Table of contents

In this study, we present the development of an indigenous pulse shape discrimination (PSD) algorithm grounded in tail area and total area analysis, effectively obviating the necessity for specialized programmable hardware. Pulse data was collected utilizing a BC501 detector paired with a Pu-Be source and digitized in oscilloscope mode during experiments conducted at IIT-Kanpur. The algorithm developed in this work encompasses essential functions such as pulse normalization, shaping, peak identification and removal, and threshold determination. Notably, the algorithm offers the capability to derive neutron and γ-ray counts, generate scatter plots, and calculate the figure-of-Merit (FoM). It is essential to emphasize that the development of this indigenous Tail-to-Total Area (TtoT) PSD algorithm was a direct response to the unavailability of dedicated hardware for PSD in the experiment conducted at IIT-Kanpur. The introduction of the TtoT algorithm played a pivotal role in enabling offline PSD analysis at IIT-Kanpur, effectively overcoming infrastructure limitations. Importantly, the efficacy of our proposed algorithm was tested by applying it to pulse data from a distinct source-detector arrangement featuring a BC501A detector and an Cf-252 source. This comparative analysis also included the Charge Integration (CI) method and was conducted at IIT-Roorkee. The results obtained from our algorithm and the CI method exhibited a strong concurrence concerning the identification of neutrons and γ-rays, along with FoM metrics.

The Jinping neutrino experiment is designed to have multiple purposes in the China Jinping Underground Laboratory. Following the acrylic vessel design requirements proposal, a structural scheme has been developed and optimized. Subsequently, the stability of the acrylic shell structure is calculated using finite element analysis, as well as the load-bearing capacities under various working conditions. Further, the effects of temperature changes, rope failures, and Young's modulus of the ropes on the static behavior of the structure are analyzed. The results indicated that the stress level and structural displacement of the structure scheme satisfy the design requirements, as well as the stability of the vessel under compression. The acrylic vessel is safe in the given working conditions. Temperature is not a controlling factor in structural design. The structural scheme ensures basic safety if one vertical rope, two vertical ropes, or one horizontal rope fails.

This paper presents a novel data processing algorithm. This algorithm is used to solve the problem of incomplete and misaligned of point cloud data due to the complexity of nuclear power containment cone-cylinder forgings and the limitation of laser scanner. Based on spectral graph theory and Hungarian matching, this paper first introduces the lazy random walk, and point cloud state vector is calculated during the walk to judge the local information, thereby eliminate the influence of noise. Then, characteristic edges are extracted using spectral graph theory. Additionally, the feature descriptors are calculated and the cost matrix is constructed using the feature descriptors. The Hungarian algorithm is applied for feature matching, facilitating a coarse registration of the point clouds. Finally, the improved point-to-plane iteration closest point is used for fine registration to ensure accurate alignment between point clouds. The experimental results demonstrate the algorithm's effectiveness in the registration of point clouds for nuclear power containment cone-cylinder forgings.

We present the novel 2× 4 monolithic Silicon Drift Detectors (SDD) array of 1 mm thickness developed within the context of the SIDDHARTA-2 experiment for high-energy X-ray spectroscopy measurements of light kaonic atom transitions. It represents a state-of-the-art advancement in terms of detection efficiency with respect to the previous generation of detectors, having a thickness of 450 μm. The sensor features eight square SDD units with an active area of 8 × 8 mm² each, arranged in a 2 × 4 matrix. Therefore, the total active area of the array is 32 × 16 mm² while the total chip area is 36 × 20 mm², including a 2-mm dead region on each side of the array. This new version of SDD arrays, manufactured by Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK), includes an additional electrode on its entrance window, designed to reduce charge sharing between adjacent channels and improve energy resolution. This article describes two different detection modules based on these arrays: the first module includes a single array, whereas the second one is composed of two 1 mm thick SDD arrays in a stacked configuration, in order to reach 2 mm of effective thickness and further increase the module detection efficiency. The first spectroscopic measurements obtained with the two modules will be also reported in the paper, showing the spectroscopic improvements that can be obtained with the additional electrode on the window and the efficiency improvements that can be obtained with the stacked module.

More than 10000 photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) with a diameter of 80 mm will be installed in multi-PMT Digital Optical Modules (mDOMs) of the IceCube Upgrade. These have been tested and pre-calibrated at two sites. A throughput of more than 1000 PMTs per week with both sites was achieved with a modular design of the testing facilities and highly automated testing procedures. The testing facilities can easily be adapted to other PMTs, such that they can, e.g., be re-used for testing the PMTs for IceCube-Gen2. Single photoelectron response, high voltage dependence, time resolution, prepulse, late pulse, afterpulse probabilities, and dark rates were measured for each PMT. We describe the design of the testing facilities, the testing procedures, and the results of the acceptance tests.

The ClearMind project aims to develop a TOF-PET position-sensitive detection module optimized for time and spatial resolutions and detection efficiency. For this, we use a 59 mm× 59 mm × 5 mm monolithic PbWO₄ (PWO) crystal, which is encapsulated within a commercial Micro-Channel Plate Photomultiplier tube MAPMT253 with a bialkali photocathode directly deposited on the crystal. We report the proof of concept of the directly deposited of a bialkali photocathode on a PWO crystal and its stability over time. The full calibration of the ClearMind photodetector module in the single-photoelectron regime is described. We measured a time resolution of 70 ps FWHM using a 20 ps pulsed laser. We present the performance of the prototype used in coincidence with a 3 × 3 × 3 mm³ LYSO:Ca,Ce crystal readout by a SiPM. We obtained a coincidence time resolution of 350 ps FWHM, a spatial resolution of 4 to 5 mm, and a detection efficiency of 28 %, consistent with Monte Carlo simulations of the ClearMind detector module.

Samples of the monolithic silicon pixel ASIC prototype produced in 2022 within the framework of the Horizon 2020 MONOLITH ERC Advanced project were irradiated with 70 MeV protons up to a fluence of 1 × 10¹⁶ n_eq/cm², and then tested using a beam of 120 GeV/c pions. The ASIC contains a matrix of 100 μm pitch hexagonal pixels, read out by low noise and very fast frontend electronics produced in a 130 nm SiGe BiCMOS technology process. The dependence on the proton fluence of the efficiency and the time resolution of this prototype was measured with the frontend electronics operated at a power density between 0.13 and 0.9 W/cm². The testbeam data show that the detection efficiency of 99.96% measured at sensor bias voltage of 200 V before irradiation becomes 96.2% after a fluence of 1 × 10¹⁶ n_eq/cm². An increase of the sensor bias voltage to 300 V provides an efficiency to 99.7% at that proton fluence. The timing resolution of 20 ps measured before irradiation rises for a proton fluence of 1 × 10¹⁶ n_eq/cm² to 53 and 45 ps at HV = 200 and 300 V, respectively.

This study compares interaction coefficients of photons (namely, mass attenuation, energy absorption and energy transfer coefficients) for some tumor tissues with simlar healthy tissues. Monte Carlo calculations were performed for adenoidcystic carcinoma, melanoma, rectal adenocarcinoma, sarcoma and squamous cell lung carcinoma. The simulation model involved a monoenergetic point source producing a pencil beam. Depending on the parameter under study, average flux, energy flux, or dose deposition from photons that travels in an absorber were scored in the range of 10 keV–20 MeV energy using MCNP6.1. The same model was used to compute the interaction coefficients of health tissues (namely, gastrointestinal tract-small intestine wall, lungs-parenchyma, salivary glands, skin, soft tissue (female+male)) for comparison purposes. The results showed that, depending on the contents of the tumor samples, photon interaction coefficients of a tumor may differ from those of a similar healthy tissue. This behavior was distinct, especially for energies up to 100 keV, and was attributed to the presence of relatively higher atomic number elements in the absorber.

There has been considerable interest and resulting progress in implementing machine learning (ML) models in hardware over the last several years from the particle and nuclear physics communities. A big driver has been the release of the Python package, hls4ml, which has enabled porting models specified and trained using Python ML libraries to register transfer level (RTL) code. So far, the primary end targets have been commercial field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or synthesized custom blocks on application specific integrated circuits (ASICs). However, recent developments in open-source embedded FPGA (eFPGA) frameworks now provide an alternate, more flexible pathway for implementing ML models in hardware. These customized eFPGA fabrics can be integrated as part of an overall chip design. In general, the decision between a fully custom, eFPGA, or commercial FPGA ML implementation will depend on the details of the end-use application. In this work, we explored the parameter space for eFPGA implementations of fully-connected neural network (fcNN) and boosted decision tree (BDT) models using the task of neutron/gamma classification with a specific focus on resource efficiency. We used data collected using an AmBe sealed source incident on Stilbene, which was optically coupled to an OnSemi J-series silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) to generate training and test data for this study. We investigated relevant input features and the effects of bit-resolution and sampling rate as well as trade-offs in hyperparameters for both ML architectures while tracking total resource usage. The performance metric used to track model performance was the calculated neutron efficiency at a gamma leakage of 10^-3. The results of the study will be used to aid the specification of an eFPGA fabric, which will be integrated as part of a test chip.

In this paper we report on a set of characterisations carried out on the first monolithic LGAD prototype integrated in a customised 110 nm CMOS process having a depleted active volume thickness of 48 μm. This prototype is formed by a pixel array where each pixel has a total size of 100 μm× 250 μm and includes a high-speed front-end amplifier. After describing the sensor and the electronics architecture, both laboratory and in-beam measurements are reported and described. Optical characterisations performed with an IR pulsed laser setup have shown a sensor internal gain of about 2.5. With the same experimental setup, the electronic jitter was found to be between 50 ps and 150 ps, depending on the signal amplitude. Moreover, the analysis of a test beam performed at the Proton Synchrotron (PS) T10 facility of CERN with 10 GeV/c protons and pions indicated that the overall detector time resolution is in the range of 234 ps to 244 ps. Further TCAD investigations, based on the doping profile extracted from C(V) measurements, confirmed the multiplication gain measured on the test devices. Finally, TCAD simulations were used to tune the future doping concentration of the gain layer implant, targeting sensors with a higher avalanche gain. This adjustment is expected to enhance the timing performance of the sensors of the future productions, in order to cope with the high event rate expected in most of the near future high-energy and high-luminosity physics experiments, where the time resolution will be essential to disentangle overlapping events and it will also be crucial for Particle IDentification (PID).

We present a novel methodology to search for intranuclear neutron-antineutron transition (n⟶n̅) followed by n̅-nucleon annihilation within an ⁴⁰Ar nucleus, using the MicroBooNE liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) detector. A discovery of n⟶n̅ transition or a new best limit on the lifetime of this process would either constitute physics beyond the Standard Model or greatly constrain theories of baryogenesis, respectively. The approach presented in this paper makes use of deep learning methods to select n⟶n̅ events based on their unique features and differentiate them from cosmogenic backgrounds. The achieved signal and background efficiencies are (70.22 ± 6.04)% and (0.0020 ± 0.0003)%, respectively. A demonstration of a search is performed with a data set corresponding to an exposure of 3.32 ×10²⁶ neutron-years, and where the background rate is constrained through direct measurement, assuming the presence of a negligible signal. With this approach, no excess of events over the background prediction is observed, setting a demonstrative lower bound on the n⟶n̅ lifetime in ⁴⁰Ar of τ_m ≳ 1.1×10²⁶ years, and on the free n⟶n̅ transition time of τ_n⟶n̅ ≳ 2.6×10⁵ s, each at the 90% confidence level. This analysis represents a first-ever proof-of-principle demonstration of the ability to search for this rare process in LArTPCs with high efficiency and low background.

In this paper, we introduce a novel single amplification-stage Micro-Pattern Gaseous Detector (MPGD) that incorporates a Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC)-based resistive electrode at the bottom of micro-groove structures, the micro-Resistive Groove (μRGroove) detector. The μRGroove shares a similar compact stack geometry with the micro-Resistive WELL (μRWELL) detector, but it distinguishes itself by employing a groove structure for charge amplification instead of a well. The top metal layer of the grooves naturally forms an array of strips. By incorporating additional 1-dimensional (1D) readout strips beneath the DLC electrode, a 2-dimensional (2D) strip-readout scheme can be easily implemented. Two prototypes of the μRGroove (10 cm× 10 cm) were manufactured in 2022 at CERN, and their performance was evaluated through X-ray and beam tests. The results indicate a gas gain > 10⁴, an energy resolution of ~ 25%, and negligible charging-up effects for 8 keV Cu X-rays. Additionally, the detection efficiency was found to be ~ 95%, with a position resolution of ∼ 75 μm for 150-GeV/c muons. The μRGroove boasts a compact design and robustness against discharges. Furthermore, compared to the μRWELL, it offers cost savings in detector fabrication and yields significantly higher signal amplitude (approximately double) at the same gas gain. These attributes position the μRGroove as a promising candidate for large-area and low-material-budget tracking applications.

We present DENNIS (Diffraction Experiment desigN and aNalysiS): a graphical software tool useful for the design and analysis of dynamic x-ray diffraction experiments, such as those performed on the Z Pulsed Power Facility, Thor Pulsed Power Generator, and Dynamic Compression Sector (DCS) of the Advanced Photon Source. DENNIS provides rapid powder and single-crystal diffraction pattern predictions and powder diffraction pattern image integration in three-dimensional geometries. Additional features include crystallographic information file reading, image processing, and synthetic diffraction pattern image generation. We overview the software's capabilities, detail the prediction and integration methodologies, and provide example implementations on Z and DCS experiments.

The paper presents the design and test results of an 11-bit successive approximation register (SAR) ADC, suitable for massive on-chip integration in a pixel readout chip. The objective is to establish new digital readout architectures for X-ray pixel detectors at future X-ray free electron laser (XFEL) facilities, enabling high frame rates and a high dynamic range simultaneously. The prototype chip has been designed and fabricated in a 130 nm CMOS process, with the core circuit occupying an area of ~ 0.034 mm². The measured differential nonlinearity (DNL) and integral nonlinearity (INL) are +0.78/-0.78 LSB and +0.58/-0.52 LSB, respectively. The signal-to-noise-and-distortion ratio (SINAD) is 61.6 dB at 2 MS/s, achieving an effective number of bit (ENOB) of ~ 9.94-bit. The core circuit power consumption is 47 μW at 2 MS/s with a 1.2 V supply.

This study evaluates more than 4,000 tiles made of Hamamatsu visual-sensitive silicon photomultipier (SiPM), each with dimensions of 5 × 5 cm², intended for the central detector of the Taishan Anti-neutrino Observatory (TAO), a satellite experiment of the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) aimed at measuring the reactor anti-neutrino energy spectrum with unprecedented energy resolution. All SiPM tiles underwent a room temperature burn-in test in the dark for two weeks, while cryogenic testing analyzed the thermal dependence of parameters for some sampled SiPMs. Results from these comprehensive tests provide crucial insights into the long-term performance and stability of the 10 square meters of SiPMs operating at -50°C to detect scintillation photons in the TAO detector. Despite some anomalies awaiting further inspection, all SiPMs successfully passed the burn-in test over two weeks at room temperature, which is equivalent to 6.7 years at -50°C. Results are also used to guide optimal SiPM selection, configuration, and operation, ensuring reliability and sustainability in reactor neutrino measurements. This work also provides insights for a rapid and robust quality assessment in future experiments that employ large-scale SiPMs as detection systems.

Gas Electron Multipliers (GEMs) are used in many particle physics experiments, employing their `standard' configuration with amplification holes of 140 μm pitch in a hexagonal pattern. However, the collection of the charge cloud from the primary ionisation electrons from the drift region of the detector into the GEM holes affects the position information from the initial interacting particle. In this paper, the results from studies with a triple-GEM detector with an X-Y-strip readout anode are presented. It is demonstrated that GEMs with a finer hole pitch of here 90 μm improve the detector's spatial resolution. Within these studies, also the impact of the front-end electronics on the spatial resolution was investigated, which is briefly discussed in the paper.

The application of more and more low-energy, low-dose-rate photon radiation seeds in brachytherapy. According to the TG43 report and TG43-U1 report issued by the American Association of Physicists in Medicine, both apparent activity and air kerma strength are physical characterization parameters of brachytherapy seed strength,which are needed to convert into water absorbed dose at the depth of 1 cm. At present, the method of obtaining the water absorbed dose is to convert the air kerma strength, the uncertainty of results exceeds 5% (k = 1), which could reduce the cure rate of the treatment. In order to address this issue ,the China Institute of Atomic Energy has designed a device that can directly replicate the water absorbed dose of ¹²⁵I brachytherapy seeds,which is an extrapolation chamber embedded with water equivalent material. In order to evaluate the performance of the extrapolation chamber, a series of experiments were carried out, including partial pressure test, leakage current, saturation curve, response linearity, collection area and zero point position. The test results show that the performance parameters of the extrapolation chamber meet the relevant requirements.

The India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) collaboration has established a miniICAL detector, at the transit campus of IICHEP, Madurai, India, which serves as a prototype detector of the larger Iron-Calorimeter detector (ICAL). The purpose of miniICAL lies in unraveling the intricate physics and engineering challenges inherent in constructing and operating a substantial ICAL-type detector. To explore the feasibility of building a large-scale neutrino experiment at shallow depths the collaboration has embarked upon the construction of a Cosmic Muon Veto Detector (CMVD) around the miniICAL detector. The primary objective of this endeavor revolves around attaining a veto efficiency surpassing 99.99%, while simultaneously maintaining a false-positive rate lower than 10^-5. The CMVD system is based on extruded plastic scintillators (EPS) and utilizes wavelength-shifting fibers to collect scintillation photons and uses silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) as photo-transducers. A software tool is developed for CMVD and is integrated with the existing miniICAL consisting of RPC detectors. The simulation is tuned to include properties of EPSs and WLS fibers, measured efficiencies, and time resolutions of EPSs. Measured spectra and noise in SiPMs are also taken into account. The muon tracks in the RPCs are used to estimate the muon veto efficiency of CMVD to arrive at efficient muon veto criteria. With improved veto efficiency of cosmic muons, the CMVD experiment will help to pave the way for future large-scale shallow-depth neutrino experiments e.g. INO-type experiments, enhancing our understanding of neutrino properties.

This paper presents a novel method for low maintenance, low ambiguity in-situ drift velocity monitoring in large volume Time Projection Chambers (TPCs). The method was developed and deployed for the 40 m³ TPC tracker system of the NA61/SHINE experiment at CERN, which has a one meter of drift length. The method relies on a low-cost multi-wire proportional chamber placed next to the TPC to be monitored, downstream with respect to the particle flux. Reconstructed tracks in the TPC are matched to hits in the monitoring chamber, called the Geometry Reference Chamber (GRC). Relative differences in positions of hits in the GRC are used to estimate the drift velocity, removing the need for an accurate alignment of the TPC to the GRC. An important design requirement on the GRC was minimal added complexity to the existing system, in particular, compatibility with Front-End Electronics cards already used to read out the TPCs. Moreover, the GRC system was designed to operate both in large and small particle fluxes. The system is capable of monitoring the evolution of the drift velocity inside the TPC down to a one permil precision, with a few minutes of data collection.

Helium Beam Emission Spectroscopy (He-BES) diagnostic has been developed on EAST, which is able to measure the edge electron density and temperature profiles simultaneously using a helium line intensity ratio method. The diagnostic includes the beam injector and the detection system. There are 20 observation channels within an observation range of 80 mm in the detection system at the low filed side, which can cover the whole scrape-off layer (SOL) and part of the pedestal region of EAST. The beam injector system has been upgraded to Supersonic Molecular Beam Injector (SMBI) system to realize deeper helium injection since the 2021 campaign. Four spectral lines at wavelengths of 728.1 nm, 706.5 nm, 667.8 nm and 656.3 nm are detected by the He-BES. The first three spectral lines, including 728.1 nm, 706.5 nm, 667.8 nm, are measured for calculating edge n^e and T^e profiles based on the collisional-radiative model (CRM) model, and the last spectral line (656.3 nm) is used for the measurement of D_α emission. The edge electrostatic fluctuations can be obtained from the power spectrum of D_α emission. The electron density and temperature profiles calculated from the 667.8/728.1 and 728.1/706.5 nm line ratios are in good agreement with those from other diagnostics in the edge region of plasma. The self-consistency of He-BES diagnostic is also verified, such as the density pump out caused by LHW and the lower edge temperature caused by the lower heating power.

Strip and pixels sensors, fabricated on high resistivity silicon substrate, normally of p-type, are used in detectors for High Energy Physics (HEP) typically in a hybrid detector assembly. Furthermore, and owing to their inherent advantages over hybrid sensors, Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors (MAPS) fabricated in CMOS technology have been increasingly implemented in HEP experiments. In all cases, their use in higher radiation areas (HL-LHC and beyond) will require options to improve their radiation hardness and time resolution. These aspects demand a deep understanding of their radiation damage and reliable models to predict their behaviours at high fluences. As a first step, we fabricated several Schottky and n-on-p diodes, to allow a comparison of results and provide a backup solution for test devices, on 6 or 4-inch p-type silicon wafers with 50 μm epitaxial thickness and of doping concentration as they are normally used in HEP detectors and CMOS MAPS devices. In this paper, details of the design and fabrication process, along with test results of the fabricated devices before irradiation, will be provided. Additional test results on irradiated devices will be provided in subsequent publications.

The timing performance of the Timepix4 application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) bump-bonded to a 100 μm thick n-on-p silicon sensor is presented. A picosecond pulsed infrared laser was used to generate electron-hole pairs in the silicon bulk in a repeatable fashion, controlling the amount, position and time of the stimulated charge signal. The timing resolution for a single pixel has been measured to 107 ps r.m.s. for laser-stimulated signals in the silicon sensor bulk. Considering multi-pixel clusters, the measured timing resolution reached 33 ps r.m.s. exploiting oversampling of the timing information over several pixels.

Photon detectors featuring single-photon sensitivity play a crucial role in various scientific domains, including high-energy physics, astronomy, and quantum optics. Fast response time, high quantum efficiency, and minimal dark counts are the characteristics that render them ideal candidates for detecting individual photons with exceptional signal-to-noise ratios, at frequencies in the range of hundreds of MHz. Here, we report on our first design and operational results on a Hybrid Photon Detector (HPD) that combines the high quantum efficiency of a Gallium Nitride (GaN) photocathode and the low noise characteristics of a Si-based Low-Gain Avalanche Diode (LGAD). This hybrid detection scheme has the potential to reach single-photon detection sensitivity with high quantum efficiency, low noise levels and capable of operating at hundreds of MHz repetition rates.

The reactor nuclear measurement system is important in a nuclear power plant. Its main role is to measure the reactor's core power distribution using detectors and calibrate and provide data on the core fuel consumption. This study describes the lack of fault data and the lack of diagnostic methodology research in the overhauling process and fault diagnosis of the off-heap nuclear measurement system core card. This core card provides the detectors with the necessary working conditions. It also collects signals. In this study, we propose a methodology for the fault diagnosis of the card through circuit analysis, simulation of functional module division, fault data generation, and training of a convolutional neural network diagnostic model. The proposed methodology can transform the drawings into convenient diagnostic processes and algorithms based on expert experience. These drawings are difficult to use in actual overhauling conditions. The corresponding experimental equipment was designed for practical testing. The experimental results show that the accuracy of the obtained diagnostic model for classifying preset faults can reach 99.5%, indicating that this model can be applied in actual working conditions. The accuracy of the trained diagnostic model in classifying 13 kinds of faults in the training set during the actual test was tested. Results show that the accuracy rate is close to 100%. Moreover, the correction of the model using the real maintenance data in applying the actual maintenance conditions was also analyzed. The intelligent diagnostic system that centers on the fault diagnosis method investigated in this study has been applied in the pressurized water reactor off-heap nuclear measurement system digital transformation and upgrading project of Qinshan No. 2 Plant.

In the present work we describe the design, construction, and testing of the optical prototype developed for the BOLDPET project, with the objective of creating a PET detection module with high spatial and time resolution. The BOLDPET technology uses an innovative detection liquid, trimethylbismuth, for detecting 511 keV γ-quanta resulting from positron annihilation. The optical signal is exclusively produced through the Cherenkov mechanism, and the produced photons are detected using Planacon microchannel-plate photomultiplier. We achieve an excellent time resolution of 150 ps (FWHM) within a sizable detection volume measuring 55 mm× 55 mm× 25 mm. Through detailed Geant4 simulations, we examine the limiting factors affecting time resolution and explore potential avenues for improvement. Furthermore, we demonstrate the feasibility of coarse 2D localization of interactions using the optical signal alone, achieving a precision of about 5–8 mm (FWHM) within the homogeneous detection volume.

We report in this paper the development of the single crystal diamond detector as a fast neutron spectroscopy in the EAST tokamak. The diamond detector is used to detect the fast neutron directly without any neutron converter during the deuterium-deuterium fusion experiment, then the neutron energy spectrum is reconstructed from the recorded continuous scattered spectrum by using a deconvolution algorithm. The results indicate the capability of the diamond spectroscopy which can be used directly to monitor the fast neutron flux and energy spectrum in the EAST tokamak.

The micro gas chromatography columns (μGCs) were prepared for rapid breath analysis of gastric cancer. The synergistic effect of the specific surface area and the action of pore diameter on the separation capacity was investigated. The μGC-IL/UIO-66 was prepared using [P66614][Cl]/UIO-66 as the stationary phase. For comparison, the μGC-IL and the μGC-UIO-66 were prepared using [P66614][Cl] and UIO-66 as stationary phase, respectively. [P66614][Cl]/UIO-66 had a high specific surface area with a pore diameter distribution of 0.49 nm. The high specific surface area of [P66614][Cl]/UIO-66 improved the efficiency of adsorption and desorption, while the porous structure with an appropriate pore diameter acted as an efficient molecular sieve, synergistically enhancing separation efficiency. So compared to the μGC-IL and the μGC-UIO-66, the HETP of μGC-IL/UIO-66 was reduced by 68.2% and 22.6%, respectively. In the analysis of volatile biomarkers (acetone, benzene, n-hexane and toluene) for gastric cancer, the resolutions between adjacent peaks were 1.96, 2.13 and 3.67, which met the requirements for quantitative analysis (R > 1.5). The retention times of acetone, benzene, n-hexane and toluene were 0.72 min, 0.96 min, 1.33 min and 1.67 min, which enables rapid analysis. All may suggest that the μGC-IL/UIO-66 has a promising application in rapid breath analysis of gastric cancer.

The stability of the neutron response function and the detection efficiency of a sCVD diamond detector in the temperature range up to 200 °C are demonstrated in this paper. A CIVIDEC neutron detector was simultaneously heated with an AmBe neutron source. This enabled the measurement of the spectrum of the deposited energy in the diamond sensor, i.e. the neutron response function of the detector and the detection rate, which in combination represents the neutron flux as a function of temperature. The measured temperature stability of the neutron response function of the detector and detection rate demonstrates the suitability of sCVD diamond detectors for harsh environments, such as encountered in geodetic applications and nuclear fusion research.

Liquid scintillators are typically composed from organic compounds dissolved in organic solvents. However, usage of such material is often restricted due to fire safety and environmental reasons. Because of this, R&D of water-based liquid scintillators is of extreme relevance; yet, no such scintillators have been made commercially available as yet. Here, we investigate an alternative, water-based quantum dots liquid scintillator. Pre-determined and controllable optical properties of the quantum dots, as well as the existence of large libraries of established protocols for their dispersion in aqueous solutions, make them an attractive option for nuclear and particle physics applications. We characterize the optical properties of water-based quantum dots liquid scintillator and find that most of its optical properties are preserved upon quantum dots' phase transfer into water, through the addition of an oleic acid hydrophilic layer. Using the developed scintillator, the time and charge responses from atmospheric muons are measured, highlighting the practical viability of water-based quantum dots liquid scintillators for nuclear and particle physics, special interest on neutrino physics.

We describe a technique for reconstruction of the four-dimensional transverse phase space of a beam in an accelerator beamline, taking into account the presence of unknown errors on the strengths of magnets used in the data collection. Use of machine learning allows rapid reconstruction of the phase-space distribution while at the same time providing estimates of the magnet errors. The technique is demonstrated using experimental data from CLARA, an accelerator test facility at Daresbury Laboratory.

This paper discusses an unanticipated fault detection, isolation, and compensation (FDIC) strategy for the arc splicing permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) operating under a promising 14.5-meter optical/infrared telescope drive system, specifically focusing on current sensors. The application is based on algebraic transformations that allow not only failure detection but also location and isolation. Besides, detection is performed merely by means of the measured current sensors and does not require additional knowledge or estimators; isolation utilizes information provided by detection to locate where the faults originated and release isolation signals; and compensation is carried out through the remaining currents that are not affected by the faults. It is noted from the results that the performance of FDIC in faulty mode is very acceptable and uncompromising in terms of fault detection, current symmetry, speed tracking, load torque and robustness remedial measures. Therefore, the proposed method can effectively ensure the stable operation of the drive system in the presence of faults.

The Korea invisible mass search (KIMS) experiment used CsI(Tl) crystals coupled with photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) to detect signals from weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) at room temperature. It is expected that combining CsI(Tl) crystals with silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) will enhance the detection performance. However, SiPMs must operate at low temperatures to reduce the dark count rate. In this study, we examined the temperature dependence of CsI(Tl) crystal properties, including light yield, α/β ratio, decay time, and pulse shape discrimination, before integrating it with a SiPM. The CsI(Tl) crystal was placed in a low-temperature chamber with a radiation source, and scintillation photons were detected by a PMT positioned outside the chamber. The response of CsI(Tl) to α-particles and γ-rays was examined across temperatures ranging from 10 K to 300 K.

The PandaX-4T distillation system, designed for the removal of krypton and radon from xenon, is evaluated for its radon removal efficiency using a ²²²Rn source during the online distillation process. The PandaX-4T dark matter detector is employed to monitor the temporal evolution of radon activity. To determine the radon reduction factor, the experimental data of radon atoms introduced into and bypassed the distillation system is compared. The results indicate that the PandaX-4T distillation system achieves a radon reduction factor exceeding 190 at the flow rate of 10 slpm and the reflux ratio of 1.44. Gas-only online distillation process of a flow rate of 20 slpm is also conducted without observing significant reduction of radon levels in the detector. This observation suggests that the migration flow of radon atoms from the liquid phase to the gas phase is limited, and the flow rate of gas circulation and duration of the process are insignificant compared to the total xenon mass of 5.6 tons in the detector. This study provides the experimental data to support the efficient removal of radon at  ∼Bq level using the PandaX-4T distillation system, which is the prerequisite of the radon background control in the detector. The further operation with higher flow rate will be applied for the upcoming science run in PandaX-4T.

This paper presents a detector developed to protect the ESS spallation target. The detector is installed to receive a proton beam that has a peak current of 62.5 mA, an average power of 5 MW, and energy up to 2 GeV. It is designed to detect any part of the proton beam that goes outside a defined aperture, which is deemed as an errant beam condition. This detector is mainly used for machine protection. The detector works based on two physical processes. The first process is the generation of current in metallic blades, which is proportional to the intercepting beam. The second process is heat load from the beam energy deposition in interacting thermocouples. The combination of these two signals allows the detection of events ranging from microseconds to several minutes. This paper also presents the design of the instrument, its efficiency, and its range of operation.

During the past decade, many diagnostic instruments have been developed that utilize electronic pulse dilation to achieve temporal resolution in the sub-10 ps range. The motivation behind these development efforts was the need for advanced diagnostics in high-density physics experiments around the world. This technology converts the signal of interest into a free electron cloud, which is accelerated into a vacuum drift space. The acceleration potential varies over time and causes axial velocity dispersion in the electron cloud. This velocity dispersion is converted into time separation after electrons pass through drift space. Then, traditional time resolved methods were used to detect free electrons, and the effective temporal resolution was magnified many times. A gated microchannel plate (MCP) X-ray framing camera based on pulse-dilation technology has been designed and manufactured in the paper. Here, we discuss design details and applications of these instruments. The temporal resolution measured without using broadening technology is approximately 78 ps. When the excitation pulse is applied to the PC, the pulse dilation technique is used to increase the measured temporal resolution to 9 ps. The propagation speed of gated pulses in MCP microstrip lines was measured using fiber bundle method, which is approximately 1.8 × 10⁸ m/s.

The work is devoted to the development of the theory of coherent X-ray radiation near the direction of Bragg scattering of a beam of relativistic electrons crossing a target with a periodic layered structure with three different amorphous layers per period. The coherent X-ray radiation is considered within the two-wave approximation of the dynamic theory of diffraction as a sum of parametric X-ray radiation and diffracted transition radiation excited in the target by a relativistic electron. Expressions describing the spectral-angular and angular densities of PXR and DTR have been obtained and studied.

We present the performance of a full-length prototype of the ALICE Forward Calorimeter (FoCal). The detector is composed of a silicon-tungsten electromagnetic sampling calorimeter with longitudinal and transverse segmentation (FoCal-E) of about 20X₀  and a hadronic copper-scintillating-fiber calorimeter (FoCal-H) of about 5λ_int. The data were taken in various test beam campaigns between 2021 and 2023 at the CERN PS and SPS beam lines with hadron beams up to energies of 350 GeV, and electron beams up to 300 GeV. Regarding FoCal-E, we report a comprehensive analysis of its response to minimum ionizing particles across all pad layers, employing various operational modes including different pre-amplifier and bias voltage settings. The longitudinal shower profile of electromagnetic showers is measured with a layer-wise segmentation of 1X₀. As a projection to the performance of the final detector in electromagnetic showers, we demonstrate linearity in the full energy range, and show that the energy resolution fulfills the requirements for the physics needs. Additionally, the performance to separate two-showers events was studied by quantifying the transverse shower width. Regarding FoCal-H, we report a detailed analysis of the response to hadron beams between 60 and 350 GeV. The results are compared to simulations obtained with a Geant4 model of the test beam setup, which in particular for FoCal-E are in good agreement with the data. The energy resolution of FoCal-E was found to be lower than 3% at energies larger than 100 GeV. The response of FoCal-H to hadron beams was found to be linear, albeit with a significant intercept that is about factor 2 larger than in simulations. Its resolution, which is non-Gaussian and generally larger than in simulations, was quantified using the FWHM, and decreases from about 16% at 100 GeV to about 11% at 350 GeV. The discrepancy to simulations, which is particularly evident at low hadron energies, needs to be further investigated.

An innovative SiC Schottky junction and a traditional p-n Si surface barrier detector have been compared to detect carbon ions with MeVs kinetic energy. To this, a comparison was performed during Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) using 2–10 MeV carbon ion beams. The energy resolution and detection efficiency for RBS analysis using the two detectors and their detection electronics are presented. The detector parameters dependencies on the surface passivating layers, ion energy and current dependence, ion penetration depth, detection efficiency, energy resolution, and others are discussed. The comparison of RBS analysis with SiC and Si is investigated highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of using SiC with respect to the traditional Si surface barrier detectors. The two detectors employed for proton, helium and carbon RBS spectrometry of different targets have been also compared on the base of the literature data.

We train several neural networks and boosted decision trees to discriminate fully-hadronic boosted di-τ topologies against background QCD jets, using calorimeter and tracking information. Boosted di-τ topologies consisting of a pair of highly collimated  τ-leptons, arise from the decay of a highly energetic Standard Model Higgs or Z boson or from particles beyond the Standard Model. We compare the tagging performance for different neural-network models and a boosted decision tree, the latter serving as a simple benchmark machine learning model. The code used to obtain the results presented in this paper is available on GitHub.

Reference beta-particle radiation fields are well described in the standard series ISO 6980 issued by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). In its 2022/2023 edition, two new radiation fields are defined consisting of a radioactive  ⁹⁰Sr/⁹⁰Y source and a 3 mm or 4 mm plastic absorber located 4 cm in front of the source — with the reference plane of the radiation field being located 20 cm from the source. In this work, the detailed method of how to implement and use these new radiation fields using a Beta Secondary Standard, BSS 2, is described. Furthermore, the influence of the position and thickness of the plastic absorber on the radiation field, i.e., on its spectral and angular distribution as well as on the dose rate, was investigated. It turned out that a change of position by one centimeter or a thickness change of a tenth of a millimeter result in significant changes of the dose rate (∼ 7 % to  ∼ 10 %). Finally, the dependence of the angular and spectral distribution on the position and thickness of the absorber was investigated in detail.

This work details a Compton-scattering-based methodology, referred to as Backscatter Gating (BSG), for characterizing the time, energy, and position resolutions of long form factor organic scintillators using a single, fairly minimal measurement setup. Such a method can ease the experimental burden in scenarios where many such scintillator elements may need to be individually characterized before assembly into a larger detector system. A thorough theoretical exploration of the systematic parameters is provided, and the BSG method is then demonstrated by a series of experimental measurements. This "complete" characterization via the BSG method is novel, having previously been used primarily for energy resolution characterization. The method also allows for determination of the assembled scintillator's technical attenuation length and provides a means of verifying the presence or absence of flaws within the scintillator or its optical coupling.

Neutron radiation is widely used for investigation of matter at research reactors and spallation sources. One undesired side-effect is the production of radioactive nuclides in structure materials of the instruments (e.g. mounting structures and radiation shieldings) due to neutron capture reactions. Hence the structure materials themselves become radiation sources. The knowledge of the activities after a certain time of operation is essential for determination of the accessibility, for modifications of the instrument, for reusing the material and for waste management. It is desirable to have these data in the design phase of the instrument. One possibility to obtain the data is a combination of simulation and calculation. In this paper the simulations/calculations for the LaDiff cold triple-axis neutron spectrometer project at FRM-II (research reactor Munich) are presented. The activities in the shielding house around the experimental area of the instrument made from stainless steel and lead are considered for the cases with and without boron-carbide cover and for different Sb-contents of the lead layer. The influence of the skyshine is also considered.

The ALICE experiment at the LHC measures properties of the strongly interacting matter formed in ultrarelativistic heavy-ion collisions. Such studies require accurate particle identification (PID). ALICE provides PID information via several detectors for particles with momentum from about 100 MeV/c up to 20 GeV/c. Traditionally, particles are selected with rectangular cuts. A much better performance can be achieved with machine learning (ML) methods. Our solution uses multiple neural networks (NN) serving as binary classifiers. Moreover, we extended our particle classifier with Feature Set Embedding and attention in order to train on data with incomplete samples. We also present the integration of the ML project with the ALICE analysis software, and we discuss domain adaptation, the ML technique needed to transfer the knowledge between simulated and real experimental data.

SHADOWS (Search for Hidden And Dark Objects With the SPS) is a proposed proton beam-dump experiment for the search of a large variety of Feebly-Interacting Particles (FIPs) at the CERN SPS. It will exploit the potential for searches and discoveries at the intensity frontier offered by the upgrade of the ECN3 beam line. SHADOWS will be located off-axis, which allows the optimisation of the signal-to-background ratio, and will collect data from up to 5×10¹⁹ protons of 400 GeV on target in 4 years of operations. The experiment has a transversal size of 2.5×2.5 m² and is composed by an upstream veto, a 20 m long decay volume and a spectrometer with a tracking system in a dipole magnet, a timing detector, a calorimeter and a muon system. The conceived detector offers excellent tracking and timing performance for the identification and reconstruction of most of the visible final states of FIP decays. SHADOWS will allow to explore a large parameter space region of many FIPs, like light dark scalars, axion-like particles and heavy neutral leptons, with masses ranging between 0.1 and 10 GeV. This paper reports about the status of the proposal of the SHADOWS experiment, with focus on the detector challenges.

The 2023 AI4EIC hackathon was the culmination of the third annual AI4EIC workshop at The Catholic University of America. This workshop brought together researchers from physics, data science and computer science to discuss the latest developments in Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) for the Electron Ion Collider (EIC), including applications for detectors, accelerators, and experimental control. The hackathon, held on the final day of the workshop, involved using a chatbot powered by a Large Language Model, ChatGPT-3.5, to train a binary classifier neutrons and photons in simulated data from the GlueX Barrel Calorimeter. In total, six teams of up to four participants from all over the world took part in this intense educational and research event. This article highlights the hackathon challenge, the resources and methodology used, and the results and insights gained from analyzing physics data using the most cutting-edge tools in AI/ML.

The possibility of photonuclear production of ¹¹¹In radioisotope has been investigated. The enriched target ¹¹²Sn was irradiated at the linear electron accelerator LUE-75 of A. Alikhanian National Science Laboratory (Yerevan, Armenia) at the bremsstrahlung endpoint energy E_γmax = 55 MeV. The cross section per equivalent quantum for reactions ¹¹²Sn(γ,x)¹¹¹In, ¹¹²Sn(γ,n)¹¹¹Sn,¹¹²Sn(γ,2n)¹¹⁰Sn, ¹¹²Sn(γ,3n)¹⁰⁹Sn,¹¹²Sn(γ,pn)^110mIn, ¹¹²Sn(γ,pn)^110g110In,¹¹²Sn(γ,p2n)¹⁰⁹In have been measured via the method of activation and off-line γ-ray spectrometric technique. The cross section per equivalent quantum of the ¹¹¹In in photonuclear reaction was compared with its cross section in proton induced reaction on cadmium targets and other possible ¹¹¹In production routes. It is shown that the photonuclear method can be used for the production of ¹¹¹In.

The DarkSide-50 (DS-50) experiment aims at the direct detection of weakly interacting massive particles. It is a dual-phase liquid argon time projection chamber (LAr TPC) where Dark Matter (DM), which constitutes five sixths of all matter in the universe, is expected to interact with an argon nucleus resulting in a nuclear recoil. A scintillation signal (S1) is produced as a result of the ionising events from the DM-Ar interaction. The impurities in LAr, such as O,₂, N₂, H₂O, etc., at the ppm level, quench the scintillation photons, leading to a reduction in the observed lifetime of the triplet state. In this contribution, the effect of impurities on the triplet lifetime is analyzed for individual events using DS-50 data, with a primary focus on nitrogen, one of the candidates for the impurities in LAr hypothesized to cause a suppression of triplet lifetime. This is done by determining the lifetime of the triplet component with a known purity, which can be used as a reference for the purity level of argon used in current and future dark matter searches.

The Taishan Antineutrino Observatory (TAO) is a satellite experiment of the Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO). TAO consists of a spherical ton-level Gadolinium-doped Liquid Scintillator detector and its main purpose is the precise measurement of the reactor antineutrino spectrum by detection of light produced in v̅_e + p⟶ e⁺ + n reaction, as a reference for JUNO. About 4,500 photoelectrons per MeV could be detected by instrumenting the sphere surface (∼10 m²) with state-of-the-art Silicon PhotoMultipliers (SiPMs), resulting in a sub-percent energy resolution. In this work we present the implemented architecture of the readout electronics based on low-noise, high-speed Front-End Boards (FEBs) connected to a 50×50 mm² SiPM Hamamatsu tile, composed by 32 SiPM elements of 12×6 mm² each, divided into two independent output channels. The overall 4,024 FEBs will be supplied through eight custom flanges that have to bring in about 1.5 kW. On the same flanges the 8,048 output signal cables are distributed and routed to the Front-End Controllers (FECs), based on Virtex Ultrascale FPGAs, able to manage up to eight 16-channel ADCs, for a total of 128 channels on a single FEC, with a maximum sampling rate of 250 MHz with 12-bit resolution. A dedicated trigger and data-acquisition system will filter and record occurring events, rejecting dark count events. We report the results of the characterization for the pre-production FEBs batch, following the main figures of merit defined for the experiment, showing single photoelectron resolution better than 13% and dynamic range up to 250 photoelectrons.

At present, a significant number of studies are focused on the development of novel methodologies for the fabrication of dosimetry phantoms. One of these methods is to produce heterogeneous samples by 3D printing. In order to select the most appropriate parameters for such products, it is necessary to conduct numerical simulations. In this work, we developed the model of a beam-forming system using a medical linear accelerator as a reference. This model was used to determine simulation parameters and corresponding dose distributions of an electron beam with nominal energies of 6, 12, and 15 MeV in a homogeneous water phantom. These parameters were, in fact, adapted to provide maximum agreement between simulated distributions and those experimentally obtained with the clinical linear accelerator. The beam simulation was performed using the Geant4 Monte Carlo toolkit. The simulation geometry of the accelerator treatment head includes scattering foil and a flattening filter, which are designed for electron beam broadening. Additionally, the beam-forming system was incorporated to collimate the beam to the required size. A metal applicator was included to reduce the contribution of electron scattering in air. The main simulation parameters were iteratively tuned by comparing simulation results with experimentally obtained data. It is shown that the simulated percentage depth dose and transverse profiles for electron beams in water phantom are in good agreement with the experimental data obtained with a cylindrical ionization chamber. This demonstrates that the methodology employed in the development of the numerical model of the medical linear accelerator is vendor-independent, readily implementable, and allows for rapid calculations. Furthermore, the model can be applied for a variety of purposes, including the selection of parameters for the fabrication of heterogeneous dosimetry phantoms.

The complexity and sheer volume of information — encompassing documents, papers, data, and other resources — from large-scale experiments demand significant time and effort to navigate, making the task of accessing and utilizing these varied forms of information daunting, particularly for new collaborators and early-career scientists. To tackle this issue, a Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG)-based Summarization AI for EIC (RAGS4EIC) is under development. This AI-Agent not only condenses information but also effectively references relevant responses, offering substantial advantages for collaborators. Our project involves a two-step approach: first, querying a comprehensive vector database containing all pertinent experiment information; second, utilizing a Large Language Model (LLM) to generate concise summaries enriched with citations based on user queries and retrieved data. We describe the evaluation methods that use RAG assessments (RAGAs) scoring mechanisms to assess the effectiveness of responses. Furthermore, we describe the concept of prompt template based instruction-tuning which provides flexibility and accuracy in summarization. Importantly, the implementation relies on LangChain [1], which serves as the foundation of our entire workflow. This integration ensures efficiency and scalability, facilitating smooth deployment and accessibility for various user groups within the Electron Ion Collider (EIC) community. This innovative AI-driven framework not only simplifies the understanding of vast datasets but also encourages collaborative participation, thereby empowering researchers. As a demonstration, a web application has been developed to explain each stage of the RAG Agent development in detail. The application can be accessed at https://rags4eic-ai4eic.streamlit.app.[A tagged version of the source code can be found in https://github.com/ai4eic/EIC-RAG-Project/releases/tag/AI4EIC2023_PROCEEDING.]

In this paper obtained results of two experimental investigations are presented: on the acceleration of electrons in low-pressure acoustoplasma discharge and acceleration of plasma bunch-plasmoids in the air. The first experimental results on the acceleration of electrons in the low-pressure discharge were obtained in 2008. In the current paper an attempt to explain the obtained results by means of wake accelerations of particles in electromagnetic fields without utilization of usual drivers is made. Formerly calculated theoretical data for accelerated particles even in the energy range of 10–100 eV are experimentally confirmed. Experimental investigations on origination and initiating acceleration of plasma bunches in crossed fields in the air were conducted in 2023. In the current paper the obtained first results on acceleration of the originated long-life plasmoids in the air are presented as an announcement of our planned subsequent corresponding investigations. To carry out corresponding experiments a unique experimental setup, as well as appropriate devices and equipment were developed. A new conceptual model of a plasmoid is offered. The realization of this concept opens the possibility of carrying out the experimental investigations of the phenomena of origination of long-life plasmoids in air. During the experimental investigations, any ionizing additives into the discharge were not injected.

In recent years, there have been ongoing efforts to improve screening technologies to improve security and prevent terrorist threats. The most widely used technologies for scanning shipping containers are gamma and X-ray radiography, which can be harmful to operators and the environment. Muon tomography screening systems are considered as a potential tool to enhance border security and prevent terrorist threats or smuggling, especially in the context of shipping container inspections. Muon tomography uses naturally occurring cosmic ray muons to create detailed images of the inside of objects, such as shipping containers, without the need for physical intervention. Various realistic smuggling scenarios were simulated using the GEANT4 toolkit. The implemented filtering algorithms successfully reduce background noise from the surrounding cargo, enabling the detection of concealed threats and contraband. With the tools provided by the ROOT data analysis package, prohibited items can be automatically detected and localized in a cargo container.

By changing the temperature of Lithium Tantalate (LiTaO3) single crystal at moderate vacuum conditions leads to generation of strong electric field. The uncompensated polarization during the heating or cooling of the crystal causes the ejection of electrons from either the dielectric layer on the surface of the crystal or from a metal target depending on the polarity. The electrons are accelerated and gain energy of up to 100 keV. The energy of these electrons can be determined by measuring the end-point energy of the X-ray spectrum that resulted from the electron interactions with the target. The conception of a pyroelectric accelerator enabled us to develop compact (portable) electron source, which does not require an external high-voltage and the use of hazardous materials. The compact and portable nature of pyroelectric-driven particle sources holds significant promise for applications in materials science, particularly for materials analysis methodologies. The research demonstrates the feasibility of utilizing the X-ray signal generated by irradiation with electrons to identify elements in each sample. It is revealed that employing only the electron beam enables the successful acquisition of quantitative information regarding the sample structure through pyroelectric driven PD-PIXE analysis. These findings set the stage for the development of a compact and versatile apparatus for elemental analysis of materials based on a pyroelectric source.

We present the recent development of a lightweight detector capable of accurate spatial, timing, and amplitude resolution of charged particles. The technology is based on double-sided double-metal p+ – n – n+ micro-strip silicon sensors, ultra-light long aluminum-polyimide micro-cables for the analogue signal transfer, and a custom-developed SMX read-out ASIC capable of measurement of the time (Δt ≲ 5 ns) and amplitude. Dense detector integration enables a material budget > 0.3 % X₀. A sophisticated powering and grounding scheme keeps the noise under control. In addition to its primary application in Silicon Tracking System of the future CBM experiment in Darmstadt, our detector will be utilized in other research applications.

Artificial Intelligence is poised to transform the design of complex, large-scale detectors like ePIC at the future Electron Ion Collider. Featuring a central detector with additional detecting systems in the far forward and far backward regions, the ePIC experiment incorporates numerous design parameters and objectives, including performance, physics reach, and cost, constrained by mechanical and geometric limits. This project aims to develop a scalable, distributed AI-assisted detector design for the EIC (AID(2)E), employing state-of-the-art multiobjective optimization to tackle complex designs. Supported by the ePIC software stack and using Geant4 simulations, our approach benefits from transparent parameterization and advanced AI features. The workflow leverages the PanDA and iDDS systems, used in major experiments such as ATLAS at CERN LHC, the Rubin Observatory, and sPHENIX at RHIC, to manage the compute intensive demands of ePIC detector simulations. Tailored enhancements to the PanDA system focus on usability, scalability, automation, and monitoring. Ultimately, this project aims to establish a robust design capability, apply a distributed AI-assisted workflow to the ePIC detector, and extend its applications to the design of the second detector (Detector-2) in the EIC, as well as to calibration and alignment tasks. Additionally, we are developing advanced data science tools to efficiently navigate the complex, multidimensional trade-offs identified through this optimization process.

In recent years, the 4th generation synchrotron radiation light sources have gradually emerged. However, the accumulated errors in Laser Tracker multi-station measurements make it challenging to meet the accuracy requirements for the control network measurement, especially in the direction of elevation. To address this issue, this paper proposes to utilize the Hydrostatic Leveling System (HLS) to provide high-precision external constraints for the control network measurement. Firstly, based on the measurement principle of capacitive HLS sensor, a system is designed and constructed which was used to optimize the measurement accuracy of the HLS for level difference between difference points and to obtain the external reference. Comparison of the HLS measured values with the nominal values measured by the CMM shows that the optimized HLS can achieve a level difference measurement accuracy of 5 μm. On this basis, some constraint methods are proposed, which have been verified by simulations and measurements. The results show that the error accumulation in the elevation direction is suppressed compared with the classical adjustment. For the 70 m linear tunnel control network of Hefei Light Source, the maximum error of the measurement is reduced by 90 μm (23% improvement in accuracy) and the standard deviation of the error is reduced by 26 μm (35% improvement in accuracy) after adding constraint.

When the important components of the particle accelerator are installed, it is required to locate the instrument in the global coordinate system by measuring the control points of the surrounding tunnels, which involves the datumn transformation between the global coordinate system and the station coordinate system, and the selection of the transformation model has gradually become a potential breakthrough in solving the problem. Four different models euler angle, Rodrigues matrix, dual quaternion and twelve parameters are used to analyze and compare the solution parameters, accuracy index, iteration efficiency, and the number of selected common points of the four models with the measured data of 2022 Hefei Light Source summer. The results show that the deviation of the four model parameters from the SpatialAnalyzer commercial software is no more than 3 μm for the translation parameters, and no more than 0.6" for the rotation angle. Among them, the twelve-parameters and dual quaternion two models are theoretically rigorous, with high and stable accuracy indexes, and the twelve parameters posteriori unit weight mean error shows obvious advantages. The twelve parameters and Rodrigues models have fewer iterations and higher efficiency. In summary, the dual quaternion model and twelve parameters method are preferred in the absence of better initial values. In addition, in the process of datumn transformation, along with the increase of the number of common points, the accuracies of all four model solutions show an increasing trend of first fast and then slow.

This paper delves into implementing multi-module parallel current output using the existing TPS storage ring correction magnet power supply. We have devised a control interface card with N+1 redundancy to facilitate bipolar high-current parallel module output. To achieve this, we have employed various current feedback methods, including external DC Current Transducer (DCCT) and internal module current feedback signals. Following PI compensation, these feedback signals are amalgamated with reference current signals to compute compensation values for each module, which are subsequently disseminated to each Corrector Magnet Power Supply (CMPS) for modulation, thereby enabling closed-loop current control. A single CMPS module can deliver ± 48 V/± 10 A output, while up to eight CMPS modules can be interconnected, yielding a maximum output of ± 80 A. Through numerous experimental measurements, the long-term output current stability remains within 0.6 mA, or 7.5 ppm, with the output current spectrum predominantly maintained within 500 μA. Furthermore, the system boasts N+1 redundancy functionality and bipolar output current characteristics. These exemplary performance attributes underscore the criticality of our design for future applications of TPS magnet power supplies.

Radon exhaled from rocks, building materials, and soil can be harmful to human health, so it is necessary to measure radon and its exhalation rate. In this paper, a novel method is proposed to simulate radon exhalation from different medium surface by using a solid Rn-222 source, and the radon exhalation rate can be adjusted by replacing radon accumulation chambers with different bottom areas. Firstly, an experiment was done to determine the activity of the Rn-222 source, and then the theoretical radon exhalation rate can be quickly calculated from the relationship between the radon source activity and the bottom area of the radon accumulation chamber. Three sets of comparative experiments were conducted using two radon accumulation chambers with different volumes, respectively. Comparing the average values obtained from the experiments with the calculated theoretical values, it can be obtained that the differences corresponding to the two radon accumulation chambers between the theoretical radon exhalation rates and the experimentally average values are all within 6%. Without replacing the radon source, the radon exhalation rate is inversely varies with the bottom area of the chamber. Therefore, the correctness of adjusting the radon exhalation rate by replacing radon accumulation chambers with different bottom areas to simulate radon exhalation from different media surfaces is verified. This method can be used to calibrate the radon exhalation measuring instruments.

The vertical test stand (VTS) plays a crucial role in evaluating the performance of superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) cavities. The VTS at the Platform of Advanced Photon Source Technology R&D (PAPS) has been developed by the Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IHEP). In this paper, the digitalization (based on Field Programmable Gate Array, FPGA) and integration functionalities of VTS was carried out, which simplified the vertical test and improved efficiency greatly. Several vertical tests have been conducted at this upgraded VTS successfully, which adopted digital self-excited loop (SEL) and Experimental Physics and Industrial Control System (EPICS).

Most search experiments sensitive to quantum chromodynamics (QCD) axion dark matter benefit from microwave cavities, as electromagnetic resonators, that enhance the detectable axion signal power and thus the experimental sensitivity drastically. As the possible axion mass spans multiple orders of magnitude, microwave cavities must be tunable and it is desirable for the cavity to have a tunable frequency range that is as wide as possible. Since the tunable frequency range generally increases as the dimension of the conductor tuning rod increases for a given cylindrical conductor cavity system, we developed a cavity system with a large dimensional tuning rod in order to increase this. We, for the first time, employed not only a piezoelectric motor, but also gears to drive a large and accordingly heavy tuning rod, where such a combination to increase driving power can be adopted for extreme environments as is the case for axion dark matter experiments: cryogenic, high-magnetic-field, and high vacuum. Thanks to such higher power derived from the piezoelectric motor and gear combination, we realized a wideband tunable cavity whose frequency range is about 42% of the central resonant frequency of the cavity, without sacrificing the experimental sensitivity too much.

Most gamma-ray scintillation detectors currently in use are made from inorganic materials that have a relatively high electron density. Quite often they are used to build multidetector systems that provide high scintillation light output. The performance of a gamma radiation detector (its detection efficiency) depends on the shape and size of the crystal, as well as on the source-to-detector geometry used. The NaI(Tl) gamma detector exhibits moderate energy resolution but relatively high gamma-ray detection efficiency and fast time response. In this work, the efficiency and resolution of a scintillation hexagonal detector are studied to optimize its response function. This type and size of scintillator were selected to construct a budget-friendly, reconfigurable, easy-to-maintain multidetector system for registering gamma-rays following fission, capture, and inelastic neutron scattering reactions, with reasonably good energy and time resolutions The research results made it possible to establish a geometric solid angle that increases the efficiency of recording gamma-ray radiation of the hexagonal NaI(Tl) scintillation probe under study.

The Linac Extension Area has been developed into a beamline area for testing accelerator components and techniques. Beginning commissioning activities in February 2023, we have delivered the first electron beam to the Linac Extension Area at the Advanced Photon Source at 425 MeV. In the present work, we summarise the principal accelerator components and review safety controls of the Linac Extension Area.

As part of an evaluation of gamma-ray spectra or other spectra, the need to adapt the binning quasi-continuously may arise. Often, the re-distribution of measured events to a new energy scale may be required. The necessity to change the energy scale can have several reasons. Frequently, a drift of the detector or the amplifier leads to different energy scales of measured spectra in time. In order to calculate difference spectra or sum spectra, the energy axis and binning of all spectra has to be adapted. Moreover, before a spectrum is unfolded, its energy axis also has to be adapted to the energy scale of the response matrix. Widespread commercial software packages, which are commonly used for the analysis of spectra, do not include an algorithm which solves this task. Three algorithms are presented in this work after shedding light on the mathematical background. An analysis of the statistical uncertainty of the counts of re-binned or remapped spectra completes this paper.