Sampling Calorimeter Research Articles

Micro-differential scanning calorimeter for liquid biological samples.

We developed an ultrasensitive micro-DSC (differential scanning calorimeter) for liquid protein sample characterization. This design integrated vanadium oxide thermistors and flexible polymer substrates with microfluidics chambers to achieve a high sensitivity (6 V/W), low thermal conductivity (0.7 mW/K), high power resolutions (40 nW), and well-defined liquid volume (1 μl) calorimeter sensor in a compact and cost-effective way. We further demonstrated the performance of the sensor with lysozyme unfolding. The measured transition temperature and enthalpy change were in accordance with the previous literature data. This micro-DSC could potentially raise the prospect of high-throughput biochemical measurement by parallel operation with miniaturized sample consumption.

LHCf Experiment: Physics Results

LHCf is an experiment designed to study the forward emission of neutral particles produced in proton-proton and proton-nucleus collisions at the LHC. The detectors consists of a pair of electromagnetic sampling calorimeters installed on both sides of the ATLAS interaction point IP1 at a distance of 140 m, covering the pseudorapidity range from 8.4 to infinity. The experiment has successfully measured the energy spectra of gamma rays, neutral pions and neutrons in p-p collisions at 0.9 TeV and 7 TeV, and of neutral pions in p-Pb collisions at 5.02 TeV and in p-p collisions at 2.76 TeV. The most recent data set has been acquired during a special physics run of p-p collisions at 13 TeV in June 2015 after the restart of the LHC. This set of measurements represent an useful contribution to the calibration and tuning of the hadronic interaction models used for the simulation of atmospheric showers induced by very-high energy cosmic rays, as the measured energy interval corresponds to the range 1014 - 1017 eV in the laboratory frame.

A convolutional neural network neutrino event classifier

Convolutional neural networks (CNNs) have been widely applied in the computer vision community to solve complex problems in image recognition and analysis. We describe an application of the CNN technology to the problem of identifying particle interactions in sampling calorimeters used commonly in high energy physics and high energy neutrino physics in particular. Following a discussion of the core concepts of CNNs and recent innovations in CNN architectures related to the field of deep learning, we outline a specific application to the NOvA neutrino detector. This algorithm, CVN (Convolutional Visual Network) identifies neutrino interactions based on their topology without the need for detailed reconstruction and outperforms algorithms currently in use by the NOvA collaboration.

FoCal – A high granularity electromagnetic calorimeter for forward direct photon measurements

The measurement of direct photon production at forward rapidity (y∼3−5) at the LHC provides access to the structure of protons and nuclei at very small values of fractional momentum (x∼10−5). FoCal, an extremely-high-granularity Forward Calorimeter covering 3.3<η<5.3 is proposed as a detector upgrade to the ALICE experiment. To facilitate the design of the upgrade and to perform generic R&D necessary for such a novel calorimeter, a compact high-granularity electromagnetic calorimeter prototype has been built. The corresponding R&D studies are the focus of this paper. The prototype is a Si/W sampling calorimeter. It was instrumented with 24 layers of Monolithic Active Pixel Sensors, a total of 39M pixels. We report on performance studies of the prototype with test beams at DESY and CERN in a broad energy range. The results of the measurements demonstrate a very small Molière radius (∼11mm) and good linearity of the response. Unique results on the detailed lateral shower shape, which are crucial for the two-shower separation capabilities, are presented. We compare the measurements to GEANT-based MC simulations, which additionally include a modeling of charge diffusion. The studies demonstrate the feasibility of this high-granularity technology for use in the proposed detector upgrade. They also show the extremely high potential of this technology for future calorimeter development.

Resistive Plate Chamber digitization in a hadronic shower environment

The CALICE Semi-Digital Hadronic Calorimeter technological prototype is a sampling calorimeter using Glass Resistive Plate Chamber detectors with a three-threshold readout as the active medium. This technology is one of the two options proposed for the hadronic calorimeter of the International Large Detector for the International Linear Collider. The prototype was exposed to beams of muons, electrons and pions of different energies at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron. To be able to study the performance of such a calorimeter in future experiments it is important to ensure reliable simulation of its response. This paper presents the SDHCAL prototype simulation performed with GEANT4 and the digitization procedure achieved with an algorithm called SimDigital. A detailed description of this algorithm is given and the methods to determinate its parameters using muon tracks and electromagnetic showers are explained. The comparison with hadronic shower data shows a good agreement up to 50 GeV. Discrepancies are observed at higher energies. The reasons for these differences are investigated.

Radiation hardness and precision timing study of silicon detectors for the CMS High Granularity Calorimeter (HGC)

The high luminosity upgraded LHC or Phase-II is expected to increase the instantaneous luminosity by a factor of 10 beyond the LHC's design value, expecting to deliver 250fb−1 per year for a further 10 years of operation. Under these conditions the performance degradation due to integrated radiation dose will need to be addressed.The CMS collaboration is planning to upgrade the forward calorimeters. The replacement is called the High Granularity Calorimeter (HGC) and it will be realized as a sampling calorimeter with layers of silicon detectors interleaved. The sensors will be realized as pad detectors with sizes of less that ∼1.0cm2 and an active thickness between 100 and 300μm depending on the position, respectively, the expected radiation levels.For an integrated luminosity of 3000fb−1, the electromagnetic calorimetry will sustain integrated doses of 1.5MGy (150Mrads) and neutron fluences up to 1016neq/cm2. A radiation tolerance study after neutron irradiation of 300, 200, and 100μm n-on-p and p-on-n silicon pads irradiated to fluences up to 1.6×1016neq/cm2 is presented. The properties of these diodes studied before and after irradiation were leakage current, capacitance, charge collection efficiency, annealing effects and timing capability. The results of these measurements validate these sensors as candidates for the HGC system.

The performance for the TeV photon measurement of the LHCf upgraded detector using Gd2SiO5 (GSO) scintillators

The Large Hadron Collider forward (LHCf) experiment measures the forward particle production at the LHC to verify hadronic interaction models used in air shower experiments. We have upgraded very small sampling and imaging calorimeters using GSO scintillators to measure the most energetic particles generated in s=13TeV p–p collisions at the zero-degree region of the LHC. Upgraded detectors were calibrated at the SPS North area facility in CERN and it was confirmed that the detector can measure electro-magnetic showers with energy resolution of 3% and position resolution of better than 123μm for 100GeV electrons. The operation of LHCf in 13TeV p–p collisions has been successfully completed with integrated luminosity of 5nb−1. Reconstructed π0 peak with the mass resolution of 3.7% and stability less than 1% during the operation implies that our measurement was stable enough in the high irradiation condition.

R&D with very forward detectors at linear colliders

The very forward region of the detector at a future linear collider will be instrumented with two sampling calorimeters – BeamCal and LumiCal – for fast beam parameter estimates, precise luminosity measurements, as well as for the improvement of the hermeticity of the detector at small angles. These very forward calorimeters are designed to sustain high radiation doses and deliver precise and valuable data for the machine- and physics-related measurements. Sensor and ASIC prototypes were developed and tested. Here we report on sensor characteristics and test-beam results obtained from a sensor plane assembled with front-end and ADC ASICs.

Precision Timing Calorimeter for High Energy Physics

We present studies on the performance and characterization of the time resolution of LYSO-based calorimeters. Results for an LYSO sampling calorimeter and an LYSO-tungsten Shashlik calorimeter are presented. We demonstrate that a time resolution of 30 ps is achievable for the LYSO sampling calorimeter. We discuss timing calorimetry as a tool for mitigating the effects due to the large number of simultaneous interactions in the high luminosity environment foreseen for the Large Hadron Collider.

Precision timing calorimeter for high energy physics

Scintillator based calorimeter technology is studied with the aim to achieve particle detection with a time resolution on the order of a few 10ps for photons and electrons at energies of a few GeV and above. We present results from a prototype of a 1.4×1.4×11.4cm3 sampling calorimeter cell consisting of tungsten absorber plates and Cerium-doped Lutetium Yttrium Orthosilicate (LYSO) crystal scintillator plates. The LYSO plates are read out with wave lengths shifting fibers which are optically coupled to fast photo detectors on both ends of the fibers. The measurements with electrons were performed at the Fermilab Test Beam Facility (FTBF) and the CERN SPS H2 test beam. In addition to the baseline setup plastic scintillation counter and a MCP-PMT were used as trigger and as a reference for a time of flight measurement (TOF). We also present measurements with a fast laser to further characterize the response of the prototype and the photo sensors. All data were recorded using a DRS4 fast sampling digitizer. These measurements are part of an R&D program whose aim is to demonstrate the feasibility of building a large scale electromagnetic calorimeter with a time resolution on the order of 10ps, to be used in high energy physics experiments.

Test beam results with a sampling calorimeter of cerium fluoride scintillating crystals and tungsten absorber plates for calorimetry at the HL-LHC

A sampling calorimeter using cerium fluoride scintillating crystals as active material, interleaved with absorber plates made of tungsten, and read out by wavelength-shifting fibres has been tested with high-energy electron beams at the CERN SPS H4 beam line, as well as with lower-energy beams at the INFN Frascati Beam Test Facility in Italy. Energy resolution studies revealed a low stochastic term (<10%/E). This result, combined with high radiation hardness of the material used, marks this sampling calorimeter as a good candidate for the detectors׳ forward regions during the high luminosity phase of LHC.

Performance of a tungsten–cerium fluoride sampling calorimeter in high-energy electron beam tests

A prototype for a sampling calorimeter made out of cerium fluoride crystals interleaved with tungsten plates, and read out by wavelength-shifting fibres, has been exposed to beams of electrons with energies between 20 and 150GeV, produced by the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron accelerator complex. The performance of the prototype is presented and compared to that of a Geant4 simulation of the apparatus. Particular emphasis is given to the response uniformity across the channel front face, and to the prototype׳s energy resolution.

Longevity of the CMS ECAL and Scintillator-Based Options for Electromagnetic Calorimetry at HL-LHC

The CMS lead tungstate ( ${\hbox {PbWO}}_4$ ) electromagnetic calorimeter (ECAL) has successfully achieved its first goal: the discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012. However, longevity studies show that part of the ${\hbox {PbWO}}_4$ ECAL will not maintain the required performance due to radiation damage incurred at the HL-LHC. The forward region of the detector will suffer the most from radiation damage, and the ECAL Endcaps (EE) will need to be replaced. A scintillator-based option for the EE replacement, Shashlik EE, is presented in the paper. The Shashlik EE is a sampling calorimeter. Tungsten absorber plates are interleaved with scintillator plates (LYSO or ${\hbox {CeF}}_3$ ), with quartz and wavelength-shifting (WLS) capillaries optically coupled to the scintillator plates for light output. The Shashlik EE maintains an excellent energy resolution, but compared to the current ${\hbox {PbWO}}_4$ EE, it is at least five times greater in radiation hardness and has a module size four times smaller allowing four times higher granularity laterally for pileup mitigation and particle identification. Irradiation tests and beam tests results have confirmed the high performance of the Shashlik EE.

New Physics requirements and technological challenges to be confronted by calorimeters in particle physics

The seminar presents an introduction to calorimetry in particle physics. Initially the purpose of electromagnetic and hadronic calorimeters in particle physics is shown. Then the paper focusses on electromagnetic calorimeters and it describes the microscopic phenomena that drive the formation of electromagnetic showers. Homogeneous and sampling calorimeters are presented and the energy resolution of both is analyzed. A few examples of past and present electromagnetic calorimeters at particle colliders are presented, with particular attention to the ones employed in the Atlas and CMS experiments at the LHC, their design constraints, challenges and adopted choices. Both these calorimeters were designed to operate for a minimum of ten years at the LHC, with an instantaneous luminosity of 1· 1034/cm2/s and for an integrated luminosity of 500/fb. From 2023 a new program will start: the high luminosity LHC (HL-LHC), which is expected to provide an instantaneous luminosity of around 5· 1034/cm2/s and integrate a total luminosity of around 3000/fb in ten years of data taking. The evolution of the CMS and Atlas calorimeters is assessed and needed upgrades are presented.

The PAMELA experiment and cosmic ray observations

The PAMELA space experiment is aimed at precise measurements of the charged light component of the cosmic ray spectrum in the energy range spanning from the sub-GeV region to the TeV region, with a particular focus on antimatter. The instrument consists of a magnetic spectrometer, an electromagnetic sampling calorimeter,a time-of-flight system, an anticoincidence shield, a tail-catcher scintillator and a neutron detector. Launched in June 2006 and hosted on the Resurs-DK1 satellite, PAMELA has been taking data for more than eight years, providing scientific results with unprecedented statistics and a continuous monitoring of the sun activity and the heliosphere.

Beam test results for a tungsten-cerium fluoride sampling calorimeter with wavelength-shifting fiber readout

A sampling calorimeter using cerium fluoride scintillating crystals as active material, interleaved with heavy absorber plates, and read out by wavelength-shifting (WLS) fibers is being studied as a calorimeter option for detectors at the upgraded High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) collider at CERN. A prototype has been exposed to electron beams of different energies at the INFN Frascati (Italy) Beam Test Facility. This paper presents results from the studies performed on the prototype, such as signal amplitudes, light yield and energy resolution.

MINERvA neutrino detector response measured with test beam data

The MINERvA collaboration operated a scaled-down replica of thesolid scintillator tracking and sampling calorimeter regions of the MINERvA detector in a hadron test beam at the Fermilab Test Beam Facility. This paper reports measurements with samples of protons, pions, and electrons from 0.35 to 2.0GeV/c momentum. The calorimetric response to protons, pions, and electrons is obtained from these data. A measurement of the parameter in Birks׳ law and an estimate of the tracking efficiency are extracted from the proton sample. Overall the data are well described by a Geant4-based Monte Carlo simulation of the detector and particle interactions with agreements better than 4% for the calorimetric response, though some features of the data are not precisely modeled. These measurements are used to tune the MINERvA detector simulation and evaluate systematic uncertainties in support of the MINERvA neutrino cross-section measurement program.

Measurement of the total spectrum of electrons and positrons in the energy range of 300–1500 GeV in the PAMELA experiment with the aid of a sampling calorimeter and a neutron detector

A method based on the use of a sampling calorimeter was developed for measuring the total energy spectrum of electrons and positrons from high-energy cosmic rays in the PAMELA satellite-borne experiment. This made it possible to extend the range of energies accessible to measurements by the magnetic system of the PAMELA spectrometer. Themethod involves a procedure for selecting electrons on the basis of features of a secondary-particle shower in the calorimeter. The results obtained by measuring the total spectrum of cosmic-ray electrons and positrons in the energy range of 300–1500 GeV by the method in question are presented on the basis of data accumulated over a period spanning 2006 and 2013.

The monitoring and data quality assessment of the ATLAS liquid argon calorimeter

The ATLAS experiment is designed to study the proton-proton (pp) collisions produced at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. Liquid argon (LAr) sampling calorimeters are used for all electromagnetic calorimetry in the pseudo-rapidity region |η| < 3.2, as well as for hadronic calorimetry in the range 1.5 < |η| < 4.9. The electromagnetic calorimeters use lead as passive material and are characterized by an accordion geometry that allows a fast and uniform response without azimuthal gaps. Copper and tungsten were chosen as passive material for the hadronic calorimetry; while a classic parallel-plate geometry was adopted at large polar angles, an innovative design based on cylindrical electrodes with thin liquid argon gaps is employed at low angles, where the particle flux is higher. All detectors are housed in three cryostats maintained at about 88.5 K. The 182,468 cells are read out via front-end boards housed in on-detector crates that also contain monitoring, calibration, trigger and timing boards. In the first three years of LHC operation, approximately 27 fb−1 of pp collision data were collected at centre-of-mass energies of 7-8 TeV. Throughout this period, the calorimeter consistently operated with performances very close to specifications, with high data-taking efficiency. This is in large part due to a sophisticated data monitoring procedure designed to quickly identify issues that would degrade the detector performance, to ensure that only the best quality data are used for physics analysis. After a description of the detector design, main characteristics and operation principles, this paper details the data quality assessment procedures developed during the 2011 and 2012 LHC data-taking periods, when more than 98% of the luminosity recorded by ATLAS had high quality LAr calorimeter data suitable for physics analysis.

Calibration of the Tile Hadronic Calorimeter of ATLAS at LHC

The Tile Calorimeter (TileCal) is the central section of the hadronic calorimeter of the ATLAS experiment. The TileCal provides important information for reconstruction of hadrons, jets, hadronic decays of tau leptons and missing transverse energy. This sampling calorimeter uses iron plates as absorber and scintillating tiles as active medium. The light produced by the passage of charged particles is transmitted by means of wavelength shifting fibers to photomultiplier tubes (PMTs). The TileCal readout is segmented into about 5000 cells (longitudinally and transversally), each of them being read by two PMTs. A brief description of the individual calibration systems (Cs radioactive source, laser, charge injection, minimum bias) is provided. Their combination allows to calibrate each part of the data acquisition chain (optical part, photomultiplier, readout electronics) and to monitor its stability to better than 1%. The procedure for setting and preserving the electromagnetic energy scale during Run 1 data taking is discussed. The issues of linearity and stability of the response, as well as the timing adjustment are also shown.