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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 271 records · Page 15
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

The ATLAS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider: a description of the detector configuration for Run 3

The ATLAS detector is installed in its experimental cavern at Point 1 of the CERN Large Hadron Collider. During Run 2 of the LHC, a luminosity of ℒ = 2 × 10 34 cm -2 s -1 was routinely achieved at the start of fills, twice the design luminosity. For Run 3, accelerator improvements, notably luminosity levelling, allow sustained running at an instantaneous luminosity of ℒ = 2 × 10 34 cm -2 s -1 , with an average of up to 60 interactions per bunch crossing. The ATLAS detector has been upgraded to recover Run 1 single-lepton trigger thresholds while operating comfortably under Run 3 sustained pileup conditions. A fourth pixel layer 3.3 cm from the beam axis was added before Run 2 to improve vertex reconstruction and b-tagging performance. New Liquid Argon Calorimeter digital trigger electronics, with corresponding upgrades to the Trigger and Data Acquisition system, take advantage of a factor of 10 finer granularity to improve triggering on electrons, photons, taus, and hadronic signatures through increased pileup rejection. The inner muon endcap wheels were replaced by New Small Wheels with Micromegas and small-strip Thin Gap Chamber detectors, providing both precision tracking and Level-1 Muon trigger functionality. Trigger coverage of the inner barrel muon layer near one endcap region was augmented with modules integrating new thin-gap resistive plate chambers and smaller-diameter drift-tube chambers. Tile Calorimeter scintillation counters were added to improve electron energy resolution and background rejection. Upgrades to Minimum Bias Trigger Scintillators and Forward Detectors improve luminosity monitoring and enable total proton-proton cross section, diffractive physics, and heavy ion measurements. These upgrades are all compatible with operation in the much harsher environment anticipated after the High-Luminosity upgrade of the LHC and are the first steps towards preparing ATLAS for the High-Luminosity upgrade of the LHC. This paper describes the Run 3 configuration of the ATLAS detector.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Quality concerns caused by quality control — deformation of silicon strip detector modules in thermal cycling tests

The ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is currently preparing to replace its present Inner Detector (ID) with the upgraded, all-silicon Inner Tracker (ITk) for its High-Luminosity upgrade (HL-LHC). The ITk will consist of a central pixel tracker and the outer strip tracker, consisting of about 19,000 strip detector modules. Each strip module is assembled from up to two sensors, and up to five flexes (depending on its geometry) in a series of gluing, wirebonding and quality control steps. During detector operation, modules will be cooled down to temperatures of about -35 °C (corresponding to the temperature of the support structures on which they will be mounted) after being initially assembled and stored at room temperature. In order to ensure compatibility with the detector's operating temperature range, modules are subjected to thermal cycling as part of their quality control process. Ten cycles between -35 °C and +40 °C are performed for each module, with full electrical characterisation tests at each high and low temperature point. As part of an investigation into the stress experienced by modules during cooling, it was observed that modules generally showed a change in module shape before and after thermal cycling. This paper presents a summary of the discovery and understanding of the observed changes, connecting them with excess module stress, as well as the resulting modifications to the module thermal cycling procedure.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Preliminary Insights Into the Feasibility of Determining the Purification Date of Enriched Uranium by Direct Measurement of the 230 Th/ 234 U Ratio Using an All-Faraday Detector Configuration on the Neoma MC-ICP-MS

Rationale: Mass spectrometric measurement of the 230 Th/ 234 U ratio to calculate the purification age of enriched uranium is typically conducted via a combination of ion counters and faraday detectors, thus requiring an inter-detector calibration scheme. Here, our aim is to understand whether the pursuit of a simplified measurement scheme involving only faraday detectors is feasible. Methods: We investigate the possibility of determining U-Th model ages for two enriched uranium standards (NBL U630 and U850) by direct measurement of the 230 Th/ 234 U ratio (without chromatographic separation or isotope dilution) on a ThermoFisher Scientific Neoma MC-ICP-MS utilizing both solution and laser ablation (LA)-based sampling techniques and an all-faraday detector configuration. Results: For the solution mode analyses conducted on aliquots containing sub μg/mL total U, we produce composite average 230 Th/ 234 U model dates of May 19, 1988 (± 351 days), and March 26, 1961 (± 2.5 years) using the directly measured 230 Th/ 234 U ratios for the NBL U630 and U850 uranium standards, which have certified purification dates of June 6, 1988 (± 190 days), and December 31, 1957 (± 36.5 days), respectively. The ages produced by LA-based sampling of dried residues of the same standards deposited onto cotton TexWipes are less accurate and of poorer precision (June 23, 2004 ± 8.7 years for U630 and December 21, 1965 ± 7.9 years for U850) but still yield meaningful information in regards to the purification date. Conclusions: We believe that further refinement of the all faraday detector measurement approach to include development of a more robust Th/U relative sensitivity factor determination, signal cutoff selection, and data processing protocols will allow for this approach to be confidently applied to enriched uranium materials with unknown purification histories. Potential advantages of the method include the reduced sample handling and infrastructure requirements as well as the ability to simultaneously generate a broad picture of the uranium isotopic composition in tandem with the U-Th age determination.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Characterizing hole trap production due to proton irradiation in germanium cross-strip detectors

We present an investigation into the effects of high-energy proton damage on charge trapping in germanium cross-strip detectors with the goal of accomplishing three important measurements. First, we calibrated and characterized the spectral resolution of a spare COSI-balloon detector in order to determine the effects of intrinsic trapping, finding that electron trapping due to impurities dominates over hole trapping in the undamaged detector. Second, we performed two rounds of proton irradiation of the detector in order to quantify, for the first time, the rate at which charge traps are produced by proton irradiation. We find that the product of the hole trap density and cross-sectional area, [nσ] h , follows a linear relationship with the proton fluence, F p , with a slope of (5.4 ± 0.4) x 10 -11 cm/p + . Third, by utilizing our measurements of physical trapping parameters, we performed calibrations which corrected for the effects of trapping and mitigated degradation to the spectral resolution of the detector.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2025

Towards a new generation of solid total-energy detectors for neutron-capture time-of-flight experiments with intense neutron beams

Challenging neutron-capture cross-section measurements of small cross sections and samples with a very limited number of atoms require high-flux time-of-flight facilities. In turn, such facilities need innovative detection setups that are fast, have low sensitivity to neutrons, can quickly recover from the so-called γ-flash, and offer the highest possible detection sensitivity. In this paper, we present several steps towards such advanced systems. Specifically, we describe the performance of a high-sensitivity experimental setup at CERN n_TOF EAR2. It consists of nine sTED detector modules in a compact cylindrical configuration, two conventional used large-volume C 6 D 6 detectors, and one LaCl 3 (Ce) detector. The performance of these detection systems is compared using 93 Nb(n, γ) data. We also developed a detailed G EANT small4 Monte Carlo model of the experimental EAR2 setup, which allows for a better understanding of the detector features, including their efficiency determination. This Monte Carlo model has been used for further optimization, thus leading to a new conceptual design of a γ detector array, STAR, based on a deuterated-stilbene crystal array. Finally, the suitability of deuterated-stilbene crystals for the future STAR array is investigated experimentally utilizing a small stilbene-d12 prototype. The results suggest a similar or superior performance of STAR with respect to other setups based on liquid-scintillators, and allow for additional features such as neutron-gamma discrimination and a higher level of customization capability.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

Photocathode characterisation for robust PICOSEC Micromegas precise-timing detectors

The PICOSEC Micromegas detector is a precise-timing gaseous detector based on a Cherenkov radiator coupled with a semi-transparent photocathode and a Micromegas amplifying structure, targeting a time resolution of tens of picoseconds for minimum ionising particles. Initial single-pad prototypes have demonstrated a time resolution below σ = 25 ps, prompting ongoing developments to adapt the concept for High Energy Physics applications, where sub-nanosecond precision is essential for event separation, improved track reconstruction and particle identification. The achieved performance is being transferred to robust multi-channel detector modules suitable for large-area detection systems requiring excellent timing precision. To enhance the robustness and stability of the PICOSEC Micromegas detector, research on robust carbon-based photocathodes, including Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) and Boron Carbide (B 4 C), is pursued. Results from prototypes equipped with DLC and B 4 C photocathodes exhibited a time resolution of σ ≈ 32 ps and σ ≈ 34.5 ps, respectively. Efforts dedicated to improve detector robustness and stability enhance the feasibility of the PICOSEC Micromegas concept for large experiments, ensuring sustained performance while maintaining excellent timing precision.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

YSO implantation detector for beta-delayed neutron spectroscopy

A segmented-scintillator-based implantation detector was developed to study the energy distribution of β-delayed neutrons emitted from exotic isotopes. The detector comprises a 34 × 34 YSO scintillator coupled to an 8 × 8 anode Position-Sensitive Photo-Multiplier Tube (PSPMT) via a tapered light guide. The detector was used at RIBF, RIKEN for time-of-flight-based neutron spectroscopy measurement in the 78Ni region. The detector provides the position and timing resolution necessary for ion-beta correlations and time of flight measurements. The detector provides a high ~80% beta-detection efficiency and a sub-nanosecond timing resolution. This contribution discusses the details of the design, operation, implementation, and analysis developed to obtain neutron time-of-flight spectrum and the analysis methods in the context of neutron-rich nuclei in the 78Ni region.

Implantation detector↗
DOE OSTI2026

A 24-channel ultra-low-noise preamplifier for dN/dx measurements with drift tube detectors

Cluster counting $(dN/dx)$ is a promising method to enhance particle identification for gaseous detectors, especially in next-generation collider experiments like the FCC-ee, where good $π/K$ separation over a broad momentum range is essential. However, its implementation in large-scale systems has been limited by the challenging requirements for high-resolution signal amplification and readout. This paper presents a 24-channel ultra-low-noise preamplifier board designed for drift tube detectors to enable $dN/dx$ measurements. The three-stage amplification topology employs SiGe transistors and integrates dedicated noise-minimization techniques, achieving a charge gain of 21.11 mV/fC from 0.3 fC to 50 fC, a bandwidth of 542 MHz, and a voltage gain of 47.8 dB. The measured voltage noise density is 0.35 nV/$\sqrt{\textrm{Hz}}$ , surpassing most of the state-of-the-art preamplifiers for gaseous and silicon detectors. Validation tests conducted on the sMDT chambers at the CERN Proton Synchrotron test beam facility demonstrate that the proposed design meets the stringent preamplifier requirements for implementing the $dN/dx$ method in drift-tube detector systems, achieving an equivalent noise charge of 0.14 fC and a signal-to-noise ratio of 73 when operated with a He:iC 4 H 10 (90:10) gas mixture. The design also shows promise for broader application in other gaseous or semiconductor detectors.

Drift tube detector↗
DOE OSTI2025

FCC feasibility studies: Impact of tracker- and calorimeter-detector performance on jet flavor identification and Higgs physics analyses

The ambitious physics program planned for the Future Circular Collider electron-positron phase imposes stringent constraints on detector performance. This study systematically investigates how different detector configurations impact jet flavor identification and their effects on high-profile physics analyses. Using Higgs boson coupling measurements and searches for invisible Higgs decays as benchmarks, we evaluate the sensitivity of these analyses to variations in tracker and calorimeter detector properties. We examine modifications to single-point resolution, material budget, silicon layer placement, and particle identification capabilities, quantifying their effects on flavor-tagging performance. Additionally, we present the first comprehensive study of Higgs-to-invisible decay detection using full detector simulation, providing insights for optimizing detector designs at lepton colliders.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Performance of a phonon-mediated kinetic inductance detector at the NEXUS cryogenic facility

Microcalorimeters that leverage microwave kinetic inductance detectors to read out phonon signals in the particle-absorbing target, referred to as kinetic inductance phonon-mediated (KIPM) detectors, offer an attractive detector architecture to probe dark matter (DM) down to the fermionic thermal relic mass limit. A prototype KIPM detector featuring a single aluminum resonator patterned onto a 1-gram silicon substrate was operated in the Northwestern EXerimental Underground Site (NEXUS) low-background facility at Fermilab for characterization and evaluation of this detector architecture’s efficacy for a DM search. An energy calibration was performed by exposing the bare substrate to a pulsed source of 470-nm photons, resulting in a baseline resolution on the energy absorbed by the phonon sensor of 2.1 ± 0.2 eV, a factor of two better than the current state of the art, enabled by quasiparticle lifetimes extending up to 6.5 ms. However, due to the subpercent phonon collection efficiency, the resolution on energy deposited in the substrate is limited to σ E = 318 ± 29 eV. We further model both the signal pulse shape as a function of device temperature to extract quasiparticle lifetimes, and the observed noise spectra.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2026

Ionization-based search for magnetic monopoles using the NOvA Far Detector

We report a search for highly ionizing magnetic monopoles in the cosmic-ray flux using a 2713-day dataset collected during 2015–2025 with the NOvA Far Detector, a 14-kt segmented detector located on Earth’s surface in Minnesota, United States. The search is sensitive to monopoles across a wide range of speeds, 7 × 10 −4 < 𝛽 < 0.995, and is sensitive to masses as low as 2 × 10 5 GeV for the fastest monopoles. No signal was observed. With the detector’s large surface area and minimal overburden, we achieve the strongest flux limits reported to date in several regions of speed and mass. For heavy monopoles with masses above 10 13 GeV that are able to reach the detector from above or—crossing Earth—from below, we find a flux limit 𝜙 90% < 2 × 10 −16 cm −2 s −1 sr −1 (90% confidence level) for monopoles with 0.005 < 𝛽 < 0.8. Across the same range of speeds, we report a limit 𝜙 90% < 8 × 10 −16 cm −2 s −1 sr −1 for light monopoles with masses above 10 8 GeV that can reach the detector from above.

magnetic monopoles↗
DOE OSTI2026

Gepta-EX: a multi-channel germanium detector for X-ray absorption fine structure

Fluorescence-mode X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) at high photon energies requires detectors with high stopping power and excellent energy resolution to measure weak element-specific signals. Traditional silicon-based detectors suffer from poor efficiency above ∼20 keV, while most high-Z materials such as cadmium telluride, cadmium zinc telluride, and gallium arsenide have focused predominantly on imaging applications with limited spectroscopic resolution. In contrast, germanium combines excellent stopping power with superior intrinsic energy resolution due to its low Fano factor and favorable charge transport properties, making it ideal for high-resolution spectroscopy in the 15 keV to 100 keV range. To address these requirements, we report on the development, fabrication, and performance evaluation of Gepta-EX, a compact multi-channel high-purity germanium (HPGe) detector system for fluorescence-mode XAS. The Gepta-EX system features a monolithic seven-channel HPGe pixel array integrated with low-noise CUBE charge-sensitive preamplifiers, housed within a thermally isolated compact cryostat operating near 90 K. The detector achieves energy resolutions of 218 eV at 5.9 keV (from a 55 Fe source) and 373 eV at 59.5 keV (from a 241 Am source), with uniform performance across all channels. By avoiding the escape peak interference commonly associated with silicon detectors and providing stable, high-resolution performance, Gepta-EX represents a powerful tool for high-energy X-ray spectroscopy.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
NASA NTRS2016

Multidirectional Cosmic Ray Ion Detector for Deep Space CubeSats

Understanding the nature of anisotropy of solar energetic protons (SEPs) and galactic cosmic ray (GCR) fluxes in the interplanetary medium is crucial in characterizing time-dependent radiation exposure in interplanetary space for future exploration missions. NASA Glenn Research Center has proposed a CubeSat-based instrument to study solar and cosmic ray ions in lunar orbit or deep space. The objective of Solar Proton Anisotropy and Galactic cosmic ray High Energy Transport Instrument (SPAGHETI) is to provide multi-directional ion data to further understand anisotropies in SEP and GCR flux. The instrument is to be developed using large area detectors fabricated from high density, high purity silicon carbide (SiC) to measure linear energy transfer (LET) of ions. Stacks of these LET detectors are arranged in a CubeSat at orthogonal directions to provide multidirectional measurements. The low-noise, thermally-stable nature of silicon carbide and its radiation tolerance allows the multidirectional array of detector stacks to be packed in a 6U CubeSat without active cooling. A concept involving additional coincidence/anticoincidence detectors and a high energy Cherenkov detector is possible to further expand ion energy range and sensitivity.

Extraterrestrial Radiation↗
NASA NTRS2002

Superconducting kinetic inductance photon detectors.

We are investigating a novel superconducting detector and readout method that could lead to photon counting, energy resolving focal plane arrays. This concept is intrinsically different from STJ and TES detectors, and in principle could deliver large pixel counts, high sensitivity, and Fano-limited spectral resolution in the ptical/UV/X-ray bands. The readout uses the monotonic relation between the kinetic surface inductance L***subs***, of a superconductor and the density of quasiparticles n, which holds even at temperatures far below T***subc***. This allows a sensitive readout of the number of excess quasiparticles in the detector by monitoring the transmission phase of a resonant circuit. The most intriguing aspect of this concept is that passive frequency multiplexing could be used to read out ~ l0***super4*** detectors with a single HEMT amplifier. Single x-ray events have been observed in prototype detectors.

kinetic↗
NASA NTRS1994

Two-Dimensional Interdigitated Pixel Detector for Energetic Particle Spectrometers

This paper describes a type of cosmic ray detector suitable for the construction of a small, low power space-based instrument to detect the energy and isotope of energetic nuclei, such as those produced by solar flares. The detector is similar to previous types of silicon PIN detectors where the fully depleted body of the wafer comprises intrinsic region of the PIN structure. The novel aspect of this detector is that the one surface is divided into a two-dimensional array of pixels, and that the collected holes are divided between a row and a column collector in each pixel, yielding both dimensions of position information from this side of the detector.

cosmic↗
NASA NTRS2020

Mid-infrared detector development for the Origins Space Telescope

Mid-infrared detector arrays operating from 2.8 to 20 μm are baselined in the design of the Origins Space Telescope Mid-Infrared Spectrometer Instrument. This instrument is designed to detect and measure the spectral signatures of gases of biogenic origin in the atmospheres of exoplanets as they transit their host stars. In order to make these detections, the detector array’s pixels need to have high-signal stability when exposed to a constant flux in multiple time-series integration over a typical transit time of a few hours. With the use of a densified pupil spectrometer design, pointing effects can be mitigated because pointing variations do not displace spectra on the detector and each wavelength of light is averaged over a large number of pixels, giving good spectrophotometric stabilities. The current state-of-the-art detector arrays do not achieve these stabilities, although with a feasible development program this level of performance should be achievable. Three detector technologies are under consideration for this development, HgCdTe arrays, Si:As impurity band conduction arrays, and transition edge super-conductor bolometer arrays. We primarily treat the HgCdTe technology development, but also introduce the paths forward for the other two technologies. After a few years-long investigative programs, a down-select will be undertaken to select the flight technology.

Astronomy↗
NASA NTRS2024

Determining the Quantum Detection Efficiency of A Soft X-Ray Micro-Channel Plate Detector for the Lunar Mission, LEXI

Micro-channel plate (MCP) detectors have long been a workhorse for space-based x-ray research and are advantageous over other imaging detectors because of their low size, weight and power. The Lunar Environment heliospheric x-ray Imager (LEXI), will utilize a MCP to image Earth’s magnetosphere in soft x-rays from the lunar surface. A critical element for interpreting on-orbit data is to understand the quantum detection efficiency (QDE) of the MCP. LEXI’s MCP is coated with potassium bromide (KBr) to increase the soft x-ray QDE. Historically, few measurements of QDE exist in the soft x-ray band for KBr detectors. This paper reviews the performance of LEXI’s detector, and the QDE experiment procedure conducted at and results from the Advanced Light Source synchrotron soft x-ray beam line (6.3.2) over the energy range 70eV-1300eV. A unique beam line setup was required to limit the photon flux as to not saturate the pores of the MCP or detector signal chain. The experimental results are similar to previous literature, with some caveats unique to this MCP and experimental setup.

X-ray imaging↗
DOE OSTI2025

High-energy X-ray imaging with a Germanium MM-PAD hybrid pixel detector

Germanium is a high-Z sensor material with excellent energy resolution and attractive properties for high-energy photon detection. Despite its advantages, the need for cryogenic operation and challenges in the fabrication of pixelated high-purity germanium have hindered the development of segmented detectors. We report on the fabrication and performance of a germanium imaging detector with 150 μm pixel pitch hybridized to the MM-PAD ASIC. The detector was capable of high-resolution radiographic imaging and has a fast temporal response. Additionally, we describe the detector's upper operating temperature limits using both the MM-PAD and MARS ASICs, achieving stable operation up to 130 K and 190 K, respectively.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗