Prototyping of petalets for the Phase-II Upgrade of the silicon strip tracking detector of the ATLAS Experiment

In the high luminosity era of the Large Hadron Collider, the HL-LHC, the instantaneous luminosity is expected to reach unprecedented values, resulting in about 200 proton-proton interactions in a typical bunch crossing. To cope with the resultant increase in occupancy, bandwidth and radiation damage, the ATLAS Inner Detector will be replaced by an all-silicon system, the Inner Tracker (ITk). The ITk consists of a silicon pixel and a strip detector and exploits the concept of modularity. Prototyping and testing of various strip detector components has been carried out. This paper presents the developments and results obtained with reduced-size structures equivalent to those foreseen to be used in the forward region of the silicon strip detector. Referred to as petalets, these structures are built around a composite sandwich with embedded cooling pipes and electrical tapes for routing the signals and power. Detector modules built using electronic flex boards and silicon strip sensors are glued on both the front and back side surfaces of the carbon structure. Details are given on the assembly, testing and evaluation of several petalets. Measurement results of both mechanical and electrical quantities are shown. Moreover, an outlook is given for improved prototyping plans for large structures.Comment: 22 pages for submission for Journal of Instrumentatio

Real-World Goal Setting and Use of Outcome Measures According to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health: A European Survey of Physical Therapy Practice in Multiple Sclerosis

Goal setting is a core component of physical therapy in multiple sclerosis (MS). It is unknown whether and to what extent goals are set at different levels of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), and whether, and to which, standardized outcome measures are used in real life for evaluation at the different ICF levels. Our aim was to describe the real-world use of goal setting and outcome measures in Europe. An online cross-sectional survey, completed by 212 physical therapists (PTs) specialized in MS from 26 European countries, was conducted. Differences between European regions and relationships between goals and assessments were analyzed. PTs regularly set goals, but did not always apply the Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timed (SMART) criteria. Regions did not differ in the range of activities assessed, but in goals set (e.g., Western and Northern regions set significantly more goals regarding leisure and work) and outcome measures used (e.g., the Berg Balance Scale was more frequently used in Northern regions). Quality of life was not routinely assessed, despite being viewed as an important therapy goal. Discrepancies existed both in goal setting and assessment across European regions. ICF assists in understanding these discrepancies and in guiding improved health-care for the future.</jats:p

Application surface of CPT, an advanced DInSAR displacement near Itoiz dam, Navarra, Spain

Itoiz reservoir is located in Navarra, northern Spain, being a newly constructed gravity dam that stores the water from the Irati and the Urrobi rivers. The dam has a total height of 121 m, a total length of 525 m and a maximum water storage volume of 410 hm3. The aim of this work is to study the surface displacement field during the impoundment of the Itoiz water reservoir. Orbital SAR Differential Interferometry (DInSAR) techniques have been proven to be a useful and powerful tool in tectonic areas for surveying subtle surface deformations over several years related to geodynamic phenomena. An advanced DInSAR observation technique, Coherent Pixel Technique (CPT), has been applied to study the existence of deformation in the dam area in order to obtain mean velocities and time series of deformation. We have studied the applicability of this technique to study the surface displacement field during the impoundment of the Itoiz water reservoir. Specifically, we focus on the analysis of the stability of the left slope of the reservoir. We have used ERS and ENVISAT descending and ascending images concerning to the 1992-2008 and 2003-2008 periods respectively. We compare the observation results with the displacement induced by water loading obtained using a theoretical model

A double-sided silicon micro-strip super-module for the ATLAS inner detector upgrade in the high-luminosity LHC

The ATLAS experiment is a general purpose detector aiming to fully exploit the discovery potential of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. It is foreseen that after several years of successful data-taking, the LHC physics programme will be extended in the so-called High-Luminosity LHC, where the instantaneous luminosity will be increased up to 5 × 1034 cm−2 s−1. For ATLAS, an upgrade scenario will imply the complete replacement of its internal tracker, as the existing detector will not provide the required performance due to the cumulated radiation damage and the increase in the detector occupancy. The current baseline layout for the new ATLAS tracker is an all-silicon-based detector, with pixel sensors in the inner layers and silicon micro-strip detectors at intermediate and outer radii. The super-module is an integration concept proposed for the strip region of the future ATLAS tracker, where double-sided stereo silicon micro-strip modules are assembled into a low-mass local support structure. An electrical super-module prototype for eight double-sided strip modules has been constructed. The aim is to exercise the multi-module readout chain and to investigate the noise performance of such a system. In this paper, the main components of the current super-module prototype are described and its electrical performance is presented in detail

A double-sided, shield-less stave prototype for the ATLAS upgrade strip tracker for the high luminosity LHC

A detailed description of the integration structures for the barrel region of the silicon strips tracker of the ATLAS Phase-II upgrade for the upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider, the so-called High Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC), is presented. This paper focuses on one of the latest demonstrator prototypes recently assembled, with numerous unique features. It consists of a shortened, shield-less, and double sided stave, with two candidate power distributions implemented. Thermal and electrical performances of the prototype are presented, as well as a description of the assembly procedures and tools

Acoustically Levitated Whispering-Gallery Mode Microlasers

Acoustic levitation has become a crucial technique for contactless manipulation in several fields, particularly in biological applications. However, its application in the photonics field remains largely unexplored. In this study, we implement an affordable and innovative phased-array levitator that enables stable trapping in the air of micrometer dye-doped droplets, thereby enabling the creation of microlasers. For the first time, this paper presents a detailed performance of the levitated microlaser cavity, supported by theoretical analysis concerning the hybrid technology based on the combination of whispering-gallery modes and acoustic fields. The pressure field distribution inside the acoustic cavity is numerically solved and qualitatively matched with the schlieren deflectometry technique. The optical lasing features of the levitated microlasers are highly comparable with those devices based On-a-Chip registering maximum Q-factors of ~ 105, and minimum lasing thresholds ~ 150 nJ cm−2. The emission comb is explained as a sum of multiple individual-supported whispering-gallery modes. The use of novel touchless micrometric lasers, produced with an acoustic levitator brings new technological opportunities based on photonic-acoustic technological platforms

Direct Polyphenol Attachment on the Surfaces of Magnetite Nanoparticles, Using Vitis vinifera, Vaccinium corymbosum, or Punica granatum

This study presents an alternative approach to directly synthesizing magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs) in the presence of Vitis vinifera, Vaccinium corymbosum, and Punica granatum derived from natural sources (grapes, blueberries, and pomegranates, respectively). A modified co-precipitation method that combines phytochemical techniques was developed to produce semispherical MNPs that range in size from 7.7 to 8.8 nm and are coated with a ~1.5 nm thick layer of polyphenols. The observed structure, composition, and surface properties of the MNPs@polyphenols demonstrated the dual functionality of the phenolic groups as both reducing agents and capping molecules that are bonding with Fe ions on the surfaces of the MNPs via –OH groups. Magnetic force microscopy images revealed the uniaxial orientation of single magnetic domains (SMDs) associated with the inverse spinel structure of the magnetite (Fe3O4). The samples’ inductive heating (H0 = 28.9 kA/m, f = 764 kHz), measured via the specific loss power (SLP) of the samples, yielded values of up to 187.2 W/g and showed the influence of the average particle size. A cell viability assessment was conducted via the MTT and NRu tests to estimate the metabolic and lysosomal activities of the MNPs@polyphenols in K562 (chronic myelogenous leukemia, ATCC) cells

Search for squarks and gluinos in events with isolated leptons, jets and missing transverse momentum at s√=8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

The results of a search for supersymmetry in final states containing at least one isolated lepton (electron or muon), jets and large missing transverse momentum with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider are reported. The search is based on proton-proton collision data at a centre-of-mass energy s√=8 TeV collected in 2012, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 20 fb−1. No significant excess above the Standard Model expectation is observed. Limits are set on supersymmetric particle masses for various supersymmetric models. Depending on the model, the search excludes gluino masses up to 1.32 TeV and squark masses up to 840 GeV. Limits are also set on the parameters of a minimal universal extra dimension model, excluding a compactification radius of 1/R c = 950 GeV for a cut-off scale times radius (ΛR c) of approximately 30