopes in a sample. This is done by comparing the energy-dependent neutron transmission of a sample with the known cross-sections of individual isotopes. The reconstruction of the composition is possible due to the unique features (e.g. resonances) in the cross-sections of individual isotopes. At short-pulsed (≲ 1 ns) neutron sources, such information is accessible via time-of-flight neutron imaging in principle, but requires a detector with nanosecond temporal resolution. Conventional neutron detectors can meet this requirement only by heavily compromising spatial resolution or efficiency. Here, we present a unique approach on fast neutron resonance radiography using a scintillator-based event-mode imaging detector at a short-pulsed neutron source, including first results on spatially mapped resonance profiles using MeV neutrons. The event mode approach applied in the presented detector allows recording of individual neutron interactions with nanosecond precision in time and sub-mm resolution in space. As a result, the entire available neutron energy spectrum can be measured for each pulse. At the same time, the use of a thick scintillator screen and lenses to focus the produced light results in a highly flexible field of view and a high interaction probability in the sensitive volume of the detector.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

Collective excitations and low-energy ionization signatures of relativistic particles in silicon detectors

Abstract Solid-state detectors with a low energy threshold have several applications, including searches of non-relativistic halo dark-matter particles with sub-GeV masses. When searching for relativistic, beyond-the-Standard-Model particles with enhanced cross sections for small energy transfers, a small detector with a low energy threshold may have better sensitivity than a larger detector with a higher energy threshold. In this paper, we calculate the low-energy ionization spectrum from high-velocity particles scattering in a dielectric material. We consider the full material response including the excitation of bulk plasmons. We generalize the energy-loss function to relativistic kinematics, and benchmark existing tools used for halo dark-matter scattering against electron energy-loss spectroscopy data. Compared to calculations commonly used in the literature, such as the Photo-Absorption-Ionization model or the free-electron model, including collective effects shifts the recoil ionization spectrum towards higher energies, typically peaking around 4–6 electron-hole pairs. We apply our results to the three benchmark examples: millicharged particles produced in a beam, neutrinos with a magnetic dipole moment produced in a reactor, and upscattered dark-matter particles. Our results show that the proper inclusion of collective effects typically enhances a detector’s sensitivity to these particles, since detector backgrounds, such as dark counts, peak at lower energies.

Physics↗
DOE OSTI2015

Detector-Response Correction of Two-Dimensional γ -Ray Spectra from Neutron Capture

The neutron-capture reaction produces a large variety of γ-ray cascades with different γ-ray multiplicities. A measured spectral distribution of these cascades for each γ-ray multiplicity is of importance to applications and studies of γ-ray statistical properties. The DANCE array, a 4π ball of 160 BaF2 detectors, is an ideal tool for measurement of neutron-capture γ-rays. The high granularity of DANCE enables measurements of high-multiplicity γ-ray cascades. The measured two-dimensional spectra (γ-ray energy, γ-ray multiplicity) have to be corrected for the DANCE detector response in order to compare them with predictions of the statistical model or use them in applications. The detector-response correction problem becomes more difficult for a 4π detection system than for a single detector. A trial and error approach and an iterative decomposition of γ-ray multiplets, have been successfully applied to the detector-response correction. Applications of the decomposition methods are discussed for two-dimensional γ-ray spectra measured at DANCE from γ-ray sources and from the 10B(n, γ) and 113Cd(n, γ) reactions.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2021

Development of a Fast-Spectrum Self-Powered Neutron Detector for Molten Salt Experiments in the Versatile Test Reactor

The self-powered neutron detector (SPND) is a widely used flux monitor in thermal nuclear reactors. Although this is a mature technology, the current state of the art is tuned for a thermal neutron spectrum, so many of the devices currently in use lack sensitivity to fast neutrons. Because current in SPNDs is produced through nuclear reactions with the neutron flux inside a reactor, sensitivity in SPNDs is determined by the neutron cross section of the neutron-sensitive portion of the detector, termed the emitter. This neutron cross section drops by orders of magnitude between thermal and fast neutron energies for many emitters in currently used SPNDs, with a corresponding drop in current from the detector. This paper discusses efforts to develop a fast-spectrum self-powered neutron detector (FS-SPND) that is sensitive to neutrons with energies ranging from 0.025 eV up to 1 MeV. An in-depth analysis of Evaluated Nuclear Data File (ENDF)/B-VII.1 neutron-capture cross sections was performed, and four new materials were identified that are suitable emitter candidates for use in measuring fast neutrons. All four materials are stable mid-shell nuclei in the region between doubly magic 132Sn and 208Pb. Each candidate was simulated with the Geant4 Monte Carlo simulation toolkit to optimize overall detector efficiency.

Goetz, Callie↗
DOE OSTI2012

Neutron field parameter measurements on the JET tokamak by means of super-heated fluid detectors

The neutron field parameters (fluence and energy distribution) at a specific location outside the JET Torus Hall have been measured by means of super-heated fluid detectors (or 'bubble detectors') in combination with an independent, time-of-flight, technique. The bubble detector assemblies were placed at the end of a vertical line of sight at about 16 m from the tokamak mid plane. Spatial distributions of the neutron fluence along the radial and toroidal directions have been obtained using two-dimensional arrays of bubble detectors. Using a set of three bubble detector spectrometers the neutron energy distribution was determined over a broad energy range, from about 10 keV to above 10 MeV, with an energy resolution of about 30% at 2.5 MeV. The very broad energy response allowed for the identification of energy features far from the main fusion component (around 2.45 MeV for deuterium discharges).

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2012

A novel method for modeling the neutron time of flight detector response in current mode to inertial confinement fusion experiments (invited)

A novel method for modeling the neutron time of flight (nTOF) detector response in current mode for inertial confinement fusion experiments has been applied to the on-axis nTOF detectors located in the basement of the Z-Facility. It will be shown that this method can identify sources of neutron scattering, and is useful for predicting detector responses in future experimental configurations, and for identifying potential sources of neutron scattering when experimental set-ups change. This method can also provide insight on how much broadening neutron scattering contributes to the primary signals, which is then subtracted from them. Detector time responses are deconvolved from the signals, allowing a transformation from dN/dt to dN/dE, extracting neutron spectra at each detector location; these spectra are proportional to the absolute yield.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2014

Simulation and analysis of grating-integrated quantum dot infrared detectors for spectral response control and performance enhancement

We propose and analyze a novel detector structure for pixel-level multispectral infrared imaging. More specifically, we investigate the device performance of a grating-integrated quantum dots-in-a-well photodetector under backside illumination. Our design uses 1-dimensional grating patterns fabricated directly on a semiconductor contact layer and, thus, adds a minimal amount of additional effort to conventional detector fabrication flows. We show that we can gain wide-range control of spectral response as well as large overall detection enhancement by adjusting grating parameters. For small grating periods, the spectral responsivity gradually changes with parameters. We explain this spectral tuning using the Fabry–Perot resonance and effective medium theory. For larger grating periods, the responsivity spectra get complicated due to increased diffraction into the active region, but we find that we can obtain large enhancement of the overall detector performance. In our design, the spectral tuning range can be larger than 1 μm, and, compared to the unpatterned detector, the detection enhancement can be greater than 92% and 148% for parallel and perpendicular polarizations. Our work can pave the way for practical, easy-to-fabricate detectors, which are highly useful for many infrared imaging applications.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2015

A gas ionisation detector in the axial (Bragg) geometry used for the time-of-flight elastic recoil detection analysis

In this paper, time-of-flight elastic recoil detection analysis spectrometer with a newly constructed gas ionization detector for energy detection is presented. The detector is designed in the axial (Bragg) geometry with a 3 × 3 array of 50 nm thick Si{sub 3}N{sub 4} membranes as an entrance window. 40 mbar isobutane gas was sufficient to stop a 30 MeV primary iodine beam as well as all recoils in the detector volume. Spectrometer and detector performances were determined showing significant improvement in the mass and energy resolution, respectively, comparing to the spectrometer with a standard silicon particle detector for an energy measurement.

2-METHYLPROPANE↗