Cosmic Ray Tracks Research Articles

Directional iDBSCAN to detect cosmic-ray tracks for the CYGNO experiment

The CYGNO experiment aims to study rare events related to the search for low-mass dark matter and solar neutrino events. One of the main components of background comes from cosmic rays that generate long tracks in the detector’s images. The interaction of such particles with the gas releases a variable energy profile along its trajectory to form tracks with multiple cores that can be easily reconstructed erroneously by being split into more than one cluster. Thus, this work offers a newly adapted version of the well-known density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (DBSCAN) algorithm, called iDDBSCAN, which exploits the directional characteristics of the clusters found by the DBSCAN to improve its clustering efficiency when dealing with multi-core tracks. This paper provides a detailed explanation of this algorithm, covering its parameter validation and evaluating its influence when integrated into the experiment’s event selection routine. To generate background events, data acquisition was performed with the detector installed in an overground laboratory, leaving it exposed to natural radiation. To produce signals in the energy range of interest for the experiment, a 55Fe radioactive source was used. The achieved results showed that the iDDBSCAN algorithm is capable of improving the background rejection of the experiment, through a more accurate reconstruction of the tracks produced by natural radiation such as cosmic rays, without deteriorating its signal detection efficiency and energy estimation.

Particle monitoring capability of the Solar Orbiter Metis coronagraph through the increasing phase of solar cycle 25

Context. Galactic cosmic rays (GCRs) and solar particles with energies greater than tens of MeV penetrate spacecraft and instruments hosted aboard space missions. The Solar Orbiter Metis coronagraph is aimed at observing the solar corona in both visible (VL) and ultraviolet (UV) light. Particle tracks are observed in the Metis images of the corona. An algorithm has been implemented in the Metis processing electronics to detect the VL image pixels crossed by cosmic rays. This algorithm was initially enabled for the VL instrument only, since the process of separating the particle tracks in the UV images has proven to be very challenging. Aims. We study the impact of the overall bulk of particles of galactic and solar origin on the Metis coronagraph images. We discuss the effects of the increasing solar activity after the Solar Orbiter mission launch on the secondary particle production in the spacecraft. Methods. We compared Monte Carlo simulations of GCRs crossing or interacting in the Metis VL CMOS sensor to observations gathered in 2020 and 2022. We also evaluated the impact of solar energetic particle events of different intensities on the Metis images. Results. The study of the role of abundant and rare cosmic rays in firing pixels in the Metis VL images of the corona allows us to estimate the efficiency of the algorithm applied for cosmic-ray track removal from the images and to demonstrate that the instrument performance had remained unchanged during the first two years of the Solar Orbiter operations. The outcome of this work can be used to estimate the Solar Orbiter instrument’s deep charging and the order of magnitude for energetic particles crossing the images of Metis and other instruments such as STIX and EUI.

On the Formation of Vinylamine (C2H3NH2) in Interstellar Ice Analogs

Amines—organic molecules carrying the –NH2 moiety—have been recognized as a vital intermediate in the formation of prebiotic molecules such as amino acids and nucleobases. Here we report the formation of vinylamine (C2H3NH2), which was recently detected toward G+0.693–0.027, in interstellar ice analogs composed of acetylene (C2H2) and ammonia (NH3) exposed to energetic electrons. Our experiments mimic cascades of secondary electrons in the tracks of galactic cosmic rays impinging on interstellar ice in molecular clouds. Tunable photoionization reflectron time-of-flight mass spectrometry (PI–Re-TOF–MS), along with isomer-specific assignments, reveals the production of vinylamine (C2H3NH2). Quantum chemical computations suggest that both a radical–radical recombination of the amino (NH2) with the vinyl (C2H3) radical and a one-step concerted route are feasible pathways to vinylamine (C2H3NH2). The results present the first documented route to form vinylamine in interstellar ice analogs. This unsaturated amine, which is isovalent to vinylalcohol (C2H3OH), could be a key precursor for the abiotic synthesis of prebiotic molecules such as amino acids and nucleobases, with implications for the origins-of-life theme.

Fat cosmic ray tracks in charge-coupled devices

Cosmic rays are particles from the upper atmosphere, which often leave bright spots and trails in images from telescope charge-coupled devices (CCDs). We investigate so-called “fat” cosmic rays seen in images from Vera C. Rubin Observatory and the Subaru Telescope. These tracks are much wider and brighter than typical cosmic ray tracks and therefore are more capable of obscuring data in science images. By understanding the origins of these tracks, we can better ensure that they do not interfere with on-sky data. We compare the properties of these tracks to simulated and theoretical models to identify both the particles causing these tracks as well as the reason for their excess spread. We propose that the origin of these tracks is cosmic ray protons, which deposit much greater charge in the CCDs than typical cosmic rays due to their lower velocities. The generated charges then repel each other while drifting through the detector, resulting in a track that is much wider than typical tracks.

Mitigating the effects of particle background on the Athena Wide Field Imager

The Wide Field Imager (WFI) flying on Athena will usher in the next era of studying the hot and energetic Universe. Among Athena’s ambitious science programs are observations of faint, diffuse sources limited by statistical and systematic uncertainty in the background produced by high-energy cosmic ray particles. These particles produce easily identified “cosmic-ray tracks” along with less easily identified signals produced by secondary photons or x-rays generated by particle interactions with the instrument. Such secondaries produce identical signals to the x-rays focused by the optics and cannot be filtered without also eliminating these precious photons. As part of a larger effort to estimate the level of unrejected background and mitigate its effects, we here present results from a study of background-reduction techniques that exploit the spatial correlation between cosmic-ray particle tracks and secondary events. We use Geant4 simulations to generate a realistic particle background signal, sort this into simulated WFI frames, and process those frames in a similar way to the expected flight and ground software to produce a realistic WFI observation containing only particle background. The technique under study, self-anti-coincidence (SAC), then selectively filters regions of the detector around particle tracks, turning the WFI into its own anti-coincidence detector. We show that SAC is effective at improving the systematic uncertainty for observations of faint, diffuse sources, but at the cost of statistical uncertainty due to a reduction in signal. If sufficient pixel pulse-height information is telemetered to the ground for each frame, then this technique can be applied selectively based on the science goals, providing flexibility without affecting the data quality for other science. The results presented here are relevant for any future silicon-based pixelated x-ray imaging detector and could allow the WFI and similar instruments to probe to truly faint x-ray surface brightness.

Cosmic-ray flux predictions and observations for and with Metis on board Solar Orbiter

Context.The Metis coronagraph is one of the remote sensing instruments hosted on board the ESA/NASA Solar Orbiter mission. Metis is devoted to carry out the first simultaneous imaging of the solar corona in both visible light (VL) and ultraviolet (UV). High-energy particles can penetrate spacecraft materials and may limit the performance of the on-board instruments. A study of the galactic cosmic-ray (GCR) tracks observed in the first VL images gathered by Metis during the commissioning phase is presented here. A similar analysis is planned for the UV channel.Aims.We aim to formulate a prediction of the GCR flux up to hundreds of GeV for the first part of the Solar Orbiter mission to study the performance of the Metis coronagraph.Methods.The GCR model predictions are compared to observations gathered on board Solar Orbiter by the High-Energy Telescope in the range between 10 MeV and 100 MeV in the summer of 2020 as well as with the previous measurements. Estimated cosmic-ray fluxes above 70 MeV n−1have been also parameterized and used for Monte Carlo simulations aimed at reproducing the cosmic-ray track observations in the Metis coronagraph VL images. The same parameterizations can also be used to study the performance of other detectors.Results.By comparing observations of cosmic-ray tracks in the Metis VL images with FLUKA Monte Carlo simulations of cosmic-ray interactions in the VL detector, we find that cosmic rays fire only a fraction, on the order of 10−4, of the whole image pixel sample. We also find that the overall efficiency for cosmic-ray identification in the Metis VL images is approximately equal to the contribution ofZ ≥ 2 GCR particles. A similar study will be carried out during the whole of the Solar Orbiter’s mission duration for the purposes of instrument diagnostics and to verify whether the Metis data and Monte Carlo simulations would allow for a long-term monitoring of the GCR proton flux.

Cosmic-Ray Tracks in Astrophysical Ices: Modeling with the Geant4-DNA Monte Carlo Toolkit

Abstract Cosmic rays are ubiquitous in interstellar environments, and their bombardment of dust-grain ice mantles is a possible driver for the formation of complex, even prebiotic molecules. Yet, critical data that are essential for accurate modeling of this phenomenon, such as the average radii of cosmic-ray tracks in amorphous solid water (ASW) remain unconstrained. It is shown that cosmic-ray tracks in ASW can be approximated as a cylindrical volume with an average radius that is mostly independent of the initial particle energy. Interactions between energetic ions and both low-density amorphous (LDA) and high-density amorphous (HDA) ice targets are simulated using the Geant4-DNA Monte Carlo toolkit, which allows for tracking secondary electrons down to subexcitation energies in the material. We find the peak track-core radii, r cyl, for LDA and HDA ices to be 9.9 nm and 8.4 nm, respectively—somewhat less than double the value of 5 nm often assumed in astrochemical models.

Alignment for the first precision measurements at Belle II

On March 25th 2019, the Belle II detector recorded the first collisions delivered by the SuperKEKB accelerator. This marked the beginning of the physics run with vertex detector. The vertex detector was aligned initially with cosmic ray tracks without magnetic field simultaneously with the drift chamber. The alignment method is based on Millepede II and the General Broken Lines track model and includes also the muon system or primary vertex position alignment. To control weak modes, we employ sensitive validation tools and various track samples can be used as alignment input, from straight cosmic tracks to mass-constrained decays. With increasing luminosity and experience, the alignment is approaching the target performance, crucial for the first physics analyses in the era of Super-BFactories. We will present the software framework for the detector calibration and alignment, the results from the first physics run and the prospects in view of the experience with the first data.

Cosmic ray tracking to monitor the stability of historical buildings: a feasibility study

A cosmic ray muon detection system is proposed for stability monitoring in the field of civil engineering, in particular for the static monitoring of historical buildings, where conservation constraints are severe and the time evolution of the deformation phenomena under study may be of the order of months or years. The stability monitoring of the wooden vaulted roof of the Palazzo della Loggia, located in the town of Brescia, Italy, has been considered as a case study. The feasibility, as well as the performance and limitations of a stability monitoring system based on cosmic ray tracking have been studied by Monte Carlo simulations. A study of possible systematic uncertainties is presented along with a realistic design for the construction of a measurement system prototype.

A novel use of light guides and wavelength shifting plates for the detection of scintillation photons in large liquid argon detectors

Scintillation light generated as charged particles traverse large liquid argon detectors adds valuable information to studies of weakly-interacting particles. This paper uses both laboratory measurements and cosmic ray data from the Blanche dewar facility at Fermilab to characterize the efficiency of the photon detector technology developed at Indiana University for the single phase far detector of DUNE. The efficiency of this technology was found to be 0.48% at the readout end when the detector components were characterized with laboratory measurements. A second determination of the efficiency using cosmic ray tracks is in reasonable agreement with the laboratory determination. The agreement of these two efficiency determinations supports the result that minimum ionizing muons generate Nphot=40,000 photons/MeV as they cross the LAr volume.

Observation of cosmic ray flux deficit in the direction of the sun using a charged particle traking telescope

A cosmic ray tracking telescope has been made for the measurement of the secondary cosmic ray flux at ground level. The observations have been made both looking in the direction of the sun and away from the sun. Our observations by the telescope shows a deficiency in the detected number of cosmic rays entering the telescope when its axis was pointing to the sun compared to that entering the telescope with no sun in its field of view. The statistical significance of this deficit with the Li and Ma method stands near 1.3σ for all of our observations.

Magnetism of a very young lunar glass

AbstractRecent paleomagnetic studies of Apollo samples have established that a core dynamo existed on the Moon from at least 4.2 to 3.56 billion years (Ga). Because there is no lunar dynamo today, a longstanding mystery has been the origin of magnetization in very young lunar samples (<~200 million years old (Ma)). Possible sources of this magnetization include transient fields generated by meteoroid impacts, remanent fields from nearby rocks magnetized during an earlier dynamo epoch, a weak late dynamo, and spontaneous remanence formed in a near‐zero field. To further understand the source of the magnetization in young lunar samples, we conducted paleomagnetic, petrographic, and 40Ar/39Ar geochronometry analyses on a young impact melt glass rind from the exterior of ~3.35 Ga mare basalt 12017. Cosmic ray track densities and our 40Ar/39Ar and cosmogenic 38Ar analyses constrain the glass formation age to be <7 Ma and most likely <20 thousand years (kyr), making it likely the youngest extraterrestrial sample yet studied with paleomagnetic methods. Despite its relatively high fidelity magnetic recording properties compared to most lunar rocks, we find that the glass carries no stable primary natural remanent magnetization and that it formed in a field <~7 μT (with a 2 σ upper limit of <11 μT). Given the poor magnetic recording properties of the majority of lunar samples, this provides further evidence that many or perhaps even all previous paleointensity estimates for ≤1.5 Ga rocks are upper limits on the true paleofield and therefore require neither a protracted strong (>10 μT) core dynamo field nor impact‐generated fields.

TRAGALDABAS: A new high resolution detector for the regular study of cosmic rays

Research on cosmic rays is of big interest either for getting a better understanding about their origin and properties or because they offer very valuable information about the galactic, the solar and the Earth's environment. In order to improve our knowledge of all those fields, a high resolution cosmic ray tracking detector, TRAGALDABAS, is being commissioned at the Faculty of Physics of the Univ. of Santiago de Compostela (Spain). In this article we make overview of the main performances of the detector and we present some very preliminary results showing that the detector is taking good data, and that we are gathering a valuable sample of events, ready to be analyzed.

TRAGALDABAS: a new RPC based detector for the regular study of cosmic rays

Cosmic rays of a wide range of energies are arriving permanently to the Earth coming from the Sun or beyond our solar system. Their study is of interest for many fields of research. A high granularity and high time resolution cosmic ray tracking detector, TRAGALDABAS, based on timing RPC cells, has been recently installed at the Faculty of Physics of the Univ. of Santiago de Compostela, in Spain, in order to go deeper into the understanding of the cosmic rays arriving to the Earth surface. In this article, the layout and the main performances of the detector are shown together and some of the expected research fields are discussed.

Stability monitoring of a historical building by means of cosmic ray tracking

Stability monitoring of a historical building by means of cosmic ray tracking

Search for superheavy elements in galactic cosmic rays

The charge distribution of approximately 6000 nuclei with charge numbers above 55 in galactic cosmic rays has been obtained in the OLIMPIYA project. Three superheavy nuclei with the charge numbers in the range 105 92 are due to the fragmentation of heavier nuclei from the stability island, rather than to methodical inaccuracies or fault of instruments. Several such events have been revealed. Thus, the track method makes it possible to obtain the results very important for understanding of the physical picture of the world. The results obtained within the OLIMPIYA project show that the study of tracks of galactic cosmic rays in olivine crystals from meteorites opens new capabilities for the investigation of fluxes and spectra in cosmic rays in the region of heavy and superheavy nuclei.

Particle trackers based on 1 mm and 0.7 mm scintillating fibers readout by a multi-anode photomultiplier

A prototype particle tracking detector was constructed at LNF with 1mm and 0.7mm plastic scintillating fibers with a 64 channel Hamamatsu H7546A-200 Ultra-bialkali flat-panel multi-anode photomultiplier readout. Cosmic ray tracks from an array of 11 gas-filled drift tubes were matched to signals in the scintillating fibers in order to measure the resolution and efficiency of tracks reconstructed in the fiber-based tracker. The fibers allow for two possible readout methods, a hit-based (digital) and an amplitude-based (analog) mode. A GEANT4 detector simulation was also developed to compare cosmic ray data with Monte Carlo results. These fiber tracker designs are suggested as a way to meet the resolution and efficiency goals of modern detectors, such as an upgraded LHCb Outer Tracker. Resolutions for the fiber trackers were found to be 0.236mm and 0.175mm for the 1mm and 0.7mm trackers, respectively, in analog mode.

A novel 2-dimensional cosmic ray position detector based on a CsI(Na) pixel array and an ICCD camera

A novel 2-D cosmic ray position detector has been built and studied. It is integrated from a CsI(Na) crystal pixel array, an optical fiber array, an image intensifier and an ICCD camera. The 2-D positions of one cosmic ray track is determined by the location of a fired CsI(Na) pixel. The scintillation light of these 1.0×1.0 mm CsI(Na) pixels is delivered to the image intensifier through fibers. The light information is recorded in the ICCD camera in the form of images, from which the 2-D positions can be reconstructed. The background noise and cosmic ray images have been studied. The study shows that the cosmic ray detection efficiency can reach up to 11.4%, while the false accept rate is less than 1%.

Alignment of the ATLAS inner detector

In order to reach the track parameter accuracy motivated by the physics goals of the experiment, the ATLAS tracking system needs to determine accurately its almost 700,000 degrees of freedom. The demanded precision for the alignment of the silicon sensors is below 10 μm. The implementation of the track based alignment within the ATLAS software framework unifies different alignment approaches and allows the alignment of all tracking subsystems together. The alignment software relies on the tracking information (track-hit residuals) but also includes the capability to set constraints on the beam-spot and primary vertex as well as the momentum measured by the Muon System or the E/p using the calorimetry information. The alignment chain starts at the trigger level where a stream of high pT isolated tracks is selected online. Also a cosmic ray trigger is enabled while ATLAS is recording collision data, thus a stream of cosmic-ray tracks is recorded exactly with the same detector operating conditions as the normal collision tracks. We will present results of the alignment of the ATLAS tracker using the 2011 collision data. The validation of the alignment is performed using track-hit residuals as well as using more advanced physics observables. The results of the alignment with real data reveals that the attained precision for the alignment parameters is approximately 5 μm.

Medipix/Timepix cosmic ray tracking on BEXUS stratospheric balloon flights

Results of the first two experiments using semiconductor pixel detectors of the Medipix family for cosmic ray imaging in the stratospheric environment are presented. The original detecting device was based on the hybrid pixel detectors Medipix2 and Timepix developed at CERN with USB interface developed at the Institute of Experimental and Applied Physics of Czech Technical University in Prague. The detectors were used in tracking mode allowing them to operate as an “active nuclear emulsion”. Extensive datasets of different types of cosmic ray tracks were acquired in the stratospheric radiation environment, sorted and analyzed. Detector performance was evaluated for further design implications of proposed usage on satellites.