Search

Micromegas detector has the advantages of high spatial resolution, large area and easy processing. It is widely used in particle physics experiments, medical imaging and industrial inspection. As the demand for spatial resolution and detection areas in particle physics experiments grows, so does the field of Micromegas detectors. Advancements in etching and printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturing are leading to increasingly refined readout units and larger detection areas. The number of detector channels is also significantly increasing. A 512-channel highly integrated front-end electronics (compact front-end electronics, Compact_FEC) was designed and implemented for the multi-channel readout requirements of Micromegas detectors. The front-end electronics board mainly consists of a detector signal readout module, a data acquisition module and a power supply module. The detector signal readout module uses a current-based readout chip, ADAS1128. The chip consists of 128 current integral amplifiers, sample-and-hold circuits, two 24-bit resolution ADCs and a digital processing section, among others, which enables the measurement of multi-channel charge. The data acquisition module consists of an FPGA core board, USB 3.0 circuits, and Gigabit Ethernet. The main functions of the module include the configuration of the chip, chip data acquisition, and communication interaction with the host computer. The performance of the front-end electronics was first tested under floating input conditions. The gain of charge measurement is about 213.6 Code/fC in the dynamic range of −77.93-0 fC. The integration nonlinearity is 2.7%, and the noise is less than 0.7 fC. Furthermore, to validate the performance of the detector system, X-ray energy resolution tests were performed with the 55Fe radioactive source, and spatial resolution tests were performed with cosmic rays for track reconstruction. The X-ray full peak and Ar escape peak can be observed; the energy resolution of the full peak is about 20.23%@5.9 keV, and the ratio of the full energy peak and escape peak is about 2.09∶1. Since the charge center of gravity method is used in cosmic ray muon test to reconstruct the Muon hit bositions, the response of the cosmic ray muon energy deposited in Micromegas detector was first tested. The test results show that the spectrum of ionization energy deposited by Muon is well-matched to the Landau-Gaussian distribution. The muon hit bositions test results for the x-direction spatial resolution is 0.240 mm, and for the y-direction spatial resolution is 0.243 mm. In summary, Compact_FEC can detect signals from the Micromegas detector in single-particle measurement mode.

Copyright of Atomic Energy Science & Technology is the property of Editorial Board of Atomic Energy Science & Technology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Recent advances in the development of cryogenic particle detectors such as magnetic microcalorimeters allow the fabrication of sensor arrays with an increasing number of pixels. Since these detectors must be operated at the lowest temperatures, the readout of large detector arrays is still quite challenging. This is especially true for the ECHo experiment, which presently aims to simultaneously run 6,000 two pixel detectors to investigate the electron neutrino mass. For this reason, we developed a readout system based on a microwave SQUID multiplexer (μ MUX) that is operated by a custom software-defined radio (SDR) at room-temperature. The SDR readout electronics consist of three distinct hardware units: a data processing board with a Xilinx ZynqUS+ MPSoC; a converter board that features DACs, ADCs, and a coherent clock distribution network; and a radio frequency front-end board to translate the signals between the baseband and the microwave domains. Here, we describe the characteristics of the full-scale SDR system. First, the generated frequency comb for driving the μ MUX was evaluated. Subsequently, by operating the SDR in direct loopback, the crosstalk of the individual channels after frequency demultiplexing was investigated. Finally, the system was used with a 16-channel μ MUX to evaluate the linearity of the SDR, and the noise contributed to the overall readout setup. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A computer program was developed using the MATLAB programming language to simulate the electronics readout for a radiation detector system. The function of each stage of this system is described by a mathematical model in the Laplace domain. The electrical signals have been shown and analyzed at two main outputs of the system. They are described according to their related circuit parameters. The obtained results of the simulation can be used to achieve a best design of the concerned circuits and to provide appropriate details about the system operation. Validation of the simulated signals by comparison with available experimental results has been achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Liquid argon time-projection chambers (LArTPCs) have become a prominent tool for experiments in particle physics. Recent years have yielded significant advances in the techniques used to capture the signals generated by these cryogenic detectors. This article summarizes these novel developments for detection of ionization electrons and scintillation photons in LArTPCs. New methods to capture ionization signals address the challenges of scaling traditional techniques to the large scales necessary for future experiments. Pixelated readouts improve signal fidelity and expand the applicability of LArTPCs to higher-rate environments. Methods that leverage amplification in argon enable measurements in the keV regime and below. Techniques to enhance collection of argon scintillation photons improve calorimetry and expand the physics program for very large detectors. Future efforts aim to demonstrate systems for the combined detection of both electrons and photons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a method for precise monitoring of the loop gain of transition edge sensors (TES) under electrothermal feedback. The measurement is implemented on the ICE DfMux electronics and operates simultaneously with Digital Active Nulling (DAN). It uses one additional bias sinusoid per TES and does not require any additional readout channels. The loop gain monitor is being implemented on the Simons Array and is an integral part of the baseline calibration strategy for the upcoming LiteBIRD satellite. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Time-division multiplexing is the readout architecture of choice for many ground and space experiments, as it is a very mature technology with proven outstanding low-frequency noise stability, which represents a central challenge in multiplexing. Once fully populated, each of the two BICEP Array high-frequency receivers, observing at 150 GHz and 220/270 GHz, will have 7776 TES detectors tiled on the focal plane. The constraints set by these two receivers required a redesign of the warm readout electronics. The new version of the standard multichannel electronics, developed and built at the University of British Columbia, is presented here for the first time. BICEP Array operates time-division multiplexing readout technology to the limits of its capabilities in terms of multiplexing rate, noise and cross talk, and applies them in rigorously demanding scientific application requiring extreme noise performance and systematic error control. Future experiments like CMB-S4 plan to use TES bolometers with time-division/SQUID-based readout for an even larger number of detectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Digital Frequency-Domain Multiplexing (DfMux) is a technique that uses MHz superconducting resonators and Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) arrays to read out sets of transition edge sensors. DfMux has been used by several Cosmic Microwave Background experiments, including most recently POLARBEAR-2 and SPT-3 G with multiplexing factors as high as 68, and is the baseline readout technology for the planned satellite mission LiteBIRD. Here, we present recent work focused on improving DfMux readout noise, reducing parasitic impedance, and improving sensor operation. We have achieved a substantial reduction in stray impedance by integrating the sensors, resonators, and SQUID array onto a single-carrier board operated at 250 mK. This also drastically simplifies the packaging of the cryogenic components and leads to better-controlled crosstalk. We demonstrate a low readout noise level of 8.6 pA / Hz 1 1 / 2, which was made possible by operating the SQUID array at a reduced temperature and with a low dynamic impedance. This is a factor of two improvement compared to the achieved readout noise level in currently operating Cosmic Microwave Background experiments using DfMux and represents a critical step toward maturation of the technology for the next generation of instruments.

Electrical resonators are usually characterized by their resonance frequency, attenuation and quality factor. External quantities can affect these parameters, resulting in a characteristic change in the resonator, which can be used as a sensor effect. This work presents a new concept and electronic device for the continuous recording of resonator characteristics using single-sideband modulation. A test signal consisting of a center frequency and two sidebands is generated and the center frequency is set close to the resonator's resonance frequency while the two sidebands are adjusted symmetrically around the center frequency. By exiting the resonator with the test signal and demodulating the resulting output into individual frequency components, a continuous measurement of the attenuation is possible. The center frequency is adjusted so that both sidebands have equal attenuation, resulting in a center frequency that corresponds to the resonance frequency of the resonator. If the resonator does not show a symmetrical frequency response, the sideband attenuation ratio can be adjusted accordingly. Continuous recording of the resonator characteristics at a sampling rate of 100 Sps was verified using a digitally tunable RLC series resonator with resonance frequencies between 250 MHz and 450 MHz, resulting in a maximum error below 1.5%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To monitor the position and profile of therapeutic carbon beams in real-time, in this paper, we proposed a system called HiBeam-T. The HiBeam-T is a time projection chamber (TPC) with forty Topmetal-II- CMOS pixel sensors as its readout. Each Topmetal-II- has 72 × 72 pixels with the size of 83 μm × 83 μm. The detector consists of the charge drift region and the charge collection area. The readout electronics comprise three Readout Control Modules and one Clock Synchronization Module. This Hibeam-T has a sensitive area of 20 × 20 cm and can acquire the center of the incident beams. The test with a continuous 80.55 MeV/u 12C6+ beam shows that the measurement resolution to the beam center could reach 6.45 μm for unsaturated beam projections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article will review recent progress in cryogenic CMOS designs for future scaled quantum computing applications. After introducing the scaling challenges associated with qubit control and readout electronics operating at room temperature, approaches taken to date to cryogenic control electronics design will be discussed, focusing on the most recent relevant publications. Elements of ultra-low power circuit and system design approaches for cryogenic controllers in scaled CMOS nodes (40nm to 14nm) will be reviewed, including a discussion of current state-of-the art cryogenic controller performance and power efficiency. Note that leading designs, when operated as transmon qubit state controllers, have achieved gate error rates in the range of 10-4 to 10-3 achieving spurious free dynamic range (SFDR) of ~40dB while consuming 4-23mW of power per qubit under active control, with power efficiency strongly driven by the complexity of the digital processor integrated in the controller design. These demonstrations, while significant, are just the first steps toward achieving the performance, efficiency, and scalability that will be required for future systems. This review article will discuss fundamental tradeoffs in CMOS cryogenic designs in order to address the needs of future scaled quantum computing systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an overview of silicon-based optical sensors for the measurement of light in the visible spectrum range. The review is focused on sensors based on CMOS (complementary metal-oxide semiconductor) technology due to the high availability, low cost, ease of prototyping, and well-established fabrication processes. CMOS technology allows integration with the CMOS readout and control electronics in the same microdevice, featuring high-volume fabrication with high-reproducibility and low-cost. This review starts with an explanation of the phenomena behind opto-electronic transduction. It also presents and describes the most common components responsible for optical transduction, readout electronics, and their main characteristics. This review finishes with the presentation of selected applications to grasp where and how these sensors can be used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We are building a high sensitivity preclinical PET/MRI insert using a highly multiplexed light sharing PET module. Each module incorporates four 19 × 19 arrays of 1 × 1 × 20 mm3 LYSO crystals with dual-ended DOI encoding readout, requiring 32 readout channels for positioning and eight channels for timing. These constraints necessitate compact, robust electronics for digitization. We have characterized four linearized time-over-threshold circuits based on these detector requirements. The four circuits allow for high channel density and can digitize signals from highly multiplexed light sharing detectors. Each circuit digitizes one channel of a multiplexed SiPM array, yielding a binary output that interfaces directly with an FPGA. Using the optimal circuit, we have characterized the performance of a pair of PET modules. The four circuits were characterized based on linearity of the 22Na photopeak positions and energy resolution at 511 keV, as well as separation of elements in a 10 × 10 array of 1.2 mm LYSO crystals coupled with a specular reflector. Practical measures of performance were comparable to those obtained with a DRS evaluation board, which served as a reference acquisition system. The ratio of the 22Na photopeak positions was 2.0 for each circuit and the reference system, implying 20% saturation due to the SiPM. PET energy resolution of the optimal circuit was 11.8% FWHM for a single crystal versus 12.6% for the reference system, and crystals were equally well separated in all cases. PCBs implementing the optimal readout circuit were fabricated and used to construct two complete detector modules. Crystals in each of the four blocks in the module were well resolved, with a mean energy resolution of 24.4 ± 4.7%. Two modules operating in coincidence showed a single detector timing resolution of 3.0 ns, which is appropriate for preclinical applications.

Abstract In this paper, a novel Resistive Random‐Access Memory (RRAM) read circuit has been designed and verified by simulation based on the RRAM model and parasitic capacitance of the circuit. Simulation results demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed circuit, with accurate reading of RRAM states and fast reading speed in the nanosecond range. The sense margin of the proposed circuit has improved as the array size increases, enhancing its application for advanced node RRAM array manufacture. Compared with conventional circuits, the proposed circuit achieved power consumption reduction of 6% and area reduction of 46.9 um2, resulting in a 97.5% reduction in area, providing an effective solution to address the cost and chip size challenges associated with RRAM industrialization.

In this paper, a novel Resistive Random‐Access Memory (RRAM) read circuit has been designed and verified by simulation based on the RRAM model and parasitic capacitance of the circuit. Simulation results demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed circuit, with accurate reading of RRAM states and fast reading speed in the nanosecond range. The sense margin of the proposed circuit has improved as the array size increases, enhancing its application for advanced node RRAM array manufacture. Compared with conventional circuits, the proposed circuit achieved power consumption reduction of 6% and area reduction of 46.9 um2, resulting in a 97.5% reduction in area, providing an effective solution to address the cost and chip size challenges associated with RRAM industrialization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The External-target Experiment (CEE) at the Cooling Storage Ring of the Heavy-Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou (HIRFL-CSR) will be the first large-scale experiment in nuclear physics independently developed in China covering the GeV energy regime. The beam monitor located at the center front of the CEE accurately measures the position of the particles with a few tens of um accuracy in a non-interceptive way. This unique advantage significantly improves the accuracy of the particle track reconstructions. This beam monitor's readout electronics consist of the Front-end module (FEM), Readout Control Module (RCM), and Clock Synchronization module (CSM). Twhe novel Topmetal series pixel sensors directly collect the ionized charge along the track of the ion beam while it passes through the gas in the beam monitor. Lab test proves that the readout electronics have an INL of less than 1%. In addition, the prototype beam monitor can measure the position of the 40Ar beam of 320 MeV/u with a resolution of ~6.9 μm. This paper will discuss the design, characterization, and test of the readout electronics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Split-ring resonators (SRR) are simple electrical circuits that show a significant shift in resonance frequency even with the smallest changes in split capacitance, and thus in permittivity, electric conductivity, and dielectric losses of the split capacitor's dielectric. Usually, the resonance frequency is derived from the frequency response, but recording the frequency spectrum takes a certain amount of time. Here, we present a new capillary split-ring resonator CaSRR with fast readout for liquid chromatography (LC), which is capable of accurately detecting very fast changes in split capacity. The proposed method is based on the detection of the transmitted signal at a single frequency that is analyzed by demodulation. The demodulated signal changes its amplitude depending on the shift of the resonance frequency. Our simple low-cost electronics enables an average sampling rate of 42 Hz with 128 averages of the demodulated signal and has a frequency stability of 840 mHz. Thus, a minimum change in permittivity of Δεr,min = 11.26 × 10−3 can be detected. Finally, a chromatogram of one sugar (glucose) and one sugar alcohol (xylitol) is recorded using the SRR and is compared to a standard refractive index detector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we present the design, fabrication and characterization of a microfluidic device and a dedicated electronic system to perform 8 multiplexed electrochemical measurements of synthetic miRNA strands, as well as the biochemical protocols developed for the functionalization of the electrodes and the quantification experiments. The outcomes of this work highlight that the parallelization of eight microchannels containing 2-electrode cells driven by the dedicated electronics offers a solution as robust as a conventional 3-electrode cell and commercially available potentiostats. In addition, this solution presents the advantage of simultaneously reduce the microfabrication complexity, as well as offering an integrated; multiplexed and portable system for the quantification of miRNA. The results presented demonstrate that the system shows a linear response on concentrations down to 10−18 mol/L of perfect matched reporter and capture sequences of synthetic miRNA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photodetectors based on a Ge-on-Si platform were widely studied over the last two decades, rapidly becoming the technology of choice for CMOS-integrated optoelectronic systems operating in the near infrared. Recently, we demonstrated a proof-of-concept device realized with a back-to-back, Ge-on-Si double photodiode with dual-band optical sensitivity and voltage-tunability characteristics. Such a device represents the cornerstone for the development of integrated imaging systems operating both in the visible and in the near infrared spectral ranges. To achieve this ambitious goal, however, several technology improvements are needed starting from the fabrication of a multipixel array of dual-band photodetectors. Moreover, given the peculiar electronic behavior of the proposed device, specific readout electronics must be developed and integrated onto a CMOS platform. In this paper we demonstrate the operation of a Ge-on-Si multipixel array with a custom-developed readout integrated chip. We show a complete system characterization, also demonstrating its imaging capabilities with a simple experiment for the determination of the intensity profile of two different laser beams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study describes a new method to compensate bias heating effects for microbolometer readout circuits using a finely adjustable CMOS resistance as a reference. The proposed self calibrated cooler-less structure dynamically modifies CMOS resistance during integration time. This compensation structure also includes a feedback loop, which forces the oscillators to work in the linear region. The proposed self calibration circuit is designed and simulated using a 65-nm process node, and achieves 40 mK NETD (Noise Equivalent Temperature Difference) value for one percent resistance non-uniformity of pixel resistance values across one row. The layout area of this circuit occupies approximately one third of the layout area used by classical readout circuits. The circuit dissipates one third of power compared with classical microbolometer readout approaches. • Automatic Self-Heating Calibration Method. • Row-based Self-heating calibration to eliminate substrate temperature drift of classical microbolometer readout. • Low Supply Voltage and Low Area Microbolometer Readout Architecture. • VCO-based microbolometer Readout Circuit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cosmic ray muon has strong penetrating power and no ionizing radiation hazards, which makes it an ideal probe for detecting special nuclear materials (SNMs). In this article, a high spatial resolution muon tomography system based on Micromegas detectors is proposed to optimize the imaging time and quality. The proposed system includes eight Micromegas detectors based on the thermal bonding technique and a scalable readout system. In addition, a multiplexing method based on position encoding is developed to reduce the number of electronics channels by order of magnitude. The spatial resolution of the proposed system with encoding readout can reach a value of hundred micrometers. Finally, a tomography test is performed, and test results show that this proposed system can image 2-cm objects and distinguish different materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ORION chipset, a full-custom multichip readout and processing electronics for the X- $\gamma $ -ray imaging spectrometer (XGIS) on-board the transient high-energy sky and early universe surveyor (THESEUS) space mission, is presented. The XGIS detection plane is arranged in a matrix of 10 $\times $ 10 detection modules, each one composed of 64 CsI(Tl) scintillation bars (4.5 mm $\times $ 4.5 mm $\times $ 30 mm) optically coupled at the top and bottom ends to two 8 $\times $ 8 monolithic silicon drift detector (SDD) matrices. The top SDD, exposed to the X-ray entrance window, performs the double function of low-energy X-ray detection as well as scintillator’s readout, together with the bottom SDD, providing detection and spectroscopic energy range from 2 keV up to 20 MeV. The need to achieve a high-energy resolution, as well as a high sensitive area on the detection plane, led to the development of a chipset organized to have a minimum-area analog readout chip placed in close proximity of the SDD (ORION-FE) and a mixed-signal back-end (ORION-BE) placed a few centimeters further on the back-end board for the additional signal processing and digitization. The multichip readout electronics integrates two dedicated analog processors for low-energy photons up to 30 keV (X-processor) and high-energy photons up to 5 MeV ($\gamma $ -processor), allowing a spectroscopy-grade resolution in the 4 decades energy band (2 keV–20 MeV) of the XGIS, with a simulated power consumption of 1.55 mW/pixel. The ORION prototype was bonded to two ~25 mm2 SDDs, and extensively characterized in terms of pulse shaping, pulse discrimination, and stretching functionality, as well as linearity, dynamic range, and spectroscopic resolution. An optimum equivalent noise charge (ENC) at −20 °C of 24.3 el. r.m.s. on the X-channel [212 eV full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) on Si], and 39.6 el. r.m.s. on the $\gamma $ -channel [3.7 keV FWHM on CsI(Tl)] has been recorded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated circuits are widely used in space devices, for which we are very concerned about the occurrence of a Single Event Effect (SEE). The Hi'Beam-SEE will be a novel platform for micrometer-level SEE study at the Heavy Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou. The heavy ion positioning system in the Hi'Beam-SEE, based on silicon pixel sensors, accurately localizes each particle within the beam. The laser and heavy ion test results show that the heavy ion positioning system can achieve a spatial resolution of ∼ 2 μ m. This paper will discuss the design and performance of the heavy ion positioning system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The radiation field environment outside the Earth varies greatly with space location and the cycle of solar activity, and the radiation environment near the space station's orbit is much more complex than that on the Earth's surface. Various high-energy cosmic ray particles and secondary particles produced by them and the bulkhead of the space station greatly impact the health of astronauts and the working conditions of instruments. Each aircraft is always equipped with some dedicated radiation monitoring instruments to assess the exposure risk for astronauts, and to analyze the causes of instrument failures. The Space Radiation Detector Module (SRDM) is working in the China Space Station (CSS) to measure the radiation environment inside, including two parts: the Charged Particle Detection System (CPDS) and the Neutron Detection System (NDS). The CPDS, which is the main content of this paper, contains a detector unit, that consists of three silicon detectors a BGO calorimeter, and the corresponding readout electronics unit of the detector unit. Ground test results show that the detection system can detect various charged particles from hydrogen to nitrogen ions with an energy resolution of less than 15%. The actual measurement results for a period in orbit show that the main types of charged particles in the cabin are protons and α particles, with measured energies ranging from 0.8 to 265.2 MeV for protons and from 1.0 to 61.6 MeV/A for α particles(where A is the mass number), and linear energy density (LET) range mainly from 1.0 to 612.4 keV/ μ m. The radiation environment data measured in CSS can provide an important reference value for the exposure risk, life science experiments, and the status of instruments on board. • The SRDM is the first active radiation spectrometer and dosimeter used in CSS. • The CPDS of the SRDM can identify kinds of charged particles accurately. • Some effective radiation field data in CSS are obtained for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The High Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) is expected to deliver an integrated luminosity of 3000–4000 fb−1 with the peak instantaneous luminosity reaching to about 5–7.5 × 1034 cm−2s−1. During the Long Shutdown 3 period, several components of the CMS detector will undergo major changes, called Phase-2 upgrades, to be able to operate in the challenging environment of the HL-LHC. The current silicon strip tracker has to be replaced for operation in the HL-LHC period. The Phase-2 Outer Tracker will have high radiation tolerance, higher granularity, and the capability to handle higher data rates. Another key feature will be the ability to provide tracking information to the Level-1 trigger, allowing trigger rates to be kept at a sustainable level without sacrificing physics potential. For this, the Outer Tracker will be made out of modules that have two closely spaced silicon sensors read out by a common front-end ASIC, which can correlate hits in the two sensors creating short track segments, called stubs. The stubs will be used to reconstruct tracks in the Level-1 track finder. In this contribution, the design of the CMS Phase-2 Outer Tracker, the technological choices, and first results with pre-production devices will be reported focussing on the detector modules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A low gain avalanche detector (LGAD) represents a type of semiconductor detector with the advantages of high time precision and spatial granularity, and it has been widely studied worldwide. Considering the number of channels and density in the LGAD implementation process, array-structure application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) with a high-precision time measurement ability are required for the LGAD readout. In this study, a prototype ASIC named the LATIC1 for LGAD readout is proposed based on 130 nm CMOS technology. The proposed LATIC1 is a 5 × 5 array ASIC structure that consists of analog front-end circuits and integrated time-to-digital converters (TDCs). This type of ASIC structure is required to achieve a time precision of better than 25 ps for the input LGAD signal with an amplitude as small as 10 fC. To achieve this goal, a pre-amplifier structure using the trans -conductance of both PMOS and NMOS is adopted for achieving a higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). The amplified signals are discriminated into digital pulses and measured by the on-chip TDCs integrated into each channel. In addition, the on-chip design for test (DFT) circuits are integrated and used for ASIC calibration and performance evaluation for each channel. The test results indicate that a time precision of better than 25 ps, including the analog front-end and TDC circuits, can be successfully achieved with a 10-fC input charge and a 4-pF capacitance, which meets the application requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the Cooling storage ring External-target Experiment (CEE) in heavy ion research facility in Lanzhou (HIRFL), multigap resistive plate chambers (MRPCs) detectors are used for high-precision time-of-flight (TOF) measurement to identify the scattered particles after the ion beam hits the target. Regarding the external TOF (eTOF) and 2/3 internal TOF (iTOF) detectors, a ~25-ps rms time precision is required for the readout electronics, whereas for the other 1/3 iTOF detectors, a ~10-ps rms precision is required. A readout electronics prototype was designed, including the front-end electronics (FEE) based on analog signal amplification, discrimination, and the time-to-digital module (TDM), based on field-programmable gate array (FPGA) time-to-digital converter (TDC), to achieve high-precision time measurement. PreAmplifier-DIscriminator (PADI) is used in the design of the FEE, while an FPGA TDC, based on tapped delay line (TDL) structure, with a time precision performance better than 5-ps rms, is implemented in the TDM, as well as the trigger matching circuit and other control logic. The performance of the whole system was tested under different input signal charges and the results indicated that the time precision is better than 10-ps rms, which satisfies the application requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

J-PARC E16 is an experiment to examine the origin of hadron mass through a systematic measurement of spectral changes of vector mesons in nuclei. The measurement of $e^{+}e^{-}$ pairs from the decay of vector mesons will provide the information of the partial restoration of the chiral symmetry in a normal nuclear density. To resolve a pulse pile-up and achieve good discrimination of $e^{+}$ and $e^{-}$ from the background of a reaction rate of an order of 10 MHz, the data acquisition (DAQ) system uses waveform sampling chips of APV25 and DRS4. The trigger rate and data rate are expected to be 1 kHz and 120–330 MiB/s, respectively. The DAQ system for readout of APV25 and DRS4 were developed, where events were synchronized by common trigger and tag data. The first commissioning in beam, called Run-0a, was performed in June 2020 with about 1/4 of the designed setup. The DAQ worked with a trigger rate of 300 Hz in the Run-0a and the main bottleneck was a large data size of APV25. Further optimization of the DAQ system will improve the performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, a noninterceptive and high-accuracy beam position monitor, named Hi’Beam-A, has been designed for the accelerator of a heavy-ion therapy facility. The Hi’Beam-A consists of the detector subsystem and the readout subsystem. In the detector subsystem, the microchannel plate multiplies the ionized charge in the high vacuum chamber, and the novel Topmetal silicon pixel sensor directly collects the charge. The readout subsystem processes the data and calculates the beam position. Beam test results show that the Hi’Beam-A reaches an accuracy of $5~\mu \text{m}$. This article will present the design, characterization, and beam test of Hi’Beam-A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to be launched in late 2021, the imaging X-ray polarimetry explorer (IXPE) is a NASA Small Explorer mission designed to perform polarization measurements in the 2–8-keV band, complemented with imaging, spectroscopy, and timing capabilities. At the heart of the focal plane, there are a set of three polarization-sensitive gas pixel detectors, each based on a custom-integrated circuit acting as a charge-collecting anode, with their readout electronics. We designed an integrated test equipment based on the VMEbus protocol to characterize the performance of such detectors, debug the IXPE readout electronics, and perform stable data acquisitions to study the whole system. The test campaign was conducted to validate the readout processor against the mission requirements in more demanding conditions than the worst case foreseen for in-orbit operations. The test showed that the device under test could sustain an event rate with a 5.9-keV source, nearly twice the worst case of 300 Hz at 3 keV, with a dead time down to 1.1 ms. Additionally, we performed various scans in the readout electronics parameter space to optimize its performance in observing celestial sources. The success of the test campaign proved the robustness and reliability of the system in these conditions, legitimating its adoption for the IXPE mission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cosmic-Ray neutron sensors are widely used to determine soil moisture on the hectare scale. Precise measurements, especially in the case of mobile application, demand for neutron detectors with high counting rates and high signal-to-noise ratios. For a long time Cosmic Ray Neutron Sensing (CRNS) instruments have relied on 3He as an efficient neutron converter. Its ongoing scarcity demands for technological solutions using alternative converters, which are 6Li and 10B. Recent developments lead to a modular neutron detector consisting of several 10B-lined proportional counter tubes, which feature high counting rates via its large surface area. The modularity allows for individual shieldings of different segments within the detector featuring the capability of gaining spectral information about the detected neutrons. This opens the possibility for active signal correction, especially useful when applied to mobile measurements, where the influence of constantly changing near-field to the overall signal should be corrected. Furthermore, the signal-to-noise ratio could be increased by combining pulse height and pulse length spectra to discriminate between neutrons and other environmental radiation. This novel detector therefore combines high-selective counting electronics with large-scale instrumentation technology.