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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 145 records · Page 8
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

A demonstrator for a real-time AI-FPGA-based triggering system for sPHENIX at RHIC

The RHIC interaction rate at sPHENIX will reach around 3 MHz in pp collisions and requires the detector readout to reject events by a factor of over 200 to fit the DAQ bandwidth of 15 kHz. Some critical measurements, such as heavy flavor production in pp collisions, often require the analysis of particles produced at low momentum. This prohibits adopting the traditional approach, where data rates are reduced through triggering on rare high momentum probes. We explore a new approach based on real-time AI technology, adopt an FPGA-based implementation using a custom designed FELIX-712 board with the Xilinx Kintex Ultrascale FPGA, and deploy the system in the detector readout electronics loop for real-time trigger decision.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2022

The VMM3a ASIC

The VMM3a is a custom low-noise Application Specific Integrated Circuit. It is intended to be used in the front end readout electronics of both the Micromegas and sTGC detectors of the ATLAS New Small Wheels upgrade project at CERN. It is fabricated in the 130 nm GlobalFoundries 8RF-DM process. Here, the 64 channels with highly configurable parameters, although designed for a specific project, can meet the processing needs of signals from various detector types in several other applications. In this note, the VMM3a, which is the production version of the VMM family, will be presented along with the features incorporated and its performance.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

Testing of a Line Driver With Configurable Pre-Emphasis on Lossy Transmission Lines

Rare-event physics experiments such as the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) or the next Enriched Xenon Observatory (nEXO) experiment search for rare, low-energy events, detected by sensitive detectors immersed in a cryogenic noble liquid (e.g., liquid argon or xenon). Readout electronics used within such detectors must consume minimal power while operating reliably in cryogenic environments. Furthermore, in the case of nEXO, maximizing the radiopurity of the environment is vital to minimize background noise, thus placing strict limits on the volume of dielectric materials, leading to high-loss data cables spanning distances up to 12 m. Such cables cause high attenuation and intersymbol interference (ISI), resulting in a high bit-error rate (BER). These issues were addressed by developing an integrated line driver with configurable pre-emphasis in a 65-nm CMOS process. The pre-emphasis parameters can be programmed to minimize BER for specific cables and data rates under power constraints. Here, the driver was tested at both room and cryogenic temperatures. In both cases, the output BER was found to be strongly correlated with the pre-emphasis settings. Furthermore, analysis and simulation showed that adapting the pre-emphasis settings based on the incoming bit sequence can further improve performance with minimal changes to the current solution.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2025

A Ce-Doped LiI Scintillator Film-Based High Rate, High Spatial Resolution Neutron Anger Camera for Neutron Scattering Facilities

The 2-D position sensitive neutron detectors featuring a significantly improved count rate capacity and a sub-mm spatial resolution are in high demand by neutron scattering facilities, especially the next generation high-flux spallation neutron sources (SNSs). They are anticipated to play a crucial role in fully utilizing the unprecedentedly high neutron brightness offered by these sources. In this work, a high rate and high spatial resolution neutron Anger camera has been successfully developed based on a Ce-doped microcolumnar LiI scintillator film and the PETsys TOFPET2 ASIC readout electronics. The performance evaluation was conducted in a standard laboratory environment as well as the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) with regard to light yield, γ-ray sensitivity, neutron detection efficiency, count rate capability, spatial resolution, and position linearity. The LiI:Ce scintillator was found to have a higher light yield and a lower γ-ray sensitivity than GS20 (i.e., 11729 versus 6000 photons/n and 1.67 × 10 −5 versus on the order of 10 −4 ). The neutron detection efficiency was measured to be 63% at 4.2 Å. This camera demonstrated an exceptional count rate capability, up to at least 481 kHz without rate loss. The spatial resolution was as good as 0.47 mm. Here, the position linearity was also enhanced.

High rate↗
DOE OSTI2020

Online and Offline Monitoring of the ICARUS Detector

In preparation for the launch of the ICARUS -T600 far detector in the Short Baseline Neutrino program, (SBN), it is important to monitor the performance of the detector and quality of the data in real-time. Particularly important to monitor are noise levels of the TPC readout electronics, and the purity of the liquid argon in the TPC, as these can affect the overall sensitivity of the detector to detecting and reconstructing neutrino interactions.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2023

SPT-SLIM: Line Intensity Mapping with the South Pole Telescope

Line-intensity mapping (LIM) at millimeter wavelengths is a powerful emerging probe of the large-scale structure of the Universe, but achieving meaningful constraints on cosmological parameters with LIM requires focal planes with orders of magnitudes more detectors than existing instruments. SPT-SLIM is an upcoming experiment to demonstrate LIM observations of CO at 0.5 < z < 2.0 using on-chip spectrometers with kinetic inductance detectors (KIDs), a new technology that enables scaling to the much larger arrays of detectors needed to probe cosmology. I will describe the overall experimental design and specific goals of SPT-SLIM. In addition, I will highlight results of the detector and readout electronics development for SPT-SLIM and the status of the camera integration and commissioning in the lab.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2024

A demonstrator for a real-time AI-FPGA-based triggering system for sPHENIX at RHIC

The RHIC interaction rate at sPHENIX will reach around 3 MHz in pp collisions and requires the detector readout to reject events by a factor of over 200 to fit the DAQ bandwidth of 15 kHz. Some critical measurements, such as heavy flavor production in pp collisions, often require the analysis of particles produced at low momentum. This prohibits adopting the traditional approach, where data rates are reduced through triggering on rare high momentum probes. We explore a new approach based on real-time AI technology, adopt an FPGA-based implementation using a custom designed FELIX-712 board with the Xilinx Kintex Ultrascale FPGA, and deploy the system in the detector readout electronics loop for real-time trigger decision.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2024

Solid-State Mixed-Potential Electrochemical Sensors for Natural Gas Leak Detection and Quality Control (Final Technical Report)

Mitigation of methane emissions are a critical factor to limiting the impact of the natural gas industry on global climate change. Throughout the period of 2020-2024, the University of New Mexico and its commercialization partner and subcontractor, SensorComm Technologies, Inc. (SCT), have worked together to develop a low-cost Artificial Intelligence (AI)-driven Internet of Things (IoT)-based multi-gas sensor platform for methane emissions detection. In the final year of the project, we extended this work to include hydrogen detection in support of a transition to a hydrogen economy where hydrogen could be transported through existing natural gas infrastructure. Mixed potential electrochemical sensors were first prototyped by ceramic additive manufacturing and then transitioned to conventional ceramic manufacturing tape casting and screen-printing technologies in preparation for mass production. Demonstrated limits of detection of 5 ppm of methane in natural gas and 1 ppm of hydrogen were measured. These limits of detection are among the lowest of solid-state electrochemical sensors that have been reported in the literature or available in the industry. Machine learning algorithms were developed to identify natural gas mixtures with > 98% accuracy level and quantify methane concentrations at 97% accuracy. The presence of hydrogen could also be identified, and its concentration quantified at these accuracy levels. These algorithms were optimized for running on portable computing hardware which enabled > 1 Hz processing rates. A portable packaged IoT system was integrated with the electrochemical sensor in collaboration with SCT. The package consists of readout electronics with < 1 mV resolution, sensor temperature control, and data transmission over cellular wireless and/or Wi-Fi networks. Field testing was performed in two rounds at Colorado State University’s Methane Emissions Technology Evaluation Center (CSU METEC). The first round of testing demonstrated successful measurements of methane from an underground natural gas leak of 20 standard liters per minute (SLPM), which agreed with previously published literature using more sophisticated and expensive analytical equipment. The second round of testing showed that an above ground leak of 2 SLPM of hydrogen could be detected at 32 ft. This project has resulted in six published peer reviewed journal articles, over ten presentations at professional conferences, and one full patent application filed in 2023. Future work on this project includes increased sensitivity, higher production yields, and applications in the hydrogen safety and flare emissions monitoring spaces.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
NASA NTRS1973

Multiwire proportional chamber development

The development of large area multiwire proportional chambers, to be used as high resolution spatial detectors in cosmic ray experiments is described. A readout system was developed which uses a directly coupled, lumped element delay-line whose characteristics are independent of the MWPC design. A complete analysis of the delay-line and the readout electronic system shows that a spatial resolution of about 0.1 mm can be reached with the MWPC operating in the strictly proportional region. This was confirmed by measurements with a small MWPC and Fe-55 X-rays. A simplified analysis was carried out to estimate the theoretical limit of spatial resolution due to delta-rays, spread of the discharge along the anode wire, and inclined trajectories. To calculate the gas gain of MWPC's of different geometrical configurations a method was developed which is based on the knowledge of the first Townsend coefficient of the chamber gas.

Doolittle, R. F.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Water system virus detection

A monitoring system developed to test the capability of a water recovery system to reject the passage of viruses into the recovered water is described. A nonpathogenic marker virus, bacteriophage F2, is fed into the process stream before the recovery unit and the reclaimed water is assayed for its presence. Detection of the marker virus consists of two major components, concentration and isolation of the marker virus, and detection of the marker virus. The concentration system involves adsorption of virus to cellulose acetate filters in the presence of trivalent cations and low pH with subsequent desorption of the virus using volumes of high pH buffer. The detection of the virus is performed by a passive immune agglutination test utilizing specially prepared polystyrene particles. An engineering preliminary design was performed as a parallel effort to the laboratory development of the marker virus test system. Engineering schematics and drawings of a fully functional laboratory prototype capable of zero-G operation are presented. The instrument consists of reagent pump/metering system, reagent storage containers, a filter concentrator, an incubation/detector system, and an electronic readout and control system.

Fraser, A. S.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Two-dimensional photon-counting detector arrays based on microchannel array plates

The production of simple and rugged photon-counting detector arrays has been made possible by recent improvements in the performance of the microchannel array plate (MCP) and by the parallel development of compatible electronic readout systems. The construction of proximity-focused MCP arrays of novel design in which photometric information from (n x m) picture elements is read out with a total of (n + m) amplifier and discriminator circuits is described. Results obtained with a breadboard (32 x 32)-element array employing 64 charge-sensitive amplifiers are presented, and the application of systems of this type in spectrometers and cameras for use with ground-based telescopes and on orbiting spacecraft discussed.

Timothy, J. G.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Optically selective, acoustically resonant gas detecting transducer

A gas analyzer is disclosed which responds to the resonant absorption or emission spectrum of a specific gas by producing an acoustic resonance in a chamber containing a sample of that gas, and which measures the amount of that emission or absorption by measuring the strength of that acoustic resonance, e.g., the maximum periodic pressure, velocity or density achieved. In the preferred embodiment, a light beam is modulated periodically at the acoustical resonance frequency of a closed chamber which contains an optically dense sample of the gas of interest. Periodic heating of the absorbing gas by the light beam causes a cyclic expansion, movement, and pressure within the gas. An amplitude is reached where the increased losses were the cyclic radiation energy received. A transducing system is inclined for converting the pressure variations of the resonant gas into electronic readout signals.

Dimeff, J.↗
NASA NTRS1984

The development and test of ultra-large-format multi-anode microchannel array detector systems

The specific tasks that were accomplished with each of the key elements of the multi-anode microchannel array detector system are described. The modes of operation of position-sensitive electronic readout systems for use with high-gain microchannel plates are described and their performance characteristics compared and contrasted. Multi-anode microchannel array detector systems with formats as large as 256 x 1024 pixels are currently under evaluation. Preliminary performance data for sealed ultraviolet and visible-light detector tubes show that the detector systems have unique characteristics which make them complementary to photoconductive array detectors, such as CCDs, and superior to alternative pulse-counting detector systems employing high-gain MCPs.

Timothy, J. G.↗
NASA NTRS1986

The development and test of multi-anode microchannel array detector systems. Part 2: Soft X-ray detectors

Detector systems based on the high gain microchannel plate (MCP) electron multiplier were used extensively for imaging at soft X-ray wavelengths both on the ground and in space. The latest pulse counting electronic readout systems provide zero readout noise, spatial resolutions (FWHM) of 25 microns or better and can determine the arrival times of detected photons to an accuracy of the order of 100 ns. These systems can be developed to produce detectors with active areas of 100 nm in diameter or greater. The use of CsI photocathodes produces very high detective quantum efficiencies at wavelengths between about 100 and 1A (approximately 0.1 to 10 keV) with moderate energy resolution. The operating characteristics of the different types of soft X-ray MCP detector systems are described and the prospects for future developments are discussed.

Timothy, J. G.↗