New Solutions

Optical Beam-Loss Monitors (oBLMs) allow for cost-efficient and spatially continuous measurements of beam losses at accelerator facilities. A standard oBLM consists of several tens of metres of optical fibre aligned parallel to a beamline, coupled to photosensors at either or both ends. Using the timing information from loss signals, the loss positions can be reconstructed. This paper presents a novel oBLM system recently deployed at the CERN Linear Electron Accelerator for Research (CLEAR). Multiple methods of extracting timing and position information from measured waveforms with silicon photomultipliers (SiPM) and photomultiplier tubes (PMT) are investigated. For this installation, the optimal approach is determined to be applying a constant fraction discrimination (CFD) on the upstream readout. The position resolution is found to be similar for the tested SiPM and PMT. This work has resulted in the development of a user interface to aid operations by visualising the beam losses and their positions in real time.

At the Radiopharmaceutical Research Center (CCR) of the Horia Hulubei National Institute for R&D in Physics and Nuclear Engineering (IFIN-HH), we operate a TR-19 cyclotron for radio isotope production. To broaden our spectrum of radioisotopes with applications in nuclear medicine, we add a new external beam line towards a state-of-the-art solid target station. Besides practical experience with the implementation of the Comecer ALCEO metal solid targetry system, a new, more efficient way of tuning the beam onto the target and the design of a dedicated neutron local layered shielding are presented.

We designed and evaluated the performance of a high-resolution large-area detector for positron emission tomography (PET) based on a crystal assembly readout using wavelength-shifting (WLS) fibers, offering a cost-effective alternative to the direct readout of monolithic crystals with photodetectors. The considered detector geometries were made up of 4 × 4 assemblies of LuY2SiO5:Ce (LYSO) crystal scintillators, each with surface area of 50 × 50 mm2 and thickness of 7 or 15 mm, which were optically coupled together using optical adhesive. The crystal assembly was coupled with square cross-sections of orthogonal wavelength-shifting (WLS) fibers placed on the top and bottom of the assembly. To evaluate the characteristics of the novel detector, we used GEANT4 to perform optical photon transport in the crystal assembly and WLS fibers. The simulation results show that best position resolution achieved was 1.6 ± 0.4 mm full width at half maximum (FWHM) and 4.2 ± 0.6 mm full width at tenth maximum (FWTM) for the crystal thickness of 7 mm and 1.7 ± 0.4 mm FWHM and 6.0 ± 0.6 mm FWTM for the crystal thickness of 15 mm. Compared with a direct photosensor readout, WLS fibers can drastically reduce the number of photosensors required while covering a larger sensitive detection area. In the proposed detector design, 2N photodetectors are used to cover the same image area instead of N2 with a direct readout. This design allows for the development of a compact detector with an expanded effective field of view and reduced cost.

Cosmic ray muon tomography is a promising method for the non-invasive inspection of shipping containers and trucks. It leverages the highly penetrating cosmic muons and their interactions with various materials to generate three-dimensional images of large and dense objects, such as inter-modal shipping containers, which are typically opaque to conventional X-ray radiography techniques. One of the key tasks of customs and border security is verifying shipping container declarations to prevent illegal trafficking, and muon tomography offers a viable solution for this purpose. Common imaging methods using muons rely on data analysis of either muon scattering or absorption–transmission. We design a compact muon tomography system with dimensions of 3 × 3 × 3 m3, consisting of 2D position-sensitive detectors. These detectors include plastic scintillators, wavelength-shifting (WLS) fibers, and SiPMs. Through light transport modeling with GEANT4, we demonstrate that the proposed detector design—featuring 1 m × 1 m scintillator plates with 2 mm2 square-shaped WLS fibers—can achieve a spatial resolution of approximately 0.7–1.0 mm. Through Monte Carlo simulations, we demonstrate that combining muon scattering and absorption data enables the rapid and accurate identification of cargo materials. In a smuggling scenario where tobacco is falsely declared as paper towel rolls, this combined analysis distinguishes the two with 3 σ confidence at a spatial resolution of 1 mm (FWHM) for the muon detector, achieving results within a scanning time of 40 s for a 20-foot shipping container.

Material characterization and investigation are the basis for improving the performance of electrochemical devices. However, many compounds with electrochemical applications are sensitive to atmospheric gases and moisture; therefore, even their characterization should be performed in a controlled atmosphere. In some cases, it is impossible to execute such investigations in a glove box, and, therefore, in the present work, an air-tight 3D printed cell was developed that preserves samples in a controlled atmosphere while allowing spectroscopic measurements in reflectance geometry. Equipped with a cheap 1 mm thick CaF2 optical window or a more expensive 0.5 mm thick ZnS window, the cell was used for both optical photothermal infrared and Raman spectroscopy measures; imaging of the samples was also possible. The far-infrared range reflectance measurements were performed with a cell equipped with a diamond window.

Micromagnetic stimulation (μMS) is a promising branch of neurostimulation but without some of the drawbacks of electrical stimulation. Microcoil (μcoil)-based magnetic stimulation uses small micrometer-sized coils that generate a time-varying magnetic field, which, as per Faraday’s Laws of Electromagnetic Induction, induces an electric field on a conductive surface. This method of stimulation has the advantage of not requiring electrical contact with the tissue; however, these μcoils are not easy to operate. Large currents are required to generate the required magnetic field. These large currents are too large for standard test equipment to provide, and additional power amplifiers are needed. To aid in the testing and development of micromagnetic stimulation devices, we have created a compact single-unit test setup for driving these devices called the µCoil Driver. This unit is designed to drive small inductive loads up to ±8 V at 5 A and 10 kHz.

Low-Gain Avalanche Diodes (LGADs) are critical sensors for the ATLAS and CMS timing detectors at the High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC), offering enhanced timing resolution with gain factors of 20 to 50. However, their radiation tolerance is hindered by the Acceptor Removal Phenomenon (ARP), which deactivates boron in the gain layer, reducing gain below the threshold for accurate timing. This study investigates the radiation hardness of thin, carbon-doped LGAD sensors developed by Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) to address ARP-induced limitations. Active dopant profiles in the gain layer, junction, and bulk were measured using a Spreading Resistance Probe (SRP) profilometer, and the effects of annealing and neutron irradiation at fluences of 3 × 1014, 1 × 1015, and 3 × 1015 neq/cm2 (1 MeV equivalent) were analyzed. Low carbon dose rates showed minimal improvement due to enhanced deactivation, while higher doses improved radiation hardness, demonstrating a non-linear dose–response relationship. These findings highlight the potential of optimizing gain layers with high carbon doses and low-diffusion boron to extend LGAD lifetimes in high-radiation environments. Future research will refine carbon implantation strategies and explore alternative approaches to further enhance the radiation hardness of LGADs.

The utilisation of high-resolution in situ computed tomography (CT) in the (sub-)μm range is typically only viable in synchrotron facilities, as the deployment of a conventional loading stage in laboratory CTs with a cone beam source does not facilitate a corresponding geometric magnification. This publication presents a CT system with a novel in situ concept that allows spatial resolutions down to 0.5 μm, enabling the analysis of weakly absorbing materials capable of applying loads of up to 5 kN in both the compression and tension directions to the sample during the measurement. The necessity for a highly precise mechanical design to ensure successful measurements at magnifications approaching the theoretical limit makes the system’s development particularly demanding. The components employed are presented, along with the requisite considerations and methodologies. It can be demonstrated that the intended specifications with regard to precision and quality are met. The experimental results of a fibre-reinforced polymer demonstrate the system’s ability to detect matrix damage features below a single fibre diameter, thereby highlighting its potential for applications in materials science where traditional laboratory CTs are insufficient and synchrotron access is limited.

Smart sensors and networks have spread worldwide over the past few decades. In the industry field, these concepts have found an increasing quantity of applications. The omnipresence of smart sensor networks and smart devices, especially in the industrial world, has contributed to the emergence of the concept of Industry 4.0. In a world where everything is interconnected, communication among smart devices is critical to technological development in the field of smart industry. To improve communication, many engineers and researchers implemented methods to standardize communication along the various levels of the ISO-OSI model, from hardware design to the implementation and standardization of different communication protocols. The objective of this paper is to study and implement an unconventional type of communication, exploiting acoustic wave propagation on metallic structures, starting from the state of the art, and highlighting the advantages and disadvantages found in existing literature, trying to overcome them and describing the progress beyond the state of the art. The proposed application for acoustic communication targets the field of smart industries, where implementing signal transmission via wireless or wired methods is challenging due to interference from the widespread presence of metallic structures. This study explores an innovative approach to acoustic communication, with a particular focus on the physical challenges related to acoustic wave propagation. Additionally, communication performance is examined in terms of noise rejection, analyzing the impact of injected acoustic noise on communication efficiency.

Understanding the concept of dynamic aperture provides essential insights into nonlinear beam dynamics, beam losses, and the beam lifetime in circular particle accelerators. This comprehension is crucial for the functioning of modern hadron synchrotrons like the CERN Large Hadron Collider and the planning of future ones such as the Future Circular Collider. The dynamic aperture defines the extent of the region in phase space where the trajectories of charged particles are bounded over numerous revolutions, the actual number being defined by the physical application. Traditional methods for calculating the dynamic aperture depend on computationally demanding numerical simulations, which require tracking over multiple turns of numerous initial conditions appropriately distributed in phase space. Prior research has shown the efficiency of a multilayer perceptron network in forecasting the dynamic aperture of the CERN Large Hadron Collider ring, achieving a remarkable speed-up of up to 200-fold compared to standard numerical tracking tools. Building on recent advancements, we conducted a comparative study of various deep learning networks based on BERT, DenseNet, ResNet and VGG architectures. The results demonstrate substantial enhancements in the prediction of the dynamic aperture, marking a significant advancement in the development of more precise and efficient surrogate models of beam dynamics.

A comprehensive multi-jet physics program is anticipated for experiments at future colliders. Key physics processes necessitate detectors that can distinguish signals from W and Z bosons and the Higgs boson. Typical examples include channels with W+W− or ZoZo pairs and processes involving new physics in those cases where neutral particles must be disentangled from charged ones due to the presence of W or Z bosons in their final states. Such a physics program demands calorimetric energy resolution at or beyond the limits of traditional calorimetric techniques. Multiple-readout calorimetry, which aims to reduce fluctuations in energy measurements of hadronic showers, is a promising approach. The first part of this article reviews dual- and triple-readout calorimetry within a mathematical framework describing the underlying compensating mechanism. The second part proposes a potential implementation using an integrally active and total absorption detector. This model serves as the basis for several Monte Carlo studies, illustrating how the response of a multiple-readout calorimeter depends on construction parameters. Among the layouts considered, one configuration operating in triple-readout mode shows the potential to achieve an energy resolution approaching 20%/E.

The detection of scintillation light in noble-liquid detectors is necessary for identifying neutrino interaction candidates from beam, astrophysical, or solar sources. Large monolithic detectors typically have highly efficient light sensors, like photomultipliers, mounted outside their electric field. This option is not available for modular detectors that wish to maximize their active volume. The ArgonCube light readout system detectors (ArCLights) are large-area thin-wavelength-shifting (WLS) panels that can operate in highly proximate modular detectors and within the electric field. The WLS plastic forming the bulk structure of the ArCLight has Tetraphenyl Butadiene (TPB) and sheets of dichroic mirror layered across its surface. It is coupled to a set of six silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs). This publication compares TPB coating techniques for large surface areas and describes quality control methods for large-scale production.

Transition Edge Sensors (TESs) are amongst the most sensitive cryogenic detectors and can be easily optimized for the detection of massive particles or photons ranging from X-rays all the way down to millimetre radiation. Furthermore, TESs exhibit unmatched energy resolution while being easily frequency domain multiplexed in arrays of several hundred pixels. Such great performance, along with rather simple and sturdy readout and amplification chains make TESs extremely compelling for applications in many fields of scientific endeavour. While the first part of this article is an in-depth discussion on the working principles of Transition Edge Sensors, the remainder of this review article focuses on the applications of Transition Edge Sensors in advanced scientific instrumentation serving as an accessible and thorough list of possible starting points for more comprehensive literature research.

In this work, we studied the light-output properties, efficiency function, as well as the pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) capability of p-Terphenyl scintillator. The selected solid cylindrical scintillation detector has a thickness of 45 mm and a diameter of 45 mm. Recently presented studies of light-output functions have only been measured for low-neutron energies. Our motivation has been to determine the light output function for p-Terphenyl scintillator more accurately over a wider neutron energy range. The measurements have been carried out with mono-energetic neutron beams in the wide energy range from 1.1 to 19 MeV. The neutron–gamma spectrometric system which we developed has been used for the measurement. The input analog signal from the detector was digitized with a fast 12-bits analog to digital converter with a sampling frequency of 1 GHz. Measured data from the detector are processed into the gamma and neutron spectra. The accurate light output function for the p-Therphenyl scintillator has been calculated. The pulse-shape discrimination capability, as well as the detection efficiency, of a p-Terphenyl scintillator are lower in comparison with a NE-213 equivalent detector.

In the last decades, breakthrough advances in understanding the mechanisms of the Universe and fundamental physics have been achieved through the exploitation of data on cosmic rays and high-energy radiation gathered via orbiting experiments, in a synergic and complementary international effort that combines space-based instrument data with ground-based space observatories, accelerator, and collider experiments [...]