Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “Detector development”

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.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 181 records · Page 10
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

The Italian Summer Students Program at Fermilab and other US Laboratories: 40 years of education in particle physics and technology

Since 1983 the Italian groups collaborating with Fermilab (US) have been running a 2-month summer training program for Master students. While in the first year the program involved only 4 physics students, in the following years it was extended to engineering students. Many students have extended their collaboration with Fermilab with their Master Thesis and PhD. The program has involved almost 600 Italian students from more than 20 Italian universities. Each intern is supervised by a Fermilab Mentor responsible for the training program. Training programs spanned from Tevatron, CMS, Muon (g-2), Mu2e and SBN and DUNE design and data analysis, development of particle detectors, design of electronic and accelerator components, development of infrastructures and software for tera-data handling, quantum computing and research on superconductive elements and accelerating cavities. In 2015 the University of Pisa included the program within its own educational programs. Summer Students are enrolled at the University of Pisa for the duration of the internship and at the end of the internship they write summary reports on their achievements. After positive evaluation by a University of Pisa Examining Board, interns are acknowledged 6 ECTS credits for their Diploma Supplement. In the years 2020 and 2021 the program was canceled due to the sanitary emergency but in 2022 it was restarted and allowed a cohort of 21 students in 2022, and a cohort of 27 students in 2023 to be trained for nine weeks at Fermilab. We are now organizing the 2024 program.

Barzi, Emanuela↗
DOE OSTI2020

Imaging Based Detector with Efficient Scintillators for Neutron Diffraction Measurements

The Anger Camera developed by the detector group at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory was utilized for the present work for its unique advantage of employing multiple modules to obtain large active measurement area for detecting diffracted/scattered thermal neutrons. Considering the relatively small flux associated with diffracted/scattered neutrons, suitable efficiency with high spatial resolution is a requirement for utilizing two-dimensional imaging detectors. The potential to implement pulse shape (in addition to pulse height) discrimination-based scintillators further enhances the ability to detect diffracted neutrons with improved signal to noise ratio. In this paper, initial results associated with 6Li glass-based scintillator will be presented. The authors explored the feasibility of using this system to detect and quantify diffraction peaks and peak shifts at the Neutron Residual Stress Facility (NRSF2), High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) in the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Suitable camera mounting and shielding had to be developed. Reference measurements using polycrystalline powders with known atomic planar spacing will be discussed along with measurement settings associated with expected resolution for peak shift measurements. Initial results are promising and demonstrate that a suitable scintillation-based neutron detecting system is viable for residual stress-based diffraction measurements. Small area detectors are also feasible with suitable consideration to scattering volume and distance to detector.

Seals, Matthew↗
DOE OSTI2023

Development of the microcalorimeter and anticoincidence detector for the Line Emission Mapper x-ray probe

The Line Emission Mapper (LEM) is an x-ray probe mission concept that is designed to provide unprecedented insight into the physics of galaxy formation, including stellar and black-hole feedback and flows of baryonic matter into and out of galaxies. LEM incorporates a light-weight x-ray optic with a large-format microcalorimeter array. The LEM detector utilizes a 14k pixel array of transition-edge sensors (TESs) that will provide <2.5 eV spectral resolution over the energy range 0.2 to 2 keV, along with a field-of-view of 30 arcmin. The microcalorimeter array and readout builds upon the technology developed for the European Space Agency’s (ESA’s) Athena/x-ray Integral Field Unit. Here, we present a detailed overview of the base- line microcalorimeter design, its performance characteristics, including a detailed energy resolution budget and the expected count-rate capability. In addition, we outline the current status and plan for continued technology maturation. Behind the LEM array sits a high-efficiency TES-based anticoincidence (antico) detector that will reject cosmic-ray background events. We will briefly describe the design of the antico and plan for continued development.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2020

Second Generation Readout For Large Format Photon Counting Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detectors

We present the development of a second generation digital readout system for photon counting microwave kinetic inductance detector (MKID) arrays operating in the optical and near-infrared wavelength bands. Our system retains much of the core signal processing architecture from the first generation system but with a significantly higher bandwidth, enabling the readout of kilopixel MKID arrays. Each set of readout boards is capable of reading out 1024 MKID pixels multiplexed over 2 GHz of bandwidth; two such units can be placed in parallel to read out a full 2048 pixel microwave feedline over a 4 GHz–8 GHz band. As in the first generation readout, our system is capable of identifying, analyzing, and recording photon detection events in real time with a time resolution of order a few microseconds. Here, we describe the hardware and firmware, and present an analysis of the noise properties of the system. We also present a novel algorithm for efficiently suppressing IQ mixer sidebands to below −30 dBc.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2020

Generation of Synthetic Data for a Radiation Detection Algorithm Competition

This paper details the generation of synthetic radiation data using large-scale Monte Carlo transport models to evaluate radiation search detection algorithms. Modular 3-D Monte Carlo models spanning multiple city blocks were constructed, loosely based on downtown Knoxville, TN, containing buildings composed of multiple materials (brick, granite, and concrete), sidewalks, a four-lane road, side streets, parking lots, and grassy fields. Background and simulated source detector response calculations from these models were used to create synthetic list mode data sets for a 2"×4"×16" NaI(Tl) detector moving through a city street at a constant speed. For the background simulations, major isotopes were computed individually so that background composition and variability could be computed efficiently outside Monte Carlo. The source detector response included six simulated sources placed at 15 source locations. Detector response was developed to be periodic through the city street so that a detector path could begin at one end of the model and wrap around to the other. This framework allowed for the creation of diverse data sets, each with its own unique background and simulated source detector response. Synthetic data allows for high-quality labels, which are useful in developing data-driven radiation detection algorithms. This methodology was used to create synthetic data sets which were released as part of a public data competition to spur the development of new radiation detection algorithms for radiological search applications.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
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 OSTI2021

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

Abstract—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.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Conceptual design of the modular detector and readout system for the CMB-S4 survey experiment

We present the conceptual design of the modular detector and readout system for the Cosmic Microwave Background – Stage four (CMB-S4) ground-based survey experiment. CMB-S4 will map the cosmic microwave background (CMB) and the millimeter-wave sky to unprecedented sensitivity, using 500,000 superconducting detectors observing from Chile and Antarctica to map over 60% of the sky. The fundamental building block of the detector and readout system is a detector module package operated at 100 mK, which is connected to a readout and amplification chain that carries signals out to room temperature. It uses arrays of feedhorn-coupled orthomode transducers (OMT) that collect optical power from the sky onto dc-voltage-biased transition-edge sensor (TES) bolometers. The resulting current signal in the TESs is then amplified by a two-stage cryogenic Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) system with a time-division multiplexer to reduce wire count, and matching room-temperature electronics to condition and transmit signals to the data acquisition system. Sensitivity and systematics requirements are being developed for the detector and readout system over wide range of observing bands (20 to 300 GHz) and optical powers to accomplish CMB-S4’s science goals. While the design incorporates the successes of previous generations of CMB instruments, CMB-S4 requires an order of magnitude more detectors than any prior experiment. This requires fabrication of complex superconducting circuits on over 10 m2 of silicon, as well as significant amounts of precision wiring, assembly and cryogenic testing

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2021

Low-latency NuMI Trigger for the CHIPS-5 Neutrino Detector

The CHIPS R&D project aims to develop affordable water Cherenkov detectors for large-scale underwater installations. In 2019, a 5kt prototype detector CHIPS-5 was deployed in northern Minnesota to study neutrinos generated by the nearby NuMI beam. This contribution presents a dedicated low-latency time distribution system for CHIPS-5 that delivers timing signals from the Fermilab accelerator to the detector with sub-nanosecond precision. Exploiting existing NOvA infrastructure, the time distribution system achieves this only with open-source software and conventional network elements. In a time-of-flight study, the presented system has reliably offered a time budget of $610 \pm 330\text{ ms}$ for on-site triggering. This permits advanced analysis in real-time as well as a novel hardware-assisted active triggering mode, which reduces DAQ computing load and network bandwidth outside triggered time windows.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2020

Hydrogen Contamination Detector: Protecting the future of zero-emission fuel cell energy [Brief]

Los Alamos National Laboratory developed an electrochemical detector to protect zero-emission hydrogen fuel cells from contaminated fuels. Fuel cells power environmentally clean vehicles, fork lifts, drones, and provide auxiliary power. High-purity hydrogen is essential to avoid poisoning fuel cells. Current analysis methods are costly and cannot detect impurities in realtime. The Hydrogen Contamination Detector measures the two highest impact Department of Energy-identified impurities with a simple, low-cost unit that provides 24/7, point-of-service analysis. Los Alamos partnered with H2Frontiers to conduct field trials at hydrogen refueling stations and with Skyre LLC for commercialization through a DOE Technology Commercialization Fund project.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2020

Simulation of the Charge Measurements for the SuperCDMS Soudan Experiment

Astronomical observations lead us to believe that dark matter constitutes the majority of the mass of the Universe, yet it has never been directly observed experimentally. The Super Cryogenic Dark Matter Search Experiment (SuperCDMS) aims to discover the particle nature of dark matter, by developing and using some of the most sensitive detectors ever built. The SuperCDMS detectors are capable of rejecting known particles to search for dark matter interactions, but the discrimination is a complicated analysis task. Previous analyses with SuperCDMS set world leading sensitivity limits to dark matter interactions, but the analysis techniques have not been based on simulations. Now we have developed an efficient simulations infrastructure that will help better understand the detectors, develop a better background model, and optimize the next generation dark matter searches. In this thesis we present the fully-functional simulations infrastructure to produce high quality samples a s well as results for the charge system readout simulations, and comparisons to expectations from data. We show that our simulations well-reproduce dominant features of data, bringing SuperCDMS closer to a robust simulation-based analysis method, much needed for the upcoming SuperCDMS dark matter searches.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Investigation of signal characteristics and charge sharing in AC-LGADs with laser and test beam measurements

AC-LGADs, also referred to as resistive silicon detectors, are a recent development of low-gain avalanche detectors (LGADs), based on a sensor design where the multiplication layer and n + contact are continuous, and only the metal layer is patterned. In AC-LGADs, the signal is capacitively coupled from the continuous, resistive n + layer over a dielectric to the metal electrodes. Therefore, the spatial resolution is not only influenced by the electrode pitch, but also the relative size of the metal electrodes. Signal propagation between the metallized areas and charge sharing between electrodes plays a larger role in these detectors than in conventional silicon sensors read out in DC mode. AC-LGADs from two manufacturers were studied in beam tests and with infrared laser scans. The impact of n + layer resistivity and metal electrode pitch on the charge sharing and achievable position resolution is shown. For strips with 100 μm pitch, a resolution of ¡ 5 μm can be reached. Additionally, the charge sharing between neighboring strips is investigated in more detail, indicating the induction of signal charge and subsequent re-sharing over the n + layer. Furthermore, an approach to identify signal sharing over large distances is presented.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2022

A Massive, Position-Resolving, High-Energy-Resolution Detector for Non-Accelerator Cosmic and Intensity Frontier Particle Physics

We proposed to take the first steps in the development of a detector that promises energy resolution of tens of eV FWHM combined with robust nuclear-recoil discrimination and high fidelity, mm-precision position reconstruction for applications in non-accelerator particle physics at the Cosmic and Intensity Frontiers. The detector would obtain these excellent resolutions by sensing athermal phonons produced by particle interactions in crystalline, dielectric targets using a sensitive, highly multiplexable superconducting phonon sensor, the kinetic inductance detector (KID). This detector would be applicable to: the search for low-mass particle dark matter candidates with masses below 5~GeV via direct detection of scattering of dark matter particles with terrestrial nuclei; detection of coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering to test for new physics such as a non-standard value of the weak nuclear charge, non-standard neutrino interactions (perhaps driven by a neutrino magnetic moment), or the existence of sterile neutrinos; and, searches for neutrinoless double-beta decay. During the funding period, we demonstrated scaling up of the detector concept from a 22-mm by 22-mm by 1-mm, 1-g prototype with 0.9~keV FWHM energy resolution to a 75-mm diameter by 1-mm, 9-g prototype while improving the inferred energy resolution to 0.7~keV~FWHM. In the process, we solved many problems associated with scaling device fabrication to large wafers and vastly reduced the fraction of the surface occupied by inactive but energy-absorbing metal. We also demonstrated a new technique that substantially simplifies the process of characterizing a new detector. These results provide a good foundation for future work scaling up the design to 4-mm thickness substrates and improving the resolution to reach 0.035~keV~FWHM, yielding a detector with compelling potential for the above applications.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2020

Development of an ultra-fast BaF₂-based detector

BaF₂ is one of the fastest known scintillators, emitting at 220 nm with sub-nanosecond decay constant; Excellent for timing applications. 4.88 g/cm³ → High detection efficiency; At 15 cm thick, nearly 100% efficient for gammas up to 10 MeV. Problem: ~80% of the total light output consists of slower (600 ns decay constant) emission peaked at 310 nm; High count rate → pile up. Goal: develop a BaF₂-based detector that leverages the fast emission component for optimal timing characteristics; Suppression of slow component.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2021

Cosmogenic background rejection for the sterile neutrino search with the Short-Baseline Neutrino Program Far Detector

As the Short-Baseline Neutrino Program Far Detector, the ICARUS liquid argon time-projection chamber will operate at shallow depth and therefore be exposed to the full surface flux of cosmic rays. This poses a problematic background to the sterile neutrino search. A direct way to reject this background is to surround the cryostat with a detector capable of tagging incident cosmic muons with high efficiency, the Cosmic Ray Tagging System (CRT). I have worked to develop the CRT detector hardware and the simulation and reconstruction software. This system, currently undergoing installation, is approximately 25% commissioned and taking data. I have developed a powerful method for cosmogenic background rejection utilizing the CRT and Photon Detection System. Results from a simulation based study, informed by CRT data, demonstrate the power of the technique in rejecting cosmogenic events with little adverse impact on the neutrino sample.

Hilgenberg, Christopher Michael↗
DOE OSTI2025

Development of thin-gap GEM- μ RWELL hybrid detectors

Micro Pattern Gaseous Detectors (MPGDs) are used for tracking in High Energy Physics and Nuclear Physics because of their large area, excellent spatial resolution capabilities and low cost. However, for high energy charged particles impacting at a large angle with respect to the axis perpendicular to detector plane, the spatial resolution degrades significantly because of the long trail of ionization charges produced in clusters all along the track in the drift region of the detector. The long ionization charge trail results in registering hits from large number of strips in the readout plane which makes it challenging to precisely reconstruct the particle’s position using simple center of gravity algorithm. As a result, the larger the drift gap, the more severe the deterioration of spatial resolution for inclined tracks. For the same reason, the position resolution is also severely degraded in a large magnetic field, where the Lorentz E x B effect causes the ionization charges to follow a curved and longer path in the detector gas volume. In this paper, we report on the development of thin-gap MPGDs as a way to maintain excellent spatial resolution capabilities of MPGD detectors over a wide angular range of incoming particles. In a thin-gap MPGD, the thickness of the gas volume in the drift region is reduced from typically 3 mm to 1 mm or less. We present preliminary test beam results demonstrating the improvement in spatial resolution from 400 m with a standard 3 mm gap μ RWELL prototype to ~140 μ m with a double amplification GEM- μ RWELL thin-gap hybrid detector. Here, we also discuss the impact of a thin-gap drift volume on other aspects of the performance of MPGD technologies such as the efficiency and detector stability.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2026

Exploring the Energy Frontier through Precision Tests and Fast Tracking with the CMS Detector (Final Technical Report)

This Early Career Award supported a research program using the CMS experiment at the CERN LHC to probe physics beyond the Standard Model in the top quark and Higgs boson sectors, alongside detector and trigger developments for the High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) upgrade. The program (i) searched for charged lepton flavor violation (LFV) in the top quark sector with the full CMS Run-2 data set, placing the world’s strongest limits to date on the $t → eµq\ (q = u/c)$ branching fraction; (ii) developed preliminary analysis methods toward a boosted $t\bar{t}H(b\bar{b})$ measurement of the top quark Yukawa coupling and its CP properties; (iii) made leading contributions to the hardware-based Level-1 (L1) track finding system for the upgraded CMS detector for HL-LHC; and (iv) developed novel L1 trigger algorithms, notably a displaced vertex trigger enabling new searches for exotic long-lived particles.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗