732 research outputs found
Performance of Optically Readout GEM-based TPC with a 55Fe source
Optical readout of large Time Projection Chambers (TPCs) with multiple Gas
Electron Multipliers (GEMs) amplification stages has shown to provide very
interesting performances for high energy particle tracking. Proposed
applications for low-energy and rare event studies, such as Dark Matter search,
ask for demanding performance in the keV energy range. The performance of such
a readout was studied in details as a function of the electric field
configuration and GEM gain by using a Fe source within a 7 litre
sensitive volume detector developed as a part of the R\&D for the CYGNUS
project. Results reported in this paper show that the low noise level of the
sensor allows to operate with a 2~keV threshold while keeping a rate of
fake-events lesser than 10 per year. In this configuration, a detection
efficiency well above 95\% along with an energy resolution () of 18\%
is obtained for the 5.9 keV photons, demonstrating the very promising
capabilities of this technique
A 1 m Gas Time Projection Chamber with Optical Readout for Directional Dark Matter Searches: the CYGNO Experiment
The aim of the CYGNO project is the construction and operation of a 1~m
gas TPC for directional dark matter searches and coherent neutrino scattering
measurements, as a prototype toward the 100-1000~m (0.15-1.5 tons) CYGNUS
network of underground experiments. In such a TPC, electrons produced by
dark-matter- or neutrino-induced nuclear recoils will drift toward and will be
multiplied by a three-layer GEM structure, and the light produced in the
avalanche processes will be readout by a sCMOS camera, providing a 2D image of
the event with a resolution of a few hundred micrometers. Photomultipliers will
also provide a simultaneous fast readout of the time profile of the light
production, giving information about the third coordinate and hence allowing a
3D reconstruction of the event, from which the direction of the nuclear recoil
and consequently the direction of the incoming particle can be inferred. Such a
detailed reconstruction of the event topology will also allow a pure and
efficient signal to background discrimination. These two features are the key
to reach and overcome the solar neutrino background that will ultimately limit
non-directional dark matter searches.Comment: 5 page, 7 figures, contribution to the Conference Records of 2018
IEEE NSS/MI
White matter tract disconnection in Gerstmann's syndrome: Insights from a single case study
It has been suggested that Gerstmann's syndrome is the result of subcortical disconnection rather than emerging from damage of a multifunctional brain region within the parietal lobe. However, patterns of white matter tract disconnection following parietal damage have been barely investigated. This single case study allows characterising Gerstmann's syndrome in terms of disconnected networks. We report the case of a left parietal patient affected by Gerstmann's tetrad: agraphia, acalculia, left/right orientation problems, and finger agnosia. Lesion mapping, atlas-based estimation of probability of disconnection, and DTI-based tractography revealed that the lesion was mainly located in the superior parietal lobule, and it caused disruption of both intraparietal tracts passing through the inferior parietal lobule (e.g., tracts connecting the angular, supramarginal, postcentral gyri, and the superior parietal lobule) and fronto-parietal long tracts (e.g., the superior longitudinal fasciculus). The lesion site appears to be located more superiorly as compared to the cerebral regions shown active by other studies during tasks impaired in the syndrome, and it reached the subcortical area potentially critical in the emergence of the syndrome, as hypothesised in previous studies. Importantly, the reconstruction of tracts connecting regions within the parietal lobe indicates that this critical subcortical area is mainly crossed by white matter tracts connecting the angular gyrus and the superior parietal lobule. Taken together, these findings suggest that this case study might be considered as empirical evidence of Gerstmann's tetrad caused by disconnection of intraparietal white matter tracts
The SABRE project and the SABRE Proof-of-Principle
SABRE aims to directly measure the annual modulation of the dark matter interaction rate with NaI(Tl) crystals. A modulation compatible with the standard hypothesis, in which our Galaxy is immersed in a dark matter halo, has been measured by the DAMA experiment in the same target material. Other direct detection experiments, using different target materials, seem to exclude the interpretation of such modulation in the simplest scenario of WIMP-nucleon elastic scattering. The SABRE experiment aims to carry out an independent search with sufficient sensitivity to confirm or refute the DAMA claim. The goal of the SABRE experiment is to achieve the lowest background rate for a NaI(Tl) experiment (order of 0.1 cpd/kg/keV(ee) in the energy region of interest for dark matter). This challenging goal could be achievable by operating high-purity crystals inside a liquid scintillator veto for active background rejection. In addition, twin detectors will be located in the northern and southern hemispheres to identify possible contributions to the modulation from seasonal or site-related effects. The SABRE project includes an initial Proof-of-Principle phase at LNGS (Italy), to assess the radio-purity of the crystals and the efficiency of the liquid scintillator veto. This paper describes the general concept of SABRE and the expected sensitivity to WIMP annual modulation.The SABRE program is supported by funding from INFN (Italy), NSF (USA), and ARC (Australia Grants:
LE170100162, LE16010080, DP170101675, LP150100075). F. Froborg
has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant
agreement No 703650. We acknowledge the generous hospitality and
constant support of the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (Italy)
First evidence of luminescence in a He/CF gas mixture induced by non-ionizing electrons
Optical readout of Gas Electron Multipliers (GEM) provides very interesting
performances and has been proposed for different applications in particle
physics. In particular, thanks to its good efficiency in the keV energy range,
it is being developed for low-energy and rare event studies, such as Dark
Matter search. So far, the optical approach exploits the light produced during
the avalanche processes in GEM channels. Further luminescence in the gas can be
induced by electrons accelerated by a suitable electric field. The CYGNO
collaboration studied this process with a combined use of a triple-GEM
structure and a grid in an He/CF (60/40) gas mixture at atmospheric
pressure. Results reported in this paper allow to conclude that with an
electric field of about 11~kV/cm a photon production mean free path of about
1.0~cm was found
Directional dark matter searches with the CYGNO project
The goal of the CYGNO project is to deploy at Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso (LNGS) an high resolution Time Projection Chamber (TPC) with Gas Electron Multipliers (GEMs) amplification and optical 3D readout of an Helium/Fluorine based gas mixture for directional Dark Matter (DM) searches at low 1-10 GeV WIMP masses. The determination of the incoming direction of WIMP particles can in fact offer not only additional handles for discrimination of the annoying backgrounds, but especially an unique key for a positive, unambiguous identification of a DM signal
CYGNO: a gaseous TPC with optical readout for dark matter directional search
The CYGNO project has the goal to use a gaseous TPC with optical readout to
detect dark matter and solar neutrinos with low energy threshold and
directionality. The CYGNO demonstrator will consist of 1 m 3 volume filled with
He:CF 4 gas mixture at atmospheric pressure. Optical readout with high
granularity CMOS sensors, combined with fast light detectors, will provide a
detailed reconstruction of the event topology. This will allow to discriminate
the nuclear recoil signal from the background, mainly represented by low energy
electron recoils induced by radioactivity. Thanks to the high reconstruction
efficiency, CYGNO will be sensitive to low mass dark matter, and will have the
potential to overcome the neutrino floor, that ultimately limits
non-directional dark matter searches
Prediction of rehabilitation induced motor recovery after stroke using a multi-dimensional and multi-modal approach
Background: Stroke is a debilitating disease affecting millions of people worldwide. Despite the survival rate has significantly increased over the years, many stroke survivors are left with severe impairments impacting their quality of life. Rehabilitation programs have proved to be successful in improving the recovery process. However, a reliable model of sensorimotor recovery and a clear identification of predictive markers of rehabilitation-induced recovery are still needed. This article introduces the cross-modality protocols designed to investigate the rehabilitation treatment’s effect in a group of stroke survivors. Methods/design: A total of 75 stroke patients, admitted at the IRCCS San Camillo rehabilitation Hospital in Venice (Italy), will be included in this study. Here, we describe the rehabilitation programs, clinical, neuropsychological, and physiological/imaging [including electroencephalography (EEG), transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques] protocols set up for this study. Blood collection for the characterization of predictive biological biomarkers will also be taken. Measures derived from data acquired will be used as candidate predictors of motor recovery. Discussion/summary: The integration of cutting-edge physiological and imaging techniques, with clinical and cognitive assessment, dose of rehabilitation and biological variables will provide a unique opportunity to define a predictive model of recovery in stroke patients. Taken together, the data acquired in this project will help to define a model of rehabilitation induced sensorimotor recovery, with the final aim of developing personalized treatments promoting the greatest chance of recovery of the compromised functions
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