Space Charge Distortion Research Articles

Track Reconstruction in a High-Density Environment with ALICE

ALICE is the dedicated heavy-ion experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Its main tracking and particle-identification detector is a large volume Time Projection Chamber (TPC). The TPC has been designed to perform well in the high-track density environment created in high-energy heavy-ion collisions. In this proceeding, we describe the track reconstruction procedure in ALICE. In particular, we focus on the two main challenges that were faced during the Run 2 data-taking period (2015–2018) of the LHC, which were the baseline fluctuations and the local space charge distortions in the TPC. We present the corresponding solutions in detail and describe the software tools that allowed us to circumvent these challenges.

Feasibility study of TPC detector at high luminosity Z pole on the circular collider

With the development of the circular collider, it is necessary to make accurate physics experimental measurements of particle properties at higher luminosity [Formula: see text] pole. Micro-pattern gaseous detectors (MPGDs), which contain gaseous electron multiplier (GEM) and micro-mesh gaseous structures (Micromegas), have excellent potential for development as the readout devices of the time projection chamber (TPC) tracker detector. To meet the updated physics requirements of the high luminosity [Formula: see text] from the preliminary concept design report (preCDR) to concept design report (CDR) at the circular electron–positron collider (CEPC). In this paper, the space charge distortion of the TPC detector is simulated with the CEPC beam structure. Using the multi-physics simulation software package, the distribution of ion estimated by Geant4 is used as the input for the differential equation, and the relationship between the ion density distribution and electric field in the detector chamber is simulated. These simulation results show that the maximum deviation for Higgs [Formula: see text] meets the performance requirements in CEPC TPC detector at the high luminosity [Formula: see text] pole, while it is still a considerable challenge for [Formula: see text] pole, with the maximum deviation [Formula: see text]. According to the previous developments, the cascaded structure of GEM and Micromegas detector has been measured. The new considerations of the detector’s requirements were given, the gain needs to be reached to about 2000 with IBF[Formula: see text]Gain under 0.1, and IBF means the ions back flow ratio of the detector. The pixel TPC is a potential option to replace the traditional MPGDs with the low gain, low occupancy, and outstanding pattern recognition. Finally, some update parameters and experiments results were compared.

Micro gap air discharge based on fractal theory

Micro-gap discharge is a form of gas discharge in which the discharge gap is on the order of sub-millimeters orless. To study the initial path of micro-gap discharge and the mechanism and law of particle density change during discharge, in this paper a micro-gap discharge experiment and discharge image acquisition device under atmospheric pressure is built and the COMSOL simulation software is used to simulate the electron density and space charge in the process of micro-gap air discharge. Furthermore, the MATLAB software is used to calculate the fractal dimension and probability development index of micro-gap discharge. The air discharge phenomena produced by applying positive DC voltage to needle tip at atmospheric pressure and room temperature with gap distance ranging from 50 μm to 150 μm are studied. It is found experimentally that there are twists and turns in the discharge channel, and the number of bifurcations in the discharge process with a short gap is less than that with a long gap. Observation of the micro-gap air discharge process with a gap of 100 μm under atmospheric pressure shows that the discharge process is divided into the following three processes: needle tip corona, corona breakdown streamer, and spark discharge channel. Based on the analyses of these experimental results, it can be concluded that the discharge mechanism follows Thomson's theory, supplemented by the streamer theory. The cathode secondary electron emission (including positive ions colliding with the cathode and photoelectron emission) and the space charge distortion electric field form a secondary electron avalanche to maintain the discharge together. The seed electrons formed by a small amount of space photoionization also form an electron avalanche under the action of the space charge distortion electric field. There are tortuous sections in the discharge channel, but the number of branches is small and the degree of tortuosity is low. Therefore, there are weak streamer forms. The discharge channel is tortuous and branched, but the number of bifurcations is relatively small, and the tortuousness is low. In addition, it is also found that a sheath is formed at the cathode, the distortion of electric field is 3–8 times that of original electric field, and the electron density reaches 2 × 10<sup>21</sup> m<sup>–3</sup> during discharge, obtained from the COMSOL simulation. Meanwhile, the fractal theory simulation is used to simulate the micro-gap discharge. In the process of research, the fractal dimension is found to be proportional to the voltage and the gap distance. When the probability development index <i>η</i> = 1.18–1.3, the fractal dimension of the simulated discharge process is closer to the experimental result. The findings in this paper lay the foundation for further exploring the discharge theory of sub-micro- and nano-scaled gaps.

Deep neural network techniques in the calibration of space-charge distortion fluctuations for the ALICE TPC

The Time Projection Chamber (TPC) of the ALICE experiment at the CERN LHC was upgraded for Run 3 and Run 4. Readout chambers based on Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) technology and a new readout scheme allow continuous data taking at the highest interaction rates expected in Pb-Pb collisions. Due to the absence of a gating grid system, a significant amount of ions created in the multiplication region is expected to enter the TPC drift volume and distort the uniform electric field that guides the electrons to the readout pads. Analytical calculations were considered to correct for space-charge distortion fluctuations but they proved to be too slow for the calibration and reconstruction workflow in Run 3. In this paper, we discuss a novel strategy developed by the ALICE Collaboration to perform distortion-fluctuation corrections with machine learning and convolutional neural network techniques. The results of preliminary studies are shown and the prospects for further development and optimization are also discussed.

Study of a Passive Gating Grid for Ion Back Flow Suppression

Space Charge (SC) distortions are some of the main issues for high-resolution Time Projection Chambers (TPC). The two main SC sources are those from primary ionizations and those that result from amplification stages. The gain stages are required to increase the electron (e -) signal above electronics noise levels, but this inevitably creates extra ions. These ions can enter the drift region and distort the electric field, and thus lower the detector performance. We will present a brief motivation for our Ion Back Flow (IBF) studies along with explanations of existing techniques and our simulation results to reduce IBF. We propose several mesh structures along with static bi-polar gating. Further, we discuss position distortions in e - trajectories due to a static bi-polar grid and use these distortions to compensate for non-linear responses of our Zig-Zag pad readout.

Space-point calibration of the ALICE TPC with track residuals

In the LHC Run 3, starting in 2021, the upgraded Time Projection Chamber (TPC) of the ALICE experiment will record minimum bias Pb–Pb collisions in a continuous readout mode at an interaction rate up to 50 kHz. This corresponds to typically 4-5 overlapping collisions during the electron drift time in the detector. Despite careful tuning of the new quadruple GEM-based readout chambers, which fulfill the design requirement of an ion backflow below 1%, these conditions will lead to space-charge distortions of several centimeters that fluctuate in time. They will be corrected via a calibration procedure that uses the information of the Inner Tracking System (ITS), which is located inside, and the Transition Radiation Detector (TRD) and Time-Of-Flight system (TOF), located around the TPC, respectively. By using such a procedure the intrinsic track resolution of the TPC of a few hundred micrometers can be restored. The required online tracking algorithm for the TRD, which is based on a Kalman filter, is presented. The procedure matches extrapolated ITS-TPC tracks to TRD space-points utilizing GPUs. Subsequently these global tracks are refitted neglecting the TPC information. The residuals of the TPC clusters to the interpolation of the refitted tracks are used to create a map of spacecharge distortions. Regular updates of the map compensate for changes in the TPC conditions. The map is applied in the final reconstruction of the data. First performance results of the tracking algorithm will be shown.

Space-charge distortion of transverse profiles measured by electron-based ionization profile monitors and correction methods

Measurements of transverse profiles using Ionization Profile Monitors (IPMs) for high brightness beams are affected by the electromagnetic field of the beam. This interaction may cause a distortion of the measured profile shape despite strong external magnetic field applied to impose limits on the transverse movement of electrons. The mechanisms leading to this distortion are discussed in detail. The distortion itself is described by means of analytic calculations for simplified beam distributions and a full simulation model for realistic distributions. Simple relation for minimum magnetic field scaling with beam parameters for avoiding profile distortions is presented. Further, application of machine learning algorithms to the problem of reconstructing the actual beam profile from distorted measured profile is presented. The obtained results show good agreement for tests on simulation data. The performance of these algorithms indicate that they could be very useful for operations of IPMs on high brightness beams or IPMs with weak magnetic field.

High-flux ultrafast extreme-ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy at 18.4\u2009MHz pulse repetition rate

Laser-dressed photoelectron spectroscopy, employing extreme-ultraviolet attosecond pulses obtained by femtosecond-laser-driven high-order harmonic generation, grants access to atomic-scale electron dynamics. Limited by space charge effects determining the admissible number of photoelectrons ejected during each laser pulse, multidimensional (i.e. spatially or angle-resolved) attosecond photoelectron spectroscopy of solids and nanostructures requires high-photon-energy, broadband high harmonic sources operating at high repetition rates. Here, we present a high-conversion-efficiency, 18.4-MHz-repetition-rate cavity-enhanced high harmonic source emitting 5 × 105 photons per pulse in the 25-to-60-eV range, releasing 1 × 1010 photoelectrons per second from a 10-µm-diameter spot on tungsten, at space charge distortions of only a few tens of meV. Broadband, time-of-flight photoelectron detection with nearly 100% temporal duty cycle evidences a count rate improvement between two and three orders of magnitude over state-of-the-art attosecond photoelectron spectroscopy experiments under identical space charge conditions. The measurement time reduction and the photon energy scalability render this technology viable for next-generation, high-repetition-rate, multidimensional attosecond metrology.

Ultrafast extreme ultraviolet photoemission without space charge.

Time- and Angle-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy from surfaces can be used to record the dynamics of electrons and holes in condensed matter on ultrafast time scales. However, ultrafast photoemission experiments using extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) light have previously been limited by either space-charge effects, low photon flux, or limited tuning range. In this article, we describe XUV photoelectron spectroscopy experiments with up to 5 nA of average sample current using a tunable cavity-enhanced high-harmonic source operating at 88 MHz repetition rate. The source delivers >1011 photons/s in isolated harmonics to the sample over a broad photon energy range from 18 to 37 eV with a spot size of 58 × 100 μm2. From photoelectron spectroscopy data, we place conservative upper limits on the XUV pulse duration and photon energy bandwidth of 93 fs and 65 meV, respectively. The high photocurrent, lack of strong space charge distortions of the photoelectron spectra, and excellent isolation of individual harmonic orders allow us to observe laser-induced modifications of the photoelectron spectra at the 10−4 level, enabling time-resolved XUV photoemission experiments in a qualitatively new regime.

Characterization of a hybrid GEM-Micromegas detector with respect to its application in a continuously read out TPC

In the context of the upgrade of the LHC during the second long shutdown the interaction rate of the ALICE experiment will be increased up to 50 kHz for Pb-Pb collisions. As a consequence, a continuous read-out of the Time Projection Chamber (TPC) will be required. To keep the space-charge distortions at a manageable size, the ion backflow of the charge amplification system has to be significantly reduced. At the same time an excellent detector performance and stability of the system has to be maintained. A solution with four Gaseous Electron Multipliers (GEMs) has been adopted as baseline solution for the upgraded chambers. As an alternative approach a hybrid GEM-Micromegas detector consisting of one Micromegas (MM) and two GEMs has been investigated. The recent results of the study of the hybrid GEM-Micromegas detector will be presented and compared to measurements with four GEM foils.

IEDF distortion and resolution considerations for RFEA operation at high voltages

Retarding field energy analyzers (RFEA) have been used extensively to measure the ion flux energy distribution function of plasmas. For consistency, the ion flux energy distribution function is referred to as the ion energy distribution function (IEDf) even though it more accurately represents the one-dimensional ion velocity distribution function. In the past, these devices have operated at voltages less than 1 kV. Higher operating voltages (>2 kV) are currently desired. For an RFEA to operate at these voltages, design changes are necessary that impact the energy resolution and cause space charge build-up. To investigate the effect the design changes have for a high voltage RFEA, electromagnetic simulations and particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations were used to analyze the electric field between the grids, the potential drop in the grid holes, and space charge build-up between the grids. Non-unique optimized dimensions for the RFEA increased the electric field uniformity. The optimization minimizes the electric field from distorting the IV curve or adversely affecting the energy resolution. It was found that a larger grid gap distance and smaller grid hole diameter decreases the potential drop in the grid holes improving energy resolution. IV curves from the PIC simulation were used to obtain space charge distorted IEDfs. The point at which space charge distorts the IV curve is dependent on the grid gap distance and incoming flux. Space charge build-up was found to only affect low energy ions which manifested by cutting off the low energy portion of the IEDf. To fix space charge distortions, the flux into the probe can be limited or it may be possible to account for the distortion when calculating the IEDf.

Insulating property of polypropylene nanocomposites filled with nano-MgO of different concentration

Polypropylene (PP) has special advantages in replacing conventional crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) to be insulation material of power cable. In order to reveal the effects of nano-filler addition on PP, five kinds of experiments, namely TEM, DSC, breakdown strengths (BDs), space charge and dielectric measurement were investigated to evaluate the insulating properties of PP and its nanocomposites with surface-treated nano-MgO of different concentration. It is revealed that, with the addition of nano-MgO, favorable dispersibility of nano-filler and significant increase of crystallinity of polymer are observed. BDs under dc voltage increase apparently with loading of nano MgO, but when the nano concentration reaches higher than 1 wt%, the BDs have a slight decline compared with 1 wt%. It is clarified that space charge and electric field distortion are well restricted with the addition of nano-MgO, while this effect is not obvious with the nano concentration reaches 6 wt%. Permittivity has trends of increase with the rise of temperature at first and then decrease when the temperature reaches about 333 K, and the addition of nano-filler MgO could also decrease permittivity. When the nano-filler concentration reaches high, dielectric loss increases to a high level. Low nano-filler concentration in MgO/PP shows better electrical insulation properties compared with PP and high nano-filler concentration composites.

Transient dynamics of packet-like space charge in low-density polyethylene at high temperatures

Among features observed in polyethylene-based materials under high fields, packet-like space charge are frequently reported but without complete theory explaining their formation and propagation. The present contribution reports transient dynamics of packet-like space charge in low-density polyethylene (LDPE) under multi-field coupling conditions based on pulsed electro-acoustic (PEA) method. The measurements were carried out under −125 kV/mm at 20 °C, 40 °C, and 60 °C. Space charge results reveal systematic occurrence of positive packet-like space charge in all samples generated at the anode and then moved toward the cathode. It is observed that higher temperatures contribute to the migration of packet-like space charge and field distortion. Based on the detailed injection model of packet-like space charge, it is shown that electrode injection plays a major role in the formation of positive packet-like space charge, the total amount and depth not only depend on the temperature, but also the negative charges dynamics. Packet-like space charge phenomena at different temperatures still feature NDM relationship with the nonlinear increase of migrate velocity as the rise of temperature.

Future upgrade and physics perspectives of the ALICE TPC

The ALICE experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) proposes major detector upgrades to fully exploit the increase of the luminosity of the LHC in RUN 3 and to extend the physics reach for rare probes at low transverse momentum. The Time Projection Chamber (TPC) is one of the main tracking and PID devices in the central barrel of ALICE. The maximum trigger rate of the TPC is currently limited to about 3.5 kHz by the operation of a gating grid system. In order to make full use of the luminosity in RUN 3, the TPC is foreseen to be operated in an ungated mode with continuous readout. The existing MWPC readout will be replaced by a Micro-Pattern Gaseous Detector (MPGD) based readout, which provides intrinsic ion capture capability without gating. Extensive detector R&D employing Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) and Micro-Mesh Gaseous detector (Micromegas) technologies, and simulation studies to advance the techniques for the corrections of space-charge distortions have been performed since 2012. In this paper, the expected detector performance and the status of the R&D program to achieve this ambitious goal are described.

Study of Ion Back Flow suppression with thick COBRA GEM

Ion Back Flow (IBF) suppression is essential to avoid a space-charge distortion of the electric field under a high rate condition in the Time Projection Chamber (TPC). A GEM technology is one possible solution to achieve a small IBF and to keep a good performance in terms of particle tracking and particle identification at high rates in TPC. We developed Thick COBRA GEMs to investigate the capability of further IBF suppression. It was found that the COBRA GEM can suppress IBF more effectively compared to a standard GEM. IBF reaches about 0.1–0.5% with a stack configuration consisting of one standard GEM facing to the drift field and two COBRA GEMs. In this paper, the current status of development of COBRA GEM is described.

Space-charge effects in ultrafast electron diffraction patterns from single crystals

The impact of electron–electron interactions in the post-specimen region of ultrafast electron diffraction and dynamic transmission electron microscopy instruments has been studied. Specifically, space-charge induced distortions of ultrafast electron diffraction patterns from single crystal specimens and their dependence on electron bunch-charge, beam energy, energy spread, focusing conditions and specimen thickness have been investigated using the General Particle Tracer code. We have found that these space-charge interactions lead to significant broadening and displacement of the Bragg spots at currently realizable electron beam illumination conditions. These impacts increase in severity with beam brightness and are reduced with increasing (relativistic) beam energies. The primary mechanism for the distortions has been determined to be space-charge interactions between the scattered beamlets and the main unscattered beam. Overall, these results suggest that creative post-specimen electron optical design, relativistic beam energies and post-processing of diffraction patterns to correct for space-charge distortion should be explored as routes to make good use of any future enhancements to beam brightness in UED and DTEM instruments.

An analytical approach to space charge distortions for time projection chambers

In a time projection chamber (TPC), the possible ion feedback and also the primary ionization of high multiplicity events result in accumulation of ionic charges inside the gas volume (space charge). This charge introduces electrical field distortions and modifies the cluster trajectory along the drift path, affecting the tracking performance of the detector. In order to calculate the track distortions due to an arbitrary space charge distribution in the TPC, novel representations of the Green's function for a TPC geometry were worked out. This analytical approach finally permits accurate predictions of track distortions due to an arbitrary space charge distribution by solving the Langevin equation.

Threshold criteria for undervoltage breakdown

The conditions under which an externally supplied pulse of electrons will induce breakdown in an undervoltaged, low-gain discharge gap are experimentally and theoretically explored. The minimum number of injected electrons required to achieve breakdown in a parallel-plate gap is measured in argon at pd values of 3–10 Torr m using ultraviolet laser pulses to photoelectrically release electrons from the cathode. This value was found to scale inversely with voltage at constant pd and with pressure within the parameter range explored. A dimensionless theoretical description of the phenomenon is formulated and numerically solved. It is found that a significant fraction of the charge on the plates must be injected for breakdown to be achieved at low gain. It is also found that fewer electrons are required as the gain due to electron-impact ionization (α process) is increased, or as the sensitivity of the α process to electric field is enhanced by increasing the gas pressure. A predicted insensitivity to ion mobility implies that the breakdown is determined during the first electron avalanche when space-charge distortion is greatest.

Space charge effects in Faraday cup ion detectors

Faraday cup ion detectors are widely used in the investigation of laser-produced plasmas. However, it is well known that these detectors are susceptible to space charge distortion of the ion signal. Although an analytical model describing the threshold condition for distortion was developed in 1970 by Green, this model has never been tested experimentally. In the present investigation, it is found that the analytic model derived by Green appears to be inadequate when compared in detail to experiments performed using KrF (248 nm, 15 ns) laser pulses incident on a graphite target at an intensity of 1.7/spl times/10/sup 10/ W/cm/sup 2/. By comparing the results of particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations with these experiments, it has been discovered that electrons play an important role in the space charge distortion phenomenon.

Oscillations of low-current electrical discharges between parallel-plane electrodes. III. Models.

Simple models are developed to describe the results of measurements of the oscillatory and negative differential resistance properties of low- to moderate-current discharges in parallel-plane geometry. The time-dependent model assumes that the ion transit time is fixed and is short compared to the times of interest, that electrons are produced at the cathode only by ions, and that space-charge distortion of the electric field is small but not negligible. Illustrative numerical solutions are given for large voltage and current changes and analytic solutions for the time dependence of current and voltage are obtained in the small-signal limit. The small-signal results include the frequency and damping constants for decaying oscillations following a voltage change or following the injection of photoelectrons. The conditions for underdamped, overdamped, and self-sustained or growing oscillations are obtained. A previously developed steady-state, nonequilibrium model for low-pressure hydrogen discharges that includes the effects of space-charge distortion of the electric field on the yield of electrons at the cathode is used to obtain the negative differential resistance. Analytic expressions for the differential resistance and capacitance are developed using the steady-state, local-equilibrium model for electron and ion motion and a first-order perturbation treatment of space-charge electric fields. These models generally show good agreement with data from dc and pulsed discharge experiments presented in the accompanying papers.