Abstract: This paper introduces a new concept of silicon radiation detector with intrinsic multiplication of the charge, called Low Gain Avalanche Detector (LGAD). These new devices are based on the standard Avalanche Photo Diodes (APD) normally used for optical and X-ray detection applications. The main differences to standard APD detectors are the low gain requested to detect high energy charged particles, and the possibility to have fine segmentation pitches: this allows fabrication of microstrip or pixel devices which do not suffer from the limitations normally found [1] in avalanche detectors. In addition, a moderate multiplication value will allow the fabrication of thinner devices with the same output signal of standard thick substrates. The investigation of these detectors provides important indications on the ability of such modified electrode geometry to control and optimize the charge multiplication effect, in order to fully recover the collection efficiency of heavily irradiated silicon detectors, at reasonable bias voltage, compatible with the voltage feed limitation of the CERN High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) experiments [2] . For instance, the inner most pixel detector layers of the ATLAS tracker will be exposed to fluences up to 2×10 16 1 MeV n eq /cm 2 , while for the inner strip detector region fluences of 1×10 15 n eq /cm 2 are expected. The gain implemented in the non-irradiated devices must retain some effect also after irradiation, with a higher multiplication factor with respect to standard structures, in order to be used in harsh environments such those expected at collider experiments.

Abstract: The MINERvA 6 experiment is designed to perform precision studies of neutrino-nucleus scattering using ν μ and ν ¯ μ neutrinos incident at 1–20 GeV in the NuMI beam at Fermilab. This article presents a detailed description of the MINERvA detector and describes the ex situ and in situ techniques employed to characterize the detector and monitor its performance. The detector is composed of a finely segmented scintillator-based inner tracking region surrounded by electromagnetic and hadronic sampling calorimetry. The upstream portion of the detector includes planes of graphite, iron and lead interleaved between tracking planes to facilitate the study of nuclear effects in neutrino interactions. Observations concerning the detector response over sustained periods of running are reported. The detector design and methods of operation have relevance to future neutrino experiments in which segmented scintillator tracking is utilized.

Abstract: A Time of Flight Positron Emission Tomography scanner based on plastic scintillators is being developed at the Jagiellonian University by the J-PET collaboration. The main challenge of the conducted research lies in the elaboration of a method allowing application of plastic scintillators for the detection of low energy gamma quanta. In this paper we report on tests of a single detection module built out from the BC-420 plastic scintillator strip (with dimensions of 5 � 19 � 300 mm 3 ) read out at two ends by Hamamatsu R5320 photomultipliers. The measurements were performed using collimated beam of annihilation quanta from the 68 Ge isotope and applying the Serial Data Analyzer (Lecroy SDA6000A) which enabled sampling of signals with 50 ps intervals. The time resolution of the prototype module was established to be better than 80 ps (σ) for a single level discrimination. The spatial resolution of the determination of the hit position along the strip was determined to be about 0.93 cm (σ) for the annihilation quanta. The fractional energy resolution for the energy E deposited by the annihilation quanta via the Compton scattering amounts to σðEÞ=E � 0:044= ffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffiffi EðMeVÞ p

Abstract: Procedures and results on hardware-level detector calibration in Super-Kamiokande (SK) are presented in this paper. In particular, we report improvements made in our calibration methods for the experimental phase IV in which new readout electronics have been operating since 2008. The topics are separated into two parts. The first part describes the determination of constants needed to interpret the digitized output of our electronics so that we can obtain physical numbers such as photon counts and their arrival times for each photomultiplier tube (PMT). In this context, we developed an in situ procedure to determine high-voltage settings for PMTs in large detectors like SK, as well as a new method for measuring PMT quantum efficiency and gain in such a detector. The second part describes modeling of the detector in Monte Carlo simulations, including, in particular, the optical properties of the water target and their variability over time. Detailed studies on water quality are also presented. As a result of this work, we have achieved a precision sufficient for physics analyses over a wide energy range (from a few MeV to above 1 TeV). For example, charge determination was at the level of 1%, and the timing resolution was 2.1 ns at the one-photoelectron charge level and 0.5 ns at the 100-photoelectron charge level.

Abstract: The EAS Cherenkov light array Tunka-133, with ~3 km2 geometric area, is taking data since 2009. The array permits a detailed study of cosmic ray energy spectrum and mass composition in the PeV energy range. After a short description of the methods of EAS parameter reconstruction, we present the all-particle energy spectrum and results of studying CR composition, based on 3 seasons of array operation. In the last part of the paper, we discuss possible interpretations of the obtained results.

Abstract: Highest time resolution in scintillator based detectors is becoming more and more important In medical detector physics L(Y)SO scintillators are commonly used for time of flight positron emission tomography (TOF-PET) Coincidence time resolutions (CTRs) smaller than 100 ps FWHM are desirable in order to improve the image signal to noise ratio and thus give benefit to the patient by shorter scanning times Also in high energy physics there is the demand to improve the timing capabilities of calorimeters down to 10 ps To achieve these goals it is important to study the whole chain, ie the high energy particle interaction in the crystal, the scintillation process itself, the scintillation light transfer in the crystal, the photodetector and the electronics Time resolution measurements for a PET like system are performed with the time-over-threshold method in a coincidence setup utilizing the ultra-fast amplifier-discriminator NINO With 2×2×3 mm3 LSO:Ce codoped 04%Ca crystals coupled to commercially available SiPMs (Hamamatsu S10931-050P MPPC) we achieve a CTR of 108±5 ps FWHM at an energy of 511 keV Under the same experimental conditions an increase in crystal length to 5 mm deteriorates the CTR to 123±7 ps FWHM, 10 mm to 143±7 ps FWHM and 20 mm to 176±7 ps FWHM This degradation in CTR is caused by the light transfer efficiency (LTE) and light transfer time spread (LTTS) in the crystal To quantitatively understand the measured values, we developed a Monte Carlo simulation tool in MATLAB incorporating the timing properties of the photodetector and electronics, the scintillation properties of the crystal and the light transfer within the crystal simulated by SLITRANI In this work, we show that the predictions of the simulation are in good agreement with the experimental data We conclude that for longer crystals the deterioration in CTR is mainly caused by the LTE, ie the ratio of photons reaching the photodetector to the total amount of photons generated by the scintillation whereas the LTTS influence is partly offset by the gamma absorption in the crystal

Abstract: OCELOT is a novel multiphysics simulation toolkit, which has been in development at European XFEL in collaboration with NRC Kurchatov Institute and DESY since 2011. In this paper we describe its architecture, implementation, and applications in the area of synchrotron light sources and FELs.

Abstract: Nonlinear dynamics optimization is carried out for a low emittance upgrade lattice of SPEAR3 in order to improve its dynamic aperture and Touschek lifetime. Two multi-objective optimization algorithms, a genetic algorithm and a particle swarm algorithm, are used for this study. The performance of the two algorithms are compared. The result shows that the particle swarm algorithm converges significantly faster to similar or better solutions than the genetic algorithm and it does not require seeding of good solutions in the initial population. These advantages of the particle swarm algorithm may make it more suitable for many accelerator optimization applications.

Abstract: The 2×3 channel pseudo Vertex Position Detector (pVPD) in the STAR experiment at RHIC has been upgraded to a 2×19 channel detector in the same acceptance, called the Vertex Position Detector (VPD). This detector is fully integrated into the STAR trigger system and provides the primary input to the minimum-bias trigger in Au+Au collisions. The information from the detector is used both in the STAR Level-0 trigger and offline to measure the location of the primary collision vertex along the beam pipe and the event “start time” needed by other fast-timing detectors in STAR. The offline timing resolution of single detector channels in full-energy Au+Au collisions is ~100 ps, resulting in a start time resolution of a few tens of picoseconds and a resolution on the primary vertex location of ~1 cm.

Abstract: We developed a segmented reactor-antineutrino detector made of plastic scintillators for application as a tool in nuclear safeguards inspection and performed mostly unmanned field operations at a commercial power plant reactor. At a position outside the reactor building, we measured the difference in reactor antineutrino flux above the ground when the reactor was active and inactive.

Abstract: Semi-insulating GaAs material of 500 μm thickness grown using the Liquid Encapsulated Czochralski (LEC) method has been compensated with chromium to produce high resistivity single crystals suitable for spectroscopic imaging applications. Results are presented for the performance of three small pixel detectors each with 80×80 pixels on a 250 μm pitch, fabricated with metal contacts and bonded to a spectroscopic imaging ASIC. Current–voltage measurements demonstrated a material resistivity of 2.5×10 9 Ω cm at room temperature. At an optimised bias voltage, the average energy resolution at 60 keV (FWHM) was in the range 2.8–3.3 keV per pixel. An analysis of the voltage dependent X-ray spectroscopy suggests that the electron mobility lifetime ( μτ e ) for each detector is in the range 2.1–4.5×10 −5 cm 2 V −1 . The spectroscopic imaging capability of the detectors is also demonstrated in X-ray absorption spectroscopy measurements.

Abstract: The BOA beamline at the Swiss spallation neutron source SINQ at Paul Scherrer Institut is a flexible instrument used mainly for testing novel techniques and devices for neutron scattering and optics, but, due to the large and relatively homogeneous field of view, it can be successfully used for experiments in the field of neutron imaging. The beamline allows also for the exploitation of advanced imaging concepts such as polarized neutron imaging and diffractive neutron imaging. In this paper we present the characterization of the BOA beamline in the light of its neutron imaging capabilities. We show also the different techniques that can be employed there as user-friendly plugins for non-standard neutron imaging experiments.

Abstract: The pulse shape discrimination (PSD) between neutrons and gamma rays in liquid scintillators is studied by using the charge integration method with fast digitizers having different technical characteristics. The use of the Figure of Merit (FoM) to verify the PSD capability is discussed. The dependence of the FoM on the digitizer sampling rate and resolution is experimentally determined. The effects due to the type of source and the irradiation geometry are also evidenced and discussed.

Abstract: The mass attenuation coefficients, μ / ρ , total interaction cross-section, σ t , and mean free path ( MFP ) of some Heavy Metal Oxides (HMO) glasses, with potential applications as gamma ray shielding materials, have been investigated using the MCNP-4C code. Appreciable variations are noted for all parameters by changing the photon energy and the chemical composition of HMO glasses. The numerical simulations parameters are compared with experimental data wherever possible. Comparisons are also made with predictions from the XCOM program in the energy region from 1 keV to 100 MeV. Good agreement noticed indicates that the chosen Monte Carlo method may be employed to make additional calculations on the photon attenuation characteristics of different glass systems, a capability particularly useful in cases where no analogous experimental data exist.

Abstract: A description is presented of apparatus used to carry out an experimental search for an electric dipole moment of the neutron, at the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL), Grenoble. The experiment incorporated a cohabiting atomic-mercury magnetometer in order to reduce spurious signals from magnetic field fluctuations. The result has been published in an earlier letter [1]; here, the methods and equipment used are discussed in detail.

Abstract: AMS-02 is a high energy particle detector deployed in May 19, 2011 on board of the International Space Station (ISS) where it is expected to be in operation for the ISS lifetime of at least a decade. The main goal of AMS-02 is the detection of cosmic rays and gammas from the GeV to the TeV energy region to search for anti-matter, dark matter and understanding the origin of the cosmic rays. The AMS-02 time of flight (TOF) detector provides the trigger to experiment and allows precise measurements of the cosmic rays velocity and charge magnitude from hydrogen to iron and above. With the data set acquired during the first two and a half years of operation in space, a precise time-dependent calibration for time, velocity and charge measured by the TOF had been developed. The TOF calibration methods are described and the AMS-02 TOF performance in space is presented. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Abstract: The fission Time Projection Chamber (fissionTPC) is a compact (15 cm diameter) two-chamber MICROMEGAS TPC designed to make precision cross-section measurements of neutron-induced fission. The actinide targets are placed on the central cathode and irradiated with a neutron beam that passes axially through the TPC inducing fission in the target. The 4π acceptance for fission fragments and complete charged particle track reconstruction are powerful features of the fissionTPC which will be used to measure fission cross-sections and examine the associated systematic errors. This paper provides a detailed description of the design requirements, the design solutions, and the initial performance of the fissionTPC.

Abstract: A high-granularity mixed spectrometer consisting of high-resolution Ge and very fast LaBr3(Ce)scintillator detectors has been installed around a fission target at the cold-neutron guide PF1B of the high-flux reactor of the Institut Laue–Langevin. Lifetimes of excited states in the range of 10 ps to 10 ns can be measured in around 100 exotic neutron-rich fission fragments using Ge-gated LaBr3(Ce)– LaBr3(Ce) or Ge–Ge–LaBr3(Ce)–LaBr3(Ce) coincidences. We report on various characteristics of the EXILL&FATIMA spectrometer for the energy range of 40 keV up to 6.8 MeV and present results of pslifetime test measurements in a fission fragment. The results are discussed with respect to possible systematic errors induced by background contributions. & 2014 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Abstract: The IceCube project has transformed 1 km(3) of deep natural Antarctic ice into a Cherenkov detector Muon neutrinos are detected and their direction is inferred by mapping the light produced by the secondary muon track inside the volume instrumented with photomultipliers. Reconstructing the muon track from the observed light is challenging due to noise, light scattering in the ice medium, and the possibility of simultaneously having multiple muons inside the detector, resulting from the large flux of cosmic ray muons. This paper describes work on two problems: (1) the truck reconstruction problem, in which, given a set of observations, the goal is to recover the track of a muon; and (2) the coincident event problem, which is to determine how many muons are active in the detector during a time window. Rather than solving these problems by developing more complex physical models that are applied at later stages of the analysis, our approach is to augment the detector's early reconstruction with data filters and robust statistical techniques. These can be implemented at the level of on-line reconstruction and, therefore, improve all subsequent reconstructions. Using the metric of median angular resolution, a standard metric for track reconstruction, we improve the accuracy in the initial reconstruction direction by 13%. We also present improvements in measuring the number of muons in coincident events: we can accurately determine the number of muons 98% of the time. (C) 2013 Elsevier RV. All rights reserved.

Abstract: Solid-state thermal neutron detectors with improved detection efficiencies are highly sought after for many applications. Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) epilayers have been synthesized by metal organic chemical vapor deposition on sapphire substrates. Important material parameters including the mobility-lifetime (μτ) product and the thermal neutron absorption length (λ) have been measured. For hBN epilayers with a room temperature resistivity of 5.3 � 10 10 Ω cm, the measured μτ product of electrons is 4.46 � 10 � 8 cm 2 /V and of holes is 7.07 � 10 � 9 cm 2 /V. The measured λ values are 277 μm and 77 μm for natural and 10 B enriched hBN epilayers, respectively. Metal–semiconductor–metal detectors incorporating 0.3 mm thick hBN epilayers were fabricated. The reaction product pulse-height spectra were measured under thermal neutron irradiation produced by a 252 Cf source moderated by high density polyethylene block. The measured pulse-height spectra revealed distinguishable peaks corresponding to the product energies of 10 B and neutron reaction with the 0.84 MeV 7 Li peak being the most prominent. The detectors exhibited negligible responses to gamma rays produced by 137 Cs decay. Our results indicate that hBN epilayers are highly promising for realizing highly sensitive solid-state thermal neutron detectors with expected advantages resulting from semiconductor technologies, including compact size, light weight, ability to integrate with other functional devices, and low cost.

Abstract: CeBr 3 gamma-ray spectrometers are preferable to LaBr 3 :Ce ones for low-count-rate experiments because of their low intrinsic activity and consequently increased detection sensitivity. A drawback of CeBr 3 is a nonoptimum energy resolution, i.e. 4% at 662 keV. Here we demonstrate that aliovalent co-doping techniques are effective to enhance the CeBr 3 energy resolution to at least 3%. Such an enhancement is achieved because of a more proportional energy response of the scintillation.

Abstract: The design of a fast-timing γ-ray detection array aimed at measuring sub-nanosecond half-lives using LaBr 3 :Ce scintillation crystals is presented. This array will complement novel and existing charged particle and neutron detector arrays at the low-energy branch of a fragment separator (Super-FRS) to be built within the NuSTAR collaboration as part of the future Facility for Anti-proton and Ion Research (FAIR). The array will be used in conjunction with the Advanced Implantation Detector Array (AIDA), to measure implant-decay correlations. Monte-Carlo simulations have been performed to determine the design of the proposed fast-timing array around a localised implantation point. In particular, simulations were used to determine the full-energy peak efficiencies for single cylindrical, conical and ‘hybrid’ detector geometries, as well as complete array configurations of ‘hybrid’ and ∅1.5 in.×2 in. cylindrical crystals. Timing precision calculations were then used to determine the timing response for each configuration based on its simulated efficiency. An informed decision based on the simulated efficiencies and timing precision calculations allowed the optimum configuration for the array to be determined.

Abstract: Directional beams of neutrons can be produced, if a nuclear reaction, which emits neutrons, is initiated in inverse kinematics with a heavy ion projectile bombarding a light target. In this paper we investigate the use of the p(Li-7,n)Be-7 inverse reaction to produce kinematically focused, quasi-mono-energetic neutron beams with a view to develop such an unusual neutron source for fundamental and applied nuclear physics studies. An experiment was carried out to validate the concept and to test the viability of two types of hydrogen-rich solid targets: polypropylene and TiH2. Neutron time-of-flight/energy spectra at 3 m distance from the source have been measured at Li-7 bombarding energies of 13.5, 15, 15.5, 16, and 17 MeV, and neutron backgrounds from parasitic reactions have been characterized. The neutron angular distribution in the laboratory has been measured at 15 MeV. A Monte-Carlo code based on two-body relativistic kinematics has been developed and validated by comparison with the experimental data. Code-based extrapolations have then been used to deduce neutron energy spectra and maximum neutron fluxes available for future irradiation of samples placed in the neutron beam at small distances. For neutrons produced with thin (4 mu m) and thick (28 mu m) polypropylene targets the maximum available fluxes are calculated to be 10(7)n/s/sr and 7 x 10(7) n/s/sr respectively. The development of a dedicated facility to produce kinematically focused neutrons is discussed.

Abstract: We report on electrical and charge collection tests of silicon sensors with internal gain as part of our development of ultra-fast silicon detectors. Using C–V and α TCT measurements, we investigate the non-uniform doping profile of so-called low-gain avalanche detectors (LGAD). These are n-on-p pad sensors with charge multiplication due to the presence of a thin, low-resistivity diffusion layer below the junction, obtained with a highly doped implant. We compare the bias dependence of the pulse shapes of traditional sensors and of LGAD sensors with different dopant density of the diffusion layer, and extract the internal gain.

Abstract: Scintillation detectors for alpha particles are often used in nuclear fuel facilities. Alpha particle detectors have also become important in the research field of radionuclide therapy using alpha emitters. ZnS(Ag) is the most often used scintillator for alpha particle detectors because its light output is high. However, the energy resolution of ZnS(Ag)-based scintillation detectors is poor because they are not transparent. A new ceramic sample, namely the cerium doped Gd 2 Si 2 O 7 (GPS) scintillator, has been tested as alpha particle detector and its performances have been compared to that one of three different scintillating materials: ZnS(Ag), GAGG and a standard plastic scintillator. The different scintillating materials have been coupled to two different photodetectors, namely a photomultiplier tube (PMT) and a Silicon Photo-multiplier (Si-PM): the performances of each detection system have been compared. Promising results as far as the energy resolution performances (10% with PMT and 14% with Si-PM) have been obtained in the case of GPS and GAGG samples. Considering the quantum efficiencies of the photodetectors under test and their relation to the emission wavelength of the different scintillators, the best results were achieved coupling the GPS with the PMT and the GAGG with the Si-PM

Abstract: Time resolved electron diffraction is an alternative approach to FEL based X-ray experiments for the study of structural dynamics of matter on the relevant timescales. The required electron beam parameters are demanding in terms of emittance and bunch length and require the operation at charges typically well below 1 pC. Moreover the energy is low – a few MeV only. The longitudinal compression of the bunches can be realized with a simple longitudinal focusing scheme in a drift. In this paper the question of what limits the bunch length in this parameter regime is addressed by means of numerical simulations. Beside emittance increasing space charge effects also rf-curvature and nonlinear compression are identified as limiting factors.

Abstract: The response of 6Li-depleted Cs2LiYCl6 (CLYC) to high-energy neutrons has been investigated using a pair of 1 in.×1 in. crystals. These are the first two detectors of their kind, which will comprise a 16-element array for studies in fast neutron spectroscopy. Their thermal neutron response has been compared with standard CLYC crystals with a 6Li enrichment of 95%, demonstrating excellent suppression of the overwhelming thermal neutron background. The response to mono-energetic neutrons over a range of 0.5 to 20 MeV was tested. From this, the response function, energy resolution, and pulse-shape discrimination up to 20 MeV were characterized. Detailed Monte Carlo investigations with MCNPX have been used to show that the dominant reaction mechanisms contributing to the observed response are 35Cl(n,p) and 35Cl(n,α). Preliminary investigations have also demonstrated the possibility for separating events from these two reactions.

Abstract: The term “muon puzzle” was formulated at International Symposium on Future Directions in UHECR Physics in CERN 13–16 February 2012. In this paper, various aspects of muon puzzle are considered. Obtained experimental data can be divided into two types: muon bundle excess compared to simulations which is increasing with the increase of primary particle energy, and the excess of very-high-energy muons ( > 100 TeV ) in the muon energy spectrum. One of the possible (and realistic) solutions of the muon puzzle is the hypothesis about production of blobs of quark-gluon matter with large orbital momentum in nucleus–nucleus interactions at energies more than several PeV. Possibilities of the check of this hypothesis are discussed.

Abstract: Development of the plastic scintillator with neutron sensitivity from thermal to multi-MeV and pulse shape discrimination (PSD) has been demonstrated. Incorporation of 10B-containing compounds into the plastic scintillator with PSD capability leads to detector improvement in regard to neutron detection efficiency while preserving the discrimination between neutrons and γ-rays. Effects of boron loading on scintillation and pulse shape discrimination properties are discussed. A PSD figure-of-merit value of 1.4±0.03 has been achieved for events in a thermal neutron energy domain, 50–100 keVee, for PSD plastic loaded with 5 wt.% of m-carborane.