CRYSTAL EYE: A new X and gamma ray all-sky-monitor for space missions Barbato, F.C.T.; Abba, A.; Anastasio, A. ...
Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment,
April 2023, 2023-04-00, Letnik:
1049
Journal Article
Recenzirano
The CRYSTAL EYE detector is proposed as a space-based X and gamma ray all-sky monitor to be active from 10 keV up to 30 MeV. In its full scale configuration, it consists in a 40 cm diameter ...hemisphere, made by 112 pixels, with an overall weight lower than 50 kg, wide Field Of View (FOV, about 6 sr), full sky coverage and very large effective area (about 6 times higher than Fermi-GBM at 1 MeV) in the energy range of interest.
Each pixel consists of two layers of scintillating LYSO crystals, read out by arrays of Silicon PhotoMultipliers (SiPMs), equipped with a segmented anticoincidence detector for charged Cosmic Ray (CR) identification and hard X-ray detection.
The primary scientific goals include the observation of transient X and gamma flashes from Gamma Ray Bursts (GRBs), Gravitational Wave (GW) follow up, Supernovae (SN) explosions, etc. and stable gamma-ray source observation in the MeV energy range. The pioneering design optimizes these observations in terms of localization of the source and timing. By using specific triggers for charged particles, solar flares and space weather phenomena could also be studied.
A pathfinder mission is foreseen onboard of the Space Rider vehicle run by European Space Agency (ESA), allowing technology tests, qualification and both deep space and Earth observation during the mission. We here present the CRYSTAL EYE technology.
Turbulence is ubiquitous in the universe and in fluid dynamics. It influences a wide range of high energy density systems, from inertial confinement fusion to astrophysical-object evolution. ...Understanding this phenomenon is crucial, however, due to limitations in experimental and numerical methods in plasma systems, a complete description of the turbulent spectrum is still lacking. Here, we present the measurement of a turbulent spectrum down to micron scale in a laser-plasma experiment. We use an experimental platform, which couples a high power optical laser, an x-ray free-electron laser and a lithium fluoride crystal, to study the dynamics of a plasma flow with micrometric resolution (~1μm) over a large field of view (>1 mm
). After the evolution of a Rayleigh-Taylor unstable system, we obtain spectra, which are overall consistent with existing turbulent theory, but present unexpected features. This work paves the way towards a better understanding of numerous systems, as it allows the direct comparison of experimental results, theory and numerical simulations.
Abstract Background and aims In patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), alterations in gut microbiome are posited to be responsible for gastrointestinal symptoms and generation of p-cresol, a ...uremic toxin that has been associated with CKD progression and cardiovascular mortality. This pilot study investigated whether Probinul-neutro ® , a synbiotic that normalizes intestinal microflora, may lower plasma p-cresol concentrations and reduce gastrointestinal symptoms in non-dialyzed CKD patients. Methods and results This was a double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled trial. Thirty patients on 3–4 CKD stages were randomized to receive either Probinul neutro ® or placebo for 4 weeks. Total plasma p-cresol concentration was assessed at baseline, and 15 and 30 days after treatment start. At the same study times, ease and frequency of defecation, upper and lower abdominal pain, stool shape, borborygmi, and flatus were quantified by subjective assessment questionnaires. Compared to baseline total plasma p-cresol median concentrations on 15th and 30th day were significantly lower in patients receiving Probinul-neutro ® (2.31 and 0.78 vs. 3.05 μg/ml, p < 0.05; n = 18); no changes of plasma p-cresol concentrations were recorded in placebo-treated patients. No significant changes in gastrointestinal symptoms were observed during the study both in Probinul-neutro ® -treated and placebo-treated patients. Conclusion Probinul-neutro ® lowered total plasma p-cresol concentrations but did not ameliorate gastrointestinal symptoms in non-dialyzed CKD patients. Because high plasma concentrations of p-cresol in early phases of CKD are predictive of progression to end-stage renal disease, the results of our study suggest that synbiotics deserve attention as possible tools to delay CKD progression towards end-stage renal disease (ESRD). ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT02008331.
In a recent experimental campaign, we used laser-accelerated relativistic hot electrons to ensure heating of thin titanium wire targets up to a warm dense matter (WDM) state EPL114, 45002 ...(2016)10.1209/0295-5075/114/45002. The WDM temperature profiles along several hundred microns of the wire were inferred by using spatially resolved X-ray emission spectroscopy looking at the Ti K
characteristic lines. A maximum temperature of ∼30 eV was reached. Our study extends this work by discussing the influence of the laser parameters on temperature profiles and the optimisation of WDM wire-based generation. The depth of wire heating may reach several hundreds of microns and it is proven to be strictly dependent on the laser intensity. At the same time, it is quantitatively demonstrated that the maximum WDM temperature doesn't appear to be sensitive to the laser intensity and mainly depends on the deposited laser energy considering ranges of 6×10
-6×10
W/cm
and 50-200 J.
Status of the plastic scintillator detector for the HERD experiment Alemanno, F.; Altomare, C.; Barbato, F.C.T. ...
Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment,
June 2023, 2023-06-00, Letnik:
1051
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Future satellite experiments for cosmic-ray and gamma-ray detection will employ plastic scintillators to discriminate gamma-rays from charged particles and to identify nuclei up to Iron. The High ...Energy Cosmic Radiation Detector (HERD) facility will be one of those new experiments and it will be installed onboard the Chinese Tiangong Space Station (TSS). The main goal of the HERD experiment is to detect charged cosmic-rays up to PeVand gamma-rays up to hundred GeVs. The plastic scintillator detector (PSD) surrounds the inner detectors on five sides. For energies above a few GeVs a high detector segmentation is required in order to avoid the back-splash effect, due to the interaction between high energy particles and the innermost calorimeter. Each PSD basic element (bar or tile) is coupled to several Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) for the detection of scintillation light. In 2021 we have performed a beam test campaign to test all the subdetectors of the HERD experiment at CERN PS and SPS. We tested two different PSD prototypes, one with a long bar geometry and the other with a squared tile geometry. In both prototypes two scintillating materials (BC-404 and BC-408) were used. Both the prototypes were equipped with SiPMs of two different sizes (MPPC S14160-3050 and S14160-1315) and they were read-out by the CAEN Citiroc-based board DT5550 W. In this work we will describe the PSD design along with the beam test results.
The 2-inches VSiPMT industrial prototypes Barbato, F.C.T.; Barbarino, G.; Rosa, G. De ...
Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment,
04/2020, Letnik:
958
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Photon detection is a key factor to study many physical processes in several areas of fundamental physics research. Focusing the attention on photodetectors for particle astrophysics, we understand ...that we are very close to new discoveries and new results. In order to push the progress in the study of very high-energy or extremely rare phenomena (e.g. dark matter, proton decay, neutrinos from astrophysical sources) the current and future experiments require additional improvements in linearity, gain, quantum efficiency and single photon counting capability. To meet the requirements of these classes of experiments, we propose a new design for a modern hybrid photodetector: the VSiPMT (Vacuum Silicon PhotoMultiplier Tube).
The idea is to replace the classical dynode chain of a PMT with a SiPM, which therefore acts as a single stage Geiger electron detector and amplifier, without statistical fluctuations. The aim is to match the large sensitive area of a photocathode with the performances of the SiPM technology. The previous VSiPMT prototypes already showed many attractive features such as low power consumption, very large dynamic range, excellent photon counting capability and low voltage driven gain.
We now present the results of the full characterization of the latest and largest version achieved up to now, a 2-inches VSiPMT manufactured by Hamamatsu.
•The VSiPMT is a new high gain photodetector with very good photon counting capability.•Inches prototypes have been realized in collaboration with Hamamatsu.•The prototypes have been tested with very good results.•The prototypes will be tested in a little experiment to compare their answer with both a matrix of SiPMs both a PMT.
X-ray phase contrast imaging (XPCI) is more sensitive to density variations than X-ray absorption radiography, which is a crucial advantage when imaging weakly-absorbing, low-Z materials, or steep ...density gradients in matter under extreme conditions. Here, we describe the application of a polychromatic X-ray laser-plasma source (duration ~0.5 ps, photon energy >1 keV) to the study of a laser-driven shock travelling in plastic material. The XPCI technique allows for a clear identification of the shock front as well as of small-scale features present during the interaction. Quantitative analysis of the compressed object is achieved using a density map reconstructed from the experimental data.
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