Sensitive Detector Research Articles

Gamma-Ray Burst Observations by the High-Energy Particle Detector on board the China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite between 2019 and 2021

In this paper we report the detection of five strong gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) by the High-Energy Particle Detector (HEPD-01) mounted on board the China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite, operational since 2018 on a Sun-synchronous polar orbit at a ∼507 km altitude and 97° inclination. HEPD-01 was designed to detect high-energy electrons in the energy range 3–100 MeV, protons in the range 30–300 MeV, and light nuclei in the range 30–300 MeV n−1. Nonetheless, Monte Carlo simulations have shown HEPD-01 is sensitive to gamma-ray photons in the energy range 300 keV–50 MeV, even if with a moderate effective area above ∼5 MeV. A dedicated time correlation analysis between GRBs reported in literature and signals from a set of HEPD-01 trigger configuration masks has confirmed the anticipated detector sensitivity to high-energy photons. A comparison between the simultaneous time profiles of HEPD-01 electron fluxes and photons from GRB190114C, GRB190305A, GRB190928A, GRB200826B, and GRB211211A has shown a remarkable similarity, in spite of the different energy ranges. The high-energy response, with peak sensitivity at about 2 MeV, and moderate effective area of the detector in the actual flight configuration explain why these five GRBs, characterized by a fluence above ∼3 × 10−5 erg cm−2 in the energy interval 300 keV–50 MeV, have been detected.

Simulation of thin-film detectors of ionizing radiation and thermal neutrons based on CdTe

The article is dedicated to the numerical simulations of thin-layer structures based on CdTe semiconductors, which can be fabricated by using low-cost technologies. Structures Mo/Au/CdS/CdTe/Au, and their modifications, with different thicknesses of the main layers are investigated. The possibility of creating a detector of ionizing radiation based on these structures, which has selective properties with respect to the radiation type, and very low operation voltage, is shown. The detection efficiencies of α-, β-, and γ-radiation in different energy ranges were calculated based on the obtained values of energy losses of ionizing particles, which are proportional to the output signal of the detector. The use of such detectors, together with a solid-state converter made of boron carbide containing either natural boron natB or boron enriched with the 10B isotope up to 95%, for the detection of thermal neutrons was also studied. It was shown that the structures could be used to create α-particle spectrometers, given that the CdTe thickness is tailored to the highest expected α-particle energy. Detectors with thin CdTe (1–5 μm) can be successfully used in the counting mode. For neutron detection, stacking multiple single structures into sandwich structures was proposed and investigated. In such a configuration, the detector qualities were markedly improved: the efficiency of neutron detection reached ∼60%, while the sensitivity to the background γ- and β-radiation was ∼100 times lower than that for neutrons. The very low sensitivity of the simulated neutron detectors to the neutron incidence angle was shown.

Low-noise single-photon counting superconducting nanowire detectors at infrared wavelengths up to 29 µm

We report on the extension of the spectral sensitivity of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors to a wavelength of 29 µm. To our knowledge, this represents the first demonstration of a single-photon counting detector at these long infrared wavelengths. We achieve saturated internal detection efficiency from 10 to 29 µm, while maintaining dark count rates below 0.1 counts per second. Extension of superconducting nanowire single-photon detectors to this spectral range provides low-noise and high-timing-resolution photon counting detection, effectively providing a new class of single-photon sensitive detectors for these wavelengths. These detectors are important for applications such as exoplanet spectroscopy, infrared astrophysics, physical chemistry, remote sensing, and direct dark-matter detection.

A Monte Carlo method for quantitatively calculating the neutron sensitivity of rhodium self-powered neutron detectors in reactors

A Monte Carlo method for quantitatively calculating the neutron sensitivity of rhodium self-powered neutron detectors in reactors

Engineering of CeO2/CeO2−δ core-shell structures with rich oxygen vacancy for gas sensitive detector

The CeO2/CeO2−δ core–shell architectures activated by surface oxygen vacancy (OV) was successfully fabricated by vacuum high-temperature heat treatment process. The key factor will improve performance of this structure is the high concentration of oxygen vacancies in the surface layer, which provides more active sites for the adsorption and chemical reaction of gas molecules. Through more and faster adsorption–desorption and surface chemical reactions, the speed of carrier concentration adjustment is improved, thereby significantly improving the gas-sensing activity of CeO2/CeO2−δ core–shell architectures. The OV-activated cerium dioxide sensor has a good gas-sensing response to acetone, showing a detection limit of 233 ppb trace level. The concept and strategy of activating cerium dioxide with oxygen vacancies can be transplanted to improve the performance of many semiconductor oxide nanomaterials for gas-sensing detection.

THE PROBLEM OF OBTAINING COMBINED GAMMA AND OPTICAL DETECTORS FOR THE REGISTRATION OF FAST NUCLEAR PROCESSES

The physical and technical aspects of the registration of fast physical processes involving nuclear transformations with the help of binary detectors in the γ-and optical ranges are considered We chose a semiconducting perovskite crystal CsPbBr3 as the main element of the detector. Have been presented with geometrical and technologically usable parameters of the CsPbBr3 crystal for its implementations in nuclear medicine, geophysics and astrophysics. One of the objects that allow testing of the developed high-speed spectrographic equipment are lightning discharges in the atmospheres of planets, including the Earth. The thermonuclear nature of γ-bursts detected during thunderstorms was revealed by their spectra. The paper shows the role of the corresponding channels involving high-energy protons and α-particles, leading to the formation of 116C, 137 N, 158O isotopes. The registration of the γ-spectrum of the flash and its evolution allowed to estimate the character, energy and time scales of the processes necessary for the design and manufacture of multipurpose measuring complexes by us. The inclusion of γ-spectra in the consideration allowed to estimate the correlation between the maximum currents of particles and the productivity of γ-rays. In the experiments planned by us, the magnetic field fluctuations caused by currents are simultaneously recorded by highly sensitive magnetic field detectors. The height of the building of the Faculty of Physics in Smolyan, Bulgaria, is 900 meters above sea level. This makes it possible to place the measuring complex as close as possible to the sources of hard radiation and to carry out easurements in the immediate vicinity. Unlike distant space objects, the perovskite detector registers the positions themselves. This makes it possible to use the methods of positron γ-spectroscopy and accurately determine the parameters of local currents. The technological parameters of the device were determined. A simulation model was created in Simulink MATLAB, LabVIEW with synchronization of the operation of the listed spectrographs. The characteristic shape of the signal formed by individual γ-quanta with the parameters of the Gaussian function and the total number of these quanta are calculated. The degree of mathematical blinding of neighboring Gaussian functions and its influence on the structure of the final spectrogram in the form of an autocorrelation function is estimated. The similarity of the time scales of thermonuclear explosion processes on white dwarfs (WD) and the processes of synthesis of 116C, 137 N and 158O isotopes in the flash head is determined. It is concluded that it is expedient to create a robotic network of lightning observation stations similar to the meteor patrol at the I. I. Mechnikov National University of Ukraine.

Primordial black hole collision with neutron stars and astrophysical black holes and the observational signatures

In this paper, we examine whether low-mass Primordial Black Holes (PBHs) can be considered a plausible dark matter candidate in galactic halos. We derive the relativistic dynamics of PBHs around the heavy compact objects and evaluate their collision rate, as well as the likelihood of PBH capture in neutron stars and black holes. Although the rate of these collisions in the Milky Way is lower than our lifetime (i.e. almost one collision per hundred years), it may still be observable on cosmological scales. Additionally, we investigate the gravitational wave emission as an important observable window for PBH-astrophysical black hole merging. For the allowed range of PBH mass, gravitational wave signal is smaller than the sensitivity of present gravitational wave detectors. We provide observational prospect for detection of these events in future.

Using multilayer structures to enhance the electrical properties of porous silicon for thermal sensing

Porous silicon holds great promise as an optically and electrically tuneable material platform for high performance thermo-resistive sensing. Fulfilling this promise requires the ability to independently control the two critical parameters which determine the sensitivity (specifically the minimum temperature difference resolution) of thermal detectors: the temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) and 1/f noise of the sensing material. In single porosity films these two properties are monolithically dependent, with both TCR and 1/f noise constant increasing with porosity. Here we show that use of multilayer films allows manipulation of properties of the overall structure to simultaneously achieve high TCR and low 1/f noise. Characterization of electrical properties of various porosity combinations revealed that using a two-layer heterostructure on Si substrate with low porosity (48 %) as the top layer and a high porosity (80 %) as the lower layer, both high TCR (∼ 4.4 %/K) and low 1/f noise constant (4 × 10−13) could be simultaneously achieved. This transforms the ability to exploit porous silicon for future high sensitivity based thermal detectors.

Limitations to the energy resolution of single-photon sensitive microwave kinetic inductance detectors

This paper describes the energy resolution of microwave kinetic inductance detectors and models some limiting factors to it. Energy resolution is a measure of the smallest possible difference in energy of the impinging photons, ΔE, that the detector can identify and, as such, is of critical importance for many applications. Limits to the energy resolution caused by the Fano effect, amplifier noise, current inhomogeneities, and readout sampling frequency are taken into consideration for this model. This paper describes an approach to combine all of these limitations and predict a wavelength dependency of the upper limit to the resolving power.

Quantum Algorithms for Charged Particle Track Reconstruction in the LUXE Experiment

The LUXE experiment is a new experiment in planning in Hamburg, which will study quantum electrodynamics at the strong-field frontier. LUXE intends to measure the positron production rate in this unprecedented regime using, among others, a silicon tracking detector. The large number of expected positrons traversing the sensitive detector layers results in an extremely challenging combinatorial problem, which can become computationally expensive for classical computers. This paper investigates the potential future use of gate-based quantum computers for pattern recognition in track reconstruction. Approaches based on a quadratic unconstrained binary optimisation and a quantum graph neural network are investigated in classical simulations of quantum devices and compared with a classical track reconstruction algorithm. In addition, a proof-of-principle study is performed using quantum hardware.

Waveform systematics in identifying strongly gravitationally lensed gravitational waves: posterior overlap method

Gravitational lensing has been extensively observed for electromagnetic signals, but not yet for gravitational waves (GWs). Detecting lensed GWs will have many astrophysical and cosmological applications, and becomes more feasible as the sensitivity of the ground-based detectors improves. One of the missing ingredients to robustly identify lensed GWs is to ensure that the statistical tests used are robust under the choice of underlying waveform models. We present the first systematic study of possible waveform systematics in identifying candidates for strongly lensed GW event pairs, focusing on the posterior overlap method. To this end, we compare Bayes factors from all posteriors using different waveforms included in GWTC data releases from the first three observing runs (O1–O3). We find that waveform choice yields a wide spread of Bayes factors in some cases. However, it is likely that no event pairs from O1 to O3 were missed due to waveform choice. We also perform parameter estimation with additional waveforms for interesting cases, to understand the observed differences. We also briefly explore if computing the overlap from different runs for the same event can be a useful metric for waveform systematics or sampler issues, independent of the lensing scenario.

The electrical characteristics and conduction mechanisms of Zn doped silicon-based Schottky barrier diode

In this study, we investigated the effects of Zn doping on electrical properties and conduction mechanisms of n-silicon (n-Si) diodes using current-voltage (I–V) and capacitance-voltage-frequency (C–V–f) measurements. The results revealed that Zn doping alters the I–V behaviour of the diode from a typical exponential curve to an ohmic one. Notably, Zn doping increased the reverse current by a factor of 37, while reducing the forward current by a factor of 3 at 3 V. This suggested that Zn-related defects introduced more minority carriers into the Si. The introduction of minority carriers is confirmed by a change in material conductivity-type from n-to p-type. Moreover, Zn doping reduces the full depletion voltage (FDV), meaning the diode could be fully depleted with a lower voltage. This reduction in FDV was crucial for designing highly sensitive radiation detectors. The observed changes in the diode's electrical behaviour were attributed to defects introduced by Zn into Si. Zn-doped n-Si diodes exhibited characteristics akin to radiation-resistant diodes. These findings implied that Zn may be instrumental in advancing research focused on enhancing silicon properties and developing radiation-resistant detectors for high-energy physics studies.

Remote detection of bovine serum albumin (BSA) using cantilever beam magnetometer

Detection of bovine serum albumin (BSA) is important to comprehend the severity of a certain diseases. Here, we report on the remote detection of bovine serum albumin (BSA) using modified cantilever beam magnetometery (CBM). A magnetostrictive Fe70Ga30 cantilever in combination with optical detection technique allowed us to detect BSA concentration up to 1 mg/mL in a remote way. Essentially, a position sensitive detector (PSD) is used to detect reflected light from cantilever without any optical mirrors. Apart from the above, magnetostriction of Fe70Ga30 cantilever estimated as 80 ppm at 180 mT. We ascertain that our method is easy and efficient in estimating the magnetostriction of thin films up to 10-6 order. We believe that CBM technique that we developed would be helpful in estimating magnetostriction of bulk and thin films apart from the detection of bio – molecules.

Comparison of Tiling Artifact Removal Methods in Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry Images.

Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) imaging is used across many fields for the atomic and molecular characterization of surfaces, with both high sensitivity and high spatial resolution. When large analysis areas are required, standard ToF-SIMS instruments allow for the acquisition of adjoining tiles, which are acquired by rastering the primary ion beam. For such large area scans, tiling artifacts are a ubiquitous challenge, manifesting as intensity gradients across each tile and/or sudden changes in intensity between tiles. Such artifacts are thought to be related to a combination of sample charging, local detector sensitivity issues, and misalignment of the primary ion gun, among other instrumental factors. In this work, we investigated six different computational tiling artifact removal methods: tensor decomposition, multiplicative linear correction, linear discriminant analysis, seamless stitching, simple averaging, and simple interpolating. To ensure robustness in the study, we applied these methods to three hyperspectral ToF-SIMS data sets and one OrbiTrapSIMS data set. Our study includes a carefully designed statistical analysis and a quantitative survey that subjectively assessed the quality of the various methods employed. Our results demonstrate that while certain methods are useful and preferred more often, no one particular approach can be considered universally acceptable and that the effectiveness of the artifact removal method is strongly dependent on the particulars of the data set analyzed. As examples, the multiplicative linear correction and seamless stitching methods tended to score more highly on the subjective survey; however, for some data sets, this led to the introduction of new artifacts. In contrast, simple averaging and interpolation methods scored subjectively poorly on the biological data set, but more highly on the microarray data sets. We discuss and explore these findings in depth and present general recommendations given our findings to conclude the work.

Ultra-Fast Ion Mobility Spectrometer for High-Throughput Chromatography.

Fast chromatography systems especially developed for high sample throughput applications require sensitive detectors with a high repetition rate. These high throughput techniques, including various chip-based microfluidic designs, often benefit from detectors providing subsequent separation in another dimension, such as mass spectrometry or ion mobility spectrometry (IMS), giving additional information about the analytes or monitoring reaction kinetics. However, subsequent separation is required at a high repetition rate. Here, we therefore present an ultra-fast drift tube IMS operating at ambient pressure. Short drift times while maintaining high resolving power are reached by several key instrumental design features: short length of the drift tube, resistor network of the drift tube, tristate ion shutter, and improved data acquisition electronics. With these design improvements, even slow ions with a reduced mobility of just 0.94 cm2/(V s) have a drift time below 1.6 ms. Such short drift times allow for a significantly increased repetition rate of 600 Hz compared with previously reported values. To further reduce drift times and thus increase the repetition rate, helium can be used as the drift gas, which allows repetition rates of up to 2 kHz. Finally, these significant improvements enable IMS to be used as a detector following ultra-fast separation including chip-based chromatographic systems or droplet microfluidic applications requiring high repetition rates.

Enhanced Gravitational Entanglement via Modulated Optomechanics

The role of entanglement in determining the non-classicality of a given interaction has gained significant traction over the last few years. In particular, as the basis for new experimental proposals to test the quantum nature of the gravitational field. Here we show that the rate of gravity mediated entanglement between two otherwise isolated optomechanical systems can be significantly increased by modulating the optomechanical coupling. This is most pronounced for low mass, high frequency systems – convenient for reaching the quantum regime – and can lead to improvements of several orders of magnitude, as well as a broadening of the measurement window. Nevertheless, significant obstacles still remain. In particular, we find that modulations increase decoherence effects at the same rate as the entanglement improvements. This adds to the growing evidence that the constraint on noise (acting on the position d.o.f) depends only on the particle mass, separation, and temperature of the environment and cannot be improved by novel quantum control. Finally, we highlight the close connection between the observation of quantum correlations and the limits of measurement precision derived via the Cramér-Rao Bound. An immediate consequence is that probing superpositions of the gravitational field places similar demands on detector sensitivity as entanglement verification.

Photothermal Microscopy and Spectroscopy with Nanomechanical Resonators.

In nanomechanical photothermal absorption spectroscopy and microscopy, the measured substance becomes a part of the detection system itself, inducing a nanomechanical resonance frequency shift upon thermal relaxation. Suspended, nanometer-thin ceramic or 2D material resonators are innately highly sensitive thermal detectors of localized heat exchanges from substances on their surface or integrated into the resonator itself. Consequently, the combined nanoresonator-analyte system is a self-measuring spectrometer and microscope responding to a substance's transfer of heat over the entire spectrum for which it absorbs, according to the intensity it experiences. Limited by their own thermostatistical fluctuation phenomena, nanoresonators have demonstrated sufficient sensitivity for measuring trace analyte as well as single particles and molecules with incoherent light or focused and wide-field coherent light. They are versatile in their design, support various sampling methods-potentially including hydrated sample encapsulation-and hyphenation with other spectroscopic methods, and are capable in a wide range of applications including fingerprinting, separation science, and surface sciences.

Practical quantum imaging with undetected photons

Infrared (IR) imaging is invaluable across many scientific disciplines, from material analysis to diagnostic medicine. However, applications are often limited by detector cost, resolution and sensitivity, noise caused by the thermal IR background, and the cost, portability and tunability of infrared sources. Here, we describe a compact, portable, and low-cost system that is able to image objects at IR wavelengths without an IR source or IR detector. This imaging with undetected photons (IUP) approach uses quantum interference and correlations between entangled photon pairs to transfer image information from the IR to a wavelength which can be detected with a standard silicon camera. We also demonstrate a rapid analysis approach to acquire both phase and transmission image information. These developments provide an important step towards making IUP a commercially viable technique.

On the feasibility of primordial black hole abundance constraints using lensing parallax of GRBs

ABSTRACT Primordial black holes, which could have formed during the early Universe through overdensities in primordial density fluctuations during inflation, are potential candidates for dark matter. We explore the use of lensing parallax of gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), which results in different fluxes being observed from two different vantage points, in order to probe the abundance of primordial black holes in the unexplored window within the mass range 10−15 to 10−11 $\mathrm{ {M}_\odot}$. We derive the optical depth for the lensing of GRBs with a distribution of source properties and realistic detector sensitivities. We comment on the ability of the proposed Indian twin satellite mission Daksha in its low Earth orbit to conduct this experiment. If the two Daksha satellites observe 10 000 GRBs simultaneously and the entirety of dark matter is made up of 10−15 to 10−12 $\mathrm{ {M}_\odot}$ black holes, Daksha will detect non-zero lensing events with a probability ranging from 80 to 50 per cent at the bin edges, respectively. Non-detections will not conclusively rule out primordial black holes as dark matter in this mass range. However, we show that meaningful constraints can be obtained in such a case if the two satellites are separated by at least the Earth–Moon distance.

Ultrasensitive Room Temperature Infrared Photodetection Using a Narrow Bandgap Conjugated Polymer.

Photodetectors operating across the short-, mid-, and long-wave infrared (SWIR-LWIR, λ = 1-14µm) underpin modern science, technology, and society in profound ways. Narrow bandgap semiconductors that form the basis for these devices require complex manufacturing, high costs, cooling, and lack compatibility with silicon electronics, attributes that remain prohibitive for their widespread usage and the development of emerging technologies. Here, a photoconductive detector, fabricated using a solution-processed narrow bandgap conjugated polymer is demonstrated that enables charge carrier generation in the infrared and ultrasensitive SWIR-LWIR photodetection at room temperature. Devices demonstrate an ultralow electronic noise that enables outstanding performance from a simple, monolithic device enabling a high detectivity (D*, the figure of merit for detector sensitivity) >2.44 × 109 Jones (cm Hz1/2 W-1 ) using the ultralow flux of a blackbody that mirrors the background emission of objects. These attributes, ease of fabrication, low dark current characteristics, and highly sensitive operation overcome major limitations inherent within modern narrow-bandgap semiconductors, demonstrate practical utility, and suggest that uncooled detectivities superior to many inorganic devices can be achieved at high operating temperatures.