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It is important to differentiate between natural and artificial radioactive materials such as plutonium in nuclear facilities. In this study, a scintillator-based alpha-particle detector was developed using YAP:Ce scintillator and Multi-Anode PhotoMultiplier Tube. The detector was used to measure various naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) samples including radon progeny, lead plate, lantern mantle, and radium ceramic ball. The measurement results were compared with Monte Carlo simulation calculations and were found to be in agreement. The energy resolution of the detector is 8.6%FWHM. In the measurement results of radon progeny, peaks of 212Bi (6.1 MeV), 214Po (7.7 MeV), and 212Po (8.8 MeV) can be observed. The lead plate contains 210Po and emits 5.3 MeV alpha particle. The simulation with the same energy was able to reproduce the actual measurement. The results showed the energy and distribution of the alpha particles emitted by the NORM samples. The study successfully demonstrated the capability of the developed alpha-particle detector in identifying NORM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CYGNO is an international collaboration with the aim of operating a ▪ optical time projection chamber (TPC) for directional Dark Matter (DM) searches and solar neutrino spectroscopy, to be deployed at the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS). A ▪/▪ (60/40) mixture is used, along with a triple Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) cascade to amplify the ionisation signal. The scintillation produced in the electron avalanches is read out using a scientific complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (sCMOS) camera. This solution has proven to provide very high sensitivity to interactions in the few ▪ energy range. The inclusion of a hydrogen-based gas will offer an even lighter target, resulting in a more efficient energy transfer in a DM particle collision, and consequently, a lower detection threshold. Additionally, longer track lengths of light nuclear recoils are easier to detect with a clearer direction. However, the addition of such gas will contribute to quenching the scintillation, jeopardizing the TPC performance. In this work, we demonstrate the feasibility of adding 1% to 5% isobutane to the ▪/▪ (60/40) mixture by measuring the respective absolute scintillation yield output. The overall scintillation produced in the charge avalanches is not drastically suppressed by quenching due to the isobutane addition. The presence of Penning transfer from excited He atoms to isobutane molecules increases the number of electrons in the avalanches, partially compensating for the loss of scintillation due to quenching. For the highest applied GEM voltage, the total number of photons produced in the avalanche per ▪ deposited in the absorption region presents a decrease of only a factor of about three, from 2.30 (20) × 10 4 to 8.2 (4) × 10 3 ▪, as the isobutane content increases from 0 to 5%. The quantification of the visible component of the scintillation shows that isobutane quenches both visible and ultraviolet (UV) photons emitted by ▪/▪. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The discrimination of α / β -particles based on Liquid Scintillation (LS) is a measurement technique that can be applied for environmental monitoring. This technique relies on the specific feature of the scintillation process yielding two decay components (fast and delayed) of the photon emission following a particle interaction in a LS sample; indeed, the intensity of the delayed component is higher for α -particles than for β -particles. When operating with a photon detector such as a PhotoMultiplier Tube (PMT), the Pulse-Shape Discrimination (PSD) is the traditional approach, relying on low-pass filtered signals allowing pulse-tail analysis for an α -particle identification. This paper presents a new α -particle detection method based on an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) that directly processes fast pulse trains produced by the delayed scintillation component of a single detector. The ANN is trained using an experimental dataset obtained with a single PMT channel connected in a 3-PMTs detection system from which triple coincidences resulting from α -interactions ( 241 A m) in a LS source are used for the single detector labeling. As we target a real-time implementation, the ANN is designed to minimize the computational resources. The classifier can operate with good performances (91.0% of correct classification, 8.5% false negative and 0.5% false positive) on a single-channel detector. [Display omitted] • Focus on the photons train from a scintillator instead of the integrated pulse shape. • α / β discrimination relying on an ANN which analyses the signal from a single PMT. • Training dataset labelization based on coincidence detection. • The coïncidence detection is performed using a 3-PMT TDCR experimental layout. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) is a state-of-the-art liquid scintillator-based neutrino physics experiment under construction in South China. To reduce the background from external radioactivities, a water Cherenkov detector composed of 35 kton ultra-pure water and 2,400 20-inch photomultiplier tubes is developed. Even after specialized treatment, ultra-pure water still contains trace levels of radioactive elements that can contribute to the detector background. Among which 222Rn is particularly significant. To address this, an online radon removal system based on the JUNO prototype has been developed. By integrating micro-bubble generators to enhance degasser's radon removal efficiency, the radon concentration in water can be reduced to 1 mBq/m3 level, meeting the stringent requirements of JUNO. Additionally, a highly sensitive online radon concentration measurement system capable of detecting concentrations ∼ 1 mBq/m 3 has been developed to monitor the radon concentration in water. In this paper, the details regarding both systems will be presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gd 3 Al 2 Ga 3 O 12 :Ce (GAGG) scintillators with different readout photo-sensors, a 2 × 2 matrix of four SensL ARRAY J-60035-4P-BGA silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs), and a HAMAMATSU R5505-70 photomultiplier (PMT) have been tested for neutrons obtained from neutron generators exploiting d-d and d-t reactions. It was demonstrated that neutrons having energy 2.8 MeV produce in the detector materials the spectrum of secondary particles, which is identical to the spectrum measured under thermal neutrons of the isotope sources. The pulse height spectra detected under 14.6 MeV neutrons were found to be quite different. Pulse shape discrimination (PSD) data processing technique was applied to separate neutron and γ-ray signals. The signals of secondary particles, protons, and α-particles were confidently distinguished at the strong background of the γ-rays. The results gathered open up the prospects of using the GAGG scintillator to identify neutrons generated in d-t reactions against a strong background of γ-rays. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • ECL immunosensor for three biomarkers in potential- and waveband-resolved dual-modes. • ECL intensity is stabilized by accumulation algorithm in waveband-resolved mode. • ECL spectrum is measured by high sensitive photomultiplier tube in wavelength scan. • ECL enhancement by reducing charge transfer resistance of the modified electrode. • Amounts of three capture antibodies immobilized were measured by mass-sensor method. Herein, a 3-channel band-bass filter (BPF) turntable was proposed to perform electrochemiluminescence (ECL) multiplexing immunoassay (MIA) in the spectrum- and potential-resolved determinations in a normal ECL analyzer. The simultaneous quantification of α-fetoprotein (AFP), carbohydrate antigen 125 (CA125) and carbohydrate antigen 19–9 (CA19-9) was achieved in one cathodic potential scan run. Stopped the BPF turntable at the indicator channel, AFP was determined in the potential range from 0 to –0.8 V by using perylene tetracarboxylic acid@ carboxylic carbon nanotubes (E p = –0.43 ∼ –0.45 V) as the ECL tag, with the limit of detection (LOD) of 0.53 fg mL−1. During the potential scanned from –0.8 to –1.6 V then back –0.8 V, the BPF turntable was rotated to perform the spectrum-resolved ECL MIA for CA125 and CA19-9, with nanocrystals of CdSe (λ max = 550 nm) and CdTe (λ max = 750 nm) as the ECL tags, respectively. A simple accumulative algorithm was used to obtain stable ECL intensity for spectrum measurement and enhance the sensitivity in ECL MIA. The LODs for CA125 and CA19-9 were 0.058 and 0.11 mU mL−1, respectively, which are close to those in the single immunoassays. The combination of the specially designed BPF turntable and single photomultiplier tube detector offers high sensitivity in the spectrum-resolved ECL biosensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phoswich (phosphor sandwich) systems composed of ZnS(Ag) and plastic dual scintillators have the ability to distinguish α and β particles via digital pulse-shape discrimination. In this work, a novel logistic regression algorithm based on time–frequency features (LR-TF) is presented and evaluated for its ability to digitally discriminate α and β particles in a mixed field. The LR-TF algorithm employs the charge comparison method (CCM) and Fourier gradient analysis (FGA) to extract time–frequency features from pulse shapes, thereby constructing a logistic regression model. Training of the model is shown to enable the discrimination α and β particles. The CCM, FGA, and LR-TF were applied to thousands of pulses obtained with a data acquisition system based on a Phoswich coupled with a silicon photomultiplier. The experimental results show that the LR-TF algorithm provided the best overall performance with misidentification ratios of 1.9 % and 0.63 % for α particles and β particles, respectively, achieving a figure of merit of 4.30, and an area under the receiver operating characteristic of 0.996. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The detection of alpha and beta contamination locations is important for decontaminating nuclear facilities. In the high radiation dose rate environment at the decommissioning sites, the contamination measurement by the workers is not effective. Thus, we developed a remote automatic contamination measurement system using a new scintillator-based detector. A 50 mmφ × 100-μm-thick YAlO 3 (Ce)(YAP:Ce) scintillator was coupled with a flat panel-type multianode photomultiplier tube. The detector was installed downwards at the bottom of a robot. It has an energy measurement capability, and the energy measurement could discriminate the alpha particles from the beta and 222Rn alpha particles. With the energy information, alpha and beta particles could be identified and mapped simultaneously. In addition, a slow-moving robot could be used to obtain statistically sufficient counts in a single run measurement, allowing the evaluation of surface contamination density using only alpha particles. The remote automatic contamination measurement system will be useful in visualizing the contamination distribution in environments that are inaccessible to workers. • We developed a remote automatic contamination measurement system that combines a YAP:Ce scintillation detector and various remote devices. • The energy measurement could discriminate the alpha particles from the beta and 222Rn alpha particles. • Low levels of contamination could be detected by the robot moving slowly based on the Minimum Detectable Activity (MDA) evaluation. • The remote automatic contamination measurement system will be useful in measuring the contamination distribution in environments that are inaccessible to workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High sensitivity and high resolution is desired in such technologies as neutron radiography. However, the contamination of gamma photons in neutron images decreases the accuracy of neutron radiography. To solve this problem, we developed an event-by-event based neutron imaging system that can selectively detect neutrons. The developed neutron imaging system consists of an Li–ZnS(Ag) scintillator plate optically coupled to a flat panel photomultiplier tube (FP-PMT) with a light guide. Scintillation light emitted from the Li–ZnS(Ag) by the interaction with neutron-induced particles is used to calculate the position based on the center of mass calculations. The spatial resolution of the neutron imaging detector is ∼2.3 mm FWHM, and the sensitivity for 252Cf at 2 cm from the source with 2-cm-thick polystyrene is 20 cps/MBq. Background count fraction from 60Co gamma photons was 0.2 %. For various types of neutron absorption phantoms, high-contrast and high-resolution neutron images are obtained with the developed neutron imaging detector using a252Cf neutron source. • An event-by-event based neutron imaging system that can selectively detect neutrons was developed. • The spatial resolution of the neutron imaging detector is ∼2.3 mm FWHM. • For various types of neutron absorption phantoms, high-contrast and high-resolution neutron images are obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New detectors for future high-energy physics experiments will operate under unprecedented radiation dose rates. This condition requires improved radiation resistance on detector equipment. The consequent development of new materials, particularly optical materials, becomes crucial. In this work, optical components mean reflectors, light absorbers, or light transmitters. These materials, reflectors or light transmitters, are needed in detectors primarily to collect and transmit light from the scintillator to the PMT. When it comes to light absorbers, they are required to protect the detector from light from the environment. This work aims at studying selected optical materials with improved properties (functional and optical) and radiation resistance that can be used in new detectors at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiments. Light transmittance, optical reflection, thermal characteristics, and radiation resistance were investigated to evaluate the proposed materials. We have developed optical systems based on siloxanes to continue our previous developments of radiation-resistant materials for radiation detectors. We also report a study of several reflective materials and light absorber introduced into the siloxane. Investigations have shown that these systems are radiation resistant to doses of at least 1 MGy. Tested samples were irradiated at linear electron accelerator LUE-40 in the National Science Center Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology (KIPT). The accelerated electrons were sent to the heavy complex targets to deliver the irradiation with gamma or neutron fluxes. The consequent gamma and neutron fluxes and doses were estimated with the GEANT4 simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we describe a new single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) device made up of two detectors (High Resolution System, HRS) integrated into a rotation structure suitable for preclinical imaging applications. The overall objective is to develop an improved scintigraphic system based on our previous detector having high spatial resolution. For this purpose, we have assessed the performance of the new position-sensitive photomultiplier tube (PSPMT) Hamamatsu H13700 with 256 anodes, which replaces the Hamamatsu H9500 model. The adoption of the new PSPMT required the development of a dedicated compact electronics: a new resistive chain readout was optimized and integrated with an ADC system. Moreover, the new detector was engineered from both the mechanical and the electronic point of view. In fact, the entire system was miniaturized in order to reduce the overall dimensions. Alternatively, to the LYSO scintillator used in the previous detector, we have evaluated the CRY018 scintillator crystal, which provides a high light output, a medium density, a short decay time and excellent energy resolution, obtaining high efficiency comparable with the LYSO scintillator. We assessed the detector with the H13700 coupled with LYSO and CRY018 crystals of the same size. The H13700 model shows better quantum efficiency on crystal emission light than the H9500, and besides, the light collection near the edges has improved. Moreover, the use of CRY018 is preferred over the LYSO matrix for issues related to the reduced natural radioactivity of 176Lu. The experimental results were confirmed by an extensive evaluation carried out by GATE/GEANT4 Monte Carlo simulations. Finally, the performance results achieved, pave the way to the development of a Small Animal Imaging SPECT made up by two detectors based on the H13700 coupled with CRY018 crystal array. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

CLLBC(Ce) and TLYC(Ce) are novel scintillation materials capable of measuring mixed gamma ray and neutron radiation fields that have gained significant interest in the areas of space and nuclear safety/security science. To date Geant4, the world's most popular Monte Carlo radiation modelling toolkit, has yet to be effectively used to simulate the full response of these materials when coupled to near ultra-violet Silicon PhotoMultipliers (SiPMs). In this work an experimentally validated Geant4 application has been developed with optimised material composition, optical data tables, and physics transport settings that is able to accurately simulate the response of CLLBC(Ce) and TLYC(Ce) SiPM-based radiation detectors under both gamma ray and neutron irradiation. Experimental benchmarking for five different radioactive sources (Co-60, Cs-137, Eu-152, Am-241, and Cf-252) illustrated that this developed Geant4 application was able to reproduce the position and structure of all major spectral features (full energy gamma ray photo-/neutron capture peaks, X-ray escape photopeaks, Compton edge, Compton backscatter peaks, and Compton plateau) to high level of accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main task of the Top Tracker detector of the neutrino reactor experiment Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) is to reconstruct and extrapolate atmospheric muon tracks down to the central detector. This muon tracker will help to evaluate the contribution of the cosmogenic background to the signal. The Top Tracker is located above JUNO's water Cherenkov Detector and Central Detector, covering about 60% of the surface above them. The JUNO Top Tracker is constituted by the decommissioned OPERA experiment Target Tracker modules. The technology used consists in walls of two planes of plastic scintillator strips, one per transverse direction. Wavelength shifting fibres collect the light signal emitted by the scintillator strips and guide it to both ends where it is read by multianode photomultiplier tubes. Compared to the OPERA Target Tracker, the JUNO Top Tracker uses new electronics able to cope with the high rate produced by the high rock radioactivity compared to the one in Gran Sasso underground laboratory. This paper will present the new electronics and mechanical structure developed for the Top Tracker of JUNO along with its expected performance based on the current detector simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outer water buffer is an economic option to shield the external radiative backgrounds for liquid-scintillator neutrino detectors. Since the refractive index of the liquid scintillator is larger than that of water, the consequential total internal reflection of scintillation light at the media boundary introduces extra complexity to the detector optics. This paper develops a precise detector-response model by investigating how total internal reflection complicates photon propagation and degrades reconstruction. We first parameterize the detector response by regression, providing an unbiased energy and vertex reconstruction in the total internal reflection region while keeping the number of parameters under control. From the experience of event degeneracy at the Jinping prototype, we identify the root cause as the multimodality in the reconstruction likelihood function, determined by the refractive index of the buffer, detector scale and PMT coverage. To avoid multimodality, we propose a straightforward criterion based on the expected photo-electron-count ratios between neighboring PMTs. The criterion will be valuable for the success in future liquid-scintillator detectors by guaranteeing the effectiveness of event reconstruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to recent development in detector technology, photon-counting computed tomography (PCCT) has become a rapidly emerging medical imaging technology. Current PCCT systems rely on the direct conversion of X-ray photons into charge pulses, using CdTe, CZT, or Si semiconductor detectors. Indirect detection using ultrafast scintillators coupled to silicon photomultipliers (SiPM) offers a potentially more straightforward and cost-effective alternative. In this work a new 2D perovskite scintillator, benzylamonium lead bromide (BZA) 2 PbBr 4 , is experimentally characterised as function of temperature. The material exhibits a 4.2 ns decay time under X-ray excitation at room temperature and a light yield of 3700 photons/MeV. The simulation tool developed by Van der Sar et al. was used to model the pulse trains produced by a SiPM-based (BZA) 2 PbBr 4 detector. The fast decay time of (BZA) 2 PbBr 4 results in outstanding count-rate performance as well as very low statistical fluctuations in the simulated pulses. These features of (BZA) 2 PbBr 4 , combined with its cost-effective synthesis make (BZA) 2 PbBr 4 very promising for PCCT. • PCCT systems using ultrafast scintillators and SiPMs a straight forward and cost-effective alternative to direct detection. • Solution grown 2D perovskites are an interesting and versatile class of materials for specific scintillation applications. • The short life time of (BZA)2PbBr4 results in outstanding count-rate performance and low statistical fluctuations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have used the TOPAS simulation framework to model the direct conversion of 511 keV gamma rays to electrons in a micro-channel plate (MCP) constructed from thin laminae of a heavy-metal-loaded dielectric such as lead-glass, patterned with micro-channels (LMCP). The laminae serve as the converter of the gamma ray to a primary electron within a depth from a channel-forming surface such that the electron penetrates the channel surface ('surface direct conversion'). The channels are coated with a secondary-emitting material to produce electron multiplication in the channels. The laminae are stacked on edge with the channels running from the top of the resulting 'slab' to the bottom; after assembly the slab is metalized top and bottom to form the finished LMCP. The shape of the perimeter of a lamina determines the dimensions of the slab at the lamina location in the slab, allowing non-uniform cross-sections in slab thickness, width, and length. The slab also can be non-planar, allowing curved surfaces in both lateral dimensions. The laminar construction allows incorporating structural elements in the LMCP for modular assembly in large-area arrays. The channels can be patterned on the laminae surfaces with internal shapes and structure, texture, and coatings optimized for specific applications and performance. The channels can be non-uniform across the LMCP and need not be parallel in either transverse direction. Surface direct conversion of the gamma ray to an electron eliminates the common two-step conversion of the gamma ray into an optical photon in a scintillator followed by the conversion of the photon into an electron in a photodetector. The simulations predict an efficiency for conversion of 511 keV gamma rays of ⪆ 30% for a 2.54 cm-thick lead-glass LMCP. The elimination of the photocathode allows assembly at atmospheric pressure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The trajectory of the fast ions of HL-2M tokamak is simulated. • The probe of the FILP has been designed, and the strike area was obtained. • A comprehensive description of the new FILP system on the HL-2M tokamak. The fast ion loss detector provides information on the pitch angle and gyroradius of the lost fast ions when energetic ion-driven MHD instability occurs. Based on the device's operating parameters, a fast ion loss detector system based on a scintillator detector was designed and developed on the HL-2M tokamak. In this paper, the trajectory of fast ions on HL-2M is simulated by a self-developed program. The detector used in this system is a ZnS: Ag (23×58 mm2) scintillation detector, which can measure the loss of fast ions at large angles. The light signal emitted by the scintillator will be divided into two paths through the spectroscope. One path transmits light signals to a high-speed camera to capture real-time lossless fast ion evolution images. The other path reaches the photomultiplier tube array to measure the loss rate of fast ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the future JET deuterium-tritium (DT) campaigns numerous gamma-ray diagnostics, in particular the JET Gamma-ray Camera (GC) and the JET Gamma-ray Spectrometer (GS), were upgraded in the last few years. The upgrade of GC and GS included replacement of detector modules in order to allow operation at expected high count rate of ∼0.5 Mcps on the scintillator front surface of 506 mm2 for each GC crystal and 7 squared inches for GS as well as to improve energy resolution to equal or better than 5% at gamma-ray energy above 1.1 MeV for both diagnostics. Within the JET4 Enhancements Project, performance of a number of photodetectors including multi-pixel photon counter (MPPC), PIN diode and photomultiplier tube (PMT) connected to scintillators was investigated. Upgraded detector modules are based on fast scintillators with a decay time of about 20 ns, LaBr 3 :Ce and CeBr 3 , coupled to MPPC and PMT for GC and GS, respectively. Results on energy resolution obtained with upgraded diagnostics, already installed at JET, are presented and compared to those collected in laboratory conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A newly developed segmented YSO scintillator detector was implemented for the first time at the RI-beam Factory at RIKEN Nishina Center as an implantation-decay counter. The results from the experiment demonstrate that the detector is a viable alternative to conventional silicon-strip detectors with its good timing resolution and high detection efficiency for β particles. A Position-Sensitive Photo-Multiplier Tube (PSPMT) is coupled with a 48 × 48 segmented YSO crystal. To demonstrate its capabilities, a known short-lived isomer in 76Ni and the β decay of 74Co were measured by implanting those ions into the YSO detector. The half-lives and γ -rays observed in this work are consistent with the known values. The β -ray detection efficiency is more than 80 % for the decay of 74Co. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A detector that can distinguish alpha from beta particles is valuable for detecting alpha emitters from contamination at and around the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP), and other nuclear facility decontamination sites. We developed a prototype alpha/beta particle detector using a pulse shape discrimination (PSD) capable organic scintillator, a silicon photomultiplier, and a waveform digitizer. The charge integration PSD technique was used to separate alpha and beta particles. We compared the PSD figure of merit (FOM) values of two scintillators (EJ-299-33 and stilbene), and found that the stilbene (FOM = 1. 61) performance was superior to the EJ-299-33 (FOM = 0. 56) performance, measured using an 241 Am source (5.5 MeV alpha particle emission) and a 90 Sr source. Additionally, the stilbene showed good energy resolution (23.6 %FWHM for 5.5 MeV alpha particles). In the pulse height spectrum for the 90 Sr ∕ 90 Y source, the lower energy portion ( 90 Sr) and the higher energy portion ( 90 Y) could be separated. To demonstrate the detector's separation ability, the 232 Th source was measured. The measurements demonstrated the alpha and beta particle separation, and alpha and beta spectra were obtained simultaneously, which was not possible when using commercial detectors such as a ZnS(Ag) scintillation detector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract We investigate the performance of Fourier-based neutron/gamma Pulse Shape Discrimination (PSD) algorithms applied to plastic scintillators that are coupled to silicon photomultipliers (SiPM). The detector acquired data from a mixed fast neutron and gamma field which was emitted from an AmBe source. Pulses produced from the detector were fully digitised for off-line analysis with the algorithms. We describe the performance of two Fourier-based PSD algorithms, Fourier Gradient Analysis (FGA) and Fourier Area Analysis (FAA), and compare their performance to the Charge Comparison Method (CCM). To compare the algorithms' PSD performance the figure of merit (FoM) was calculated at various energies for each of the algorithms. The CCM analysed the pulses in the time domain whereas the other two algorithms processed the pulses within the frequency domain. Moreover, the detector was tested with different acquisition record lengths, in order to determine any impact on algorithm performance. It was determined that the FAA algorithm provided the best overall performance achieving a FoM of 1.57(1) at 1 MeV ee with a 1.6 µs record length. Furthermore, the detector was tested using different load resistors which allowed the decay time of the pulses to be optimised. The influence of SiPM pulse decay time on the performance of the PSD algorithms is also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract We report on the position, timing, and energy resolution of a range of plastic scintillator bars and reflector treatments using dual-ended silicon photomultiplier readout. These measurements are motivated by the upcoming construction of an optically segmented single-volume neutron scatter camera, in which neutron elastic scattering off of hydrogen is used to kinematically reconstruct the location and energy of a neutron-emitting source. For this application, interaction position resolutions of about 10 mm and timing resolutions of about 1 ns are necessary to achieve the desired efficiency for fission-energy neutrons. The results presented here indicate that this is achievable with an array of 5 × 5 × 190 mm 3 bars of EJ-204 scintillator wrapped in Teflon tape, read out with SensL's J-series 6 × 6 mm 2 silicon photomultipliers. With two independent setups, we also explore the systematic variability of the position resolution, and show that, in general, using the difference in the pulse arrival time at the two ends is less susceptible to systematic variation than using the log ratio of the charge amplitude of the two ends. Finally, we measure a bias in the absolute time of interactions as a function of position along the bar: the measured interaction time for events at the center of the bar is ∼ 100 ps later than interactions near the SiPM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The design, simulation, fabrication, calibration, and performance of the GlueX Start Counter detector are described. The Start Counter was designed to operate at integrated rates of up to 9 MHz with a timing resolution in the range of 500 to 825 ps (FWHM). The Start Counter provides excellent solid angle coverage, a high degree of segmentation for background rejection, and can be utilized in the level 1 trigger for the experiment. It consists of a cylindrical array of 30 thin scintillators with pointed ends that bend towards the beam line at the downstream end. Magnetic field insensitive silicon photomultiplier detectors were used as the light sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Pulse digitization at high rates has paved the way for the use of complex, non-standard algorithms, beyond the conventional constant fraction discriminator (CFD) option to obtain the time-stamps of gamma photons arriving to nuclear detectors. Detector pulses can be shaped with digital filters in digital signal processing (DSP) hardware or software, and timestamps can be derived by interpolating or extrapolating the acquired samples. Digitized pulses can be stored in a computer for off-line analysis allowing for many different algorithm variations to be tried on the same data. One difficulty is that the number of filters and parameters to be tuned in order to optimize the timing performance may become too large to be done by hand. For this, in this work we use a genetic algorithm to tune in-silico digital filters, digital time pickup algorithms and their associated parameters. The data set consisted of 500,000 pulses obtained from the last dynode of two ultrafast photomultiplier tubes (model R9779 by Hamamatsu) coupled to monolithic fast inorganic LaBr 3 (Ce) scintillators, in a truncated cone geometry 1.5 × 1 × 1.5". With finely tuned conventional (CFD+TAC) timing electronics, a CRT of 155 ps (FWHM) for a 60Co source has been measured by our group, within the state of the art for detectors of this size. Our alternate digital, in-silico implementation of CFD+TAC, fine-tuned with the same parameters obtained during manual adjustment of the conventional DAQ and applied to pulses digitized at 5 GS/s and 14 bits of vertical resolution, reproduces the performance of the conventional DAQ. On the other hand, a genetic algorithm (GA) is employed to optimize digital recursive filters with up to 8 parameters, and different time-pickup strategies (upper level thresholding, CFD, time extrapolation). The same 500,000 pulses are employed for which the GA finds several families of filters outperforming the manually tuned algorithm by more than 10%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract In the first part of this paper the various characteristics of SiPMs that affect the use of SiPMs in gamma spectroscopy using scintillators, are reviewed. It covers SiPM gain, photon detection efficiency (PDE), after-pulses and cross-talk (which are responsible for the excess noise factor), dark noise, and linearity of response. In this respect the influence of the SiPMs' effective dead time on the linearity of the response is discussed. In the second part, the optimization of SiPM operation for the best energy resolution and linearity of response is presented. Finally, a number of tests on combinations of SiPM arrays of different sizes that are coupled to different scintillators used in gamma spectroscopy are reported (such as NaI(Tl), BGO, LaBr 3 , and LYSO are reviewed, including 3x3 inch NaI(Tl) and BGO tests. Besides the characterization of the different SiPMs used in scintillation detection and spectroscopy, a discussion is carried out concerning their present and future application in various fields of use — covering instrumentation for homeland security, environmental study, plasma physics and others. Highlights • The main performance parameters of SiPMs. • SiPMs in gamma spectroscopy using scintillators. • Present and future applications of SiPM arrays in gamma spectroscopy using scintillators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Compton cameras have been developed for almost fifty years in various fields (astronomy, medical imaging, safety and industrial inspections, etc.), employing different types of detectors. Their potential use has gained renewed interest with the emergence of high light yield scintillator crystals and silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs). This combination provides good performance and operation simplicity at an affordable cost, raising again the interest in this type of systems. SiPM-based Compton cameras are being assessed for diverse applications with promising results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cesium hafnium iodide (CHI) was reported as a novel red-emitting scintillator in our previous article, while optimization of the crystal quality and evaluation of the scintillation performance were insufficient. In this study, a large and transparent CHI single crystalline specimen was obtained using slow crystal growth speed. Coupled with a Si avalanche photo-diode, the full width at half maximum energy resolution was evaluated to be 4.2 ± 0.2% at 662 keV which was the best value among conventional red-emitting scintillators. The scintillation light output, non-proportional response of light output and scintillation decay were also evaluated with a photomultiplier tube. • Cs 2 HfI 6 scintillator was grown by the vertical Bridgman-Stockberger method. • Transparent single crystal was obtained at a slower growth speed than previous report. • Pulse height spectra and scintillation decay were measured. • The FWHM energy resolution was estimated to be 4.2 ± 0.2% at 662 keV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The notable feature of cadmium tungstate (CWO) is quite long (∼ 14. 5 μ s) decay time of its brightest scintillation component. In this paper, the technique and results of high dynamic range measurements of CWO afterglow are discussed. Samples were irradiated by bremsstrahlung of a ∼ 0.5 MeV, 6 μ s electron beam. The afterglow tail of the scintillation curve was measured down to the relative amplitude <10−5. At such intensities, a parasitic fluorescence of a photomultiplier essentially contributes to the total signal. The CWO light emission dynamics is determined by known scintillation components to at least 10−5 level. Constraints on the existence of a possible slower fluorescence component are discussed. Highlights • High dynamic range measurements of CdWO 4 afterglow are presented. • Samples were irradiated by the bremsstrahlung of a ∼ 0.5 MeV, 6 μ s electron beam. • The exponential decay of CdWO 4 scintillation continues to at least to 10−5 level. • Observed afterglow tail attributed to the excitation of the photomultiplier elements. • Constraints for a possible long-living fluorescence component are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This work compares the time resolution obtained from coincidence measurements using combinations of four types of silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs), five types of organic scintillators, and two timing algorithms. Organic scintillators in combination with SiPMs have shown to have equivalent or better time resolution and pulse shape discrimination (PSD) capability than with photo-multiplier tubes (PMTs). In addition, SiPMs are more compact and require low operating voltage. These factors have made them suitable for the development of compact neutron scatter cameras (NSCs) and potentially low-cost positron emission tomography (PET) systems. The following measurements analyze combinations of organic scintillators and SiPMs that could be used for these applications. Measurements and analyses assessed the time resolution of standard-output and fast-output pulses of the various scintillator and SiPM combinations. The coincidence measurements were performed using a Na-22 source to characterize time resolution where all coincident events above about a 40 keVee threshold were analyzed. Uncertainties were determined by applying bootstrapping to the acquired data sets. The full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the time difference distribution for each combination is reported as the time resolution of the system. For standard-output pulses, we found that using a digital implementation of analogue constant fraction discrimination (DIACFD) improved timing resolution greater than a single standard deviation for six of the fourteen tested combinations compared to using digital constant fraction discrimination (DCFD). Conversely, for fast-output pulses, DCFD with a moving average filter produced the best timing resolution. Among the tested non-PSD capable organic scintillators, EJ-228 coupled to a MicroFJ-SMA-60035 SensL SiPM yielded the best time resolution of 303 ± 4 ps for standard-output pulses and 227 ± 4 ps for fast-output pulses. The best time resolution found for PSD capable organic scintillators was obtained using Inrad Optics stilbene coupled to a MicroFJ-SMA-60035 SensL SiPM which yielded a time resolution of 428 ± 6 ps for standard-output pulses and 293 ± 4 ps for fast-output pulses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This work describes the theoretical and experimental performances of four alternatives to the original Hornyak Button-type device that was used in the construction of the Transient Reactor Test (TREAT) Facility hodoscope. The alternatives considered differ in geometry, construction and detection materials to improve performance while decreasing some of the negative aspects of the original device. A Geant4 model of the original Hornyak Button was developed as a benchmark to validate the physics modeled, which agreed well with the reported values. The four alternatives considered were (1) a homogenized ZnS:Ag/PMMA rectangular bar outfitted with silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs), (2) a layered ZnS:Ag/PMMA rectangular bar detector also outfitted with SiPMs, (3) a microstructured neutron detector (MSND) backfilled with hydrogenous material and (4) a pressurized, organic gaseous scintillator. In two scintillation devices, SiPMs were considered as a replacement for photomultiplier tubes for greater light collection. These alternatives were considered as they each had the potential to provide better signal-to-noise ratios, reduce Čerenkov light production, increase detection efficiency, and/or improve neutron-to-gamma discrimination. At comparable lengths, the layered design has been experimentally determined to yield an efficiency of 1.3% (the Hornyak button exhibits 0.4%), while studies on the performances of the other detectors are still underway. Highlights • Novel fast-neutron detectors were developed for hodoscope applications. • Advanced ZnS:Ag devices have low Cherenkov noise and high efficiency. • Hydrogenous MSND has very high predicted efficiency. • Layered ZnS:Ag/PMMA device exhibited best overall performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The light response of cesium iodide crystals was measured at temperatures of 303 K (30 °C) to 203 K (− 70 °C) and for gamma sources with energies from 17 keV to 835 keV. Two different methods were used to determine the properties of the CsI:Tl crystals. The first used classic analogue spectrometry equipment to check the dependence of energy resolution, intrinsic resolution, and non-proportionality parameters as a variations in temperature, excitation energy, and integration time. The second method registered the light pulses from the PMT without integrating or shaping circuits. At the current stage of the research, the authors have decided to maintain the thesis about the existence of three decay components in CsI:Tl crystals that was employed in previous studies - the light pulse decays were analyzed under this assumption. We observed that the light pulses slowed with a decrease in temperature. When the crystals were cooled from 303 K to 203 K, the fitted decay times increased significantly by factors of two to four. The non-proportionality of the three fitted components was also determined and it was found that the first and second (fast and slow components) exhibited positive non-proportionality while the third (tail component) presented a negative trend for non-proportionality at temperatures of 303 K–203 K. It was found that using sufficiently long integration times, to include compensating trends of all decay components, the light response of CsI:Tl could be proportional. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A novel 500- μ m-pitch silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) array designed to provide one-to-one coupling of finely separated scintillator arrays is presented. In addition to its weak scintillation light detection capability, the SiPM's low fabrication cost and easy handling are great advantages over traditional photomultiplier tubes for future medical tomography systems. In particular, the SiPM's compactness is one of its most attractive features for satisfying the high-resolution and counting rate requirements in energy-resolvable X-ray photon counting computed tomography. To this end, a 500- μ m-pitch 64-channel SiPM array prototype was fabricated and its basic performance was evaluated. Measurement results showed several useful features such as a recovery time of 8 ns and a gain of 1 × 1 0 6. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A new 64-channel mixed-signal ASIC is presented: PACIFIC. It was developed in TSMC 130 nm CMOS technology for the readout of the Scintillating Fibre Tracker, as a part of the LHCb upgrade. This detector is based on 250 μ m scintillating fibers readout by custom designed 128-channel silicon photomultiplier arrays. It will cover a total area of 340 m2, distributed over the 12 planes that compose it. The sensors are connected directly to PACIFIC without any interface components. The ASIC acquires the current pulses using a current conveyor. A fast double pole-zero cancellation shaper is used to minimize spillover. The charge is then collected using gated integrators, with a twofold interleaved scheme to minimize dead time. The resulting voltage level is digitized with a configurable 2 bit non-linear flash ADC. The output is a 320 Mbps differential signal produced by the serializers, which gather the results from four adjacent channels. Highlights • A new mix-signal silicon photomultiplier readout ASIC is presented. • Direct anode connection with voltage and impedance control at this node. • Fast shaping and integration with configurable 2-bit non-linear output. • It has demonstrated single photoelectron detection capability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The possibility to use a mini-phoswich detector to identify ions in the region of Z ∼ 10 is explored in the framework of the NUMEN project. The NUMEN program, aimed at the investigation of the nuclear matrix elements connected to the neutrinoless double beta decay by means of double charge exchange nuclear reactions, foresees very high fluencies, which prevent the use of standard silicon as stop detectors. The need of reasonable radiation hardness, together with a total energy resolution around 2% and a high granularity, makes scintillators possible candidates. Promising results are obtained using an array of plastic + inorganic phoswich scintillators readout by means of Silicon Photo Multipliers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The IRIS group of IFIC-Valencia is developing a Compton telescope for treatment monitoring in hadron therapy. The system is composed of three detector layers, each of them consisting of a monolithic LaBr 3 scintillator crystal coupled to Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPM) arrays. A first version of the prototype was developed within the European project ENVISION. Tests with point-like sources and in-beam were carried out with successful results, demonstrating the feasibility of the proposed technology. The limitations of the system were also identified. A new version of the prototype is under development with the aim of improving the performance of the telescope detector planes. To this end, the initial tests of a detector plane based on a new SiPM array have been carried out. The first characterization, coincidence and imaging tests with this new version of the detector plane are presented. In addition, the suitability of CeBr 3 scintillator crystals for this application is being investigated. Highlights • An improved version of a Compton telescope for hadron therapy is under development. • First characterization, coincidence and imaging tests have been carried out. • Results show a general improvement of the system performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The Muon Portal Project has built a prototype of a real size detector (6 m × 3 m × 7 m) for the inspection of containers by muon tomography. This technique may provide 2D and 3D images of the interior of a container, to identify the presence of high- Z materials. In the present Project, 4800 extruded scintillator strips were arranged such as to cover four X – Y detection planes (6 m × 3 m), two placed above and two below the container to be inspected. Silicon photomultipliers were used as photosensors, to collect the light transported by Wave Length Shifter (WLS) fibres embedded in the scintillator strips. First tomographic images are here presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Neutron resonance absorption imaging, being used to visualize a spatial distribution of elements and/or temperature within a sample, is one of the important applications of an intense short-pulse neutron source. Two-dimensional time-analyzer neutron detectors are indispensable to perform neutron energy dependent imaging by means of the time-of-flight technique. Some state-of-the-art time-analyzer neutron detectors have been developed for thermal or cold neutrons. However the detection efficiencies of such neutron detectors are not sufficient for neutron resonance absorption imaging which utilizes neutrons in the energy region from eV to keV. The 2012 model lithium-6 time-analyzer neutron detector (LiTA12) system, based on a lithium glass scintillator and multi-anode photomultiplier tube, has the highest neutron efficiency among the detectors for pulsed neutron imaging together with the flexibility to tune the efficiency by changing the thickness of the lithium glass. The authors estimated performances of the detector at resonance neutron energies finding that 0.7 mm width line pairs made by 3 μm thick gold could be resolved at 4.9 eV and the maximum count rate of 8 Mcps was achieved at 1 keV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The small and wide angle neutron scattering instrument (TAIKAN) installed at the Material and Life Science Experimental Facility (MLF), Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC) can cover a Q -range from 5 × 10−3 to 17 Å−1 simultaneously, where the magnitude of the scattering vector Q is defined by Q = 4πsin(θ /2)/ λ (θ and λ represent the scattering angle and the wavelength, respectively). To extend the accessible low Q -limit (Q min) to a value in the order of 10−4 Å−1, we successfully installed an ultra-small-angle detector with a spatial resolution of approximately 0.41 mm × 0.41 mm in TAIKAN. This detector is a high-resolution position-sensitive detector (HR-PSD), comprising a cross-wired position-sensitive photomultiplier tube and a ZnS/6LiF scintillator. HR-PSDs of the same type have been installed on steady-state small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) instruments at the research reactor (JRR-3), Japan. Comparing with these previously installed the HR-PSDs, we improved most of the HR-PSD components such as the scintillator, preamplifier, and data acquisition systems to increase its maximum count rate. A maximum count rate of 46 kcps was achieved with 10% counting loss, which is 2.3 times for those installed in the steady-state SANS instruments at JRR-3. Using the ultra-small-angle detector with existing 3He detector banks, TAIKAN can simultaneously cover a Q -range from 8 × 10−4 Å−1 to 17 Å−1 (over four orders of magnitude in Q). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Gd 3 (GaAl) 5 O 12 :Ce (GGAG) is a ceramic scintillator originally developed for X-ray CT, and it was also an excellent material for the development of an event-by-event-based radiation imaging detector when it was combined with a position sensitive photomultiplier (PSPMT). With the developed GGAG imaging detector, we found that the decay times for alpha particles and gamma photons were different. Also, we found that the decay times for alpha particles and beta particles were different. These characteristics are advantageous for developing an imaging detector for the simultaneous imaging of different types of radiation using pulse shape discrimination. Thus, we tested the separation of the images of the alpha particles and gamma photons using pulse shape discrimination. Also, we evaluated the separation of the alpha and beta particle images. In the pulse shape spectra, we could separate the peaks of Am-241 alpha particles and Cs-137 gamma photons with a peak-to-valley ratio (P/V) of 3.5. We obtained clearly separated images for Am-241 alpha particles and Cs-137 gamma photons using pulse shape discrimination. We could also separate the peaks of Am-241 alpha particles and Sr–Y-90 beta particles with a P/V of 1.5 in the pulse shape spectrum. We obtained separated images for Am-241 alpha particles and Sr–Y-90 beta particles using pulse shape discrimination. In addition, we could separate electrostatically collected natural alpha particles, Po-218 and Po-214, from the environmental beta particles and gamma photons using pulse shape discrimination. We conclude that the GGAG imaging detector is promising for simultaneous imaging and separating the images of different types of radiation using pulse shape discrimination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Plastic scintillators are widely used as particle detectors in many fields, mainly, medicine, particle physics and astrophysics. Traditionally, they are coupled to a photo-multiplier (PMT) but now silicon photo-multipliers (SiPM) are evolving as a promising robust alternative, specially in space born experiments since plastic scintillators may be a light option for low Earth orbit missions. Therefore it is timely to make a new analysis of the optimal design for experiments based on plastic scintillators in realistic conditions in such a configuration. We analyze here their response to an isotropic flux of electron and proton primaries in the energy range from 1 MeV to 1 GeV, a typical scenario for cosmic ray or space weather experiments, through detailed GEANT4 simulations. First, we focus on the effect of increasing the ratio between the plastic volume and the area of the photo-detector itself and, second, on the benefits of using a reflective coating around the plastic, the most common technique to increase light collection efficiency. In order to achieve a general approach, it is necessary to consider several detector setups. Therefore, we have performed a full set of simulations using the highly tested GEANT4 simulation tool: several parameters have been analyzed such as the energy lost in the coating, the deposited energy in the scintillator, the optical absorption, the fraction of scintillation photons that are not detected, the light collection at the photo-detector, the pulse shape and its time parameters and finally, other design parameters as the surface roughness, the coating reflectivity and the case of a scintillator with two decay components. This work could serve as a guide on the design of future experiments based on the use of plastic scintillators. Highlights • Simulations based on Geant4. • Effect of the plastic volume in scintillator detectors. • Influence of the reflective coating (thickness, reflectivity, roughness). • Light collection at the photo-detector (geometrical collection and due to internal reflections). • Pulses at the photo-detector (shape and time parameters). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract We report on the pulse shape discrimination (PSD) performance of plastic scintillators manufactured by Eljen Corporation and Amcrys. In this study we investigate the fast neutron and gamma performance of the plastic scintillators when coupled to the SensL J-series silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) and read out with fast waveform digitisers with an ADC resolution of 14-bits and a sample rate of 500 MS/s. The investigation observes a significant PSD performance increase for the SensL J-series SiPM in comparison to the previous C-series, and also for the latest variants of plastic scintillator from both suppliers. Analysis was performed using a Synchronous Charge Integration Pulse Shape Discrimination (PSD) algorithm which was applied to data acquired from a mixed fast neutron/gamma radiation field from an AmBe neutron source. The collected pulses were processed offline with the energy and PSD parameters calculated. The quality of the PSD performance was characterised by a common figure of merit (FoM). The best n- γ separation was found by the newer Eljen EJ-276 scintillator with a FoM value of 3.03 ± 0.03 at an energy of 1.5 MeV gamma equivalent. The Amcrys UPS-113NG material achieved a FoM value of 2.60 ± 0.04. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The motivation of the present paper is to study the performance of EJ 299-33 scintillator in online and off-line analysis in high rate scattering for nuclear reaction experiments performed with heavy ions. An experiment was carried out inside the CHIMERA chamber using 24Mg beams at 71.5 MeV and 81 MeV impinging on 92ZrO 2 target. The plastic scintillator was backed by a photomultiplier tube and the anode pulses were digitized through 100 MHz GET electronics for the purpose of pulse shape discrimination (PSD) studies. Performances of the plastic scintillator have been tested with respect to PSD capabilities and energy spectra analysis under beam irradiations in a high background environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Central Neutron Detector, a recently constructed scintillator barrel which is used in CLAS12 at Jefferson Lab to detect 0.2–1 GeV neutrons at backwards angles, is here described. The motivations and R&D tests leading to its final design, based on three radial layers of coupled paddles with one-side light readout by photomultipliers plus “U-turn” lightguides on the other side, are outlined. The performance of the detector, evaluated from cosmic-ray tests and simulations, which satisfies the physics requirements, is reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) have great potential to replace photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) and exceed their performance in positron annihilation parameter-measurement systems. However, due to the limited active area of a single SiPM, it only covers a small γ -ray emission acceptance range and provides position information over a very small region. Using a SiPM array is a good way to overcome these problems. In this study, a resistor-chain-based SiPM detector was designed and evaluated for positron annihilation lifetime (PAL) measurements. This detector uses a 1 × 4 scintillator array, a 1 × 4 SiPM array, and a resistor-chain readout circuit to obtain position, energy, and timing information about 1275 and 511 keV γ -rays, with the readout pulses serving as both the position, energy, and timing signals. A comprehensive evaluation was conducted to assess the detector in terms of position profile, energy resolution, and time resolution. The position profiles showed that all the crystal elements in the lutetium fine silicate scintillator array were clearly resolved. The detector had an energy resolution of 11. 3 ± 0. 9 % and a time resolution of 198 ± 9 ps. A total of 32 PAL spectra were obtained using two SiPM array detectors. The PAL in yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) sample was accurately verified using the summed PAL spectrum. The developed SiPM detector provides good performance for PAL measurements and could be used to build a high-performance PAL spectrometer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) is a multi-purpose, large size, liquid scintillator experiment under construction in China. JUNO will perform leading measurements detecting neutrinos from different sources (reactor, terrestrial and astrophysical neutrinos) covering a wide energy range (from 200 keV to several GeV). This paper focuses on the design and development of a test protocol for the 20-inch PMT underwater readout electronics. The protocol has been employed for 10 months during the mass production and validation of all the electronics that will be installed in JUNO. A total number of 6950 electronic boards were tested with an acceptance yield of 99.1 %. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A compact neutron spectrometer is described, which consists of four square prisms of plastic scintillator capable of pulse shape discrimination, eight silicon photomultipliers and a high density polyethylene moderator. The device is capable, in principle, of spectroscopic measurements up to around 60 MeV, although extendable to higher energies, and is also able to discern the direction of neutron radiation impinging on the detector. Results from simulations using Geant4, together with measurements with neutrons from an 241Am-9Be radioisotopic source, are used to characterise the detector in both spectroscopic and direction-sensitive modes. Field applications of the detector are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract A large area (0.5 m × 0.5 m) thermal neutron detector was developed based on 0.32 mm-thick 6LiF:ZnS(Ag) scintillator sheets. The detector was constructed for measurements of seasonal variations in low intensity thermal neutron flux at deep underground sites. The detector response to neutrons was studied using a low intensity 241Am/9Be(α , n) neutron source. The digital pulse shape discrimination technique was applied to separate neutron capture events from the background caused by traces of α -emitters from Uranium and Thorium decay chains in scintillator components. The thermal neutron detection efficiency was 0.368 ± 0.018 (0.155 ± 0.009) before (after) event selection based on the digital pulse shape discrimination method. The measured α -particle background event rate in the 6LiF:ZnS(Ag) scintillator was (4.88 ± 0.06(stat)) × 10−6 α cm−2 s−1. As a test of detector performance we measured the thermal neutron flux at the KamLAND area of the Kamioka neutrino observatory and compared it with result of the neutron flux measurement carried out at the Super-Kamiokande site. The thermal neutron flux at KamLAND was (6.43 ± 0.50) × 10−6 n cm−2 s−1 that included ∼ 10% contribution from neutrons with energies above 1 eV. During the detector construction we identified a source of high amplitude noise pulses generated by 5-inch R1250 photomultipliers manufactured by Hamamatsu Photonics K. K. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

POLAR is a compact space-borne detector designed to perform reliable measurements of the polarization for transient sources like Gamma-Ray Bursts in the energy range 50–500 keV. The instrument works based on the Compton Scattering principle with the plastic scintillators as the main detection material along with the multi-anode photomultiplier tube. POLAR has been launched successfully onboard the Chinese space laboratory TG-2 on 15th September, 2016. In order to reliably reconstruct the polarization information a highly detailed understanding of the instrument is required for both data analysis and Monte Carlo studies. For this purpose a full study of the in-orbit performance was performed in order to obtain the instrument calibration parameters such as noise, pedestal, gain nonlinearity of the electronics, threshold, crosstalk and gain, as well as the effect of temperature on the above parameters. Furthermore the relationship between gain and high voltage of the multi-anode photomultiplier tube has been studied and the errors on all measurement values are presented. Finally the typical systematic error on polarization measurements of Gamma-Ray Bursts due to the measurement error of the calibration parameters are estimated using Monte Carlo simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For a radiation imaging detector, low cost, high light output and short decay time scintillator is required. Although ceramic scintillators developed for X-ray computed tomography (CT) are possible materials for this purpose, the performance of the scintillation imaging detector using ceramic scintillators was not reported. For this purpose, we tested a ceramic scintillator originally developed for X-ray CT, Gd 3 (GaAl) 5 O 12 :Ce (GGAG), combined with a position sensitive photomultiplier (PSPMT) to test whether an event-by-event based radiation imaging detector is possible to develop. The radiation imaging detector consists of a 0.1 mm thick GGAG plate, light guide and a 1-inch square PSPMT. The GGAG plate was optically coupled to the PSPMT with a 1 mm thick light guide between them. Anger principle was used for the position calculation of the radiations. We also conducted the comparison of the imaging detectors using 0.5 mm thick GGAG and single crystal Ce doped Gd 3 (Ga, Al) 5 O 12 (GAGG) plates. The spatial resolution and energy resolution of the developed imaging detector were 0.53mm FWHM and 11.5 % FWHM for 5.5 MeV alpha particles, respectively. The uniformity of the imaging detector at the central part of the field of view (FOV) was ± 11%. We could obtain variable phantom images with the developed imaging detector for alpha particles. Reasonable performance was also obtained for beta particles, low energy gamma photons and X-ray. The spatial resolution of the imaging detector used GGAG plate was twice better and distortion was smaller than that of GAGG. We conclude that GGAG ceramic scintillator is promising for the development of radiation imaging detectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Particle detectors based on scintillation light are particularly well suited for precision timing applications with resolutions of a few 10’s of ps. The large primary signal and the initial rise time of the scintillation light result in very favorable signal-to-noise conditions with fast signals. In this paper we describe timing studies using a LYSO-based sampling calorimeter with wavelength-shifting capillary light extraction and silicon photomultipliers as photosensors. We study the contributions of various steps of the signal generation to the total time resolution, and demonstrate its feasibility as a radiation-hard technology for calorimeters at high intensity hadron colliders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]