arXiv subjects

E. Noah

Publications and source records attributed to E. Noah.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2024

Characterization of the optical model of the T2K 3D segmented plastic scintillator detector

The magnetised near detector (ND280) of the T2K long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment has been recently upgraded aiming to satisfy the requirement of reducing the systematic uncertainty from measuring the neutrinonucleus interaction cross section, which is the largest systematic uncertainty in the search for leptonic charge-parity symmetry violation. A key component of the upgrade is SuperFGD, a 3D segmented plastic scintillator detector made of approximately 2,000,000 optically-isolated 1 cm3 cubes. It will provide a 3D image of GeV neutrino interactions by combining tracking and stopping power measurements of final state particles with sub-nanosecond time resolution. The performance of SuperFGD is characterized by the precision of its response to charged particles as well as the systematic effects that might affect the physics measurements. Hence, a detailed Geant4 based optical simulation of the SuperFGD building block, i.e. a plastic scintillating cube read out by three wavelength shifting fibers, has been developed and validated with the different datasets collected in various beam tests. In this manuscript the description of the optical model as well as the comparison with data are reported.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2023

Total Neutron Cross-section Measurement on CH with a Novel 3D-projection Scintillator Detector

In order to extract neutrino oscillation parameters, precision long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments rely on detailed models of neutrino interactions with nuclei. These models constitute an important source of systematic uncertainty, partially because detectors to date have been blind to final state neutrons. Three-dimensional projection scintillator trackers comprise components of the near detectors of the next generation long-baseline neutrino experiments. Due to the good timing resolution and fine granularity, this technology is capable of measuring neutron kinetic energy in neutrino interactions on an event-by-event basis and will provide valuable data for refining neutrino interaction models and ways to reconstruct neutrino energy. Two prototypes have been exposed to the neutron beamline at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in both 2019 and 2020, with neutron energies between 0 and 800 MeV. In order to demonstrate the capability of neutron detection, the total neutron-scintillator cross section is measured and compared to external measurements. The measured total neutron cross section in scintillator between 98 and 688 MeV is 0.36 $\pm$ 0.05 barn.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2023

SuperFGD prototype time resolution studies

The SuperFGD will be a part of the ND280 near detector of the T2K and Hyper Kamiokande projects, that will help to reduce systematic uncertainties related with neutrino flux and cross-section modeling. The upgraded ND280 will be able to perform a full exclusive reconstruction of the final state from neutrino-nucleus interactions, including measurements of low momentum protons, pions and, for the first time, event-by event measurements of neutron kinematics. The time resolution defines the neutron energy resolution. We present the results of time resolution measurements made with the SuperFGD prototype that consists of 9216 plastic scintillator cubes (cube size is 1 cm$^3$) readout with 1728 wavelength-shifting fibers going along three orthogonal directions. We use data from the muon beam exposure at CERN. The time resolution of 0.97 ns was obtained for one readout channel after implementing the time calibration with a correction for the time-walk effect. The time resolution improves with energy deposited in a scintillator cube. Averaging two readout channels for one scintillator cube improves the time resolution to 0.68 ns which means that signals in different channels are not synchronous. Therefore the contribution from the time recording step of 2.5 ns is averaged as well. Averaging time values from N channels improves the time resolution by $\sim 1/\sqrt{N}$. Therefore a very good time resolution should be achievable for neutrons since neutron recoils hit typically several scintillator cubes and in addition produce larger amplitudes than muons. Measurements performed with a laser and a wide-bandwidth oscilloscope demonstrated that the time resolution obtained with the muon beam is not far from its expected limit. The intrinsic time resolution of one channel is 0.67 ns for signals of 56 photo-electron typical for minimum ionizing particles.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2020

The SuperFGD Prototype Charged Particle Beam Tests

A novel scintillator detector, the SuperFGD, has been selected as the main neutrino target for an upgrade of the T2K experiment ND280 near detector. The detector design will allow nearly 4π coverage for neutrino interactions at the near detector and will provide lower energy thresholds, significantly reducing systematic errors for the experiment. The SuperFGD is made of optically-isolated scintillator cubes of size 10x10x10 mm^3, providing the required spatial and energy resolution to reduce systematic uncertainties for future T2K runs. The SuperFGD for T2K will have close to two million cubes in a 1920x560x1840 mm^3 volume. A prototype made of 24x8x48 cubes was tested at a charged particle beamline at the CERN PS facility. The SuperFGD Prototype was instrumented with readout electronics similar to the future implementation for T2K. Results on electronics and detector response are reported in this paper, along with a discussion of the 3D reconstruction capabilities of this type of detector. Several physics analyses with the prototype data are also discussed, including a study of stopping protons.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2019

Plastic scintillator detector with the readout based on an array of large-area SiPMs for the ND280/T2K upgrade and SHiP experiments

Plastic scintillator detectors have been extensively used in particle physics experiments for decades. A large-scale detector is typically arranged as an array of staggered long bars which provide a fast trigger signal and/or particle identification via time-of-flight measurements. Scintillation light is collected by photosensors coupled to both ends of every bar. In this article, we present our study on a direct replacement of commonly used vacuum photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) by arrays of large-area silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs). An SiPM array which is directly coupled to the scintillator bulk, has a clear advantage with respect to a PMT: compactness, mechanical robustness, high PDE, low operation voltage, insensitivity to magnetic field, low material budget, possibility to omit light-guides. In this study, arrays of eight 6 x 6 mm2 area SiPMs were coupled to the ends of plastic scintillator bars with 1.68 m and 2.3 m lengths. An 8 channel SiPM anode readout ASIC (eMUSIC) was used for the readout, amplification and summation of signals of individual SiPMs. Timing characteristics of a large-scale detector prototype were studied in test-beams at the CERN PS. This technology is proposed for the ToF system of the ND280/T2K II upgrade at J-PARC and the timing detector of the SHiP experiment at the CERN SPS.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2018

Beam test results of 3D fine-grained scintillator detector prototype for a T2K ND280 neutrino active target

An upgrade of the long baseline neutrino experiment T2K near detector ND280 is currently being developed with the goal to reduce systematic uncertainties in the prediction of number of events at the far detector Super-Kamiokande. The upgrade program includes the design and construction of a new highly granular fully active scintillator detector with 3D WLS fiber readout as a neutrino target. The detector of about $200\times 180\times 60~cm^3$ in size and a mass of $\sim$2.2~tons will be assembled from about $2\times10^6$ plastic scintillator cubes of $1\times1\times1~cm^3$. Each cube is read out by three orthogonal Kuraray Y11 Wave Length Shifting (WLS) fibers threaded through the detector. A detector prototype made of 125 cubes was assembled and tested in a charged particle test beam at CERN in the fall of 2017. This paper presents the results obtained on the light yield and timing as well as on the optical cross-talk between the cubes.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2018

A fully active fine grained detector with three readout views

This paper describes a novel idea of a fine-grained fully-active plastic scintillator detector made of many optically independent $1\times1\times1~\text{cm}^3$ cubes with readout on three orthogonal projections by wavelength shifting fibers. The original purpose of this detector is to serve as an active neutrino target for the detection, measurement and identification of the final state particles down to a few tenths MeV kinetic energies. The three readout views as well as the fine granularity ensure powerful localization and measurement of the deposited energy combined with good timing properties and isotropic acceptance. The possible application as a new active target for the T2K near detector, initial simulation studies and R&D test results are reported.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2017

Application of large area SiPMs for the readout of a plastic scintillator based timing detector

In this study an array of eight 6 mm x 6 mm area SiPMs was coupled to the end of a long plastic scintillator counter which was exposed to a 2.5 GeV/c muon beam at the CERN PS. Timing characteristics of bars with dimensions 150 cm x 6 cm x 1 cm and 120 cm x 11 cm x 2.5 cm have been studied. An 8-channel SiPM anode readout ASIC (MUSIC R1) based on a novel low input impedance current conveyor has been used to read out and amplify SiPMs independently and sum the signals at the end. Prospects for applications in large-scale particle physics detectors with timing resolution below 100 ps are provided in light of the results.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2017

Study of timing characteristics of a 3 m long plastic scintillator counter using waveform digitizers

A plastic scintillator bar with dimensions 300 cm x 2.5 cm x 11 cm was exposed to a focused muon beam to study its light yield and timing characteristics as a function of position and angle of incidence. The scintillating light was read out at both ends by photomultiplier tubes whose pulse shapes were recorded by waveform digitizers. Results obtained with the WAVECATCHER and SAMPIC digitizers are analyzed and compared. A discussion of the various factors affecting the timing resolution is presented. Prospects for applications of plastic scintillator technology in large-scale particle physics detectors with timing resolution around 100 ps are provided in light of the results.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2017

Baby MIND: A magnetized segmented neutrino detector for the WAGASCI experiment

T2K (Tokai-to-Kamioka) is a long-baseline neutrino experiment in Japan designed to study various parameters of neutrino oscillations. A near detector complex (ND280) is located 280~m downstream of the production target and measures neutrino beam parameters before any oscillations occur. ND280's measurements are used to predict the number and spectra of neutrinos in the Super-Kamiokande detector at the distance of 295~km. The difference in the target material between the far (water) and near (scintillator, hydrocarbon) detectors leads to the main non-cancelling systematic uncertainty for the oscillation analysis. In order to reduce this uncertainty a new WAter-Grid-And-SCintillator detector (WAGASCI) has been developed. A magnetized iron neutrino detector (Baby MIND) will be used to measure momentum and charge identification of the outgoing muons from charged current interactions. The Baby MIND modules are composed of magnetized iron plates and long plastic scintillator bars read out at the both ends with wavelength shifting fibers and silicon photomultipliers. The front-end electronics board has been developed to perform the readout and digitization of the signals from the scintillator bars. Detector elements were tested with cosmic rays and in the PS beam at CERN. The obtained results are presented in this paper.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2017

Baby MIND Experiment Construction Status

Baby MIND is a magnetized iron neutrino detector, with novel design features, and is planned to serve as a downstream magnetized muon spectrometer for the WAGASCI experiment on the T2K neutrino beam line in Japan. One of the main goals of this experiment is to reduce systematic uncertainties relevant to CP-violation searches, by measuring the neutrino contamination in the anti-neutrino beam mode of T2K. Baby MIND is currently being constructed at CERN, and is planned to be operational in Japan in October 2017.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2017

Baby MIND: A magnetised spectrometer for the WAGASCI experiment

The WAGASCI experiment being built at the J-PARC neutrino beam line will measure the difference in cross sections from neutrinos interacting with a water and scintillator targets, in order to constrain neutrino cross sections, essential for the T2K neutrino oscillation measurements. A prototype Magnetised Iron Neutrino Detector (MIND), called Baby MIND, is being constructed at CERN to act as a magnetic spectrometer behind the main WAGASCI target to be able to measure the charge and momentum of the outgoing muon from neutrino charged current interactions.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2016

TITUS: the Tokai Intermediate Tank for the Unoscillated Spectrum

The TITUS, Tokai Intermediate Tank for Unoscillated Spectrum, detector, is a proposed Gd-doped Water Cherenkov tank with a magnetised muon range detector downstream. It is located at J-PARC at about 2 km from the neutrino target and it is proposed as a potential near detector for the Hyper-Kamiokande experiment. Assuming a beam power of 1.3 MW and 27.05 x 10^{21} protons-on-target the sensitivity to CP and mixing parameters achieved by Hyper-Kamiokande with TITUS as a near detector is presented. Also, the potential of the detector for cross sections and Standard Model parameter determination, supernova neutrino and dark matter are shown.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2014

LBNO-DEMO: Large-scale neutrino detector demonstrators for phased performance assessment in view of a long-baseline oscillation experiment

In June 2012, an Expression of Interest for a long-baseline experiment (LBNO) has been submitted to the CERN SPSC. LBNO considers three types of neutrino detector technologies: a double-phase liquid argon (LAr) TPC and a magnetised iron detector as far detectors. For the near detector, a high-pressure gas TPC embedded in a calorimeter and a magnet is the baseline design. A mandatory milestone is a concrete prototyping effort towards the envisioned large-scale detectors, and an accompanying campaign of measurements aimed at assessing the detector associated systematic errors. The proposed $6\times 6\times 6$m$^3$ DLAr is an industrial prototype of the design discussed in the EoI and scalable to 20 kton or 50~kton. It is to be constructed and operated in a controlled laboratory and surface environment with test beam access, such as the CERN North Area (NA). Its successful operation and full characterisation will be a fundamental milestone, likely opening the path to an underground deployment of larger detectors. The response of the DLAr demonstrator will be measured and understood with an unprecedented precision in a charged particle test beam (0.5-20 GeV/c). The exposure will certify the assumptions and calibrate the response of the detector, and allow to develop and to benchmark sophisticated reconstruction algorithms, such as those of 3-dimensional tracking, particle ID and energy flow in liquid argon. All these steps are fundamental for validating the correctness of the physics performance described in the LBNO EoI.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2014

Proposal for SPS beam time for the baby MIND and TASD neutrino detector prototypes

The design, construction and testing of neutrino detector prototypes at CERN are ongoing activities. This document reports on the design of solid state baby MIND and TASD detector prototypes and outlines requirements for a test beam at CERN to test these, tentatively planned on the H8 beamline in the North Area, which is equipped with a large aperture magnet. The current proposal is submitted to be considered in light of the recently approved projects related to neutrino activities with the SPS in the North Area in the medium term 2015-2020.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2014

Light sterile neutrino sensitivity at the nuSTORM facility

A facility that can deliver beams of electron and muon neutrinos from the decay of a stored muon beam has the potential to unambiguously resolve the issue of the evidence for light sterile neutrinos that arises in short-baseline neutrino oscillation experiments and from estimates of the effective number of neutrino flavors from fits to cosmological data. In this paper, we show that the nuSTORM facility, with stored muons of 3.8 GeV/c $\pm$ 10%, will be able to carry out a conclusive muon neutrino appearance search for sterile neutrinos and test the LSND and MiniBooNE experimental signals with 10$σ$ sensitivity, even assuming conservative estimates for the systematic uncertainties. This experiment would add greatly to our knowledge of the contribution of light sterile neutrinos to the number of effective neutrino flavors from the abundance of primordial helium production and from constraints on neutrino energy density from the cosmic microwave background. The appearance search is complemented by a simultaneous muon neutrino disappearance analysis that will facilitate tests of various sterile neutrino models.

hep-ex↗

arXiv2013

nuSTORM - Neutrinos from STORed Muons: Proposal to the Fermilab PAC

The nuSTORM facility has been designed to deliver beams of electron neutrinos and muon neutrinos (and their anti-particles) from the decay of a stored muon beam with a central momentum of 3.8 GeV/c and a momentum acceptance of 10%. The facility is unique in that it will: 1. Allow searches for sterile neutrinos of exquisite sensitivity to be carried out; 2. Serve future long- and short-baseline neutrino-oscillation programs by providing definitive measurements of electron neutrino and muon neutrino scattering cross sections off nuclei with percent-level precision; and 3. Constitutes the crucial first step in the development of muon accelerators as a powerful new technique for particle physics. The document describes the facility in detail and demonstrates its physics capabilities. This document was submitted to the Fermilab Physics Advisory Committee in consideration for Stage I approval.

physics.acc-ph↗

arXiv2013

Neutrinos from Stored Muons nuSTORM: Expression of Interest

The nuSTORM facility has been designed to deliver beams of electron and muon neutrinos from the decay of a stored muon beam with a central momentum of 3.8 GeV/c and a momentum spread of 10%. The facility is unique in that it will: serve the future long- and short-baseline neutrino-oscillation programmes by providing definitive measurements of electron-neutrino- and muon-neutrino-nucleus cross sections with percent-level precision; allow searches for sterile neutrinos of exquisite sensitivity to be carried out; and constitute the essential first step in the incremental development of muon accelerators as a powerful new technique for particle physics. Of the world's proton-accelerator laboratories, only CERN and FNAL have the infrastructure required to mount nuSTORM. Since no siting decision has yet been taken, the purpose of this Expression of Interest (EoI) is to request the resources required to: investigate in detail how nuSTORM could be implemented at CERN; and develop options for decisive European contributions to the nuSTORM facility and experimental programme wherever the facility is sited. The EoI defines a two-year programme culminating in the delivery of a Technical Design Report.

physics.acc-ph↗