SMX and front-end board tester for CBM readout chain

The STS-MUCH-XYTER (SMX) chip is a front-end ASIC dedicated to the readout of Silicon Tracking System (STS) and Muon Chamber (MUCH) detectors in the Compressed Baryonic Matter (CBM) experiment. The production of the ASIC and the front-end boards based on it is just being started and requires thorough testing to assure quality. The paper describes the SMX tester based on a standard commercial Artix-7 FPGA module with an additional simple baseboard. In the standalone configuration, the tester is controlled via IPbus and enables full functional testing of connected SMX, front-end board (FEB), or a full detector module. The software written in Python may easily be integrated with higher-level testing software

Challenges in QCD matter physics - The Compressed Baryonic Matter experiment at FAIR

Substantial experimental and theoretical efforts worldwide are devoted to explore the phase diagram of strongly interacting matter. At LHC and top RHIC energies, QCD matter is studied at very high temperatures and nearly vanishing net-baryon densities. There is evidence that a Quark-Gluon-Plasma (QGP) was created at experiments at RHIC and LHC. The transition from the QGP back to the hadron gas is found to be a smooth cross over. For larger net-baryon densities and lower temperatures, it is expected that the QCD phase diagram exhibits a rich structure, such as a first-order phase transition between hadronic and partonic matter which terminates in a critical point, or exotic phases like quarkyonic matter. The discovery of these landmarks would be a breakthrough in our understanding of the strong interaction and is therefore in the focus of various high-energy heavy-ion research programs. The Compressed Baryonic Matter (CBM) experiment at FAIR will play a unique role in the exploration of the QCD phase diagram in the region of high net-baryon densities, because it is designed to run at unprecedented interaction rates. High-rate operation is the key prerequisite for high-precision measurements of multi-differential observables and of rare diagnostic probes which are sensitive to the dense phase of the nuclear fireball. The goal of the CBM experiment at SIS100 (sqrt(s_NN) = 2.7 - 4.9 GeV) is to discover fundamental properties of QCD matter: the phase structure at large baryon-chemical potentials (mu_B > 500 MeV), effects of chiral symmetry, and the equation-of-state at high density as it is expected to occur in the core of neutron stars. In this article, we review the motivation for and the physics programme of CBM, including activities before the start of data taking in 2022, in the context of the worldwide efforts to explore high-density QCD matter.Comment: 15 pages, 11 figures. Published in European Physical Journal

The impact of farming on prehistoric culinary practices throughout Northern Europe

To investigate changes in culinary practices associated with the arrival of farming, we analysed the organic residues of over 1,000 pottery vessels from hunter-gatherer-fisher and early agricultural sites across Northern Europe from the Lower Rhine Basin to the Northeastern Baltic. Here, pottery was widely used by hunter-gatherer-fishers prior to the introduction of domesticated animals and plants. Overall, there was surprising continuity in the way that hunter-gatherer-fishers and farmers used pottery. Both aquatic products and wild plants remained prevalent, a pattern repeated consistently across the study area. We argue that the rapid adaptation of farming communities to exploit coastal and lagoonal resources facilitated their northerly expansion, and in some cases, hunting, gathering, and fishing became the most dominant subsistence strategy. Nevertheless, dairy products frequently appear in pottery associated with the earliest farming groups often mixed with wild plants and fish. Interestingly, we also find compelling evidence of dairy products in hunter-gatherer-fisher Ertebølle pottery, which predates the arrival of domesticated animals. We propose that Ertebølle hunter-gatherer-fishers frequently acquired dairy products through exchange with adjacent farming communities prior to the transition. The continuity observed in pottery use across the transition to farming contrasts with the analysis of human remains which shows substantial demographic change through ancient DNA and, in some cases, a reduction in marine consumption through stable isotope analysis. We postulate that farmers acquired the knowledge and skills they needed to succeed from local hunter-gatherer-fishers but without substantial admixture

Małogabarytowe stanowisko do diagnozowania gigacyklowych procesów zmęczeniowych

The purpose of this paper is to develop, for highly-resistant materials, a method of forecasting and analysis of gigacycle fatigue durability (10(8)÷10(9) cycles) relying on vibroacoustic signal analysis. The method proposes the use of results of vibroacoustic signal analysis obtained during accelerated fatigue tests conducted in dedicated test bed constructed specially for this purpose and operating in the frequency range of 10 kHz which corresponds to the resonance frequency of vibration of samples. The presented test bed is a unique small sized structure compared to the foreign solutions which have been constructed while using the supporting structures of classical machines used for durability testing. Thanks to the small dimensions and mass, the test bed can be located on the vibration shaker, thus introducing resonant frequencies modulation. Vibroacoustic diagnosis methods enable not only the detection of surface defects but also detection of defects occurring in the core of a sample. Thus it becomes possible to try to learn the nature of increased durability to fatigue and to try to use the features of vibroacoustic signals in forecasting the gigacycle fatigue durability.Celem pracy jest opracowanie, dla materiałów o wysokiej wytrzymałości, metody prognozowania i analizy gigacyklowej trwałości zmęczeniowej (10(8)÷10(9) cykli) na podstawie badania sygnału wibroakustycznego. W metodzie proponuje się wykorzystać wyniki analizy sygnału wibroakustycznego, uzyskiwane podczas przyspieszonych badań zmęczeniowych, prowadzonych na specjalnie do tego celu skonstruowanym i zbudowanym stanowisku badawczym, pracującym w zakresie częstotliwości rzędu 10 kHz, odpowiadającym częstotliwości drgań własnych próbek. Powyższe stanowisko badawcze jest unikatową, małogabarytową, konstrukcją w porównaniu z konstrukcjami zagranicznymi zabudowanymi w ramach od maszyn wytrzymałościowych. Dzięki małym wymiarom i masie stanowisko badawcze można umieszczać na wzbudniku drgań, tym samym wprowadzając modulację częstotliwości rezonansowych. Metody diagnostyki wibroakustycznej umożliwiają nie tylko detekcję uszkodzeń powierzchniowych, ale również wykrycie uszkodzeń występujących w rdzeniu próbki. Możliwym staje się podjęcie próby poznania natury zwiększonej trwałości zmęczeniowej oraz próby wykorzystania w prognozowaniu gigacyklowej trwałości zmęczeniowej cech sygnałów wibroakustycznych

Opracowanie optymnlnych dawek i form makro- i mikro elementów pożywki hydroponicznej w metodzie wrocławskiej przy równoczesnym działaniu humianoów [Elaboration of optimal doses and forms of macro- and microelements and hiLrnatcs in the nutrient used in hydroponic culture "Wrocław"]

The effectiveness of macro- and microelements of modified solution of Hampe was investigated. In general, the original doses and forms of ions were optimal. Nevertheless, a pronounced dependence on external factors was found. In aulumn, changes of magnesium doses were of no importance. A double calcium dose was optimal at that time. During summer copper, boron and molybdenum gave better effects if applied in tenfold doses. Applying of humate in non-optimal conditions was distinctly adventageous

Opracowanie optymnlnych dawek i form makro- i mikro elementów pożywki hydroponicznej w metodzie wrocławskiej przy równoczesnym działaniu humianoów [Elaboration of optimal doses and forms of macro- and microelements and hiLrnatcs in the nutrient used in hydroponic culture "Wrocław"]

The effectiveness of macro- and microelements of modified solution of Hampe was investigated. In general, the original doses and forms of ions were optimal. Nevertheless, a pronounced dependence on external factors was found. In aulumn, changes of magnesium doses were of no importance. A double calcium dose was optimal at that time. During summer copper, boron and molybdenum gave better effects if applied in tenfold doses. Applying of humate in non-optimal conditions was distinctly adventageous

Study of tribological properties of epoxy and resins composites under technically dry friction conditions

W artykule omówione zostały wyniki badań tribologicznych kompozytów epoksydowych i rezolowych. Zbadano stan powierzchni próbek kompozytów, pracujących w węzłach ślizgowych. Stwierdzono, że istnieje możliwość zastosowania tańszych żywic rezolowych do kompozytów ślizgowych (w miejsce stosowanego Epidianu 5). Wykonano testy, które wykazały, że zwiększenie zawartości PTFE w kompozycie powodowało obniżenie zarówno współczynnika tarcia, jak i zużycie. Wyniki analizy rentgenograficznej potwierdziły występowanie zjawiska selektywnego przenoszenia.The article discusses the results of tribological tests of epoxy and resol composites. There was examined the surface condition of samples of composites operating in sliding nodes. It has been found that it is possible to use cheaper resole resins for sliding composites (in-stead of Epidian 5). Tests that have been carried out showed that increasing the PTFE content in the composite resulted in lowering both the coefficient of friction and wear. X-ray analysis results confirmed the occurrence of the selective transfer phenomenon