A compact and sustainable electronic module for silicon photomultipliers

This article presents the development of a cost-effective and efficient electronic module for silicon photomultipliers (SiPM). The electronic module combines essential functionalities, such as a high voltage power supply, a preamplifier, and a signal comparator, into a compact circuit. A high voltage power supply with a range of 30 to 140 V provides a stable bias voltage with 0.01 V accuracy for the SiPMs, while a preamplifier with 40 gain and 250 MHz bandwidth enables signal amplification necessary to extract weak signals. The comparator converts an analogue signal (higher than 8 mV) into TTL (transistor-transistor logic), which makes it easy to process and analyze with digital devices such as microcontrollers or make it possible to send signals over long distances by a cable. The module has been tested using an LYSO scintillator and a SiPM called a micropixel avalanche photodiode (MAPD). It provides a more effective and efficient solution for reading out signals from SiPMs in a variety of applications, delivering reliable and accurate results in real-time.Comment: an article, 9 pages, 6 figure

Scintillation Light Detection with MAPD-3NK and MPPC-S12572-010P Readout

The linearity and energy resolution of two different solid-state photomultipliers (SiPMs) has been studied with reading out the LFS-8 scintillator (3x3x10 mm3). First SiPM (MAPD-3NK) from Zecotek Photonics consists of deeply burned pixels (cells) and has an active area of 3.7x3.7 mm2. The second one (MPPC-S12572-010P) from Hamamatsu has a surface cell structure and an active area of 3x3 mm2. Both SiPMs have the same pixel density of 10000 mm−2. Energy resolution and linearity of the SiPMs has been studied in the energy range of 59.6-1275 keV. It is found that both SiPMs demonstrate good linearity of signal amplitude as a function of the gamma ray energy in the studied energy range. The detector based on the MAPD-3NK provides significantly good energy resolution in comparison to the detector based on the MPPC-S12572-010P

Portable neutron/gamma scintillation detector for status monitoring of accelerator-driven neutron source IREN

Accelerator-driven system (ADS) facilities world-wide opens new opportunities for nuclear physics investigations, so that a high flux of neutrons through spallation reactions can be produced at these facilities. It is known that the measurement, continuous monitoring and optimization of the particle accelerator beam intensity are among the most important actions in the operation of such facilities. Considering this point of view, this paper presents a neutron/gamma counter based on a micropixel avalanche photodiode (MAPD) and a plastic scintillator that monitors the status of the accelerator-driven intense resonance neutron source (IREN) facility by measuring the neutron-gamma intensity in the target hall. The electronics of the modular neutron counter has been designed and developed, including a bias voltage source (up to 130 V), a preamplifier (36 gain) and discriminator (>10 mV) circuit. The last product of MAPD (operation voltage- 55 V, PDE- 33 %, total number of pixels- 136900) was used as a photon readout from a plastic scintillator. The sensitive area of MAPD was 3.7*3.7 mm2 and the size of the plastic scintillator 3.7*3.7*30 mm3. The measurement was carried out in the IREN target hall, where it was necessary to monitor not only high neutron fluxes, but also gamma quanta. The experimental results demonstrated a dependence between the count rate of the detector and the frequency of the accelerator, which ranges from 2 to 50 Hz.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure

Performance of a plastic scintillator developed using styrene monomer polymerization

This paper presents a newly developed plastic scintillator produced in collaboration with Turkiye Energy, Nuclear and Mineral Research Agency (TENMAK). The scintillator is manufactured using thermal polymerization of commercially available styrene monomer. The absorption spectrum of the scintillator exhibited two absorption bands at 225 nm and 340 nm, with an absorption edge observed at 410 nm. The wavelength of the emitted light was measured in the range of 400-800 nm, with a maximum intensity at 427 nm. Monoenergetic electrons from the 137Cs source were used to evaluate the characteristics of the new scintillator, particularly its light yield. As the light readout the MAPD-3NM type silicon photomultiplier array (4 x 4) with an active area of 15 x 15 mm2, assembled using single MAPDs with an active area of 3.7 x 3.7 mm2, was used. The light yield of the scintillator was determined to be 6134 photons/MeV. In addition, the efficiency of the scintillator for gamma rays with an energy of 662 keV was found to be approximately 1.8 %. A CmBe neutron source was employed to evaluate its fast neutron detection performance. However, neutron/gamma discrimination using pulse shape discrimination (charge integration) method was not observed. The results demonstrate the potential of a newly produced plastic scintillator for various applications, particularly in radiation monitoring and detection systems.Comment: 7 pages, 7 figure

The Resource Curse and Rentier States in the Caspian Region : A Need for Context Analysis

Although much attention is paid to the Caspian region with regard to energy issues, the domestic consequences of the region’s resource production have so far constituted a neglected field of research. A systematic survey of the latest research trends in the economic and political causalities of the resource curse and of rentier states reveals that there is a need for context analysis. In reference to this, the paper traces any shortcomings and promising approaches in the existent body of literature on the Caspian region. Following on from this, the paper then proposes a new approach; specifically, one in which any differences and similarities in the context conditions are captured. This enables a more precise exploration of the exact ways in which they form contemporary post-Soviet Caspian rentier states.Obwohl der Region am Kaspischen Meer im Zuge von Energiediskursen große Aufmerksamkeit zuteil wird, stellen die innerstaatlichen Folgen der Ressourcenproduktion in der Region ein bislang vernachlässigtes Forschungsfeld dar. Ein systematischer Überblick über die jüngsten Forschungstrends zu wirtschaftlichen und politischen Kausalzusammenhängen des Ressourcenfluchs und zu Rentierstaaten offenbart die Notwendigkeit von Kontextanalysen. Hierauf Bezug nehmend, analysiert der Aufsatz sowohl die Mängel als auch viel versprechende Ansätze in der betreffenden Literatur zur Region am Kaspischen Meer. Der Aufsatz stellt letztendlich einen neuen Ansatz vor, der Unterschiede und Gemeinsamkeiten in den Kontextbedingungen erfasst, um zu erforschen, wie diese die gegenwärtigen post-sowjetischen Rentierstaaten in der Region am Kaspischen Meer tatsächlich prägen