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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 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Reflective laser-based particle detector

A reflective laser-based particle detector for detecting contamination particles moving through a vacuum. Laser light is directed through a vacuum access window in the containment vessel and toward a reflective surface on an inner surface opposite the window. A photonic detector is positioned to monitor reflected laser from the opposite inner surface inside the vessel and is capable of detecting perturbations of the reflected light. The system makes use of optical interferometry techniques embodied as a photonic integrated circuit to detect the particles. The reflective laser-based system can be placed entirely outside the vacuum thereby avoiding the need for breaking the vacuum environment to check for accumulation of contaminant particles.

Xi, Wenze↗
DOE OSTI2023

Thin film charged particle detectors

Silicon tracking detectors have grown to cover larger surface areas up to hundreds of square meters, and are even taking over other sub-detectors, such as calorimeters. However, further improvements in tracking detector performance are more likely to arise from the ability to make a low mass detector comprised of a high ratio of active sensor to inactive materials, where dead materials include electrical services, cooling, mechanical supports, etc. In addition, the cost and time to build these detectors is currently large. Therefore, advancements in the fundamental technology of tracking detectors may need to look at a more transformative approach that enables extremely large area coverage with minimal dead material and is easier and faster to build. The advancement of thin film fabrication techniques has the potential to revolutionize the next-to-next generation of particle detector experiments. Some thin film deposition techniques have already been developed and widely used in the industry to make LED screens for TVs and monitors. If large area thin film detectors on the order of several square meters can be fabricated with similar performance as current silicon technologies, they could be used in future particle physics experiments. This paper aims to review the key fundamental performance criteria of existing silicon detectors and past research to use thin films and other semi-conductor materials as particle detectors in order to explore the important considerations and challenges to pursue thin film detectors.

Solid state detectors↗
DOE OSTI2022

Two bright, optically clear, intrinsic fast-neutron and charged-particle detector materials for neutron imaging and other applications

Two optically clear, bright, scintillating ZnS materials have been identified that, like previous opaque ZnS scintillators, are excellent charged particle detectors. We show that ZnS is a good fast-neutron-to charged-particle converter making optically clear ZnS an intrinsic fast-neutron detector that does not require layering or mixing of converter materials and scintillator materials, and removes the limitations imposed by opaque ZnS scintillator materials used for more than a century. Thermal neutron detection using optically clear 6 LiF or 10 BN and clear ZnS may benefit from improved spatial resolution and light transmission. Properties and tests of clear scintillating ZnS are described. Fast-neutron imaging applications benefit from increased efficiency of these scintillators, minimal scattering in the scintillator, and increased useful detector volume. Charged particle and fast-neutron detectors have numerous applications in nuclear non-proliferation and security, nuclear and particle physics, and non-destructive testing and environmental measurements.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2021

Trapped Electrons and Ions as Particle Detectors

Electrons and ions trapped with electromagnetic fields have long served as important high-precision metrological instruments, and more recently have also been proposed as a platform for quantum information processing. Here we point out that these systems can also be used as highly sensitive detectors of passing charged particles, due to the combination of their extreme charge-to-mass ratio and low-noise quantum readout and control. In particular, these systems can be used to detect energy depositions many orders of magnitude below typical ionization scales. As illustrations, we suggest some applications in particle physics. We outline a nondestructive time-of-flight measurement capable of sub-eV energy resolution for slowly moving, collimated particles. We also show that current devices can be used to provide competitive sensitivity to models where ambient dark matter particles carry small electric millicharges $\ll$e. Furthermore, our calculations may also be useful in the characterization of noise in quantum computers coming from backgrounds of charged particles.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Novel indium phosphide charged particle detector characterization with a 120 GeV proton beam

Thin film detectors which incorporate semiconductor materials other than silicon have the potential to build upon their unique material properties and offer advantages such as faster response times, operation at room temperature, and radiation hardness. To explore the possibility, promising candidate materials were selected, and particle tracking detectors were fabricated. An indium phosphide detector with a metal-intrinsic-metal structure has been fabricated for particle tracking. The detector was tested using radioactive sources and a high energy proton beam at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. In addition to its simplistic design and fabrication process, the indium phosphide particle detector showed a very fast response time of hundreds of picoseconds for the 120 GeV protons, which are comparable to the ultra-fast silicon detectors. This fast-timing response is attributed to the high electron mobility of indium phosphide. Such material properties can be leveraged to build novel detectors with superlative performance.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Conceptual Design Report for the MATHUSLA Long-Lived Particle Detector near CMS

We present the Conceptual Design Report (CDR) for the MATHUSLA (MAssive Timing Hodoscope for Ultra-Stable neutraL pArticles) long-lived particle detector at the HL-LHC, covering the design, fabrication and installation at CERN Point 5. MATHUSLA is a 40 m-scale detector with an air-filled decay volume that is instrumented with scintillator tracking detectors, to be located near CMS. Its large size, close proximity to the CMS interaction point and about 100 m of rock shielding from HL-LHC backgrounds allows it to detect LLP production rates and lifetimes that are one to two orders of magnitude beyond the ultimate sensitivity of the HL-LHC main detectors for many highly motivated LLP signals. Data taking is projected to commence with the start of HL-LHC operations. We present a new 40m design for the detector: its individual scintillator bars and wavelength-shifting fibers, their organization into tracking layers, tracking modules, tower modules and the veto detector; define a high-level design for the supporting electronics, DAQ and trigger system, including supplying a hardware trigger signal to CMS to record the LLP production event; outline computing systems, civil engineering and safety considerations; and present preliminary cost estimates and timelines for the project. We also conduct detailed simulation studies of the important cosmic ray and HL-LHC muon backgrounds, implementing full track/vertex reconstruction and background rejection, to ultimately demonstrate high signal efficiency and $\ll 1$ background event in realistic LLP searches for the main physics targets at MATHUSLA. This sensitivity is robust with respect to detector design or background simulation details. Appendices provide various supplemental information.

Aitken, Branden [Victoria U.]↗
DOE OSTI2025

Quartz fluorescence backgrounds in xenon particle detectors

It has been known for almost a decade that delayed photon noise with a power law time profile follows scintillation pulses in liquid xenon particle detectors. The origin of the noise has remained unknown, and in the past two years, has become an overwhelming background for low-threshold dark matter searches aimed at 𝒪⁡(10) GeV dark matter particle masses, as well as measurements of coherent neutrino-nucleus scattering of 8 B solar neutrinos. We have performed a comprehensive series of tests in a small liquid xenon cell at LBL, from which we conclude that the dominant component of this delayed photon noise is due to UV-induced fluorescence of quartz photosensor windows.

crystal optics↗
DOE OSTI2024

Improved particle-flow event reconstruction with scalable neural networks for current and future particle detectors

Abstract Efficient and accurate algorithms are necessary to reconstruct particles in the highly granular detectors anticipated at the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider and the Future Circular Collider. We study scalable machine learning models for event reconstruction in electron-positron collisions based on a full detector simulation. Particle-flow reconstruction can be formulated as a supervised learning task using tracks and calorimeter clusters. We compare a graph neural network and kernel-based transformer and demonstrate that we can avoid quadratic operations while achieving realistic reconstruction. We show that hyperparameter tuning significantly improves the performance of the models. The best graph neural network model shows improvement in the jet transverse momentum resolution by up to 50% compared to the rule-based algorithm. The resulting model is portable across Nvidia, AMD and Habana hardware. Accurate and fast machine-learning based reconstruction can significantly improve future measurements at colliders.

Physics↗
DOE OSTI2022

Snowmass Instrumentation Frontier IF08 Topical Group Report: Noble Element Detectors

Particle detectors making use of noble elements in gaseous, liquid, or solid phases are prevalent in neutrino and dark matter experiments and are also used to a lesser extent in collider-based particle physics experiments. These experiments take advantage of both the very large, ultra-pure target volumes achievable and the multiple observable signal pathways possible in noble-element based particle detectors. As these experiments seek to increase their sensitivity, novel and improved technologies will be needed to enhance the precision of their measurements and to broaden the reach of their physics programs. The areas of R&D in noble element instrumentation that have been identified by the HEP community in the Snowmass process are highlighted by five key messages: IF08-1) Enhance and combine existing modalities (scintillation and electron drift) to increase signal-to-noise and reconstruction fidelity; IF08-2) Develop new modalities for signal detection in noble elements, including methods based on ion drift, metastable fluids, solid-phase detectors and dissolved targets. Collaborative and blue-sky R&D should also be supported to enable advances in this area; IF08-3) Improve the understanding of detector microphysics and calibrate detector response in new signal regimes; IF08-4) Address challenges in scaling technologies, including material purification, background mitigation, large-area readout, and magnetization; and IF08-5) Train the next generation of researchers, using fast-turnaround instrumentation projects to provide the design-through-result training no longer possible in very-large-scale experiments. This topical group report identifies and documents recent developments and future needs for noble element detector technologies. In addition, we highlight the opportunity that this area of research provides for continued training of the next generation of scientists.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2021

Ultra low background time projection alpha particle detector ( Phase II Final Scientific/Technical Report)

When alpha particles are emitted into a gas they create an ionization track of gas ions and electrons. In our commercial UltraLo instrument we apply a voltage between a planar sample and an anode, integrate the anode signal as it collects the electrons, and distinguish between alphas emitted from the sample and elsewhere (anode, sidewalls) by the duration and shape of the resultant signal. The major contributors limiting the instrument’s lower detection limit are cosmic rays that pass through the detector close to the sample and Rn decays that produce charge tracks the originate in the gas and end on the sample. In this work we proposed to identify and reject these events by converting the anode into a multi-pixel array and operating in time projection mode. Cosmic rays would be eliminated by generating charge on many pixels, while charge collection asymmetry would distinguish between sample events (Bragg curve up) and Rn events (Bragg curve down). We therefore proposed to modify an UltraLo by pixilating its anode, developing low noise, low power multiplexed electronics to track each pixel’s signal individually, and develop analysis software to make the required discriminations.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

MATHUSLA: An External Long-Lived Particle Detector to Maximize the Discovery Potential of the HL-LHC

We present the current status of the MATHUSLA (MAssive Timing Hodoscope for Ultra-Stable neutraL pArticles) long-lived particle (LLP) detector at the HL-LHC, covering the design, fabrication and installation at CERN Point 5. MATHUSLA40 is a 40 m-scale detector with an air-filled decay volume that is instrumented with scintillator tracking detectors, to be located near CMS. Its large size, close proximity to the CMS interaction point and about 100 m of rock shielding from LHC backgrounds allows it to detect LLP production rates and lifetimes that are one to two orders of magnitude beyond the ultimate reach of the LHC main detectors. This provides unique sensitivity to many LLP signals that are highly theoretically motivated, due to their connection to the hierarchy problem, the nature of dark matter, and baryogenesis. Data taking is projected to commence with the start of HL-LHC operations. We summarize the new 40m design for the detector that was recently presented in the MATHUSLA Conceptual Design Report, alongside new realistic background and signal simulations that demonstrate high efficiency for the main target LLP signals in a background-free HL-LHC search. We argue that MATHUSLA's uniquely robust expansion of the HL-LHC physics reach is a crucial ingredient in CERN's mission to search for new physics and characterize the Higgs boson with precision.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

Heterogeneous Point Set Transformers for Segmentation of Multiple View Particle Detectors

NOvA is a long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment that detects neutrino particles from the NuMI beam at Fermilab. Before data from this experiment can be used in analyses, raw hits in the detector must be matched to their source particles, and the type of each particle must be identified. This task has commonly been done using a mix of traditional clustering approaches and convolutional neural networks (CNNs). Due to the construction of the detector, the data is presented as two sparse 2D images: an XZ and a YZ view of the detector, rather than a 3D representation. We propose a point set neural network that operates on the sparse matrices with an operation that mixes information from both views. Our model uses less than 10% of the memory required using previous methods while achieving a 96.8% AUC score, a higher score than obtained when both views are processed independently (85.4%).

Robles, Edgar E. [UC, Irvine (main)]↗
DOE OSTI2026

Quality Control of Silicon Sensor Modules for Particle Detectors

The High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) will produce a higher rate of particle collisions than the current Large Hadron Collider (LHC), requiring important upgrades to the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) to handle an increased amount of data. An important upgrade is the Phase-2 Outer Tracker Upgrade, which consists of 13,000 silicon sensor modules made of two parallel silicon sensors and readout electronics. These modules undergo careful quality control checks both during and after module assembly to ensure precise and reliable detector performance. This project focuses on precision testing for quality control of silicon sensor modules at Fermilab. Hands-on work includes visual inspection, current-voltage testing, module testing, and ultraviolet (UV) light exposure of modules showing abnormal current-voltage behavior. The ultraviolet exposure process improves the abnormal sensor readout data by placing the selected sensor side of the module directly under the UV light inside a controlled box. In addition to laboratory testing and ultraviolet experiments, I developed a Python-based data tool that connects to a module database and allows selected testing conditions and module information to be retrieved and displayed efficiently. These different testing procedures, experimental processes, and computational tools support the broader goal of identifying module issues and improving modules that will be used in the CMS Outer Tracker Phase-2 Upgrade.

Siddiqui, Hooriya [DuPage Coll.] (ORCID:0009000151↗
DOE OSTI2026

Quality Control of Silicon Sensor Modules for Particle Detectors

The High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) will produce a higher rate of particle collisions than the current Large Hadron Collider (LHC), requiring significant upgrades to the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) to handle the increased amount of data. An important upgrade is the Phase-2 Outer Tracker Upgrade, which consists of 13,000 silicon sensor modules made of two parallel silicon sensors and readout electronics. These modules undergo careful quality control checks both during and after module assembly to ensure precise and reliable detector performance. This project focuses on precision testing for quality control of silicon sensor modules at Fermilab. Hands-on work includes visual inspection, current-voltage testing, module testing, and ultraviolet (UV) light exposure of modules showing abnormal current-voltage behavior. The ultraviolet exposure process improves the abnormal sensor readout data by placing the selected sensor side of the module directly under the UV light inside a controlled box. In addition to laboratory testing and ultraviolet experiments, I developed a Python-based data tool that connects to a module database and allows selected testing conditions and module information to be retrieved and displayed efficiently. These different testing procedures, experimental processes, and computational tools support the broader goal of identifying module issues and improving modules that will be used in the CMS Outer Tracker Phase-2 Upgrade.

Siddiqui, Hooriya [DuPage Coll.; Fermilab] (ORCID:↗
DOE OSTI2024

LumaCam: a novel class of position-sensitive event mode particle detectors using scintillator screens

A new type of position-sensitive detectors is gaining attention in the neutron community. They are scintillator based detectors that detect the scintillation light on an individual photon basis via an image intensifier and a fast image sensor. Their readout operates in event mode i.e. it produces information about individual neutron interactions, reconstructed from the sensor data, thus enabling to achieve superior spatial and temporal resolutions compared to regular detectors. Although the development of current detectors is focused on neutrons, the concept is also applicable to the detection of other particles such as high-energy photons. This document provides a description on how these detectors are built, how they operate, and what their characteristics are. An example of a detector implementation based on a Timepix3 chip is described to illustrate the detector concept. This includes a detailed description of the algorithm that reconstructs the neutron interactions from the sensor data, one of the core components that sets it apart from established scintillator-based imaging detectors. Energy-resolved epithermal neutron radiography was performed at the ISIS EMMA beamline with this detector, illustrating some of the fundamental differences in the data that can be produced with the new type of detector compared to more established types of scintillator based neutron detectors. The term LumaCam is proposed to refer to this new class of position-sensitive event-mode detectors.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2022

FACET: a new long-lived particle detector in the very forward region of the CMS experiment

We describe a proposal to add a set of very forward detectors to the CMS experiment for the high-luminosity era of the Large Hadron Collider to search for beyond the standard model long-lived particles, such as dark photons, heavy neutral leptons, axion-like particles, and dark Higgs bosons. The proposed subsystem is called FACET for Forward-Aperture CMS ExTension, and will be sensitive to any particles that can penetrate at least 50 m of magnetized iron and decay in an 18 m long, 1 m diameter vacuum pipe. The decay products will be measured in detectors using identical technology to the planned CMS Phase-2 upgrade.

Particle and Resonance Production↗
DOE OSTI2025

Variational autoencoders for at-source data reduction and anomaly detection in high energy particle detectors

Detectors in next-generation high-energy physics experiments face several daunting requirements, such as high data rates, damaging radiation exposure, and stringent constraints on power, space, and latency. To address these challenges, machine learning in readout electronics can be leveraged for smart detector designs, enabling intelligent inference and data reduction at-source. Variational autoencoders (VAEs) offer a variety of benefits for front-end readout; an on-sensor encoder can perform efficient lossy data compression while simultaneously providing a latent space representation that can be used for anomaly detection. Results are presented from low-latency and resource-efficient VAEs for front-end data processing in a futuristic silicon pixel detector. Encoder-based data compression is found to preserve good performance of off-detector analysis while significantly reducing the off-detector data rate as compared to a similarly sized data filtering approach. Furthermore, the latent space information is found to be a useful discriminator in the context of real-time sensor defect monitoring. Together, these results highlight the multifaceted utility of autoencoder-based front-end readout schemes and motivate their consideration in future detector designs.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2024

Embedded FPGA developments in 130 nm and 28 nm CMOS for machine learning in particle detector readout

Embedded field programmable gate array (eFPGA) technology allows the implementation of reconfigurable logic within the design of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). This approach offers the low power and efficiency of an ASIC along with the ease of FPGA configuration, particularly beneficial for the use case of machine learning in the data pipeline of next-generation collider experiments. An open-source framework called "FABulous" was used to design eFPGAs using 130 nm and 28 nm CMOS technology nodes, which were subsequently fabricated and verified through testing. The capability of an eFPGA to act as a front-end readout chip was assessed using simulation of high energy particles passing through a silicon pixel sensor. A machine learning-based classifier, designed for reduction of sensor data at the source, was synthesized and configured onto the eFPGA. A successful proof-of-concept was demonstrated through reproduction of the expected algorithm result on the eFPGA with perfect accuracy. Finally, further development of the eFPGA technology and its application to collider detector readout is discussed.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗