27,261 research outputs found
Development of the MICROMEGAS Detector for Measuring the Energy Spectrum of Alpha Particles by using a 241-Am Source
We have developed MICROMEGAS (MICRO MEsh GASeous) detectors for detecting
{\alpha} particles emitted from an 241-Am standard source. The voltage applied
to the ionization region of the detector is optimized for stable operation at
room temperature and atmospheric pressure. The energy of {\alpha} particles
from the 241-Am source can be varied by changing the flight path of the
{\alpha} particle from the 241 Am source. The channel numbers of the
experimentally-measured pulse peak positions for different energies of the
{\alpha} particles are associated with the energies deposited by the alpha
particles in the ionization region of the detector as calculated by using
GEANT4 simulations; thus, the energy calibration of the MICROMEGAS detector for
{\alpha} particles is done. For the energy calibration, the thickness of the
ionization region is adjusted so that {\alpha} particles may completely stop in
the ionization region and their kinetic energies are fully deposited in the
region. The efficiency of our MICROMEGAS detector for {\alpha} particles under
the present conditions is found to be ~ 97.3 %
Operations of and Future Plans for the Pierre Auger Observatory
Technical reports on operations and features of the Pierre Auger Observatory,
including ongoing and planned enhancements and the status of the future
northern hemisphere portion of the Observatory. Contributions to the 31st
International Cosmic Ray Conference, Lodz, Poland, July 2009.Comment: Contributions to the 31st ICRC, Lodz, Poland, July 200
Performance of the ATLAS Liquid Argon Calorimeter after three years of LHC operation and plans for a future upgrade
The ATLAS experiment is designed to study the proton-proton collisions
produced at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. Liquid argon sampling
calorimeters are used for all electromagnetic calorimetry as well as hadronic
calorimetry in the endcaps. After installation in 2004--2006, the calorimeters
were extensively commissioned over the three--year period prior to first
collisions in 2009, using cosmic rays and single LHC beams. Since then,
approximately 27 fb of data have been collected at an
unprecedented center of mass energy. During all these stages, the calorimeter
and its electronics have been operating almost optimally, with a performance
very close to specifications. This paper covers all aspects of these first
years of operation.
The excellent performance achieved is especially presented in the context of
the discovery of the elusive Higgs boson. The future plans to preserve this
performance until the end of the LHC program are also presented.Comment: 12 pages, 25 figures, Proceedings of talk presented in "Advancements
in Nuclear Instrumentation Measurement Methods and their Applications",
Marseille, 201
Decision-Feedback Detection Strategy for Nonlinear Frequency-Division Multiplexing
By exploiting a causality property of the nonlinear Fourier transform, a
novel decision-feedback detection strategy for nonlinear frequency-division
multiplexing (NFDM) systems is introduced. The performance of the proposed
strategy is investigated both by simulations and by theoretical bounds and
approximations, showing that it achieves a considerable performance improvement
compared to previously adopted techniques in terms of Q-factor. The obtained
improvement demonstrates that, by tailoring the detection strategy to the
peculiar properties of the nonlinear Fourier transform, it is possible to boost
the performance of NFDM systems and overcome current limitations imposed by the
use of more conventional detection techniques suitable for the linear regime
Plans for the first balloon flight of the gamma-ray polarimeter experiment (GRAPE)
We have developed a design for a hard X-ray polarimeter operating in the energy range from 50 to 500 keV. This modular design, known as GRAPE (Gamma-Ray Polarimeter Experiment), has been successfully demonstrated in the lab using partially polarized gamma-ray sources and using fully polarized photon beams at Argonne National Laboratory. In June of 2007, a GRAPE engineering model, consisting of a single detector module, was flown on a high altitude balloon flight to further demonstrate the design and to collect background data. We are currently preparing a much larger balloon payload for a flight in the fall of 2011. Using a large (16-element) array of detector modules, this payload is being designed to search for polarization from known point sources of radiation, namely the Crab and Cygnus X-1. This first flight will not only provide a scientific demonstration of the GRAPE design (by measuring polarization from the Crab nebula), it will also lay the foundation for subsequent long duration balloon flights that will be designed for studying polarization from gamma-ray bursts and solar flares. Here we shall present data from calibration of the first flight module detectors, review the latest payload design and update the predicted polarization sensitivity for both the initial continental US balloon flight and the subsequent long-duration balloon flights
Vacuum-ultraviolet frequency-modulation spectroscopy
Frequency-modulation (FM) spectroscopy has been extended to the
vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) range of the electromagnetic spectrum. Coherent VUV
laser radiation is produced by resonance-enhanced sum-frequency mixing
() in Kr and Xe using two
near-Fourier-transform-limited laser pulses of frequencies
and . Sidebands generated in the output of the second laser ()
using an electro-optical modulator operating at the frequency
are directly transfered to the VUV and used to record FM
spectra. Demodulation is demonstrated both at and
. The main advantages of the method are that its
sensitivity is not reduced by pulse-to-pulse fluctuations of the VUV laser
intensity, compared to VUV absorption spectroscopy is its background-free
nature, the fact that its implementation using table-top laser equipment is
straightforward and that it can be used to record VUV absorption spectra of
cold samples in skimmed supersonic beams simultaneously with
laser-induced-fluorescence and photoionization spectra. To illustrate these
advantages we present VUV FM spectra of Ar, Kr, and N in selected regions
between 105000cm and 122000cm.Comment: 23 pages, 10 figure
Pulse code modulated signal synchronizer
A bit synchronizer for a split phase PCM transmission is reported that includes three loop circuits which receive incoming phase coded PCM signals. In the first loop, called a Q-loop, a generated, phase coded, PCM signal is multiplied with the incoming signals, and the frequency and phase of the generated signal are nulled to that of the incoming subcarrier signal. In the second loop, called a B-loop, a circuit multiplies a generated signal with incoming signals to null the phase of the generated signal in a bit phase locked relationship to the incoming signal. In a third loop, called the I-loop, a phase coded PCM signal is multiplied with the incoming signals for decoding the bit information from the PCM signal. A counter means is used for timing of the generated signals and timing of sample intervals for each bit period
The MIDAS telescope for microwave detection of ultra-high energy cosmic rays
We present the design, implementation and data taking performance of the
MIcrowave Detection of Air Showers (MIDAS) experiment, a large field of view
imaging telescope designed to detect microwave radiation from extensive air
showers induced by ultra-high energy cosmic rays. This novel technique may
bring a tenfold increase in detector duty cycle when compared to the standard
fluorescence technique based on detection of ultraviolet photons. The MIDAS
telescope consists of a 4.5 m diameter dish with a 53-pixel receiver camera,
instrumented with feed horns operating in the commercial extended C-Band (3.4
-- 4.2 GHz). A self-trigger capability is implemented in the digital
electronics. The main objectives of this first prototype of the MIDAS telescope
- to validate the telescope design, and to demonstrate a large detector duty
cycle - were successfully accomplished in a dedicated data taking run at the
University of Chicago campus prior to installation at the Pierre Auger
Observatory.Comment: 13 pages, 18 figure
Measurement system
A measurement system is described for providing an indication of a varying physical quantity represented by or converted to a variable frequency signal. Timing pulses are obtained marking the duration of a fixed number, or set, of cycles of the sampled signal and these timing pulses are employed to control the period of counting of cycles of a higher fixed and known frequency source. The counts of cycles obtained from the fixed frequency source provide a precise measurement of the average frequency of each set of cycles sampled, and thus successive discrete values of the quantity being measured. The frequency of the known frequency source is made such that each measurement is presented as a direct digital representation of the quantity measured
Picosecond timing of Microwave Cherenkov Impulses from High-Energy Particle Showers Using Dielectric-loaded Waveguides
We report on the first measurements of coherent microwave impulses from
high-energy particle-induced electromagnetic showers generated via the Askaryan
effect in a dielectric-loaded waveguide. Bunches of 12.16 GeV electrons with
total bunch energy of GeV were pre-showered in tungsten, and
then measured with WR-51 rectangular (12.6 mm by 6.3 mm) waveguide elements
loaded with solid alumina () bars. In the 5-8 GHz
single-mode band determined by the presence of the dielectric in the waveguide,
we observed band-limited microwave impulses with amplitude proportional to
bunch energy. Signals in different waveguide elements measuring the same shower
were used to estimate relative time differences with 2.3 picosecond precision.
These measurements establish a basis for using arrays of alumina-loaded
waveguide elements, with exceptional radiation hardness, as very high precision
timing planes for high-energy physics detectors.Comment: 16 pages, 15 figure
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