arXiv subjects

A. Boiano

Publications and source records attributed to A. Boiano.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2023

Characterization of a gas detector prototype based on Thick-GEM for the MAGNEX focal plane detector

A new gas detector prototype for the upgrade of the focal plane detector of the MAGNEX large-acceptance magnetic spectrometer has been developed and tested in view of the NUMEN project. It has been designed to operate at low gas pressure for detecting medium to heavy ions in the energy range between 15 and 60 AMeV. It is a drift chamber based on Multi-layer Thick-GEM (M-THGEM) as electron multiplication technology. Tests with two different M-THGEM layouts have been performed using both a radioactive $α$-particle source and accelerated heavy-ion beams. The characterization of the detector in terms of measured currents that flow through the electrodes as a function of different parameters, including applied voltages, gas pressure and rate of incident particle, is described. The gain and ion backflow properties have been studied.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2022

A large facility for photosensors test at cryogenic temperature

Current generation of detectors using noble gases in liquid phase for direct dark matter search and neutrino physics need large area photosensors. Silicon based photo-detectors are innovative light collecting devices and represent a successful technology in these research fields. The DarkSide collaboration started a dedicated development and customization of SiPM technology for its specific needs resulting in the design, production and assembly of large surface modules of 20x20 cm^2 named Photo Detection Unit for the DarkSide-20k experiment. Production of a large number of such devices, as needed to cover about 20 m^2 of active surface inside the DarkSide-20k detector, requires a robust testing and validation process. In order to match this requirement a dedicated test facility for the photosensor test was designed and commissioned at INFN-Naples laboratory. The first commissioning test was successfully performed in 2021. Since then a number of testing campaigns were performed. Detailed description of the facility is reported as well as results of some tests.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2021

Prototype Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope for the Cherenkov Telescope Array: Commissioning the Optical System

A prototype Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope (pSCT) has been constructed at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory as a candidate for the medium-sized telescopes of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO). CTAO is currently entering early construction phase of the project and once completed it will vastly improve very high energy gamma-ray detection component in multi-wavelength and multi-messenger observations due to significantly improved sensitivity, angular resolution and field of view comparing to the current generation of the ground-based gamma-ray observatories H.E.S.S., MAGIC and VERITAS. The pSCT uses a dual aspheric mirror design with a $9.7$ m primary mirror and $5.4$ m secondary mirror, both of which are segmented. The Schwarzschild-Couder (SC) optical system (OS) selected for the prototype telescope achieves wide field of view of $8$ degrees and simultaneously reduces the focal plane plate scale allowing an unprecedented compact ($0.78$m diameter) implementation of the high-resolution camera ($6$mm/ $0.067$deg per imaging pixel with $11,328$ pixels) based on the silicon photo-multipliers (SiPMs). The OS of the telescope is designed to eliminate spherical and comatic aberrations and minimize astigmatism to radically improve off-axis imaging and consequently angular resolution across all the field of view with respect to the conventional single-mirror telescopes. Fast and high imaging resolution OS of the pSCT comes with the challenging submillimeter-precision custom alignment system, which was successfully demonstrated with an on-axis point spread function (PSF) of $2.9$ arcmin prior to the first-light detection of the Crab Nebula in 2020. Ongoing and future commissioning activities are reported.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2021

Detection of the Crab Nebula by the prototype Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope

The Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope (SCT) is a medium-sized telescope technology proposed for the Cherenkov Telescope Array. It uses a novel dual-mirror optical design that removes comatic aberrations across its entire field of view. The SCT camera employs high-resolution silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) sensors with a pixel size of 4 arcminutes. A prototype SCT (pSCT) has been constructed at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory in Arizona, USA. An observing campaign in 2020, with a partial camera of 1600 pixels (2.7 degrees by 2.7 degrees field of view) resulted in detection of the Crab Nebula at 8.6 sigma statistical significance. Work on the pSCT camera and optical system is ongoing to improve performance and prepare for an upcoming camera upgrade. The pSCT camera upgrade will replace the current camera modules with improved SiPMs and readout electronics and will expand the camera to its full design field of view of 8 degrees in diameter (11,328 pixels). The fully upgraded pSCT will enable next-generation very-high-energy gamma-ray astrophysics through excellent background rejection and angular resolution. In this presentation we describe first results from the successful operation of the pSCT and future plans.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2021

Design and performance of the prototype Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope camera

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) is the next-generation ground-based observatory for very-high-energy gamma-ray astronomy. An innovative 9.7 m aperture, dual-mirror Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope (SCT) design is a candidate design for CTA Medium-Sized Telescopes. A prototype SCT (pSCT) has been constructed at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory in Arizona, USA. Its camera is currently partially instrumented with 1600 pixels covering a field of view of 2.7 degrees square. The small plate scale of the optical system allows densely packed silicon photomultipliers to be used, which combined with high-density trigger and waveform readout electronics enable the high-resolution camera. The camera's electronics are capable of imaging air shower development at a rate of one billion samples per second. We describe the commissioning and performance of the pSCT camera, including trigger and waveform readout performance, calibration, and absolute GPS time stamping. We also present the upgrade to the camera, which is currently underway. The upgrade will fully populate the focal plane, increasing the field of view to 8 degree diameter, and lower the front-end electronics noise, enabling a lower trigger threshold and improved reconstruction and background rejection.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2021

Supernova Model Discrimination with Hyper-Kamiokande

Core-collapse supernovae are among the most magnificent events in the observable universe. They produce many of the chemical elements necessary for life to exist and their remnants -- neutron stars and black holes -- are interesting astrophysical objects in their own right. However, despite millennia of observations and almost a century of astrophysical study, the explosion mechanism of core-collapse supernovae is not yet well understood. Hyper-Kamiokande is a next-generation neutrino detector that will be able to observe the neutrino flux from the next galactic core-collapse supernova in unprecedented detail. We focus on the first 500 ms of the neutrino burst, corresponding to the accretion phase, and use a newly-developed, high-precision supernova event generator to simulate Hyper-Kamiokande's response to five different supernova models. We show that Hyper-Kamiokande will be able to distinguish between these models with high accuracy for a supernova at a distance of up to 100 kpc. Once the next galactic supernova happens, this ability will be a powerful tool for guiding simulations towards a precise reproduction of the explosion mechanism observed in nature.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2021

Performance of the ReD TPC, a novel double-phase LAr detector with Silicon Photomultiplier Readout

A double-phase argon Time Projection Chamber (TPC), with an active mass of 185 g, has been designed and constructed for the Recoil Directionality (ReD) experiment. The aim of the ReD project is to investigate the directional sensitivity of argon-based TPCs via columnar recombination to nuclear recoils in the energy range of interest (20-200 keV$_{nr}$) for direct dark matter searches. The key novel feature of the ReD TPC is a readout system based on cryogenic Silicon Photomultipliers, which are employed and operated continuously for the first time in an argon TPC. Over the course of six months, the ReD TPC was commissioned and characterised under various operating conditions using $γ$-ray and neutron sources, demonstrating remarkable stability of the optical sensors and reproducibility of the results. The scintillation gain and ionisation amplification of the TPC were measured to be $g_1 = (0.194 \pm 0.013)$ PE/photon and $g_2 = (20.0 \pm 0.9)$ PE/electron, respectively. The ratio of the ionisation to scintillation signals (S2/S1), instrumental for the positive identification of a candidate directional signal induced by WIMPs, has been investigated for both nuclear and electron recoils. At a drift field of 183 V/cm, an S2/S1 dispersion of 12% was measured for nuclear recoils of approximately 60-90 keV$_{nr}$, as compared to 18% for electron recoils depositing 60 keV of energy. The detector performance reported here meets the requirements needed to achieve the principal scientific goals of the ReD experiment in the search for a directional effect due to columnar recombination. A phenomenological parameterisation of the recombination probability in LAr is presented and employed for modeling the dependence of scintillation quenching and charge yield on the drift field for electron recoils between 50-500 keV and fields up to 1000 V/cm.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2020

Detection of the Crab Nebula with the 9.7 m Prototype Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope

The Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope (SCT) is a telescope concept proposed for the Cherenkov Telescope Array. It employs a dual-mirror optical design to remove comatic aberrations over an $8^{\circ}$ field of view, and a high-density silicon photomultiplier camera (with a pixel resolution of 4 arcmin) to record Cherenkov emission from cosmic ray and gamma-ray initiated particle cascades in the atmosphere. The prototype SCT (pSCT), comprising a 9.7 m diameter primary mirror and a partially instrumented camera with 1536 pixels, has been constructed at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory. The telescope was inaugurated in January 2019, with commissioning continuing throughout 2019. We describe the first campaign of observations with the pSCT, conducted in January and February of 2020, and demonstrate the detection of gamma-ray emission from the Crab Nebula with a statistical significance of $8.6σ$.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2020

Preliminary results of the pixel characterization for the Crystal Eye, a new X and gamma-ray satellite detector for multi-messenger astronomy

With the observation of the gravitational wave event of August 17th 2017 the multi-messenger astronomy era has definitely begun. With the opening of this new panorama, it is necessary to have new instruments and a perfect coordination of the existing observatories. Crystal Eye is a detector aimed at the exploration of the electromagnetic counterpart of the gravitational waves. Such events generated by neutron stars' mergers are associated with gamma-ray bursts (GRB). At present, there are few instruments in orbit able to detect photons in the energy range going from tens of keV up to few MeV. These instruments belong to two different old observation concepts: the all sky monitors (ASM) and the telescopes. The detector we propose is a crossover technology, the Crystal Eye: a wide field of view observatory in the energy range from 10 keV to 10 MeV with a pixelated structure. A pathfinder will be launched with Space RIDER in 2022. We here present the preliminary results of the characterization of the first pixel.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2020

Crystal Eye: a wide sight to the Universe looking for the electromagnetic counterpart of gravitational waves

With the observation of the gravitational wave event of August 17th 2017 and then with those of the extragalactic neutrino of September 22nd, the multi messenger astronomy era has definitely begun. With the opening of this new panorama, it is necessary to have a perfect coordination of the several observatories. Crystal Eye is an experiment aimed at the exploration of the electromagnetic counterpart of the gravitational wave events. Such events generated by neutron stars collision (or mergers) are associated with gamma-ray bursts. It has actually been observed in the event GW170817 that there is an X-ray counterpart associated with the GW consistent with a short gamma-ray burst viewed off-axis. These X-ray emissions represent the missing observational link between short gamma-ray bursts and gravitational waves from neutron-star mergers. The experiment we propose is a wide field of view observatory (2π of local observation) in the energy range from tens of keV to few MeV designed to fly with International Space Station (ISS). The motion along the ISS orbit will allow the experiment to scan the sky at 4? in 90 minutes. The Crystal Eye objectives will be: to alert the community about events containing X-rays and low energy gamma-rays, to monitor long-term variabilities of X-ray sources, to stimulate multi-wavelength observations of variable objects, and to observe diffuse cosmic X-ray emissions. With its characteristics, Crystal Eye will provide the continuous exploration and monitoring of the Universe after a Gravitational Wave event with a better resolution than Fermi GBM. Thanks to its large field of view and its design, it has the potentiality to be the trigger for those present X ray-astronomy missions (Chandra, Swift, Integral XMM Newton) that are based on high angular resolution pointing experiment but that have unfortunately a very small field of view.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2020

Verification of the Optical System of the 9.7-m Prototype Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope

For the first time in the history of ground-based $γ$-ray astronomy, the on-axis performance of the dual mirror, aspheric, aplanatic Schwarzschild-Couder optical system has been demonstrated in a $9.7$-m aperture imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescope. The novel design of the prototype Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope (pSCT) is motivated by the need of the next-generation Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) observatory to have the ability to perform wide ($\geq 8^{\circ}$) field-of-view observations simultaneously with superior imaging of atmospheric cascades (resolution of $0.067^{\circ}$ per pixel or better). The pSCT design, if implemented in the CTA installation, has the potential to improve significantly both the $γ$-ray angular resolution and the off-axis sensitivity of the observatory, reaching nearly the theoretical limit of the technique and thereby making a major impact on the CTA observatory sky survey programs, follow-up observations of multi-messenger transients with poorly known initial localization, as well as on the spatially resolved spectroscopic studies of extended $γ$-ray sources. This contribution reports on the initial alignment procedures and point-spread-function results for the challenging segmented aspheric primary and secondary mirrors of the pSCT.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2020

Dynamical fission of the quasiprojectile and isospin equilibration for the system 80Kr+ 48 Ca at 35 MeV/nucleon

Experimental results concerning the dynamical fission of quasiprojectiles in semiperipheral collisions for the system 80 Kr+ 48 Ca at 35 MeV/nucleon are presented. Data have been collected with four blocks of the FAZIA setup in the first physics experiment of the FAZIA Collaboration. The degree of isospin equilibration between the two fission fragments and its dependence on their charge asymmetry is investigated. The data are compared with the results of the AMD model coupled to GEMINI as an afterburner, in order to get hints about the timescale of the process.

nucl-ex↗

arXiv2020

The Hyper-Kamiokande Experiment -- Snowmass LOI

Hyper-Kamiokande is the next generation underground water Cherenkov detector that builds on the highly successful Super-Kamiokande experiment. The detector which has an 8.4~times larger effective volume than its predecessor will be located along the T2K neutrino beamline and utilize an upgraded J-PARC beam with 2.6~times beam power. Hyper-K's low energy threshold combined with the very large fiducial volume make the detector unique, that is expected to acquire an unprecedented exposure of 3.8~Mton$\cdot$year over a period of 20~years of operation. Hyper-Kamiokande combines an extremely diverse science program including nucleon decays, long-baseline neutrino oscillations, atmospheric neutrinos, and neutrinos from astrophysical origins. The scientific scope of this program is highly complementary to liquid-argon detectors for example in sensitivity to nucleon decay channels or supernova detection modes. Hyper-Kamiokande construction has started in early 2020 and the experiment is expected to start operations in 2027. The Hyper-Kamiokande collaboration is presently being formed amongst groups from 19 countries including the United States, whose community has a long history of making significant contributions to the neutrino physics program in Japan. US physicists have played leading roles in the Kamiokande, Super-Kamiokande, EGADS, K2K, and T2K programs.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2019

The laser-based gain monitoring system of the calorimeters in the Muon $g-2$ experiment at Fermilab

The Muon $g-2$ experiment, E989, is currently taking data at Fermilab with the aim of reducing the experimental error on the muon anomaly by a factor of four and possibly clarifying the current discrepancy with the theoretical prediction. A central component of this four-fold improvement in precision is the laser calibration system of the calorimeters, which has to monitor the gain variations of the photo-sensors with a 0.04\% precision on the short-term ($\sim 1\,$ms). This is about one order of magnitude better than what has ever been achieved for the calibration of a particle physics calorimeter. The system is designed to monitor also long-term gain variations, mostly due to temperature effects, with a precision below the per mille level. This article reviews the design, the implementation and the performance of the Muon $g-2$ laser calibration system, showing how the experimental requirements have been met.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2019

Camera design and performance of the prototype Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope for the Cherenkov Telescope Array

The Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope (SCT) is a candidate technology for a medium-sized telescope within the Cherenkov Telescope Array, the next generation ground based observatory for very high energy gamma ray astronomy. The SCT uses a novel two-mirror design and is expected to yield improvements in field of view and image resolution compared to traditional Cherenkov telescopes based on single-mirror-dish optics. To match the improved optical resolution, challenging requirements of high channel count and density at low power consumption must be overcome by the camera. The prototype camera, currently commissioned and tested on the prototype SCT, has been developed based on millimeter scale SiPM pixels and a custom high density digitizer ASIC, TARGET, to provide 1600 pixels spanning a 2.7 degree field of view while being able to sample nanosecond photon pulses. It is mechanically designed to allow for an upgrade to 11,328 pixels covering a field of view of 8 degrees and demonstrating the full potential of the technology. The camera was installed on the telescope in 2018. We will present its design and performance including first light data.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2019

Prototype Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope for the Cherenkov Telescope Array: Commissioning Status of the Optical System

The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), with more than 100 telescopes, will be the largest ever ground-based gamma-ray observatory and is expected to greatly improve on both gamma-ray detection sensitivity and energy coverage compared to current-generation detectors. The 9.7-m Schwarzschild-Couder telescope (SCT) is one of the two candidates for the medium size telescope (MST) design for CTA. The novel aplanatic dual-mirror SCT design offers a wide field-of-view with a compact plate scale, allowing for a large number of camera pixels that improves the angular resolution and reduce the night sky background noise per pixel compared to the traditional single-mirror Davies-Cotton (DC) design of ground-based gamma-ray telescopes. The production, installation, and the alignment of the segmented aspherical mirrors are the main challenges for the realization of the SCT optical system. In this contribution, we report on the commissioning status, the alignment procedures, and initial alignment results during the initial commissioning phase of the optical system of the prototype SCT.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2019

Development and operations of INFN optical modules for the SCT Telescope camera proposed for the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory

The Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope (SCT) is a proposal for the Medium Size Telescopes of the Cherenkov Telescope Array. Its concept is based on a two-mirror optical system designed to improve the telescope field of view and image resolution with respect to the single mirror Davies-Cotton solution. The SCT camera is planned to be instrumented with 177 photodetection modules, each composed of 64 Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPM) pixels. The third generation of $6 x 6~mm^2$ high density NUV SiPMs (NUV-HD3) produced by Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK) in collaboration with INFN has been used to equip optical units to be integrated on the upgrade of the camera of the SCT prototype (pSCT). Each optical unit is composed of an array of 16 NUV-HD3 SiPMs coupled with the front-end electronics, which is designed for full-waveform nanosecond readout and digitization using the TARGET-7 ASIC. Several optical units have been assembled and tested in the laboratories of INFN and have been integrated on the camera of the pSCT telescope, that is currently operating at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory. In this contribution we report on the development, assembly and calibration of the optical units that are currently taking data on the pSCT camera.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2019

The FAZIA setup: a review on the electronics and the mechanical mounting

In this paper the technological aspects of the FAZIA array will be explored. After a productive commissioning phase, FAZIA blocks started to measure and give very useful data to explore the physics of Fermi energy heavy-ion reactions. This was possible thanks to many technical measures and innovations developed in the commissioning phase and tuned during the first experimental campaigns. This paper gives a detailed description of the present status of the FAZIA setup from the electronic and mechanical point of view, trying also to trace a path for new improvements and refinements of the apparatus.

physics.ins-det↗