Towards a large-area RPWELL detector: design optimization and performance

We present a new design and assembly procedure of a large-area gas-avalanche Resistive-Plate WELL (RPWELL) detector. A $50\times50 ~\mathrm{cm^2}$ prototype was tested in $\mathrm{80 ~GeV/c}$ muon beam at CERN-SPS, presenting improved performances compared to previous ones: MIP detection efficiency over 96\% with 3\% uniformity across the entire detector area, a charge gain of $\mathrm{\approx{7.5 \times 10^3}}$ with a uniformity of 22\%, and discharge probability below $\mathrm{10^{-6}}$ with a few single hotspots attributed to production imperfections. These results pave the way towards further up-scaling detectors of this kind

Novel resistive charge-multipliers for dual-phase LAr-TPCs: towards stable operation at higher gains

Cryogenic versions of Resistive WELL (RWELL) and Resistive Plate WELL (RPWELL) detectors have been developed, aimed at stable avalanche multiplication of ionization electrons in dual-phase TPCs. In the RWELL, a thin resistive layer deposited on top of an insulator is inserted in between the electron multiplier (THGEM) and the readout anode; in the RPWELL, a resistive plate is directly coupled to the THGEM. Radiation-induced ionization electrons in the liquid are extracted into the gaseous phase. They drift into the THGEM's holes where they undergo charge multiplication. Embedding resistive materials into the multiplier proved to enhance operation stability due to the mitigation of electrical discharges - thus allowing operation at higher charge gain compared to standard THGEM (a.k.a. LEM) multipliers. We present the detector concepts and report on the main preliminary results

The cryogenic RWELL: a stable charge multiplier for dual-phase liquid-argon detectors

The operation of a cryogenic Resistive WELL (RWELL) in liquid argon vapor is reported for the first time. It comprises a Thick Gas Electron Multiplier (THGEM) structure coupled to a resistive Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) anode deposited on an insulating substrate. The multiplier was operated at cryogenic temperature (90~K, 1.2~bar) in saturated argon vapor and characterized in terms of charge gain and electrical stability. A comparative study with standard, non-resistive THGEM (a.k.a LEM) and WELL multipliers, confirmed the RWELL advantages in terms of discharge quenching - thus superior gain and stability

The Resistive-Plate WELL with Argon mixtures - a robust gaseous radiation detector

A thin single-element THGEM-based, Resistive-Plate WELL (RPWELL) detector was operated with 150 GeV/c muon and pion beams in Ne/(5%CH$_4$), Ar/(5%CH$_4$) and Ar/(7%CO$_2$); signals were recorded with 1 cm$^2$ square pads and SRS/APV25 electronics. Detection efficiency values greater than 98% were reached in all the gas mixtures, at average pad multiplicity of 1.2. The use of the 10$^9${\Omega}cm resistive plate resulted in a completely discharge-free operation also in intense pion beams. The efficiency remained essentially constant at 98-99% up to fluxes of $\sim$10$^4$Hz/cm$^2$, dropping by a few % when approaching 10$^5$ Hz/cm$^2$. These results pave the way towards cost-effective, robust, efficient, large-scale detectors for a variety of applications in future particle, astro-particle and applied fields. A potential target application is digital hadron calorimetry.Comment: presented at the 2016 VIenna Conf. On instrumentation. Submitted to the Conference proceeding

First in-beam studies of a Resistive-Plate WELL gaseous multiplier

We present the results of the first in-beam studies of a medium size (10$\times$10 cm$^2$) Resistive-Plate WELL (RPWELL): a single-sided THGEM coupled to a pad anode through a resistive layer of high bulk resistivity ($\sim$10$^9 \Omega$cm). The 6.2~mm thick (excluding readout electronics) single-stage detector was studied with 150~GeV muons and pions. Signals were recorded from 1$\times$1 cm$^2$ square copper pads with APV25-SRS readout electronics. The single-element detector was operated in Ne\(5% $\mathrm{CH_{4}}$) at a gas gain of a few times 10$^4$, reaching 99$\%$ detection efficiency at average pad multiplicity of $\sim$1.2. Operation at particle fluxes up to $\sim$10$^4$ Hz/cm$^2$ resulted in $\sim$23$\%$ gain drop leading to $\sim$5$\%$ efficiency loss. The striking feature was the discharge-free operation, also in intense pion beams. These results pave the way towards robust, efficient large-scale detectors for applications requiring economic solutions at moderate spatial and energy resolutions.Comment: Accepted by JINS

Targeted Next-Generation Sequencing Indicates a Frequent Oligogenic Involvement in Primary Ovarian Insufficiency Onset

Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) is one of the major causes of female infertility associated with the premature loss of ovarian function in about 3.7% of women before the age of 40. This disorder is highly heterogeneous and can manifest with a wide range of clinical phenotypes, ranging from ovarian dysgenesis and primary amenorrhea to post-pubertal secondary amenorrhea, with elevated serum gonadotropins and hypoestrogenism. The ovarian defect still remains idiopathic in some cases; however, a strong genetic component has been demonstrated by the next-generation sequencing (NGS) approach of familiar and sporadic POI cases. As recent evidence suggested an oligogenic architecture for POI, we developed a target NGS panel with 295 genes including known candidates and novel genetic determinants potentially involved in POI pathogenesis. Sixty-four patients with early onset POI (range: 10–25 years) of our cohort have been screened with 90% of target coverage at 50×. Here, we report 48 analyzed patients with at least one genetic variant (75%) in the selected candidate genes. In particular, we found the following: 11/64 patients (17%) with two variants, 9/64 (14%) with three variants, 9/64 (14%) with four variants, 3/64 (5%) with five variants, and 2/64 (3%) with six variants. The most severe phenotypes were associated with either the major number of variations or a worse prediction in pathogenicity of variants. Bioinformatic gene ontology analysis identified the following major pathways likely affected by gene variants: 1) cell cycle, meiosis, and DNA repair; 2) extracellular matrix remodeling; 3) reproduction; 4) cell metabolism; 5) cell proliferation; 6) calcium homeostasis; 7) NOTCH signaling; 8) signal transduction; 9) WNT signaling; 10) cell death; and 11) ubiquitin modifications. Consistently, the identified pathways have been described in other studies dissecting the mechanisms of folliculogenesis in animal models of altered fertility. In conclusion, our results contribute to define POI as an oligogenic disease and suggest novel candidates to be investigated in patients with POI