Development of new mixed Lux(RE3+)1-xAP:Ce scintillators (RE3+ =Y3+ or Gd3+): Comparison with other Ce-doped or intrinsic scintillation crystals

This paper presents the development of new Ce-doped, fast and high effective-Z mixed Lux(RE3+)1-xAP:Ce crystals. These crystals have been grown by the Czochralski method and good results have been obtained with x = 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 for Y3+ ions. Relative light yields measured for the Lux(RE3+)1-xAP:Ce crystals are 40% to 75% higher than for BGO and are comparable to the light yield of YAP:Ce crystal. Measured energy resolutions at 662 keV range over 8% to 15.3% FWHM and are close to the energy resolution obtained with a YAP:Ce. Thermally stimulated luminescence (TSL) measurements above room temperature have also been performed: in accordance with the expected effect of trap states on scintillation efficiency, an anticorrelation between TSL intensity and light yield is found

Further understanding of PbWO4 Scintillator characteristics and their optimisation. LUMEN activity in 1998

The aim of LUMEN collaboration was the investigation on single crystals of PbWO4 ( PWO): the results performed up to now provide the evidence of the possibility to optimise the optical properties of an intrinsic scintillator such as PWO. The control of essential requirements in the crystal preparation ( raw material purity, growing methods and post-growth annealing) as well as the introduction of selected dopants at suitable concentrations ( particularly trivalent and pentavalent ions) were found to be very successful in lowering the concentration of point defects in the lattice which strongly affect scintillation properties and radiation hardness. The systematic investigation effort to better understand the scintillation characteristics and to improve the quality of PWO crystals is due to their use for the CMS electromagnetic calorimeter

Activity of LUMEN (1996-97): Understanding of PbWO4 Scintillator Characteristics and their Optimisation

The aim of the LUMEN co-operation, supported by INFN, is to obtain ful experimental characterisation and deep expertise of heavy scintillator for high energy physics. The advantage of this collaboration was mainly in the complementary character of the experimental techniques available in the partner laboratories and in the availability of highly experienced scientists indifferent fields. Furthermore close feedback to technological laboratories preparing on request PWO samples appeared extremely helpful. The present paper reports on the most important results obtained during the LUMEN activity in 1996-97. The aim of the report is to provide also enough useful information for the PWO application and novel ideas to stimulate further interest for new detectors as well as application in different fields

ALICE: Physics performance report, volume I

Cortese P, Dellacasa G, Ramello L, et al. ALICE: Physics performance report, volume I. Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle Physics. 2004;30(11):1517-1763.ALICE is a general-purpose heavy-ion experiment designed to study the physics of strongly interacting matter and the quark-gluon plasma in nucleus-nucleus collisions at the LHC. It currently includes more than 900 physicists and senior engineers, from both nuclear and high-energy physics, from about 80 institutions in 28 countries. The experiment was approved in February 1997. The detailed design of the different detector systems has been laid down in a number of Technical Design Reports issued between mid-1998 and the end of 2001 and construction has started for most detectors. Since the last comprehensive information on detector and physics performance was published in the ALICE Technical Proposal in 1996, the detector as well as simulation, reconstruction and analysis software have undergone significant development. The Physics Performance Report (PPR) will give an updated and comprehensive summary of the current status and performance of the various ALICE subsystems, including updates to the Technical Design Reports, where appropriate, as well as a description of systems which have not been published in a Technical Design Report. The PPR will be published in two volumes. The current Volume I contains: 1. a short theoretical overview and an extensive reference list concerning the physics topics of interest to ALICE, 2. relevant experimental conditions at the LHC, 3. a short summary and update of the subsystem designs, and 4. a description of the offline framework and Monte Carlo generators. Volume II, which will be published separately, will contain detailed simulations of combined detector performance, event reconstruction, and analysis of a representative sample of relevant physics observables from global event characteristics to hard processes. (Some figures in this article are in colour only in the electronic version.