In the framework of the uRANIA (u-Rwell Advanced Neutron Imaging Apparatus) project, we are developing innovative thermal neutron detectors based on resistive gaseous devices such as micro-Resistive ...WELL (μ-RWELL) and surface Resistive Plate Counter (sRPC).
The μ-RWELL is a single amplification stage resistive MPGD developed for HEP applications. The amplification stage, based on the same Apical® foil used for the manufacturing of the GEM, is embedded through a resistive layer in the readout board. The resistive layer is realized by sputtering the back side of the Apical® foil with DiamondLike-Carbon (DLC). A cathode electrode, defining the gas conversion/drift gap, completes the detector mechanics. The deposition of a thin layer of
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B4C on the cathode surface allows the thermal neutrons conversion into
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Li and α ions, which can be easily detected in the active volume of the device. Results from tests performed with different detector layouts show that a thermal neutron (25 meV) detection efficiency up to 7% can be achieved with a single detector. A comparison between experimental data and the simulation of the detector behaviour has been performed. In parallel, we are proposing the development of thermal neutron detectors based on a novel RPC concept. The sRPC is a revolutionary RPC based on surface resistive electrodes realized by exploiting the well-established DLC sputtering technology on thin (50µm) polyimide foils, the same used in the manufacturing of the µ-RWELL. The DLC foil is glued onto a 2 mm thick float-glass. The 2 mm gas gap between the electrodes is ensured by spacers made of Delrin®, inserted without gluing at the edges of the glass supports. By replacing DLC with
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B4C sputtered electrodes, the device becomes sensitive to thermal neutrons. Different layouts of
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B4C coated electrodes have been tested, allowing to achieve efficiency up to 6%. The robustness, ease of construction, and scalability of the sRPC technology should allow the construction of cost-effective large area detector units as required by applications in homeland security (such as Radiation Portal Monitor).
Micro Pattern Gas Detectors (MPGD) are the new frontier in gas trackers. Among this kind of devices, the Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) chambers are widely used. The experimental signals acquired with ...the detector must obviously be reconstructed and analysed. In this contribution, a new offline software to perform reconstruction, alignment and analysis on the data collected with APV-25 and TIGER ASICs will be presented. GRAAL (Gem Reconstruction And Analysis Library) is able to measure the performance of a MPGD detector with a strip segmented anode (presently). The code is divided in three parts: reconstruction, where the hits are digitized and clusterized; tracking, where a procedure fits the points from the tracking system and uses that information to align the chamber with rotations and shifts; analysis, where the performance is evaluated (e.g. efficiency, spatial resolution,etc.). The user must set the geometry of the setup and then the program returns automatically the analysis results, taking care of different conditions of gas mixture, electric field, magnetic field, geometries, strip orientation, dead strip, misalignment and many others.
The experiment BESIII, running at the accelerator BEPCII in Beijing (P.R.C.), is going to be updated with the replacement of the Inner Drift Chamber with a Cylindrical triple-GEM Inner Tracker ...(CGEM-IT). In the R&D stage, two standalone C++ codes were implemented: GTS (Garfield-based Triple-GEM Simulator), for digitization and tuning of simulated data to the experimental ones, and GRAAL (GEM Reconstruction And Analysis Library), for the reconstruction and analysis of the experimental events collected in testbeams. GTS simulates the triple-GEM response to the particle passage, treating each stage separately: ionization, GEM properties, gas mixture, magnetic field and finally the induction of the signal on the anode. The necessary information was extracted by GARFIELD++ simulations, parametrized and used as input in GTS. This speeds up the simulation, since GTS performs only samplings instead of the full digitization chain. The simulated events were reconstructed with the same procedure used for experimental data and tuning factors were evaluated to obtain a satisfactory match. GRAAL is used in the analysis of the testbeam experimental data. It provides several levels of reconstruction: from the cluster formation, gathering contiguous firing strips, to the spatial position and the signal time reconstruciton. Two algorithms are used: the charge centroid and the micro-TPC, which exploit the charge deposition on the strips and the time information. Also a merging of the two algorithms is available to efficiently weight the two outcomes and obtain the best estimate of the spatial coordinate. Moreover, GRAAL performs tracking and alignment. Both codes are going to be made available also for other MPGDs simulation and reconstruction.
Triple-GEM detectors are a well known technology in high energy physics. In order to have a complete understanding of their behavior, in parallel with on beam testing, a Monte Carlo code has to be ...developed to simulate their response to the passage of particles. The software must take into account all the physical processes involved from the primary ionization up to the signal formation, e.g. the avalanche multiplication and the effect of the diffusion on the electrons. In the case of gas detectors, existing software such as Garfield already perform a very detailed simulation but are CPU time consuming. A description of a reliable but faster simulation is presented here: it uses a parametric description of the variables of interest obtained by suitable preliminary Garfield simulations and tuned to the test beam data. It can reproduce the real values of the charge measured by the strip, needed to reconstruct the position with the Charge Centroid method. In addition, particular attention was put to the simulation of the timing information, which permits to apply also the micro-Time Projection Chamber position reconstruction, for the first time on a triple-GEM. A comparison between simulation and experimental values of some sentinel variables in different conditions of magnetic field, high voltage settings and incident angle will be shown.
Detection of neutrons is becoming of the utmost importance, especially in the studies of radioactive waste and in homeland security applications. The crisis of
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He availability has required the ...development of innovative techniques. One solution is to develop light gas detectors for neutron counting to be used as portals for ports and airports. The neutron is converted on the Boron-coated cathode, releasing a charged particle, whose passage can be identified by the gas detector. While several technologies have been deployed in the past, the project μRANIA-V (μRwell Advanced Neutron Identification Apparatus) aims to detect thermal neutrons by means of the μRwell technology, an innovative gas detector. The goal is to produce tiles to operate as portals in homeland security or for radioactive waste management. The technological transfer towards the industry has started, thus the production can be cost-effective also owing to a construction process relatively easier compared to similar apparatus. By reading directly the signals from the amplification stage, the neutrons can be counted with simplified electronics further reducing the total cost. In this paper, the project will be described, with details on the μRwell technology and on the neutron counting, on the test beam performed, and on the future plans.
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