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A. Cotta Ramusino

Publications and source records attributed to A. Cotta Ramusino.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2026

A flexible DAQ system for the Timepix4 ASIC in the 4DPHOTON project

This paper presents the design and implementation of a flexible data acquisition system13 developed for the Timepix4 ASIC. The system is based on a modular14 FPGA-centric architecture combining high-speed serial readout, Ethernet-based data transport,15 and deterministic multi-board synchronization. The hardware platform includes a scalable stack16 composed of commercial FPGA carrier boards, FMC-based interface electronics, detector-specific17 chipboards, and a dedicated Trigger Logic Unit for synchronized operation.18 The firmware architecture separates control and data paths, enabling independent configuration19 and high-throughput acquisition through UDP over 10 GbE links. The design supports zero-back-20 pressure operation toward the ASIC and allows adaptation of the readout bandwidth to different21 experimental conditions. Synchronization between multiple DAQ systems is achieved through22 a common clock and trigger distribution network, experimentally demonstrated with sub-100 ps23 precision.24 The system has been developed to support detector characterization, laboratory measurements,25 and beam-test campaigns for the 4DPHOTON detector concept. Hardware organization, firmware26 architecture, synchronization strategy, and performance measurements are presented.

physics.ins-det↗
arXiv2025

Cryogenic characterization of FBK NUV-HD-Cryo 3T SiPM sensors for the DUNE photon detection system

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is a long-baseline neutrino experiment based in the USA and composed of a Near Detector (ND) complex at Fermi National Laboratory (FNAL), and a Far Detector (FD) complex located at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) $\sim$1300\,km distant. DUNE will study neutrino oscillations looking for unresolved issues of the Standard Model of particle physics (SM) such as CP violation in the leptonic sector, neutrino mass ordering and others, starting from the early 2030s. The FD, with a mass of $\sim$17\,kt, that will exploit both ionization and scintillation signals to detect neutrino interactions with Argon. Scintillating photons in LAr will be detected by the photon detection system (PDS) based on light collectors coupled to Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs). During a test campaign, different laboratories of the collaboration performed an investigation of the best SiPM candidates that fulfill the DUNE FD requirements. We identified two models of SiPM, produced by Hamamatsu Photonics K.K. (HPK) and Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK), respectively. In this paper, we focus on the FBK selected model showing its main features. We will describe the characterization protocol, the results at both room and cryogenic temperatures and the photon detection efficiency measurements.

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arXiv2024

First observation and study of the $K^{\pm} \rightarrow π^{0} π^{0} μ^{\pm} ν$ decay

The NA48/2 experiment at CERN reports the first observation of the $K^{\pm} \rightarrow π^{0} π^{0} μ^{\pm} ν$ decay based on a sample of 2437 candidates with 15% background contamination collected in 2003--2004. The decay branching ratio in the kinematic region of the squared dilepton mass above $0.03$~GeV$^2/c^4$ is measured to be $(0.65 \pm 0.03) \times 10^{-6}$. The extrapolation to the full kinematic space, using a specific model, is found to be $(3.45 \pm 0.16) \times 10^{-6}$, in agreement with chiral perturbation theory predictions.

hep-ex↗
arXiv2023

PARSIFAL: a toolkit for triple-GEM parametrized simulation

PARSIFAL (PARametrized SImulation by Farinelli And Lavezzi) is a fast and reliable software tool that reproduces the complete response of a triple-GEM detector to the passage of a charged particle, taking into account the main physical effects. Starting from the detector configuration and the particle information, PARSIFAL reproduces ionization, spatial and temporal diffusion, effect of magnetic field, if present, and GEM amplification to provide the dependable triple-GEM detector response. In the design and optimization stages of this kind of detectors, simulations play an important role. Accurate and robust software programs, such as GARFIELD++, can simulate the transport of electrons and ions in a gas medium and their interaction with the electric field, but they are CPU-time consuming. The necessity to reduce the processing time while maintaining the precision of a full simulation is the main driver of this work. For a given set of geometrical and electrical settings, GARFIELD++ is run once-and-for-all to provide the input parameters for PARSIFAL. Once PARSIFAL is initialized and run, it produces the detector output, including the signal induction and the output of the electronics. The results of the analysis of the simulated data obtained with PARSIFAL are compared with the results of the experimental data collected during a testbeam: some tuning factors are applied to the simulation to improve the agreement. This paper describes the structure of the code and the methodology used to match the output to the experimental data.

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arXiv2022

Track-based alignment for the BESIII CGEM detector in the cosmic-ray test

The Beijing Electron Spectrometer III (BESIII) is a multipurpose detector operating on the Beijing Electron Positron Collider II (BEPCII). After more than ten year's operation, the efficiency of the inner layers of the Main Drift Chamber (MDC) decreased significantly. To solve this issue, the BESIII collaboration is planning to replace the inner part of the MDC with three layers of Cylindrical triple Gas Electron Multipliers (CGEM). The transverse plane spatial resolution of CGEM is required to be 120 $μ$m or better. To meet this goal, a careful calibration of the detector is necessary to fully exploit the potential of the CGEM detector. In all the calibrations, the detector alignment plays an important role to improve the detector precision. The track-based alignment for the CGEM detector with the Millepede algorithm is implemented to reduce the uncertainties of the hit position measurement. Using the cosmic-ray data taken in 2020 with the two layers setup, the displacement and rotation of the outer layer with respect to the inner layer is determined by a simultaneous fit applied to more than 160000 tracks. A good alignment precision has been achieved that guarantees the design request could be satisfied in the future. A further alignment is going to be performed using the combined information of tracks from cosmic-ray and collisions after the CGEM is installed into the BESIII detector.

hep-ex↗
arXiv2022

HIKE, High Intensity Kaon Experiments at the CERN SPS

A timely and long-term programme of kaon decay measurements at a new level of precision is presented, leveraging the capabilities of the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS). The proposed programme is firmly anchored on the experience built up studying kaon decays at the SPS over the past four decades, and includes rare processes, CP violation, dark sectors, symmetry tests and other tests of the Standard Model. The experimental programme is based on a staged approach involving experiments with charged and neutral kaon beams, as well as operation in beam-dump mode. The various phases will rely on a common infrastructure and set of detectors.

hep-ex↗
arXiv2021

Development of a single-photon imaging detector with pixelated anode and integrated digital read-out

We present the development of a single-photon detector and the connected read-out electronics. This `hybrid' detector is based on a vacuum tube, transmission photocathode, microchannel plate and a pixelated CMOS read-out anode encapsulating the analog and digital-front end electronics. This assembly will be capable of detecting up to $10^9$ photons per second with simultaneous measurement of position and time. The pixelated read-out anode used is based on the Timepix4 ASIC ($65~\mathrm{nm}$ CMOS technology) designed in the framework of the Medipix4 collaboration. This ASIC is an array of $512\times448$ pixels distributed on a $55~\mathrm{μm}$ square pitch, with a sensitive area of $\sim 7~\mathrm{cm}^2$. It features $50$-$70~\mathrm{e^{-}}$ equivalent noise charge, a maximum rate of $2.5~\mathrm{Ghits/s}$, and allows to time-stamp the leading-edge time and to measure the Time-over-Threshold (ToT) for each pixel. The pixel-cluster position combined with its ToT information will allow to reach $5$-$10~\mathrm{μm}$ position resolution. This information can also be used to correct for the leading-edge time-walk achieving a timing resolution of the order of $10~\mathrm{ps}$. The detector will be highly compact thanks to the encapsulated front-end electronics allowing local data processing and digitization. An FPGA-based data acquisition board, placed far from the detector, will receive the detector hits using $16$ electro-optical links operated at $10.24~\mathrm{Gbps}$. The data acquisition board will decode the information and store the relevant data in a server for offline analysis. These performance will allow significant advances in particle physics, life sciences, quantum optics or other emerging fields where the detection of single photons with excellent timing and position resolutions are simultaneously required.

physics.ins-det↗
arXiv2021

Characterisation of signal-induced noise in Hamamatsu R11265 Multianode Photomultiplier Tubes

Signal-induced noise is observed in Hamamatsu R11265 Multianode Photomultiplier Tubes, manifesting up to several microseconds after the single photoelectron response signal and localised in specific anodes. The mean number of noise pulses varies between devices, and shows significant dependence on the applied high-voltage. The characterisation of this noise and the mitigation strategies to perform optimal single-photon counting at 40 MHz, as required by the LHCb Ring-Imaging Cherenkov detectors, are reported.

physics.ins-det↗
arXiv2021

The CGEM-IT readout chain

An innovative Cylindrical Gas Electron Multiplier (CGEM) detector is under construction for the upgrade of the inner tracker of the BESIII experiment. A novel system has been worked out for the readout of the CGEM detector, including a new ASIC, dubbed TIGER -Torino Integrated GEM Electronics for Readout, designed for the amplification and digitization of the CGEM output signals. The data output by TIGER are collected and processed by a first FPGA-based module, GEM Read Out Card, in charge of configuration and control of the front-end ASICs. A second FPGA-based module, named GEM Data Concentrator, builds the trigger selected event packets containing the data and stores them via the main BESIII data acquisition system. The design of the electronics chain, including the power and signal distribution, will be presented together with its performance.

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arXiv2020

Time performance of a triple-GEM detector at high rate

Gaseous detectors are used in high energy physics as trackers or, more generally, as devices for the measurement of the particle position. For this reason, they must provide high spatial resolution and they have to be able to operate in regions of intense radiation, i.e. around the interaction point of collider machines. Among these, Micro Pattern Gaseous Detectors (MPGD) are the latest frontier and allow to overcome many limitations of the pre-existing detectors, such as the radiation tolerance and the rate capability. The gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) is a MPGD that exploits an intense electric field in a reduced amplification region in order to prevent discharges. Several amplification stages, like in a triple-GEM, allow to increase the detector gain and to reduce the discharge probability. Reconstruction techniques such as charge centroid (CC) and micro-Time Projection Chamber ($\upmu$TPC) are used to perform the position measurement. From literature triple-GEMs show a stable behaviour up to $10^8\,$Hz/cm$^2$. A testbeam with four planar triple-GEMs has been performed at the Mainz Microtron (MAMI) facility and their performance was evaluated in different beam conditions. In this article a focus on the time performance for the $\upmu$TPC clusterization is given and a new measurement of the triple-GEM limits at high rate will be presented.

physics.ins-det↗
arXiv2019

Triple GEM performance in magnetic field

Performance of triple GEM prototypes in strong magnetic field has been evaluated bymeans of a muon beam at the H4 line of the SPS test area at CERN. Data have been reconstructedand analyzed offline with two reconstruction methods: the charge centroid and the micro-Time-Projection-Chamber exploiting the charge and the time measurement respectively. A combinationof the two reconstruction methods is capable to guarantee a spatial resolution better than 150μmin magnetic field up to a 1 T.

physics.ins-det↗
arXiv2019

The NA62 GigaTracKer: a low mass high intensity beam 4D tracker with 65 ps time resolution on tracks

The GigaTracKer (GTK) is the beam spectrometer of the CERN NA62 experiment. The detector features challenging design specifications, in particular a peak particle flux reaching up to 2.0 MHz/mm$^2$, a single hit time resolution smaller than 200 ps and, a material budget of 0.5% X$_0$ per tracking plane. To fulfill these specifications, novel technologies were especially employed in the domain of silicon hybrid time-stamping pixel technology and micro-channel cooling. This article describes the detector design and reports on the achieved performance.

physics.ins-det↗
arXiv2019

GRAAL: Gem Reconstruction And Analysis Library

MPGD are the new frontier in gas trackers. Among this kind of devices, theGEM chambers are widely used. The experimental signals acquired with the detector mustobviously be reconstructed and analysed. In this contribution, a new offline software to performreconstruction, alignment and analysis on the data collected with APV-25 and TIGER ASICswill be presented. GRAAL (Gem Reconstruction And Analysis Library) is able to measurethe performance of a MPGD detector with a strip segmented anode (presently). The code isdivided in three parts: reconstruction, where the hits are digitized and clusterized; tracking,where a procedure fits the points from the tracking system and uses that information to align thechamber with rotations and shifts; analysis, where the performance is evaluated (e.g. efficiency,spatial resolution,etc.). The user must set the geometry of the setup and then the programreturns automatically the analysis results, taking care of different conditions of gas mixture,electric field, magnetic field, geometries, strip orientation, dead strip, misalignment and manyothers.

physics.ins-det↗
arXiv2019

A fast and parametric digitization for triple-GEM detectors

Triple-GEM detectors are a well known technology in high energy physics. In order to have a complete understanding of their behavior, in parallel with on beam testing, a Monte Carlo code has to be developed to simulate their response to the passage of particles. The software must take into account all the physical processes involved from the primary ionization up to the signal formation, e.g. the avalanche multiplication and the effect of the diffusion on the electrons. In the case of gas detectors, existing software such as Garfield already perform a very detailed simulation but are CPU time consuming. A description of a reliable but faster simulation is presented here: it uses a parametric description of the variables of interest obtained by suitable preliminary Garfield simulations and tuned to the test beam data. It can reproduce the real values of the charge measured by the strip, needed to reconstruct the position with the Charge Centroid method. In addition, particular attention was put to the simulation of the timing information, which permits to apply also the micro-Time Projection Chamber position reconstruction, for the first time on a triple-GEM. A comparison between simulation and experimental values of some sentinel variables in different conditions of magnetic field, high voltage settings and incident angle will be shown.

physics.ins-det↗
arXiv2018

Search for $K^{+}\rightarrowπ^{+}ν\overlineν$ at NA62

$K^{+}\rightarrowπ^{+}ν\overlineν$ is one of the theoretically cleanest meson decay where to look for indirect effects of new physics complementary to LHC searches. The NA62 experiment at CERN SPS is designed to measure the branching ratio of this decay with 10\% precision. NA62 took data in pilot runs in 2014 and 2015 reaching the final designed beam intensity. The quality of 2015 data acquired, in view of the final measurement, will be presented.

hep-ex↗
arXiv2018

A Cylindrical GEM Inner Tracker for the BESIII experiment at IHEP

The Beijing Electron Spectrometer III (BESIII) is a multipurpose detector that collects data provided by the collision in the Beijing Electron Positron Collider II (BEPCII), hosted at the Institute of High Energy Physics of Beijing. Since the beginning of its operation, BESIII has collected the world largest sample of J/ψ and ψ(2s). Due to the increase of the luminosity up to its nominal value of 10^33 cm-2 s-1 and aging effect, the MDC decreases its efficiency in the first layers up to 35% with respect to the value in 2014. Since BESIII has to take data up to 2022 with the chance to continue up to 2027, the Italian collaboration proposed to replace the inner part of the MDC with three independent layers of Cylindrical triple-GEM (CGEM). The CGEM-IT project will deploy several new features and innovation with respect the other current GEM based detector: the μTPC and analog readout, with time and charge measurements will allow to reach the 130 μm spatial resolution in 1 T magnetic field requested by the BESIII collaboration. In this proceeding, an update of the status of the project will be presented, with a particular focus on the results with planar and cylindrical prototypes with test beams data. These results are beyond the state of the art for GEM technology in magnetic field.

physics.ins-det↗
arXiv2018

Innovative design and construction technique for the Cylindrical GEM detector for the BESIII experiment

Gas detector are very light instrument used in high energy physics to measure the particle properties: position and momentum. Through high electric field is possible to use the Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) technology to detect the particles and to exploit the its properties to construct a large area detector, such as the new IT for BESIII. The state of the art in the GEM production allow to create very large area GEM foils (up to 50x100 cm2) and thanks to the small thickness of these foil is it possible to shape it to the desired form: a Cylindrical Gas Electron Multiplier (CGEM) is then proposed. The innovative construction technique based on Rohacell, a PMI foam, will give solidity to cathode and anode with a very low impact on material budget. The entire detector is sustained by permaglass rings glued at the edges. These rings are use to assembly the CGEM together with a dedicated Vertical Insertion System and moreover there is placed the On-Detector electronic. The anode has been improved w.r.t. the state of the art through a jagged readout that minimize the inter-strip capacitance. The mechanical challenge of this detector requires a precision of the entire geometry within few hundreds of microns in the whole area. In this presentation will be presented an overview of the construction technique and the validation of this technique through the realization of a CGEM and its first tests. These activities are performed within the framework of the BESIIICGEM Project (645664), funded by the European Commission in the action H2020-RISE-MSCA-2014.

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