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Linear accelerators, like the Free-electron LASer in Hamburg (FLASH) or the European X-Ray Free Electron Laser (E-XFEL) take advantage of the digital Low Level Radio Frequency (LLRF) system to control the phase and amplitude of an electromagnetic field inside superconducting cavities. The real-time control LLRF system, processing data within a few microseconds, has to fulfil performance requirements and provide comprehensive monitoring and diagnostics. The AMC-based controller (DAMC-TCK7) board was developed as a general purpose high-performance low-latency data processing unit designed according to the PICMG MTCA.4 spec. The module provides the processing power, data memory, communication links, reference clock, trigger and interlock signals that are required in modern LLRF control systems. The module was originally designed as a cavity field stabilizing controller for standing-wave linear accelerators. However, the application of the board is much wider because it is a general purpose data processing module suitable for systems requiring low latency and high-speed digital signal processing. According to authors’ knowledge this is the first MTCA.4 module offering 12.5 Gbps links, unified Zone 3 connectivity and advanced Module Management Controller proposed by DESY. The DAMC-TCK7 card was used as a hardware template for the development of the other AMC modules of the XFEL accelerator’s LLRF system. This paper discusses the requirements for the digital real-time data processing module, presents the laboratory performance evaluation and verification in Cryo-Module Test Bench (CMTB) at DESY. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The performances of the OFFSET3 tracker (Optical Fiber Folded Scintillating Extended Tracker) are presented. It exploits a novel system for particle tracking, designed to achieve real-time particle imaging and tracking, large detection areas, and a high spatial resolution especially suitable for applications in medical diagnostics. The tracker is composed by two 288 \times 288~\mm^2 FOV position detectors stacked by 10 cm, made by 500 micron square scintillating fiber ribbons for both directions. The track position information is extracted in real-time in an innovative way, using a reduced number of readout channels, by means of which it is possible to obtain the large detection area with moderate cost and complexity. The architecture has been patented by the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN). The performances of the tracker were investigated by beta sources, cosmic rays, 60 MeV-250 MeV proton and 400 MeV/A carbon clinical beams. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In modern particle accelerators, radio frequency (RF) phase detectors have to fulfill high demands on stability and accuracy to meet the goals of state-of-the-art synchronization systems. Especially challenging are those cases where the RF signal phase shift accuracy must be measured with fs accuracy for several hours over the full 2 \pi phase detection range. In these cases special measures on the component’s nonlinearities and RF channel isolation have to be taken. The long-term stability of the phase detector is mostly affected by temperature and humidity variations. To meet the synchronization goals, we have built a phase detector that incorporates a high-speed dual analog-to-digital converter (ADC) with a special circuit for continuous phase drift calibration. In the calibration circuit we successfully combined the RF signal with an RF calibration signal (second tone) to compensate common phase drift that occurs in the microstrip lines, the RF transformers, and the ADC. The second-tone RF signals are directly converted to the digital domain by the fast ADC and, based on signal processing in the field-programmable gate array, are used to calculate the RF signal phase shift correction caused by detector drifts. In this paper, potential error sources of the analog and the digital part of the so-called two-tone calibration technique that limit the phase detector precision are discussed. Finally, the experimental results are presented showing a long-term phase measurement stability better than 0.01\ ^\circ \ pk-\ pk evaluated at an RF frequency of 1.3 GHz over a few days. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

High-speed X-ray imaging applications play a crucial role for non-destructive investigations of the dynamics in material science and biology. On-line data analysis is necessary for quality assurance and data-driven feedback, leading to a more efficent use of a beam time and increased data quality. In this article we present a smart camera platform with embedded Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) processing that is able to stream and process data continuously in real-time. The setup consists of a Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS) sensor, an FPGA readout card, and a readout computer. It is seamlessly integrated in a new custom experiment control system called Concert that provides a more efficient way of operating a beamline by integrating device control, experiment process control, and data analysis. The potential of the embedded processing is demonstrated by implementing an image-based trigger. It records the temporal evolution of physical events with increased speed while maintaining the full field of view. The complete data acquisition system, with Concert and the smart camera platform was successfully integrated and used for fast X-ray imaging experiments at KIT’s synchrotron radiation facility ANKA. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Three-dimensional (3D) photodiode detectors offer advantages over standard planar photodiodes in a range of applications, including X-ray detection for synchrotrons and medical imaging. The principal advantage of these sensors for X-ray imaging is their low charge sharing between adjacent pixels, which could improve spatial and spectral resolution. A 'double-sided' 3D detector has been bonded to a Medipix2 single-photon-counting readout chip, and tested in a monochromatic X-ray beam at the Diamond synchrotron. Tests of the 3D detector's response spectrum and its Line Spread Function have shown that it has substantially lower charge sharing than a standard planar Medipix2 sensor. Additionally, the 3D detector was used to image diffraction rings produced by a powdered silicon sample, demonstrating the detector's use in a standard synchrotron experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caliste project aims at hybridizing 1 cm² Cd(Zn)Te detectors with low noise front-end electronics, in a single component standing in a 1 × 1 × 2 cm³ volume. The micro-camera is a spectroscopic imager for X and gamma rays detection, with time-tagging capability. Hybridization consists in stacking full custom ASICs perpendicular to the detection surface. The first prototype Caliste 64 integrates a detector of 8 × 8 pixels of! mm pitch. Fabrication and characterizations of nine cameras units validate the design and the hybridization concept. Spectroscopic tests result in a mean energy resolution of ≈0.7 keV FWHTM at 14 keV and ∼0.85 keV FWHM at 60 keV using 1 mm-thick Al Schottky CdTe detectors biased at -400 V and cooled down to -15 °C. The new prototype called Caliste 256 integrates 16 × 16 pixels of 580 μm pitch in the same volume as Caliste 64. Electrical tests with the first sample fabricated without detector result in a mean equivalent noise charge of 64 e- rms (9.6 μs, no leakage current). Caliste devices are 4-side buttable and can be used as elementary detection units of a large hard X-ray focal plane, as for the 64 cm² high energy detector of the Simbol-X astronomical space mission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The National Space Institute, of the Technical University of Denmark is responsible for the selection and characterization of the CZT detector crystals for the X- and Gamma-ray instrument, MXGS, onboard ESA's Atmospheric Space Interaction Monitor (ASIM) mission. The first CZT pixel detector modules for MXGS have recently been delivered by Redlen. Measurements at the University of Bergen demonstrate that the detectors exhibit the expected spectral performance; however, it was also found that the detector modules showed unexplained pixel-to-pixel count rate variations. At The National Space Institute a series of measurements were initiated focusing on the pixel-to-pixel count rate variations. Collimated monochromatic X-ray beams were used to scan a number of Redlen pixel detectors. The main conclusion of these measurements is that the pixel-to-pixel count rate variations are correlated with variations in the effective pixel areas. These variations are likely related to non-uniformity of the internal electric detector field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CdTe thick films were prepared by vacuum deposition on amorphous substrates using MIBE technique. The growth was performed at different temperatures to investigate the development of the growth rate, surface morphology, structure and optical properties. Properties of films deposited with a single CdTe source are compared with films grown with an additional Cd source. The growth experiments are discussed with regard to demands for X-ray detector applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A CMOS charge readout ASIC (SD7110) for flat-panel X-ray detectors was designed and tested. This ASIC contains 128 readout channels, with each channel consisting of a charge sensitive amplifier, a correlated double sampler, and a track-and-hold circuit. Channel outputs are read out via a 128:1 analog multiplexer and fed into an external 16-bit A/D converter. Conversion gain can be selected from 0.25 V/pC to 8 V/pC. The ASIC operates using a +5.0 V single power supply, with power dissipation of 1.8 mW/channel. The equivalent noise charge (ENC) measured was 400 + 18.9 e-/pF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports that an x-ray emission computed tomography technique was demonstrated to diagnose the laser implosion uniformity of spherical targets. Method by which three-dimensional images were reconstructed; Capability of the imaging system.