Light Collection System Research Articles

Retraction Note: Dynamic light collection system based on human posture estimation application in martial arts action teaching simulation

Retraction Note: Dynamic light collection system based on human posture estimation application in martial arts action teaching simulation

Adiabatic light guide with S-shaped strips.

A light guide is an essential part of many scintillator counters and light collection systems. Our main interest is a light guide for a thin, wide scintillator that has high light transmission while converting the area of the light source to the shape of a photo-detector. We propose a variation of the light guide that avoids a 90° twist of the strips, reduces the length of the light pipe, and reduces the complexity of production. Detailed Monte Carlo simulation studies have been performed for a three-strip S-shaped light-guide system.

Determination of the Photon Detection Efficiency, Time and Spatial Resolution of the Light Collecting System of the near Liquid Argon Detector (ND-LAr) of the DUNE Experiment

Determination of the Photon Detection Efficiency, Time and Spatial Resolution of the Light Collecting System of the near Liquid Argon Detector (ND-LAr) of the DUNE Experiment

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Dynamic light collection system based on human posture estimation application in martial arts action teaching simulation

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Dynamic light collection system based on human posture estimation application in martial arts action teaching simulation

Design study of the collection optics for Polarimetric Thomson Scattering on ITER

The ITER Core Plasma Thomson Scattering (CPTS) system is the primary diagnostic for the electron temperature (Te ) and electron density (ne ) profiles. For high performance ITER operating scenarios in which core Te > 20 keV, the conventional spectral CPTS will not provide measurement accuracy sufficient for advanced machine control. Addition of polarimetric measurement capability to the CPTS diagnostic is projected to increase measurement accuracy in high temperature/low density plasmas to required levels. To determine the feasibility of Polarimetric TS implementation on ITER, the polarization characteristics of the CPTS scattered light collection system have been modeled as part of a conceptual design study. When linearly polarized light is propagated through the CPTS collections optics, polarization is rotated and ellipticized. This characteristic of the ITER collection optical system complicates separation and analysis of the depolarized component of the Thomson scattered light that is produced at high Te . To address this challenge, a custom waveplate and polarizing beamsplitter should be mounted before the final lens in the CPTS collection optical system. Additionally, polarization performance should be one of the criteria by which materials and coatings are selected for the CPTS collection optical system.

Preparation of a beam emission spectroscopy diagnostic based on a Lyman-alpha line to diagnose core and edge-plasma density fluctuation on the HL-2A tokamak

In this article, the design of a Lyman-alpha-based beam emission spectroscopy (LAB) diagnostic on the HL-2A tokamak has been proposed for the first time. The purpose of this novel diagnostic is to measure density fluctuations of tokamak plasma. The light-collection system of LAB, which consists of the first mirror and two groups of coaxial double-mirror telescopes, can realize a two-segmented viewing field of ρ = 0‒0.2 and ρ = 0.75‒1, which is optimized to measure plasma density fluctuation, not only in the edge transport barrier region but also in the internal transport barrier region, to investigate the underlying physics of turbulence in tokamaks. Spectrometers are developed to separate out the Doppler-shifted target line (122.03 and 122.17 nm) from the background Lyman-alpha line (121.53 nm). Here, 30 Core-LAB channels and 30 Edge-LAB channels are under development on the HL-2A tokamak. It has high radial spatial resolutions of about 2.7 mm and 3.3 mm for the core and edge channels, respectively. Taking the high light intensity of this Lyman-alpha line into account, temporal resolution of 200 kHz can be ensured by broad bandwidth amplifiers. This high spatio-temporal resolution makes LAB a potential keen tool to experimentally investigate tokamak plasma physics.

Reflectance and fluorescence characteristics of PTFE coated with TPB at visible, UV, and VUV as a function of thickness

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is an excellent diffuse reflector widely used in light collection systems for particle physics experiments. In noble element systems, it is often coated with tetraphenyl butadiene (TPB) to allow detection of vacuum ultraviolet scintillation light. In this work this dependence is investigated for PTFE coated with TPB in air for light of wavelengths of 200 nm, 260 nm, and 450 nm. The results show that TPB-coated PTFE has a reflectance of approximately 92% for thicknesses ranging from 5 mm to 10 mm at 450 nm, with negligible variation as a function of thickness within this range. A cross-check of these results using an argon chamber supports the conclusion that the change in thickness from 5 mm to 10 mm does not affect significantly the light response at 128 nm. Our results indicate that pieces of TPB-coated PTFE thinner than the typical 10 mm can be used in particle physics detectors without compromising the light signal.

Hybrid Lighting System for Indoor Crop Production

Lighting systems for indoor crop production facilities face consistency, quality of lighting, and energy efficiency challenges. In this work, these challenges were addressed by developing a natural light collection system that allows sunlight to be concentrated and transmitted via optical conduits into the growing areas of an indoor crop production facility and supplementing it with artificial lighting. The daily light integral (DLI) estimator measures the natural light received while the supplemental lighting provides the additional photosynthetic photon flux to achieve the crop’s lighting requirements. Lux meter and spectrometer characterized the light sensors used to ensure accurate light measurements. The proposed system obtained a mean relative error of 1.78% between the DLI estimator and light instruments. In one testing activity, the system had collected 13.64 mol·m-2·d-1, while the artificial lighting supplemented 6.53 mol·m-2·d-1. The proposed system is vital in maintaining the DLI required by crops throughout the day.

Simulations of the nEDM@SNS light collection system efficiency

A system for collecting the scintillation light produced by the capture of ultra-cold neutrons (UCN) on polarized 3He is discussed and results from simulations of its performance are presented. This system will be implemented in nEDM@SNS, the experiment searching for the neutron electric dipole moment (nEDM) at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Simulation results show that the light collection system detects on average 17 photoelectrons per UCN-3He capture event (sufficient to generate a robust signal), reconstructs the event location in the beam direction to approximately 3 cm accuracy, detects capture events with a high and spatially uniform efficiency (0.95 with 1% variation), and rejects greater than 50% of beta decay background events.

Design and implementation of a device based on an off-axis parabolic mirror to perform luminescence experiments in a scanning tunneling microscope.

We present the design, implementation, and illustrative results of a light collection/injection strategy based on an off-axis parabolic mirror collector for a low-temperature Scanning Tunneling Microscope (STM). This device allows us to perform STM induced Light Emission (STM-LE) and Cathodoluminescence (STM-CL) experiments and in situ Photoluminescence (PL) and Raman spectroscopy as complementary techniques. Considering the Étendue conservation and using an off-axis parabolic mirror, it is possible to design a light collection and injection system that displays 72% of collection efficiency (considering the hemisphere above the sample surface) while maintaining high spectral resolution and minimizing signal loss. The performance of the STM is tested by atomically resolved images and scanning tunneling spectroscopy results on standard sample surfaces. The capabilities of our system are demonstrated by performing STM-LE on metallic surfaces and two-dimensional semiconducting samples, observing both plasmonic and excitonic emissions. In addition, we carried out in situ PL measurements on semiconducting monolayers and quantum dots and in situ Raman on graphite and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) samples. Additionally, STM-CL and PL were obtained on monolayer h-BN gathering luminescence spectra that are typically associated with intragap states related to carbon defects. The results show that the flexible and efficient light injection and collection device based on an off-axis parabolic mirror is a powerful tool to study several types of nanostructures with multiple spectroscopic techniques in correlation with their morphology at the atomic scale and electronic structure.

Design and first measurements of the divertor Thomson scattering system on the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak

A new divertor Thomson scattering system was installed on the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak, to measure profiles of electron density and temperature in the lower divertor along a poloidal cord, starting in the outer divertor, crossing the x-point, and ending on the high field side. No direct access to these regions from outside the vacuum vessel is possible. So critical parts of the laser beam line, and the light collection system had to be installed inside the vacuum vessel. Details of the design and first measurements are presented in this article.

Silicon photonic on-chip spatial heterodyne Fourier transform spectrometer exploiting the Jacquinot's advantage.

Silicon photonics on-chip spectrometers are finding important applications in medical diagnostics, pollution monitoring, and astrophysics. Spatial heterodyne Fourier transform spectrometers (SHFTSs) provide a particularly interesting architecture with a powerful passive error correction capability and high spectral resolution. Despite having an intrinsically large optical throughput (étendue, also referred to as Jacquinot's advantage), state-of-the-art silicon SHFTSs have not exploited this advantage yet. Here, we propose and experimentally demonstrate for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, an SHFTS implementing a wide-area light collection system simultaneously feeding an array of 16 interferometers, with an input aperture as large as 90µm×60µm formed by a two-way-fed grating coupler. We experimentally demonstrate 85 pm spectral resolution, 600 pm bandwidth, and 13 dB étendue increase, compared with a device with a conventional grating coupler input. The SHFTS was fabricated using 193 nm deep-UV optical lithography and integrates a large-size input aperture with an interferometer array and monolithic Ge photodetectors, in a 4.5mm2 footprint.

Dependence of polytetrafluoroethylene reflectance on thickness at visible and ultraviolet wavelengths in air

Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is an excellent diffuse reflector widely used in light collection systems for particle physics experiments. However, the reflectance of PTFE is a function of its thickness. In this work, we investigate this dependence in air for light of wavelengths 260 nm and 450 nm using two complementary methods. We find that PTFE reflectance for thicknesses from 5 mm to 10 mm ranges from 92.5% to 94.5% at 450 nm, and from 90.0% to 92.0% at 260 nm. We also see that the reflectance of PTFE of a given thickness can vary by as much as 2.7% within the same piece of material. Finally, we show that placing a specular reflector behind the PTFE can recover the loss of reflectance in the visible without introducing a specular component in the reflectance.

Conceptual design of Doppler shift spectroscopy diagnostics for INTF

• Doppler Shift Spectroscopy diagnostics for ITER DNB at Indian Test Facility is conceptualised for neutral beam characterisation. • Modelling of the system suggests that 36 Line of Sights is required for a complete mapping of the beam. • A novel method of deconvolution of beam focusing effect in the total width is performed. • The error in divergence estimation of the 7 mrad focused divergent beam is less than 10%. INTF (Indian Test Facility) is a negative hydrogen ion source based neutral beam test facility to characterise 100 keV,60 A Diagnostic Neutral Beam (DNB), conceptualised for ITER. Several diagnostics are under development to monitor and characterise the performance of ion source and the beam properties. Doppler Shift Spectroscopy (DSS) diagnostics shall be used to estimate the beam divergence, beam inhomogeneity and the stripping losses of the extracted H − ion beam. In this work, the conceptualisation of the DSS diagnostics and the performance evaluation of the proposed system is presented. A forward model is developed to predict the signal strength and signal to noise ratio for various beam operation scenarios and for different optical setups. The model also estimates the expected error in the line width analysis carried for estimating the beam divergence. To reduce the error in the estimated beam divergence, a study on the error propagation was carried out by considering a range of viewing angles, different types of light collection systems and optical instruments. An optimum viewing angle, the light collection system and the instrumentation is chosen accordingly. An endoscopic design concept for each LOS has been adopted and the mechanical assembly of the same is presented in this work. The present work also reports that for a focused divergent beam, using conventional methods of line width analysis might lead large errors and impacts the beam divergence measurements obtained by DSS. A suitable algorithm has been developed to deconvolve the beam focusing spectral width contribution, thereby improving the preciseness of the beam divergence estimation.

Surface Canopy Position Determines the Photosystem II Photochemistry in Invasive and Native Prosopis Congeners at Sharjah Desert, UAE

Plants have evolved photoprotective mechanisms in order to counteract the damaging effects of excess light in hyper-arid desert environments. We evaluated the impact of surface canopy positions on the photosynthetic adjustments and chlorophyll fluorescence attributes (photosystem II photochemistry, quantum yield, fluorescence quenching, and photon energy dissipation), leaf biomass and nutrient content of sun-exposed leaves at the south east (SE canopy position) and shaded-leaves at the north west (NW canopy position) in the invasive Prosopis juliflora and native Prosopis cineraria in the extreme environment (hyper-arid desert area, United Arab Emirates (UAE)). The main aim of this research was to study the photoprotection mechanism in invasive and native Prosopis congeners via the safe removal—as thermal energy—of excess solar energy absorbed by the light collecting system, which counteracts the formation of reactive oxygen species. Maximum photosynthetic efficiency (Fv/Fm) from dark-adapted leaves in P. juliflora and P. cineraria was higher on NW than SE canopy position while insignificant difference was observed within the two Prosopis congeners. Greater quantum yield was observed in P. juliflora than P. cineraria on the NW canopy position than SE. With the change of canopy positions from NW to SE, the reduction of the PSII reaction center activity in the leaves of both Prosopis congeners was accelerated. On the SE canopy position, a significant decline in the electron transport rate (ETR) of in the leaves of both Prosopis congeners occurred, which might be due to the blockage of electron transfer from QA to QB on the PSII acceptor side. On the SE canopy position; Prosopis leaves dissipated excess light energy by increasing non-photochemical quenching (NPQ). However, in P. cineraria, the protective ability of NPQ decreased, which led to the accumulation of excess excitation energy (1 − qP)/NPQ and the aggravation of photoinhibition. The results also explain the role of different physiological attributes contributing to invasiveness of P. juliflora and to evaluate its liaison between plasticity of these characters and invasiveness.

A New Concept for Kilotonne Scale Liquid Argon Time Projection Chambers

We develop a novel Time Projection Chamber (TPC) concept suitable for deployment in kilotonne-scale detectors, with a charge-readout system free from reconstruction ambiguities, and a robust TPC design that reduces high-voltage risks while increasing the coverage of the light-collection system and maximizing the active volume. This novel concept could be used as a far detector module in the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE). For the charge-readout system, we used the charge-collection pixels and associated application-specific integrated circuits currently being developed for the liquid argon (LAr) component of the DUNE Near Detector design, ArgonCube. In addition, we divided the TPC into a number of shorter drift volumes, reducing the total voltage used to drift the ionization electrons, and minimizing the stored energy per TPC. Segmenting the TPC also contains scintillation light, allowing for precise trigger localization and a more expansive light-readout system. Furthermore, the design opens the possibility of replacing or upgrading components. These augmentations could substantially improve the reliability and the sensitivity, particularly for low-energy signals, in comparison to traditional monolithic LArTPCs with projective-wire charge readouts.

Design of Thomson scattering diagnostics for the Divertor Tokamak Test (DTT) facility

In the Divertor Tokamak Test (DTT) facility two Thomson scattering (TS) systems are under design for the measurements of Te and ne in the core plasma region and in the divertor respectively. The divertor TS system under study is a conventional TS system based on a Nd:YAG laser source, a fiber optic based light collection system and a set of filter polychromators equipped with Si APD detectors. The laser beam and the collection optics share an aperture between adjacent cassettes of the lower divertor and the scattering signal is collected from a set of scattering volumes close to one of the divertor legs by a collection optics system located under the divertor dome and is carried to the polychromators by fiber optic bundles. The filter polychromators are designed to measure Te as low as 1 eV . Measurements with a spatial resolution of 10 mm are possible, with accuracy limited by the plasma ne and the background light. For the core TS system, two options are under consideration: a conventional system, similar to that designed for the ITER core TS, in which Te and ne are measured along a large fraction of a laser beam crossing the plasma near the equatorial plane and the detection system is again based on fiber optic coupled filter polychromators. The spatial resolution is 5 cm in the central region and 1 cm at the plasma edge. Alternatively a TS system based on the LIDAR concept, previously implemented in JET, is under consideration. Recent advancements in laser and detector technology allow achieving a spatial resolution similar to that of a conventional system, but with a simpler and reliable experimental set-up and possibly at a lower cost.

Improvement of light collection subsystems in the KSTAR Thomson scattering diagnostic system

A Thomson scattering diagnostic system comprises four subsystems: a laser, a light collection system, a spectroscope, and a digitizing system. The Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research (KSTAR) Thomson scattering system has all of these, but because of the superconducting tokamak, a cassette system (called a port plug in ITER) is required to diagnose the plasma. This cassette system is of length 1.8 m and is mounted on the cryostat. For this reason, when plasma disruption occurs, vibration impact is transferred to the collection lens in the cassette as presently designed, causing the problem of Thomson scattering signal measurement. To solve this problem, an anti-vibration lens support system was installed, and the collection lenses (core and edge lenses) were redesigned to upgrade their performance while also reducing their weight. Simulation of this new lens design has confirmed that it reduces vignetting and improves the modulation transfer function compared with previous lenses [1]. In the new core lens design, the f-number more than doubled from 2.26 (old) to 5.9 (new) and the mass was reduced from 26 to 18 kg. In the new edge lens design, the f-number increased to 2.27 times that of the old lens, and the mass was reduced from 23 to 12 kg. The improved light collection optic systems were used in the KSTAR campaign in 2018 and were able to measure Thomson signals without any vibration effect. Herein we explain the newly designed lenses and briefly describe the collection lens support system.

Design and construction of the MicroBooNE Cosmic Ray Tagger system

The MicroBooNE detector utilizes a liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) with an 85 t active mass to study neutrino interactions along the Booster Neutrino Beam (BNB) at Fermilab. With a deployment location near ground level, the detector records many cosmic muon tracks in each beam-related detector trigger that can be misidentified as signals of interest. To reduce these cosmogenic backgrounds, we have designed and constructed a TPC-external Cosmic Ray Tagger (CRT) . This sub-system was developed by the Laboratory for High Energy Physics (LHEP), Albert Einstein center for fundamental physics, University of Bern. The system utilizes plastic scintillation modules to provide precise time and position information for TPC-traversing particles. Successful matching of TPC tracks and CRT data will allow us to reduce cosmogenic background and better characterize the light collection system and LArTPC data using cosmic muons. In this paper we describe the design and installation of the MicroBooNE CRT system and provide an overview of a series of tests done to verify the proper operation of the system and its components during installation, commissioning, and physics data-taking.

Fullerene-Filled Liquid-Crystal Stars: A Supramolecular Click Mechanism for the Generation of Tailored Donor-Acceptor Assemblies.

Two shape-persistent star mesogens with oligo(phenylene ethenylene) arms and a phthalocyanine core-one providing free space (2) and one sterically encumbered by four fullerenes attached through spacers (3)-have been successfully synthesized. In contrast to the smaller discotic derivative 1, mesogen 2 forms a columnar liquid crystal (LC), which can only be partially aligned without π-stacking, while 3 is not an LC. Exceptionally, the 1:1 mixture of 2 and 3 forms an alignable columnar LC with strong π-stacking and quadruply helically organized fullerenes by an unprecedented click process that is similar to a ball detent mechanism. The C60 units also interconnect different columns. This is driven by nanosegregation and space-filling of the voids with fullerenes. Photophysical studies confirm the presence of a light-collecting system that generates charge-separated states in solution and in the solid state, which makes such highly organized materials attractive for the study of future photovoltaic devices.