Search

Your search keyword '"Merzi, S."' showing total 20 results
Start Over Author "Merzi, S."
20 results on '"Merzi, S."'

1. Benchmarking the design of the cryogenics system for the underground argon in DarkSide-20k

Author

Collaboration, DarkSide-20k, Acerbi, F., Adhikari, P., Agnes, P., Ahmad, I., Albergo, S., Albuquerque, I. F. M., Alexander, T., Alton, A. K., Amaudruz, P., Angiolilli, M., Aprile, E., Ardito, R., Corona, M. Atzori, Auty, D. J., Ave, M., Avetisov, I. C., Azzolini, O., Back, H. O., Balmforth, Z., Olmedo, A. Barrado, Barrillon, P., Batignani, G., Bhowmick, P., Blua, S., Bocci, V., Bonivento, W., Bottino, B., Boulay, M. G., Buchowicz, A., Bussino, S., Busto, J., Cadeddu, M., Cadoni, M., Calabrese, R., Camillo, V., Caminata, A., Canci, N., Capra, A., Caravati, M., Cárdenas-Montes, M., Cargioli, N., Carlini, M., Castellani, A., Castello, P., Cavalcante, P., Cebrian, S., Ruiz, J. Cela, Chashin, S., Chepurnov, A., Cifarelli, L., Cintas, D., Citterio, M., Cleveland, B., Coadou, Y., Cocco, V., Colaiuda, D., Vilda, E. Conde, Consiglio, L., Costa, B. S., Czubak, M., D'Aniello, M., D'Auria, S., Rolo, M. D. Da Rocha, Darbo, G., Davini, S., De Cecco, S., De Guido, G., Dellacasa, G., Derbin, A. V., Devoto, A., Di Capua, F., Di Ludovico, A., Di Noto, L., Di Stefano, P., Dias, L. K., Mairena, D. Díaz, Ding, X., Dionisi, C., Dolganov, G., Dordei, F., Dronik, V., Elersich, A., Ellingwood, E., Erjavec, T., Diaz, M. Fernandez, Ficorella, A., Fiorillo, G., Franchini, P., Franco, D., Gatti, H. Frandini, Frolov, E., Gabriele, F., Gahan, D., Galbiati, C., Galiński, G., Gallina, G., Gallus, G., Garbini, M., Abia, P. Garcia, Gawdzik, A., Gendotti, A., Ghisi, A., Giovanetti, G. K., Casanueva, V. Goicoechea, Gola, A., Grandi, L., Grauso, G., di Cortona, G. Grilli, Grobov, A., Gromov, M., Guerzoni, M., Gulino, M., Guo, C., Hackett, B. R., Hallin, A., Hamer, A., Haranczyk, M., Harrop, B., Hessel, T., Hill, S., Horikawa, S., Hu, J., Hubaut, F., Hucker, J., Hugues, T., Hungerford, E. V., Ianni, A., Ippolito, V., Jamil, A., Jillings, C., Jois, S., Kachru, P., Keloth, R., Kemmerich, N., Kemp, A., Kendziora, C. L., Kimura, M., Kish, A., Kondo, K., Korga, G., Kotsiopoulou, L., Koulosousas, S., Kubankin, A., Kunzé, P., Kuss, M., Kuźniak, M., Kuzwa, M., La Commara, M., Lai, M., Guirriec, E. Le, Leason, E., Leoni, A., Lidey, L., Lissia, M., Luzzi, L., Lychagina, O., Macfadyen, O., Machulin, I. N., Manecki, S., Manthos, I., Mapelli, L., Marasciulli, A., Mari, S. M., Mariani, C., Maricic, J., Martinez, M., Martoff, C. J., Matteucci, G., Mavrokoridis, K., McDonald, A. B., Mclaughlin, J., Merzi, S., Messina, A., Milincic, R., Minutoli, S., Mitra, A., Moharana, A., Moioli, S., Monroe, J., Moretti, E., Morrocchi, M., Mroz, T., Muratova, V. N., Murphy, M., Murra, M., Muscas, C., Musico, P., Nania, R., Nessi, M., Nieradka, G., Nikolopoulos, K., Nikoloudaki, E., Nowak, J., Olchanski, K., Oleinik, A., Oleynikov, V., Organtini, P., de Solórzano, A. Ortiz, Pallavicini, M., Pandola, L., Pantic, E., Paoloni, E., Papi, D., Pastuszak, G., Paternoster, G., Peck, A., Pegoraro, P. A., Pelczar, K., Pellegrini, L. A., Perez, R., Perotti, F., Pesudo, V., Piacentini, S. I., Pino, N., Plante, G., Pocar, A., Poehlmann, M., Pordes, S., Pralavorio, P., Price, D., Puglia, S., Bazetto, M. Queiroga, Ragusa, F., Ramachers, Y., Ramirez, A., Ravinthiran, S., Razeti, M., Renshaw, A. L., Rescigno, M., Retiere, F., Rignanese, L. P., Rivetti, A., Roberts, A., Roberts, C., Rogers, G., Romero, L., Rossi, M., Rubbia, A., Rudik, D., Sabia, M., Salomone, P., Samoylov, O., Sandford, E., Sanfilippo, S., Santone, D., Santorelli, R., Santos, E. M., Savarese, C., Scapparone, E., Schillaci, G., Schuckman II, F. G., Scioli, G., Semenov, D. A., Shalamova, V., Sheshukov, A., Simeone, M., Skensved, P., Skorokhvatov, M. D., Smirnov, O., Smirnova, T., Smith, B., Sotnikov, A., Spadoni, F., Spangenberg, M., Stefanizzi, R., Steri, A., Stornelli, V., Stracka, S., Sulis, S., Sung, A., Sunny, C., Suvorov, Y., Szelc, A. M., Taborda, O., Tartaglia, R., Taylor, A., Taylor, J., Tedesco, S., Testera, G., Thieme, K., Thompson, A., Thorpe, T. N., Tonazzo, A., Torres-Lara, S., Tricomi, A., Unzhakov, E. V., Vallivilayil, T. J., Van Uffelen, M., Velazquez-Fernandez, L., Viant, T., Viel, S., Vishneva, A., Vogelaar, R. B., Vossebeld, J., Vyas, B., Wada, M., Walczak, M. B., Wang, H., Wang, Y., Westerdale, S., Williams, L., Wojaczyński, R., Wojcik, M., Wojcik, M. M., Wright, T., Xiao, X., Xie, Y., Yang, C., Yin, J., Zabihi, A., Zakhary, P., Zani, A., Zhang, Y., Zhu, T., Zichichi, A., Zuzel, G., and Zykova, M. P.

Subjects
Physics - Instrumentation and Detectors, High Energy Physics - Experiment
Abstract

DarkSide-20k (DS-20k) is a dark matter detection experiment under construction at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) in Italy. It utilises ~100 t of low radioactivity argon from an underground source (UAr) in its inner detector, with half serving as target in a dual-phase time projection chamber (TPC). The UAr cryogenics system must maintain stable thermodynamic conditions throughout the experiment's lifetime of >10 years. Continuous removal of impurities and radon from the UAr is essential for maximising signal yield and mitigating background. We are developing an efficient and powerful cryogenics system with a gas purification loop with a target circulation rate of 1000 slpm. Central to its design is a condenser operated with liquid nitrogen which is paired with a gas heat exchanger cascade, delivering a combined cooling power of >8 kW. Here we present the design choices in view of the DS-20k requirements, in particular the condenser's working principle and the cooling control, and we show test results obtained with a dedicated benchmarking platform at CERN and LNGS. We find that the thermal efficiency of the recirculation loop, defined in terms of nitrogen consumption per argon flow rate, is 95 % and the pressure in the test cryostat can be maintained within $\pm$(0.1-0.2) mbar. We further detail a 5-day cool-down procedure of the test cryostat, maintaining a cooling rate typically within -2 K/h, as required for the DS-20k inner detector. Additionally, we assess the circuit's flow resistance, and the heat transfer capabilities of two heat exchanger geometries for argon phase change, used to provide gas for recirculation. We conclude by discussing how our findings influence the finalisation of the system design, including necessary modifications to meet requirements and ongoing testing activities., Comment: 45 pages, 24 figures

Published
2024

2. DarkSide-20k sensitivity to light dark matter particles

Author

Collaboration, DarkSide-20k, Acerbi, F., Adhikari, P., Agnes, P., Ahmad, I., Albergo, S., Albuquerque, I. F. M., Alexander, T., Alton, A. K., Amaudruz, P., Angiolilli, M., Aprile, E., Ardito, R., Corona, M. Atzori, Auty, D. J., Ave, M., Avetisov, I. C., Azzolini, O., Back, H. O., Balmforth, Z., Olmedo, A. Barrado, Barrillon, P., Batignani, G., Bhowmick, P., Blua, S., Bocci, V., Bonivento, W., Bottino, B., Boulay, M. G., Buchowicz, A., Bussino, S., Busto, J., Cadeddu, M., Cadoni, M., Calabrese, R., Camillo, V., Caminata, A., Canci, N., Capra, A., Caravati, M., Cárdenas-Montes, M., Cargioli, N., Carlini, M., Castellani, A., Castello, P., Cavalcante, P., Cebrian, S., Ruiz, J. M. Cela, Chashin, S., Chepurnov, A., Cifarelli, L., Cintas, D., Citterio, M., Cleveland, B., Coadou, Y., Cocco, V., Colaiuda, D., Vilda, E. Conde, Consiglio, L., Costa, B. S., Czubak, M., D'Aniello, M., D'Auria, S., Rolo, M. D. Da Rocha, Darbo, G., Davini, S., De Cecco, S., De Guido, G., Dellacasa, G., Derbin, A. V., Devoto, A., Di Capua, F., Di Ludovico, A., Di Noto, L., Di Stefano, P., Dias, L. K., Mairena, D. Díaz, Ding, X., Dionisi, C., Dolganov, G., Dordei, F., Dronik, V., Elersich, A., Ellingwood, E., Erjavec, T., Diaz, M. Fernandez, Ficorella, A., Fiorillo, G., Franchini, P., Franco, D., Gatti, H. Frandini, Frolov, E., Gabriele, F., Gahan, D., Galbiati, C., Galiński, G., Gallina, G., Gallus, G., Garbini, M., Abia, P. Garcia, Gawdzik, A., Gendotti, A., Ghisi, A., Giovanetti, G. K., Casanueva, V. Goicoechea, Gola, A., Grandi, L., Grauso, G., di Cortona, G. Grilli, Grobov, A., Gromov, M., Guerzoni, M., Gulino, M., Guo, C., Hackett, B. R., Hallin, A., Hamer, A., Haranczyk, M., Harrop, B., Hessel, T., Hill, S., Horikawa, S., Hu, J., Hubaut, F., Hucker, J., Hugues, T., Hungerford, E. V., Ianni, A., Ippolito, V., Jamil, A., Jillings, C., Jois, S., Kachru, P., Keloth, R., Kemmerich, N., Kemp, A., Kendziora, C. L., Kimura, M., Kondo, K., Korga, G., Kotsiopoulou, L., Koulosousas, S., Kubankin, A., Kunzé, P., Kuss, M., Kuźniak, M., Kuzwa, M., La Commara, M., Lai, M., Guirriec, E. Le, Leason, E., Leoni, A., Lidey, L., Lissia, M., Luzzi, L., Lychagina, O., Macfadyen, O., Machulin, I. N., Manecki, S., Manthos, I., Mapelli, L., Marasciulli, A., Mari, S. M., Mariani, C., Maricic, J., Martinez, M., Martoff, C. J., Matteucci, G., Mavrokoridis, K., McDonald, A. B., Mclaughlin, J., Merzi, S., Messina, A., Milincic, R., Minutoli, S., Mitra, A., Moioli, S., Monroe, J., Moretti, E., Morrocchi, M., Mroz, T., Muratova, V. N., Murphy, M., Murra, M., Muscas, C., Musico, P., Nania, R., Nessi, M., Nieradka, G., Nikolopoulos, K., Nikoloudaki, E., Nowak, J., Olchanski, K., Oleinik, A., Oleynikov, V., Organtini, P., de Solórzano, A. Ortiz, Pallavicini, M., Pandola, L., Pantic, E., Paoloni, E., Papi, D., Pastuszak, G., Paternoster, G., Peck, A., Pegoraro, P. A., Pelczar, K., Pellegrini, L. A., Perez, R., Perotti, F., Pesudo, V., Piacentini, S. I., Pino, N., Plante, G., Pocar, A., Poehlmann, M., Pordes, S., Pralavorio, P., Price, D., Puglia, S., Bazetto, M. Queiroga, Ragusa, F., Ramachers, Y., Ramirez, A., Ravinthiran, S., Razeti, M., Renshaw, A. L., Rescigno, M., Retiere, F., Rignanese, L. P., Rivetti, A., Roberts, A., Roberts, C., Rogers, G., Romero, L., Rossi, M., Rubbia, A., Rudik, D., Sabia, M., Salomone, P., Samoylov, O., Sandford, E., Sanfilippo, S., Santone, D., Santorelli, R., Santos, E. M., Savarese, C., Scapparone, E., Schillaci, G., Schuckman II, F. G., Scioli, G., Semenov, D. A., Shalamova, V., Sheshukov, A., Simeone, M., Skensved, P., Skorokhvatov, M. D., Smirnov, O., Smirnova, T., Smith, B., Sotnikov, A., Spadoni, F., Spangenberg, M., Stefanizzi, R., Steri, A., Stornelli, V., Stracka, S., Sulis, S., Sung, A., Sunny, C., Suvorov, Y., Szelc, A. M., Taborda, O., Tartaglia, R., Taylor, A., Taylor, J., Tedesco, S., Testera, G., Thieme, K., Thompson, A., Tonazzo, A., Torres-Lara, S., Tricomi, A., Unzhakov, E. V., Vallivilayil, T. J., Van Uffelen, M., Velazquez-Fernandez, L., Viant, T., Viel, S., Vishneva, A., Vogelaar, R. B., Vossebeld, J., Vyas, B., Walczak, M. B., Wang, Y., Wang, H., Westerdale, S., Williams, L., Wojaczyński, R., Wojcik, M., Wojcik, M. M., Wright, T., Xie, Y., Yang, C., Yin, J., Zabihi, A., Zakhary, P., Zani, A., Zhang, Y., Zhu, T., Zichichi, A., Zuzel, G., and Zykova, M. P.

Subjects
High Energy Physics - Experiment, Astrophysics - Cosmology and Nongalactic Astrophysics
Abstract

The dual-phase liquid argon time projection chamber is presently one of the leading technologies to search for dark matter particles with masses below 10 GeV/c$^2$. This was demonstrated by the DarkSide-50 experiment with approximately 50 kg of low-radioactivity liquid argon as target material. The next generation experiment DarkSide-20k, currently under construction, will use 1,000 times more argon and is expected to start operation in 2027. Based on the DarkSide-50 experience, here we assess the DarkSide-20k sensitivity to models predicting light dark matter particles, including Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) and sub-GeV/c$^2$ particles interacting with electrons in argon atoms. With one year of data, a sensitivity improvement to dark matter interaction cross-sections by at least one order of magnitude with respect to DarkSide-50 is expected for all these models. A sensitivity to WIMP--nucleon interaction cross-sections below $1\times10^{-42}$ cm$^2$ is achievable for WIMP masses above 800 MeV/c$^2$. With 10 years exposure, the neutrino fog can be reached for WIMP masses around 5 GeV/c$^2$., Comment: submitted to Nature Communications

Published
2024

3. A new hybrid gadolinium nanoparticles-loaded polymeric material for neutron detection in rare event searches

Author

Collaboration, DarkSide-20k, Acerbi, F., Adhikari, P., Agnes, P., Ahmad, I., Albergo, S., Albuquerque, I. F., Alexander, T., Alton, A. K., Amaudruz, P., Angiolilli, M., Aprile, E., Ardito, R., Corona, M. Atzori, Auty, D. J., Ave, M., Avetisov, I. C., Azzolini, O., Back, H. O., Balmforth, Z., Olmedo, A. Barrado, Barrillon, P., Batignani, G., Bhowmick, P., Bocci, V., Bonivento, W., Bottino, B., Boulay, M. G., Buchowicz, A., Bussino, S., Busto, J., Cadeddu, M., Cadoni, M., Calabrese, R., Camillo, V., Caminata, A., Canci, N., Capra, A., Caravati, M., Cárdenas-Montes, M., Cargioli, N., Carlini, M., Castellani, A., Castello, P., Cavalcante, P., Cavallo, D., Cebrian, S., Ruiz, J. Cela, Chashin, S., Chepurnov, A., Cifarelli, L., Cintas, D., Citterio, M., Cleveland, B., Coadou, Y., Cocco, V., Colaiuda, D., Vilda, E. Conde, Consiglio, L., Costa, B. S., Czubak, M., D'Auria, S., Rolo, M. D. Da Rocha, Darbo, G., Davini, S., De Cecco, S., De Guido, G., Dellacasa, G., Derbin, A. V., Devoto, A., Di Capua, F., Di Ludovico, A., Di Noto, L., Di Stefano, P., Dias, L. K., Mairena, D. Díaz, Ding, X., Dionisi, C., Dolganov, G., Dordei, F., Dronik, V., Elersich, A., Ellingwood, E., Erjavec, T., Diaz, M. Fernandez, Ficorella, A., Fiorillo, G., Franchini, P., Franco, D., Gatti, H. Frandini, Frolov, E., Gabriele, F., Gahan, D., Galbiati, C., Galinski, G., Gallina, G., Garbini, M., Abia, P. Garcia, Gawdzik, A., Gendotti, A., Ghisi, A., Giovanetti, G. K., Casanueva, V. Goicoechea, Gola, A., Grandi, L., Grauso, G., di Cortona, G. Grilli, Grobov, A., Gromov, M., Guerzoni, M., Gulino, M., Guo, C., Hackett, B. R., Hallin, A., Hamer, A., Haranczyk, M., Harrop, B., Hessel, T., Hill, S., Horikawa, S., Hu, J., Hubaut, F., Hucker, J., Hugues, T., Hungerford, E. V., Ianni, A., Ippolito, V., Jamil, A., Jillings, C., Keloth, R., Kemmerich, N., Kemp, A., Kendziora, C. L., Kimura, M., Kondo, K., Korga, G., Kotsiopoulou, L., Koulosousas, S., Kubankin, A., Kuss, M., Kuzniak, M., Kuzwa, M., La Commara, M., Lai, M., Guirriec, E. Le, Leason, E., Leoni, A., Lidey, L., Lissia, M., Luzzi, L., Lychagina, O., Macfadyen, O., Machulin, I. N., Manecki, S., Manthos, I., Mapelli, L., Marasciulli, A., Mari, S. M., Mariani, C., Maricic, J., Marini, A., Martinez, M., Martoff, C. J., Matteucci, G., Mavrokoridis, K., McDonald, A. B., Mclaughlin, J., Merzi, S., Messina, A., Milincic, R., Minutoli, S., Mitra, A., Moharana, A., Moioli, S., Monroe, J., Moretti, E., Morrocchi, M., Mroz, T., Muratova, V. N., Murphy, M., Murra, M., Muscas, C., Musico, P., Nania, R., Nessi, M., Nieradka, G., Nikolopoulos, K., Nikoloudaki, E., Nowak, J., Olchanski, K., Oleinik, A., Oleynikov, V., Organtini, P., de Solórzano, A. Ortiz, Pallavicini, M., Pandola, L., Pantic, E., Paoloni, E., Papi, D., Pastuszak, G., Paternoster, G., Peddis, D., Pegoraro, P. A., Pelczar, K., Pellegrini, L. A., Perez, R., Perotti, F., Pesudo, V., Piacentini, S. I., Pino, N., Plante, G., Pocar, A., Poehlmann, M., Pordes, S., Pralavorio, P., Price, D., Puglia, S., Bazetto, M. Queiroga, Ragusa, F., Ramachers, Y., Ramirez, A., Ravinthiran, S., Razeti, M., Renshaw, A. L., Rescigno, M., Retiere, F., Rignanese, L. P., Rivetti, A., Roberts, A., Roberts, C., Rogers, G., Romero, L., Rossi, M., Rubbia, A., Rudik, D., Sabia, M., Sadashivajois, S., Salomone, P., Samoylov, O., Sandford, E., Sanfilippo, S., Santone, D., Santorelli, R., Santos, E. M., Savarese, C., Scapparone, E., Schillaci, G., Schuckman II, F. G., Scioli, G., Semenov, D. A., Sheshukov, A., Simeone, M., Skensved, P., Skorokhvatov, M. D., Slimani, S., Smirnov, O., Smirnova, T., Smith, B., Sotnikov, A., Spadoni, F., Spangenberg, M., Stefanizzi, R., Steri, A., Stornelli, V., Stracka, S., Sulis, S., Sung, A., Sunny, C., Suvorov, Y., Szelc, A. M., Taborda, O., Tartaglia, R., Taylor, A., Taylor, J., Tedesco, S., Testera, G., Thieme, K., Thompson, A., Tonazzo, A., Torres-Lara, S., Tosi, S., Tricomi, A., Unzhakov, E. V., Vallivilayil, T. J., Van Uffelen, M., Velazquez-Fernandez, L., Viant, T., Vicini, S., Viel, S., Vishneva, A., Vogelaar, R. B., Vossebeld, J., Vyas, B., Wada, M., Walczak, M. B., Wang, H., Wang, Y., Westerdale, S., Williams, L., Wojaczynski, R., Wojcik, M. M., Wojcik, M., Wright, T., Xie, Y., Yang, C., Yin, J., Zabihi, A., Zakhary, P., Zani, A., Zhang, Y., Zhu, T., Zichichi, A., Zuzel, G., and Zykova, M. P.

Subjects
Physics - Instrumentation and Detectors, High Energy Physics - Experiment
Abstract

Experiments aimed at direct searches for WIMP dark matter require highly effective reduction of backgrounds and control of any residual radioactive contamination. In particular, neutrons interacting with atomic nuclei represent an important class of backgrounds due to the expected similarity of a WIMP-nucleon interaction, so that such experiments often feature a dedicated neutron detector surrounding the active target volume. In the context of the development of DarkSide-20k detector at INFN Gran Sasso National Laboratory (LNGS), several R&D projects were conceived and developed for the creation of a new hybrid material rich in both hydrogen and gadolinium nuclei to be employed as an essential element of the neutron detector. Thanks to its very high cross-section for neutron capture, gadolinium is one of the most widely used elements in neutron detectors, while the hydrogen-rich material is instrumental in efficiently moderating the neutrons. In this paper results from one of the R&Ds are presented. In this effort the new hybrid material was obtained as a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) matrix, loaded with gadolinium oxide in the form of nanoparticles. We describe its realization, including all phases of design, purification, construction, characterization, and determination of mechanical properties of the new material.

Published
2024

4. First Demonstration of the Use of LG-SiPMs for Optical Readout of a TPC

Author

Gola, A., Majumdar, K., Casse, G., Mavrokoridis, K., Merzi, S., and Franca, L. Parsons

Subjects
Physics - Instrumentation and Detectors
Abstract

This paper describes a new method for optical readout of Time Projection Chambers (TPCs), based on the Linearly Graded Silicon Photomultiplier (LG-SiPM). This is a single photon-sensitive detector with excellent timing and 2D position resolution developed at Fondazione Bruno Kessler, Trento (FBK). The LG-SiPM produces time-varying voltage signals that are used to reconstruct the 3D position and energy of ionisation tracks generated inside the TPC. The TPC used in this work contained room-temperature CF$_4$ gas at a pressure of 100 mbar, with two THGEMs to produce secondary scintillation light. A collimated $^{241}$Am source (Q$_\alpha$ = 5.486 MeV) was used to produce the ionisation tracks. The successful reconstruction of these tracks is demonstrated, and the consistency of the methodology characterised through varying the geometry of the tracks within the TPC. Energy reconstruction and deposition studies are also described, demonstrating the feasibility of the LG-SiPM as a potential option for optical TPC readout., Comment: Various changes from previous version based on pre-publication review

Published
2020
Full Text
View/download PDF

9. Next generation PET imager

Author

Pestotnik, R., primary, Gascón, D., additional, Gola, A., additional, Benlloch, J. M., additional, Alamo, J., additional, Barberá, J., additional, Dolenec, R., additional, Fernández-Tenllado, J. M., additional, Gómez, S., additional, Grogg, K., additional, Guberman, D., additional, Korpar, S., additional, Križan, P., additional, Majewski, S., additional, Manera, R., additional, Marin, T., additional, Mariscal-Castilla, A., additional, Mauricio, J., additional, Merzi, S., additional, Morera, C., additional, Orehar, M., additional, Pavon, G., additional, Penna, M., additional, Razdevšek, G., additional, Seljak, A., additional, Studen, A., additional, and El Fakhri, G., additional

Published
2023
Full Text
View/download PDF

11. FastIC ASIC readout performance for Cherenkov based TOF-PET imaging

Author

Piller, M., primary, Mariscal-Castilla, A., additional, Terragni, G., additional, Penna, M., additional, Merzi, S., additional, Moretti, E., additional, Gola, A., additional, Michalowska-Forsyth, A., additional, Gascon, D., additional, Ballabriga, R., additional, Hillemanns, E. Auffray, additional, Gomez, S., additional, and Kratochwil, N., additional

Published
2023
Full Text
View/download PDF

14. Simulation results for limited-angle ultra-high time-of-flight resolution PET system

Author

Marin, T., primary, Zhuo, Y., additional, Orehar, M., additional, Razdevšekc, G., additional, Dolenec, R., additional, Mounime, I., additional, Alamo, J., additional, Benlloch, J. M., additional, Chemli, Y., additional, Fernández-Tenllado, J. M., additional, Gascon, D., additional, Gola, A., additional, Gomez, S., additional, Grogg, K., additional, Guberman, D., additional, Korpar, S., additional, Krizan, P., additional, Majewski, S., additional, Manera, R., additional, Mariscal-Castilla, A., additional, Mauricio, J., additional, Merzi, S., additional, Morera, C., additional, Normandin, M., additional, Pavon, G., additional, Penna, M., additional, Seljak, A., additional, Studen, A., additional, Pestotnik, R., additional, and Fakhri, G. El, additional

Published
2023
Full Text
View/download PDF

17. Radiation Damage on Silicon Photomultipliers from Ionizing and Non-Ionizing Radiation of Low-Earth Orbit Operations.

Author

Merzi S, Acerbi F, Aicardi C, Fiore D, Goiffon V, Gola AG, Marcelot O, Materne A, and Saint-Pe O

Abstract

Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) are single photon detectors that gained increasing interest in many applications as an alternative to photomultiplier tubes. In the field of space experiments, where volume, weight and power consumption are a major constraint, their advantages like compactness, ruggedness, and their potential to achieve high quantum efficiency from UV to NIR makes them ideal candidates for spaceborne, low photon flux detectors. During space missions however, SiPMs are usually exposed to high levels of radiation, both ionizing and non-ionizing, which can deteriorate the performance of these detectors over time. The goal of this work is to compare process and layout variation of SiPMs in terms of their radiation damage effects to identify the features that helps reduce the deterioration of the performance and develop the next generation of more radiation-tolerant detectors. To do this, we used protons and X-rays to irradiate several Near Ultraviolet High-Density (NUV-HD) SiPMs with small areas (single microcell, 0.2 × 0.2 mm 2 and 1 × 1 mm 2 ) produced at Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK), Italy. We performed online current-voltage measurements right after each irradiation step, and a complete functional characterization before and after irradiation. We observed that the main contribution to performance degradation in space applications comes from proton damage in the form of an increase in primary dark count rate (DCR) proportional to the proton fluence and a reduction in activation energy. In this context, small active area devices show a lower DCR before and after irradiation, and we propose light or charge-focusing mechanisms as future developments for high-sensitivity radiation-tolerant detectors.

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

18. Position-Sensitive Silicon Photomultiplier Arrays with Large-Area and Sub-Millimeter Resolution.

Author

Acerbi F, Merzi S, and Gola A

Abstract

Silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) are solid-state single-photon-sensitive detectors that show excellent performance in a wide range of applications. In FBK (Trento, Italy), we developed a position-sensitive SiPM technology, called "linearly graded" (LG-SiPM), which is based on an avalanche-current weighted-partitioning approach. It shows position reconstruction resolution below 250 μm on an 8 × 8 mm 2 device area with four readout channels and minimal distortions. A recent development in terms of LG-SIPM is a larger chip version (10 × 10 mm 2 ) based on FBK NUV-HD technology (near-ultraviolet sensitive), with a peak photon detection efficiency at 420 nm. Such a large-area detector with position sensitivity is very interesting in applications like MR-compatible PET, high-energy physics experiments, and readout of time-projection chambers, gamma and beta cameras, or scintillating fibers, with a reduced number of channels. These SiPMs were characterized in terms of noise, photon detection efficiency, and position resolution. We also developed tiles of 2 × 2 and 3 × 3 LG-SiPMs, reaching very large sensitive areas of 20 × 20 mm 2 and 30 × 30 mm 2 . We implemented a "smart-channel" configuration, which allowed us to have just six output channels for the 2 × 2 elements and eight channels for the 3 × 3 element tiles, preserving a position resolution below 0.5 mm. These kinds of detectors provide a great advantage in compact and low-power applications by maintaining position sensitivity over large areas with a small number of channels.

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

19. Performance evaluation of the FastIC readout ASIC with emphasis on Cherenkov emission in TOF-PET.

Author

Piller M, Castilla AM, Terragni G, Alozy J, Auffray E, Ballabriga R, Campbell M, Deutschmann B, Gascon D, Gola A, Merzi S, Michalowska-Forsyth A, Penna M, Gómez S, and Kratochwil N

Subjects
Time Factors, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted methods, Positron-Emission Tomography instrumentation
Abstract

Objective. The efficient usage of prompt photons like Cherenkov emission is of great interest for the design of the next generation, cost-effective, and ultra-high-sensitivity time-of-flight positron emission tomography (TOF-PET) scanners. With custom, high power consuming, readout electronics and fast digitization the prospect of sub-300 ps FWHM with PET-sized BGO crystals have been shown. However, these results are not scalable to a full system consisting of thousands of detector elements. Approach. To pave the way toward a full TOF-PET scanner, we examine the performance of the FastIC ASIC with Cherenkov-emitting scintillators (BGO), together with one of the most recent SiPM detector developments based on metal trenching from FBK. The FastIC is a highly configurable ASIC with 8 input channels, a power consumption of 12 mW ch -1 and excellent linearity on the energy measurement. To put the timing performance of the FastIC into perspective, comparison measurements with high-power consuming readout electronics are performed. Main results. We achieve a best CTR FWHM of 330 ps for 2 × 2 × 3 mm 3 and 490 ps for 2 × 2 × 20 mm 3 BGO crystals with the FastIC. In addition, using 20 mm long LSO:Ce:Ca crystals, CTR values of 129 ps FWHM have been measured with the FastIC, only slightly worse to the state-of-the-art of 95 ps obtained with discrete HF electronics. Significance. For the first time, the timing capability of BGO with a scalable ASIC has been evaluated. The findings underscore the potential of the FastIC ASIC in the development of cost-effective TOF-PET scanners with excellent timing characteristics., (Creative Commons Attribution license.)

Published
2024
Full Text
View/download PDF

20. On timing-optimized SiPMs for Cherenkov detection to boost low cost time-of-flight PET.

Author

Gundacker S, Borghi G, Cherry SR, Gola A, Lee D, Merzi S, Penna M, Schulz V, and Kwon SI

Subjects
Time, Electronics, Amplifiers, Electronic, Scintillation Counting, Positron-Emission Tomography methods, Photons
Abstract

Objective. Recent SiPM developments and improved front-end electronics have opened new doors in TOF-PET with a focus on prompt photon detection. For instance, the relatively high Cherenkov yield of bismuth-germanate (BGO) upon 511 keV gamma interaction has triggered a lot of interest, especially for its use in total body positron emission tomography (PET) scanners due to the crystal's relatively low material and production costs. However, the electronic readout and timing optimization of the SiPMs still poses many questions. Lab experiments have shown the prospect of Cherenkov detection, with coincidence time resolutions (CTRs) of 200 ps FWHM achieved with small pixels, but lack system integration due to an unacceptable high power uptake of the used amplifiers. Approach. Following recent studies the most practical circuits with lower power uptake (<30 mW) have been implemented and the CTR performance with BGO of newly developed SiPMs from Fondazione Bruno Kessler tested. These novel SiPMs are optimized for highest single photon time resolution (SPTR). Main results. We achieved a best CTR FWHM of 123 ps for 2 × 2 × 3 mm 3 and 243 ps for 3 × 3 × 20 mm 3 BGO crystals. We further show that with these devices a CTR of 106 ps is possible using commercially available 3 × 3 × 20 mm 3 LYSO:Ce,Mg crystals. To give an insight in the timing properties of these SiPMs, we measured the SPTR with black coated PbF 2 of 2 × 2 × 3 mm 3 size. We confirmed an SPTR of 68 ps FWHM published in literature for standard devices and show that the optimized SiPMs can improve this value to 42 ps. Pushing the SiPM bias and using 1 × 1 mm 2 area devices we measured an SPTR of 28 ps FWHM. Significance. We have shown that advancements in readout electronics and SiPMs can lead to improved CTR with Cherenkov emitting crystals. Enabling time-of-flight with BGO will trigger a high interest for its use in low-cost and total-body PET scanners. Furthermore, owing to the prompt nature of Cherenkov emission, future CTR improvements are conceivable, for which a low-power electronic implementation is indispensable. In an extended discussion we will give a roadmap to best timing with prompt photons., (Creative Commons Attribution license.)

Published
2023
Full Text
View/download PDF

Catalog

Books, media, physical & digital resources
See catalog results