Multi-purpose Detector Research Articles

A 13 Gbps 1:16 deserializer ASIC for NICA multi purpose detector project

This paper presents the design and test results of a 13 Gbps 1:16 deserializer ASIC fabricated in a 55 nm CMOS technology for Nuclotron-based Ion Collider fAcility (NICA) Multi Purpose Detector (MPD) project. The deserializer would be used in the downlink data transmission of MPD readout system to recover the serial data from the back-end to the parallel data for the front-end. The ASIC adopts a tree-type structure, consisting of a high-speed data receiver (RXDATA), a high-speed clock receiver (RXCLK), four levels of demultiplexer (DEMUX) modules, clock dividers and 16 Low-Voltage Differential Signaling (LVDS) drivers. The demultiplexer modules are composed of different numbers of high-speed DEMUX unit and low-speed DEMUX unit. The high-speed DEMUX unit and the high-frequency clock divider adopt an optimized compressed current mode logic (CML) differential structure to ensure the bandwidth with limited voltage headroom. The low-speed DEMUX unit and the low-frequency clock divider use CMOS latch to save power consumption. The duty cycle correction (DCC) circuit and the clock aligner are employed in the clock paths to ensure the correct duty cycle and aligned clock edges. In the chip test, the ASIC receives 13 Gbps serial data and outputs 16 channels of 812.5 Mbps data correctly with wide-open eye diagram. The tested power consumption is 203 mA with 1.2 V power supply including the RXDATA, the RXCLK and the 16 channels of LVDS drivers, and the core power consumption is 122.7 mA.

A 14 Gbps VCSEL driving ASIC in 55 nm for NICA multi purpose detector project

This paper presents the design and the test results of a 14 Gbps VCSEL driving ASIC with a novel output driver structure fabricated in a 55 nm CMOS process. It consists of an equalizer stage, a limiting amplifier stage and an output driver stage. The equalizer stage uses the CTLE structure to compensate the high frequency losses at the PCB traces, bonding wires and input pads. To meet both the gain/bandwidth requirements and the area restriction, the limiting amplifier stage adopts the inductor-shared peaking technology. To increase the voltage headroom of the output driver stage and improve the bandwidth, a novel output driver structure using the on-chip AC coupling, the stacked current source and the double feedforward compensation technique is proposed. This ASIC has been integrated with the VCSEL array in a customized optical module for the optical test. The test results show the wide-open 14 Gbps optical eye diagram with a measured RMS jitter of 2.7 ps and a peak-to-peak jitter of 17.4 ps, respectively.

Status and initial physics performance studies of the MPD experiment at NICA

The Nuclotron-based Ion Collider fAcility (NICA) is under construction at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR), with commissioning of the facility expected in late 2022. The Multi-Purpose Detector (MPD) has been designed to operate at NICA and its components are currently in production. The detector is expected to be ready for data taking with the first beams from NICA. This document provides an overview of the landscape of the investigation of the QCD phase diagram in the region of maximum baryonic density, where NICA and MPD will be able to provide significant and unique input. It also provides a detailed description of the MPD set-up, including its various subsystems as well as its support and computing infrastructures. Selected performance studies for particular physics measurements at MPD are presented and discussed in the context of existing data and theoretical expectations.

Si/SiO2 Based Nano-cavity Biosensor for Detection of Anemia, HIV and Cholesterol Using Refractive Index of Blood Sample

Objectives: To model photonic multipurpose biosensor for detection of sickle cell anemia, HIV and cholesterol by its refractive index using FDTD method. Methods: The proposed multipurpose photonic biosensor has 12mm X 08mm dimension designed using Lumerical software. Blood sample is deposited inside the hole cavity of sensor and gaussian light source of 1.5 – 1.6 mm wavelength is injected inside the waveguide, based on the refractive index of disease sample to the normal sample there will be shift in the wavelength. FDTD method is used for simulating the PhC silicon sensor. When body gets infected there will be changes in physical as well as biological composition results in disparity of refractive index of biological component. Resonating frequency will be displayed in DFT monitor at the output waveguide. Findings: Based on the RI value the resonating wavelength shifts inside the bandgap of frequency spectrum. By comparing with the normal value there is shift in wavelength of 03nm, 08nm and 22nm for anemia, HIV and Cholesterol respectively. Biosensor has Quality factor of 257, tolerance factor 3% and the sensitivity obtained for change in RI of the sample is 225 nm/RIU. Novelty: The proposed biosensor functions as multipurpose detector and design is compatible in detecting anemia, HIV and Cholesterol in photonics platform. Novel signature analysis is performed by using polar plot for distinguishing the disease in early stage. Keywords: Photonic Crystal; Refractive index; Red blood corpuscles; Human immunodeficiency virus; Finite difference time domain; Photonic bandgap

Production and quality control of NICA-MPD shashlik electromagnetic calorimeter in Tsinghua University

The Multi Purpose Detector (MPD) is one of the detectors at the NICA collider and the Electromagnetic Calorimeter (ECal) is an important part of MPD. The cylindrical ECal system consists of 2400 ECal modules. In the first stage (2020–2024), Tsinghua University (THU) will produce 460 ECal modules for MPD project. This article mainly introduces the production, quality control and cosmic ray test of ECal modules in THU. The process flow, quality control standards, and testing system of ECal production have been established, which guarantees the high-quality completion of mass production on schedule. Up to now, nearly 360 modules have been manufactured, and a total of 460 modules will be produced by June 2022.

Implementation and first results of the KM3NeT real-time core-collapse supernova neutrino search

The KM3NeT research infrastructure is unconstruction in the Mediterranean Sea. KM3NeT will study atmospheric and astrophysical neutrinos with two multi-purpose neutrino detectors, ARCA and ORCA, primarily aimed at GeV–PeV neutrinos. Thanks to the multi-photomultiplier tube design of the digital optical modules, KM3NeT is capable of detecting the neutrino burst from a Galactic or near-Galactic core-collapse supernova. This potential is already exploitable with the first detection units deployed in the sea. This paper describes the real-time implementation of the supernova neutrino search, operating on the two KM3NeT detectors since the first months of 2019. A quasi-online astronomy analysis is introduced to study the time profile of the detected neutrinos for especially significant events. The mechanism of generation and distribution of alerts, as well as the integration into the SNEWS and SNEWS 2.0 global alert systems, are described. The approach for the follow-up of external alerts with a search for a neutrino excess in the archival data is defined. Finally, an overview of the current detector capabilities and a report after the first two years of operation are given.

Improving the robustness of Micromegas detector with resistive DLC anode for the upgrade of the TPC readout chambers of the MPD experiment at the NICA collider

A prototype of the Micromegas detector with 30 × 30 mm2 active area and the resistive anode was developed and produced at DLNP JINR using a bulk Micromegas technological process and a diamond-like carbon resistive layer on a polyimide substrate. The prototype is considered as an option for the future upgrade of the readout chambers for the Time Projection Chamber of the Multi-Purpose Detector experiment at the NICA collider. The performance of the prototype of the Micromegas detector was studied using a 55Fe radioactive source and an Ar:CO2 (90:10) gas mixture. The dependencies of the gas gain and the energy resolution on applied high voltage are obtained. The detector works stably up to the gas gain of 30,000. For the gas gain of 10,000 the resolution for the line 5.9 keV of the 55Fe source is 22%. The robustness of the detector prototype to electric discharges was demonstrated by accumulating about 10,000 discharge events at a gas gain of 40,000 without any visible impact on the operation of the prototype.

LVD\u2014Multipurpose Russian\u2013Italian Detector

Selected results from the multipurpose Large Volume Detector (LVD) are presented. Investigations at the LVD setup are being performed according to the program of continuous searches for neutrinos from supernova explosions in the Milky Way Galaxy and muon- and neutron-physics programs. At the present time, the LVD setup is the largest scintillation detector, which possesses a unique potential for studies in the realms of underground physics.

Digital Twins in the Practice of High-Energy Physics Experiments: A Gas System for the Multipurpose Detector.

The digital twins technology delivers a new degree of freedom into system implementation and maintenance practice. Using this approach, a technological system can be efficiently modeled and simulated. Furthermore, such a twin offline system can be efficiently used to investigate real system issues and improvement opportunities, e.g., improvement of the existing control system or development of a new one. This work describes the development of a control system using the digital twins methodology for a gas system delivering a specific mixture of gases to the time-of-flight (ToF) multipurpose detector (MPD) used during high-energy physics experiments in the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (Dubna, Russia). The gas system digital twin was built using a test stand and further extended into target full-scale installation planned to be built in the near future. Therefore, conducted simulations are used to validate the existing system and to allow validation of the planned new system. Moreover, the gas system digital twin enables testing of new control opportunities, improving the operation of the target gas system.

Determination of the X-ray Linear Attenuation Coefficient of Clay-Originated Bricks in Central Java Province, Indonesia

The widespread use of radioactivity has culminated in adverse health consequences and has generated an entire health science study. It is established practice that certain precautions must be taken to avoid potential exposure to ionizing radiation like an x-ray. One way to control radiation hazards external is to use a radiation shield. In this study, clay-originated bricks were used as a shield and determine its linear attenuation coefficient of x-ray radiation. The bricks were collected from 5 regencies in Central Java province. Digital fluoroscopy was used as an x-ray radiation source and operated in 81 kV 32 mAs; also, it associated with the multi-purpose detector. It shows that linear attenuation coefficient of Boyolali, Klaten, Magelang, Temanggung, and Semarang bricks respectively are 0.8896 cm<sup>-1</sup>; 0.7455 cm<sup>-1</sup>; 0.7115 cm<sup>-1</sup>; 0.7254 cm<sup>-1</sup>; and 0.7972 cm<sup>-1</sup>. Furthermore, we calculate the half-value layer of each brick and indicates that brick from Boyolali is the most effective as a shielding among others that can reduce half value of x-ray radiation dose. This research is expected to enhance the systems integration of radiation shielding safeties and allow for the effective treatment of radiation sources for both humans and the environment.

Simulation study on photon generation and collection of tower applied to NICA-MPD electromagnetic calorimeter

Shashlik tower, which is composed of absorbers and scintillators alternately, surrounded by reflector and coupled with Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPM) by Wavelength-Shifting (WLS) fibers, is a significant component to measure the energy and position of photons and electrons in Electromagnetic Calorimeter (ECal), a key detector of the Multi Purpose Detector (MPD) at the Nuclotron-based Ion Collider facility (NICA) in Russia. In this paper, the effect of materials adopted for absorber, reflector and WLS fiber, the length and curvature of fibers and the electrons incident position on photons transmission performance of tower is simulated based on GEANT4 software. The impact of Gaussian deviation's electron beam energy and spread of 10% in the energy range on the energy resolution of tower is also studied. Results show that the low polishing degree absorber, the high polishing degree TiO_2 reflector and the type of Y-11 WLS fibers bent with a curvature radius of greater than 11 cm can significantly improve the light output. In addition, electrons injected along the centre of tower can make photons position distribution in SiPM more uniform. The generation time of photons in scintillators and time of arrival at the SiPM both obey the Landau distribution. Finally, the energy resolution of tower can be better than 3.8%/√(E) (GeV) for a Gaussian deviation's electron beam with an average energy of 3 GeV and spread of 10% in the energy range.

LDLA14: a 14 Gbps optical transceiver ASIC in 55 nm for NICA multi purpose detector project

This paper presents the design and test results of a 14 Gbps optical transceiver ASIC (LDLA14) fabricated in a 55 nm CMOS technology for NICA Multi Purpose Detector (MPD) project. The LDLA14 is a single-channel bidirectional (1Tx + 1Rx) optical transceiver ASIC, including a Laser Driver (LD) module and a Limiting Amplifier (LA) module. It would drive the Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) of Transmitter Optical Sub-Assembly (TOSA) and receive signals from Photo Diode (PD) of Receiver Optical Sub-Assembly (ROSA), respectively. In the LDLA14, a novel structure of capacitive coupling pre-emphasis is proposed in the output driver of LD to obtain peaking effect without sacrifice the modulation current swing. A shared inductor technology and a Continuous Time Linear Equalizer (CTLE) pre-emphasis structure are added in the output buffer of LA to improve the quality of the output eye diagram. The dimension of LDLA14 is 1.5 mm × 1.3 mm, and the power consumption is 178 mW. The Peak-to-Peak Jitter (PPJ) and Root-Mean-Square Jitter (RMSJ) of the 14 Gbps optical eye diagram of LD in the Tx direction are 22.5 ps and 3.5 ps, respectively. The PPJ and RMSJ of the 14 Gbps electrical eye diagram of LA in the Rx direction are 23.1 ps and 4.7 ps, respectively. The BER tests have been conducted in Tx, Rx directions and the Tx-Rx loop condition, and the BER less than 10−12 is achieved in all tests.

The NICA Complex and the MPD experiment at JINR: status and physics potential

The Multi-Purpose Detector is under construction at the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research in Dubna, as part of the NICA Accelerator Complex. The MPD Collaboration aims to study the phase diagram of QCD matter at maximum baryonic density, determine the nature of the phase transition between the deconfined and hadronic matter and search for the critical point. The combination of significant luminosity at NICA, collider geometry of the experiment and collision energies √SNN spanning the range of 4 to 11 GeV, where the transition from baryon to meson dominated matter is expected will allow MPD to provide unique insight into these questions. The status of the assembly of the detector in MPD Hall, as well as the progress in the production of MPD subdetectors will be reported on. The design physics performance of the detector will be discussed with the emphasis on the measurements in the strangeness sector. Tracking and particle identification procedures will enable precise determination of spectra of identified hadrons, including hyperons and hypernuclei, with the possibility of differential measurements and total yield extraction. The quality of directed and elliptic flow determination will be discussed, with comparison to model expectations. The sensitivity of event-by-event fluctuations to the nature of the phase transition and the presence of a critical point will be given. The femtoscopic analysis for charged pions and kaons has shown sensitivity to first order and cross-over phase transitions in EoS seen for the vHLLE model. All those studies will be put in context of addressing outstanding questions on the properties of the region of the QCD phase diagram probed by heavy-ion collisions in the NICA energy range.

JUNO Oscillation Physics

The Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) is a 20 kton multi-purpose liquid scintillator detector with an expected energy resolution, under construction in a 700 m underground laboratory in the south of China (Jiangmen city, Guangdong province). The exceptional energy resolution and the massive fiducial volume of the JUNO detector offer great opportunities for addressing many essential topics in neutrino and astroparticle physics. JUNO’s primary goals are to determine the neutrino mass ordering and precisely measure the related neutrino oscillation parameters. With six years of data taking with reactor antineutrinos, JUNO can determine the mass ordering at a 3-4σ significance and the neutrino oscillation parameters sin2 θ 12, , and to a precision of better than 0.6%. In addition, the atmospheric neutrino and solar neutrino measurement at JUNO can also provide complementary and important information for neutrino oscillation physics. This work focuses on the oscillation physics of JUNO, which includes measurement and analysis of the reactor neutrinos, the atmospheric neutrinos, and the solar neutrinos. With the delicate energy response calibration and event reconstruction potential, JUNO will make a world-leading measurement on the neutrino oscillation parameters and neutrino mass ordering in the near future.

Conceptual design report of the MPD Cosmic Ray Detector (MCORD)

This report presents a concept of constructing a detector dedicated for detection of muons observed during measurements carried out at the MPD (Multi-Purpose Detector) detector that is currently under construction at the NICA facility, Russia, Dubna. It has been proposed to design and build an additional detector that will complement the current MPD set and increase its measurement capabilities. The main goal of this project is to provide information from cosmic muons that pass the MPD detector in both in-beam and off-beam experiments. Hence, the detector is called the MPD COsmic Ray Detector (MCORD).The conceptual design of MCORD is proposed by a Polish consortium NICA-PL comprising several Polish scientific institutions.The data from cosmic ray muons could be used as a trigger for calibration of other detection systems comprising the MPD detector. Large surface covered by the MCORD offers also possibility for efficient registration of muons generated in expanding atmospheric showers induced by distant sources. Moreover, beyond some energy threshold, observation of muons originating from decays of collision products will also be possible. In this report examples of the MCORD functionality as a part of the MPD detector are presented.The MCORD is designed as a universal, fast triggering system built as a modular reconfigurable construction. The detection system will be based on plastic scintillators equipped with wavelength shifting fibers, and silicon photomultipliers (SiPM) will be used for scintillation readout. The online analysis of received signals will be performed using digital FPGA modules. Due to the modular design, the same system (its small part) can be used for both laboratory testing of other MPD sub-detectors, and the calibration of these detectors after placing them inside the MPD in off-beam mode. The full detector will support these systems as an additional trigger, calibrator, and muon identifier during the normal operation of the MPD detector with the beam. Thanks to its unique construction, it will expand the possibilities of collecting scientific data of the MPD detector with astrophysical observations.The publication will show the assumptions of the mechanical structure and electronic systems of the planned detector. The installation site of the detector as part of the MPD detector will be described in detail. In the following, the results of simulations made in preparation for this project will be presented. In particular, simulations with the CORSIKA code present angular distributions of particles in cosmic showers in the Dubna city region. Since muons dominate the cosmic ray showers, the MPD detector response to expected cosmic muon flux was also simulated. The results provide information about the muon cut-off thresholds depending on the MPD detector composition during the installation campaign. Simulations of muon events that could be used for MPD subsystems calibration were also performed. The results shown for various configuration of MCORD detector modules will enable the estimation of the time necessary to perform such tests in the future.Simulations with UrQMD model shows the muon abundances due to beam-beam collisions. Approximately 90% of muons are created from pions, whereas the number of muons that reach the MCORD detector is 10 times greater than the number of pions. The MPD detector response was also simulated under the influence of a stream of various particles, especially muons. It shows energy dependence of muon transmission coefficient for MPD with and without ECal assembled. Assuming requirement for muon transmission above 95%, the muon cut-off thresholds are 1.6 GeV and 2.0 GeV, respectively.MCORD detector performance evaluation is also reported. In the case when we used scintillators with one fiber with a diameter of 1 mm, the time resolution of about 1.0 ns was recorded, which corresponds to the positional accuracy (σx) of 7.1 cm. The results of laboratory tests show that application of a 2 mm diameter WLS fiber instead of the previously used 1 mm diameter fiber improves the time resolution to 0.80 ns.

Evaluation of Conventional Radiographic Systems in Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences: A Multi-Centric Quality Control Study

Introduction: Generally, the benefits of radiological examinations performed on individuals far outweigh their risks; however, this is not true when the radiographic system fails to work properly. Therefore, to avoid such errors, it is crucial to frequently perform Quality Control (QC) checks in an imaging facility. Material and Methods: A total of 11 highly-referred centers out of 62 radiology rooms located in Yazd province were included in this investigation, and QC tests comprising light/radiation field alignment, the accuracy of kilovoltage and exposure time, reproducibility of kilovoltage, exposure time, and output, and linearity of output against exposure time and milliamperage were performed for each equipment. The light and radiation field alignment test were carried out by a quantitative assessment of digital images of a collimator template (PTW-Freiburg, Germany). The measurements were made by a Barracuda package and a Multi-Purpose Detector (MPD). Results: In terms of the light/radiation field alignment check, unit A failed to satisfy the national regulations. Concerning the timer reproducibility, 64% of the units failed to meet the criteria. All of the devices passed the rest of the checks satisfactorily. Conclusion: This study uncovered that most of the radiology rooms in Yazd province are in an adequate situation based on the QC tests; however, more than half of the units do not satisfy the timer reproducibility criteria. Hence, more supervision needs to be directed at these systems by qualified radiation safety officers who are responsible for the protection of the population against ionization radiation.

Relating Charged Particle Multiplicity to Impact Parameter in Heavy-Ion Collisions at NICA Energies

The size and evolution of the matter created in relativistic heavy-ion collisions strongly depend on collision geometry, defined by the impact parameter. However, the impact parameter cannot be measured directly in an experiment but might be inferred from final state observables using the centrality procedure. We present the procedure of centrality determination for the Multi-Purpose Detector (MPD) at the NICA collider and its performance using the multiplicity of produced charged particles at midrapidity. The validity of the procedure is assessed using the simulated data for Au + Au collisions at sNN = 4–11 GeV.

Application of FHCal for Heavy-Ion Collision Centrality Determination in MPD/NICA Experiment

Two approaches related to the centrality determination in heavy-ion Multi-Purpose Detector (MPD) experiments, using charge-particles multiplicity in Time Projection Chamber (TPC) and the energy deposition in Forward Hadron Calorimeter (FHCal) are discussed. The main features of the FHCal are the fine transverse segmentation and the beam holes in the center of the calorimeters. Leaking the heavy non-interacting fragments (spectators) leads to ambiguity in the dependence of energy deposition in the FHCal on the collision centrality. However, the calorimeter transverse segmentation allows one to measure the energy distributions in each of the FHCal modules and to construct combined observables to resolve the problems associated with the beam hole. The comparison of these approaches in the collision centrality measurements is discussed.

Heavy axion opportunities at the DUNE near detector

While the QCD axion is often considered to be necessarily light ($\lesssim$ eV), recent work has opened a viable and interesting parameter space for heavy axions, which solve both the Strong CP and the axion Quality Problems. These well-motivated heavy axions, as well as the generic axion-like-particles, call for explorations in the GeV mass realm at collider and beam dump environments. The primary upcoming neutrino experiment, Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE), is simultaneously also a powerful beam dump experiment, enabled by its multipurpose Near Detector (ND) complex. In this study, we show with detailed analyses that the DUNE ND has a unique sensitivity to heavy axions for masses between $20$ MeV and $2$ GeV, complementary to other future experiments.

A Vector Finder Toolkit for Track Reconstruction in MPD ITS

As a part of the future upgrade program of the Multi-Purpose Detector (MPD) experiment at the Nuclotron-Based Ion Collider Facility (NICA) complex, an Inner Tracking System (ITS) made of Monolitic Active Pixel Sensors (MAPSs) is proposed between the beam pipe and the Time Projection Chamber (TPC). It is expected that the new detector will enhance the experimental potential for the reconstruction of short-lived particles—in particular, those containing the open charm particle. To study the detector performance and select its best configuration, a track reconstruction approach based on a constrained combinatorial search was developed and implemented as a software toolkit called Vector Finder. This paper describes the proposed approach and demonstrates its characteristics for primary and secondary track finding in ITS, ITS-to-TPC track matching and hyperon reconstruction within the MPD software framework. The results were obtained on a set of simulated central gold–gold collision events at sNN=9 GeV with an average multiplicity of ∼1000 charged particles in the detector acceptance produced with the Ultra-Relativistic Quantum Molecular Dynamics (UrQMD) generator.