Microbulk Micromegas (MICRO-MEsh GAseous Structure) detectors are gaseous parallel plate detectors for the tracking of charged particles, used mainly in rare-event searches thanks to their intrinsic ...high radiopurity. The core of such detectors (mesh, pillars, and readout) can be produced through standard photolithography techniques starting from a single foil of copper-coated kapton. In particular, the quality of the mesh resulting from this process plays a crucial role in particle detection, and also in the energy resolution. The aim of this paper is to provide for the first time a method that allows to probe the quality of the mesh through image processing techniques. This method has been applied to nine detectors.
The REST-for-Physics (Rare Event Searches Toolkit for Physics) framework is a ROOT-based solution providing the means to process and analyze experimental or Monte Carlo event data. Special care has ...been taken to the traceability of the code and the validation of the results produced within the framework, together with the connectivity between code and stored data, registered through specific version metadata members.
The framework development was originally motivated to cover the needs of Rare Event Searches experiments (experiments looking for phenomena having extremely low occurrence probability, like dark matter or neutrino interactions or rare nuclear decays). The framework components naturally implement tools to address the challenges in these kinds of experiments. The integration of a detector physics response, the implementation of signal processing routines, or topological algorithms for physical event identification are some examples. Despite this specialization, the framework was conceived thinking in scalability. Other event-oriented applications could benefit from the data processing routines and/or metadata description implemented in REST, being the generic framework tools completely decoupled from dedicated libraries.
REST-for-Physics is a consolidated piece of software already serving the needs of different physics experiments - using gaseous Time Projection Chambers (TPCs) as detection technology - for detector data analysis and characterization, as well as generic R&D. Even though REST has been exploited mainly with gaseous TPCs, the code could be easily applied or adapted to other detector technologies. We present in this work an overview of REST-for-Physics, providing a broad perspective to the infrastructure and organization of the project as a whole. The framework and its different components will be described in the text.
In this work, we describe the optical properties of the single photoelectron (SPE) calibration system designed for NectarCAM, a camera proposed for the Medium Sized Telescopes (MST) of the Cherenkov ...Telescope Array (CTA). One of the goals of the SPE system, as integral part of the NectarCAM camera, consists in measuring with high accuracy the gain of its photo-detection chain. The SPE system is based on a white painted screen where light pulses are injected through a fishtail light guide from a dedicated flasher. The screen – placed 15 mm away from the focal plane – is mounted on an XY motorization that allows movements over all the camera plane. This allows in-situ measurements of the SPE spectra via a complete scan of the 1855 photo-multiplier tubes (PMTs) of NectarCAM. This calibration process will enable the reduction of the systematic uncertainties on the energy reconstruction of γ-rays coming from distant astronomical sources and detected by CTA.
We discuss the design of the screen used in the calibration system and we present its optical performances in terms of light homogeneity and timing of the signal.
The primary aim of precision agriculture is to optimize crop yield while minimizing the usage of production inputs (in particular water and energy). This entails understanding and effectively ...managing the spatial variability of soil moisture within agricultural fields. This study present the performance of a combinated system of static and mobile Cosmic Rays Neutron Sensing (CRNS) probes installed in site and mounted onto a tractor for monitoring the temporal variability and mapping the spatial distribution of soil moisture in a cropped field. The use of CRNS entails different benefits, firstly, it allows for the collection of valuable information regarding soil water content in depth, reaching tens of centimeters. Moreover, the large footprint coverage, spanning approximately 5 hectares, provides a comprehensive understanding of soil moisture distribution over a significant area. The installation of CRNS probes on tractor allows for an efficient coverage of a large area and capturing dynamic changes in soil moisture over time. In order to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the soil moisture distribution, a total of four field mappings were conducted at key agronomic intervention points during the growing season of a plot cropped with tobacco.
This contribution aims to introduce the single photo-electron system designed to calibrate the camera of the Medium-Sized Telescopes of the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA). This system will allow us ...to measure accurately the gain of the camera's photodetection chain and to constrain the systematic uncertainties on the energy reconstruction of gamma rays detected by CTA. The system consists of a white painted screen, a fishtail light guide, a flasher and an XY motorization to allow movement. The flashes guided by the fishtail mimic the Cherenkov radiation and illuminate the focal plane under the screen homogeneously. Then, through the XY motorisation, the screen is moved across the entire focal plane of the NectarCAM camera, which consists of 1855 photo-multiplier tubes. In this contribution, we present the calibration system and the study on its optimum scan positions required to cover the full camera effectively. Finally, we illustrate the results of the calibration data analysis and discuss the performance of the system.
The REST-for-Physics (Rare Event Searches Toolkit for Physics) framework is a ROOT-based solution providing the means to process and analyze experimental or Monte Carlo event data. Special care has ...been taken on the traceability of the code and the validation of the results produced within the framework, together with the connectivity between code and data stored registered through specific version metadata members. The framework development was originally motivated to cover the needs at Rare Event Searches experiments (experiments looking for phenomena having extremely low occurrence probability like dark matter or neutrino interactions or rare nuclear decays), and its components naturally implement tools to address the challenges in these kinds of experiments; the integration of a detector physics response, the implementation of signal processing routines, or topological algorithms for physical event identification are some examples. Despite this specialization, the framework was conceived thinking in scalability, and other event-oriented applications could benefit from the data processing routines and/or metadata description implemented in REST, being the generic framework tools completely decoupled from dedicated libraries. REST-for-Physics is a consolidated piece of software already serving the needs of different physics experiments - using gaseous Time Projection Chambers (TPCs) as detection technology - for background data analysis and detector characterization, as well as generic detector R\&D. Even though REST has been exploited mainly with gaseous TPCs, the code could be easily applied or adapted to other detection technologies. We present in this work an overview of REST-for-Physics, providing a broad perspective to the infrastructure and organization of the project as a whole. The framework and its different components will be described in the text.
In this work, we describe the optical properties of the single photoelectron (SPE) calibration system designed for NectarCAM, a camera proposed for the Medium Sized Telescopes (MST) of the Cherenkov ...Telescope Array (CTA). One of the goals of the SPE system, as integral part of the NectarCAM camera, consists in measuring with high accuracy the gain of its photo-detection chain. The SPE system is based on a white painted screen where light pulses are injected through a fishtail light guide from a dedicated flasher. The screen - placed 15 mm away from the focal plane - is mounted on an XY motorization that allows movements over all the camera plane. This allows in-situ measurements of the SPE spectra via a complete scan of the 1855 photo-multiplier tubes (PMTs) of NectarCAM. This calibration process will enable the reduction of the systematic uncertainties on the energy reconstruction of \(\gamma\)-rays coming from distant astronomical sources and detected by CTA.
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