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6 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

MPGD Trackers in the ePIC Detector at the EIC

The future Electron-Ion Collider (EIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory will collide polarized electrons with polarized proton/ions. The electron ? Proton / Ion Collider (ePIC) Experiment is the EIC general-purpose detector aiming at delivering the full physics program of the EIC. This unique environment imposes stringent requirements on the tracking system needed for the measurement of the scattered electron and charged particles produced in the collisions at the EIC. The central tracker of the ePIC detector has silicon layers for tracking and vertexing based on MAPS technology, which are complemented by large Micro-Pattern Gaseous Detector (MPGD) trackers in the barrel and in both the electron and hadron end cap regions. The MPGD layers provide fast timing (10-20 ns) and additional hit points (150 µm) for pattern recognition during track finding. Two MPGD technologies are used in ePIC central trackers: cylindrical Micromegas for the barrel inner tracker and planar thin-gap GEM-µRWELL hybrid detector for the barrel outer tracker and the end cap disks. In this talk, we will introduce these two technologies in the context of ePIC and we will discuss the ongoing R&D efforts to address the requirements. Finally, we will discuss the plans and timeline for the production and testing and commissioning of the MPGD trackers for the installation in the ePIC detector.

Gnanvo, Kondo↗
DOE OSTI2022

Development of Large Area µRWELL Detectors for CLAS12 High Luminosity Upgrade at Jefferson Lab

The high-luminosity upgrade of the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS12) will significantly enhance the physics reach of experiments in Hall B at JLab. However, at the current luminosity of L = 1 × 1035 cm-2 s-1, the reconstruction efficiency of charged particles in the forward region of the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS12) is at the level of 85% and limited in part by the drift chambers inability to handle high occupancy, in the first tracking region (DC-R1) of the Forward Detector. The reconstruction efficiency is expected to drop even lower at higher luminosities with the current tracking technology. Various options under consideration to achieve the desired performance at a higher luminosity of L = 2 × 1035 cm-2 s-1 include the addition of fast tracking layers to complement DC-R1 or the replacement of DC-R1 with a different tracking detector technology altogether. In either case, a novel generation of compact, simple and robust Micro-Pattern Gaseous Detector (MPGD) known as the Resistive Micro-Well detector (µRWELL) is the ideal candidate to satisfy the requirements in terms of timing O (10 ns) and position O (100 µm) resolutions. A large µRWELL prototype, combined with a two-dimensional U-V strip readout layer based on the novel concept of capacitive-sharing approach has been developed as a proof of principle for fast tracking capabilities in the forward region of CLAS12 high-luminosity upgrade. In this talk, we will present the technical aspects of the design choices of the large µRWELL prototype under development and report on the detector assembly process and preliminary performance characteristic tests. We will also discuss the plans for the test and characterization of the prototype in beam during spring 2023 CEBAF run. Finally, we will report on ongoing R&D efforts on small prototypes with the goal to improve rate capability, spatial resolution performance and minimize material thickness.

Gnanvo, Kondo↗
DOE OSTI2025

SALSA: a new versatile readout chip for MPGD detectors

The SALSA chip is a future readout ASIC foreseen for the MPGD detectors, developed in the framework of the EIC collider project, to equip the MPGD trackers of the EPIC experiment. It is designed to be versatile, to be adapted to other usages of MPGD detectors like TPC or photon detectors. It integrates a frontend block and an ADC for each of the 64 channels, associated to a configurable DSP processor meant to correct data and reduce the raw data flux to limit the output bandwidth. It will be compatible with the continuous readout foreseen for the EPIC DAQ, but will also work in a triggered environment. Several prototypes are already produced in order to qualify the different blocks of the chip, in particular the frontend, the ADC and the clock generation. The next 32-channel prototype is currently under development and is planed to be produced in 2025. In conclusion, the final prototype will be produced and tested from 2026 for a production of the SALSA chip at the horizon of 2027.

Data processing↗
DOE OSTI2022

Rate-capability of the VMM3a front-end in the RD51 Scalable Readout System

The VMM3a is an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), specifically developed for the readout of gaseous detectors. Originally developed within the ATLAS New Small Wheel (NSW) upgrade, it has been successfully integrated into the Scalable Readout System (SRS) of the RD51 collaboration. This allows, to use the VMM3a also in small laboratory set-ups and mid-scale experiments, which make use of Micro-Pattern Gaseous Detectors (MPGDs). As part of the integration of the VMM3a into the SRS, the readout and data transfer scheme was optimised to reach a high rate-capability of the entire readout system and profit from the VMM3a's high single-channel rate-capability of 3.6Mhits/s. The optimisation focused mainly on the handling of the data output stream of the VMM3a, but also on the development of a trigger-logic between the front-end cards and the DAQ computer. In this article, two firmware implementations of the non-ATLAS continuous readout mode are presented, as well as the implementation of the trigger-logic. Afterwards, a short overview on X-ray imaging results is presented, to illustrate the high rate-capability from an application point-of-view.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2026

Advancing Detector R&D for High-Pressure Gaseous Argon TPCs in Precision Neutrino Physics

High-pressure gaseous argon time projection chambers (HPgTPCs) represent an emerging detector paradigm for neutrino physics, combining increased target density with the intrinsic tracking and low thresholds of gaseous detectors. This approach enables detailed reconstruction of exclusive final states, improved particle identification, and sensitivity to low-energy and rare processes — capabilities that are increasingly central to precision oscillation measurements and searches for beyond-the-Standard-Model signatures. This abstract presents an overview of ongoing detector R&D toward high-pressure gaseous argon TPC operation, with emphasis on micro-pattern gas detector (MPGD) charge amplification in argon-based mixtures. We report experimental characterization of triple-GEM structures at pressures relevant for neutrino applications, including studies of multiplication factor scaling, stability, and operational voltage envelopes across gas admixtures. Measurements performed at the TOAD and GORG test stands at Fermilab help define viable amplification and electronics noise regimes in conditions where higher density imposes stricter constraints on signal formation. These results provide essential input to the optimization of high-pressure gaseous argon detectors for future neutrino experiments, including near-detector concepts such as ND-GAr in DUNE Phase II near detector upgrade. More broadly, this program shows how dedicated detector R&D can expand the precision frontier in neutrino physics by enabling complementary reconstruction capabilities beyond conventional detectors.

McConnell, Brenna [Indiana U.] (ORCID:000900041138↗
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↗