Sterile searches with Liquid Argon at FNAL

A new Short Baseline Neutrino (SBN) experiment is in preparation at FNAL to definitely prove or exclude the existence of non-standard neutrino oscillations into sterile states. The program foresees the deployment along the Booster Neutrino Beam (BNB) of three detectors, all based on the liquid-argon time projection chamber technique. This technology has been taken to full maturity with ICARUS T600, which will act as far detector after the completion of the overhauling at CERN and its transportation to FNAL. The program foresees the data taking for three years

Characterization of SiPM arrays with common bias and common readout for applications in liquid argon

We have built a number of test arrays made of 16 SiPMs of 3 × 3 mm$^2$ with a mixed series–parallel configuration and common bias and readout. With this technique it is possible to increase the total active area keeping low the bias voltage and readout channels. To further increase the total area we connected few arrays together. Tests were performed in terms of pulse amplitude, charge and timing features

Characterization of SiPM arrays in different series and parallel configurations

A number of innovative experiments dedicated to neutrino and rare-event physics use liquefied noble-gases both as a target and as a detector. These media have the remarkable property to efficiently produce scintillation photons after the passage of ionizing particles. Scintillation light, which is used for triggering and timing purposes, is traditionally detected by large area Photo-Multiplier Tubes (PMTs) working at cryogenic temperature. Silicon Photo-Multiplier (SiPM) arrays are gradually substituting PMTs in many applications, especially where low voltages are required and magnetic field is present. One of the problems of this devices is the small active area. For this reason we built several prototype arrays made by different SiPM models with a common readout: the basic unit is a device with an active area of (1.2×1.2)cm2 . A fast signal leading edge is crucial to realize devices to be used for triggering and timing. To this purpose we studied different series/parallel electrical configurations to obtain the best timing performance, by operating our custom arrays both at room and cryogenic temperatures

Comparison between large area PMTs and SiPM arrays deployed in a Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber at CERN

Liquid argon Time Projection Chambers (LAr-TPCs) are among the most promising detectors for the study of neutrino oscillations. They are composed by a multi-wire drift chamber to collect the charge and a photodetection system to detect the scintillation light, both produced by ionizing charged particles that cross the argon volume. Scintillation light plays a fundamental role for the event reconstruction because it permits to calculate the absolute time $t_0$ of the event and it is also used for triggering purposes. We present a comparison between the performances of large area Photo-Multiplier Tubes (PMTs) and Silicon Photo-Multiplier (SiPM) arrays deployed in a small LAr-TPC exposed to cosmic rays at CERN, both in terms of light collected and timing performances.Liquid argon Time Projection Chambers (LAr-TPCs) are among the most promising detectors for the study of neutrino oscillations. They are composed by a multi-wire drift chamber to collect the charge and a photodetection system to detect the scintillation light, both produced by ionizing charged particles that cross the argon volume. Scintillation light plays a fundamental role for the event reconstruction because it permits to calculate the absolute time t0 of the event and it is also used for triggering purposes. We present a comparison between the performances of large area Photo-Multiplier Tubes (PMTs) and Silicon Photo-Multiplier (SiPM) arrays deployed in a small LAr-TPC exposed to cosmic rays at CERN, both in terms of light collected and timing performances

Timing properties of Hamamatsu R5912-MOD photomultiplier tube for the ICARUS T600 light detection system

The ICARUS T600 liquid argon time projection chamber (LAr-TPC) will operate at shallow depth as far detector for the Short Baseline Neutrino (SBN) program at FNAL. A new scintillation light detection system, with a time resolution of the order of the nanosecond, is required to distinguish the actual beam related events from the huge cosmic background. The chosen photomultiplier tube (PMT) model is the Hamamatsu R5912-MOD. This has an 8 in. diameter window made of borosilicate glass, 10 dynodes and a bialkali photo-cathode with platinum undercoating, suitable for cryogenic applications. The main timing characteristics of this PMT model – namely the absolute transit time vs. power supply, the transit time spread for light hitting different window places and for different PMT orientations with respect to the Earth’s magnetic field – have been evaluated in order to confirm the suitability of this PMT model to the requirements of the SBN program

Linearity and saturation properties of Hamamatsu R5912-MOD photomultiplier tube for the ICARUS T600 light detection system

The ICARUS T600 liquid argon time projection chamber (LAr-TPC) will operate at shallow depth as far detector for the Short Baseline Neutrino (SBN) program at FNAL. A new scintillation light detection system, based on 360 Hamamatsu R5912-MOD Photomultiplier Tubes (PMTs), will allow to distinguish the actual beam related events from the huge cosmic background. A fundamental parameter for the correct reconstruction of events is the linearity of the photon detection system. The main response characteristics of the adopted PMT model as a function of the incident light intensity was evaluated. A comparison of the behavior at room and at cryogenic temperature was also carried out. Results confirm the conformity of this PMT model to the requirements of the ICARUS T600 light detection system

Performance of large area PMTs at cryogenic temperatures for neutrino and rare event physics experiments

An evaluation of the behavior of three large cathode area photo-multiplier tubes, Hamamatsu R5912 Mod and R5912-02 Mod, and ETL 9357 KFLB, was carried out both at room temperature and immersed in liquid nitrogen, at a temperature of 77K. The main electrical and optical features of the devices were studied: signal shape, photo-cathode response uniformity, gain, linearity and dark count rate. An evaluation of the quantum efficiency was also made in the vacuum ultraviolet light region

Scintillation Light DAQ and Trigger System for the ICARUS T600 Experiment at Fermilab

ICARUS T600 will operate at shallow depths as far detector for the Short Baseline Neutrino (SBN) program at FNAL taking data from the BNB and NuMI beams. The entire apparatus will be exposed to the huge cosmic background which can mimic genuine neutrino interactions. To distinguish the signals related to the neutrino beams from those induced by cosmic rays, the detector will be provided with a trigger system that will exploit the coincidence of the prompt signals from the liquid argon scintillation light, detected by 360 Photomultiplier Tubes (PMTs), with a beam gate window generated in correspondence to the expected arrival time of neutrinos in the T600

The ICARUS Experiment: a second-generation proton decay experiment and neutrino observatory at Gran Sasso Laboratory

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The DUNE Far Detector Vertical Drift Technology, Technical Design Report

International audienceDUNE is an international experiment dedicated to addressing some of the questions at the forefront of particle physics and astrophysics, including the mystifying preponderance of matter over antimatter in the early universe. The dual-site experiment will employ an intense neutrino beam focused on a near and a far detector as it aims to determine the neutrino mass hierarchy and to make high-precision measurements of the PMNS matrix parameters, including the CP-violating phase. It will also stand ready to observe supernova neutrino bursts, and seeks to observe nucleon decay as a signature of a grand unified theory underlying the standard model. The DUNE far detector implements liquid argon time-projection chamber (LArTPC) technology, and combines the many tens-of-kiloton fiducial mass necessary for rare event searches with the sub-centimeter spatial resolution required to image those events with high precision. The addition of a photon detection system enhances physics capabilities for all DUNE physics drivers and opens prospects for further physics explorations. Given its size, the far detector will be implemented as a set of modules, with LArTPC designs that differ from one another as newer technologies arise. In the vertical drift LArTPC design, a horizontal cathode bisects the detector, creating two stacked drift volumes in which ionization charges drift towards anodes at either the top or bottom. The anodes are composed of perforated PCB layers with conductive strips, enabling reconstruction in 3D. Light-trap-style photon detection modules are placed both on the cryostat's side walls and on the central cathode where they are optically powered. This Technical Design Report describes in detail the technical implementations of each subsystem of this LArTPC that, together with the other far detector modules and the near detector, will enable DUNE to achieve its physics goals