arXiv subjects

Kazutaka Aoyama

Publications and source records attributed to Kazutaka Aoyama.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

The General Antiparticle Spectrometer (GAPS) Antarctic Balloon Payload

The General Antiparticle Spectrometer (GAPS) is an Antarctic stratospheric balloon mission designed to provide unmatched sensitivity to low-energy (<0.25 GeV/n) cosmic-ray antiprotons, antideuterons, and antihelium nuclei as signatures of dark matter. The distinctive GAPS particle identification technique relies on measuring the energy loss along the track of an incoming antinucleus as it slows down and is captured into an exotic atom, and then detecting the de-excitation X-rays and the nuclear annihilation products. This measurement is realized using a Tracker composed of more than 1000 custom silicon strip detectors and a plastic scintillator time-of-flight (TOF) system instrumenting more than 40m$^2$. Together, these subsystems provide the velocity and energy resolution, stopping power, particle tracking, and X-ray identification necessary to distinguish rare antinucleus signals from the abundant positive-nucleus backgrounds, all within the constraints of a high-altitude mission. A multi-loop capillary heat pipe system has been developed to maintain the tracker operating temperature with significant mass and power savings over a conventional pump-based system. The first GAPS science payload flew for 25 days during the 2025/26 NASA Antarctic balloon campaign. We detail the design, integration, and commissioning of the payload prior to flight.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2022

Reconstruction of multiple Compton scattering events in MeV gamma-ray Compton telescopes towards GRAMS: the physics-based probabilistic model

Aimed at progress in mega-electron volt (MeV) gamma-ray astronomy, which has not yet been well-explored, Compton telescope missions with a variety of detector concepts have been proposed so far. One of the key techniques for these future missions is an event reconstruction algorithm that is able to determine the scattering orders of multiple Compton scattering events and to identify events in which gamma rays escape from the detectors before they deposit all of their energies. We revisit previous event reconstruction methods and propose a modified algorithm based on a probabilistic method. First, we present a general formalism of the probabilistic model of Compton scattering describing physical interactions inside the detector and measurement processes. Then, we also introduce several approximations in the calculation of the probability functions for efficient computation. For validation, the developed algorithm has been applied to simulation data of a Compton telescope using a liquid argon time projection chamber, which is a new type of Compton telescope proposed for the GRAMS project. We have confirmed that it works successfully for up to 8-hit events, including correction of incoming gamma-ray energies for escape events. The proposed algorithm can be used for next-generation MeV gamma-ray missions featured by large-volume detectors, e.g., GRAMS.

astro-ph.IM↗

arXiv2021

Measurement of emission spectrum for gaseous argon electroluminescence in visible light region from 300 to 600 nm

A double-phase Ar detector can efficiently identify particles and reconstruct their positions. However, the properties of electroluminescence (EL) for secondary light emission in the gas phase are not fully understood. Earlier studies have explained the EL process using an ordinary EL mechanism because of an Ar excimer; however, this mechanism does not predict the emission of visible light (VL). Recent measurements have demonstrated VL components in Ar gas EL, to explain which a new mechanism called neutral bremsstrahlung (NBrS) was proposed. In this study, we investigated gaseous Ar EL in the VL region from 300 to 600 nm at room temperature and normal pressure using a gaseous time projection chamber (TPC). The secondary emission light from the TPC luminescence region was dispersed using a spectrometer. The observed spectrum was interpreted using the ordinary EL and NBrS models, and the effect of nitrogen impurities is discussed herein.

physics.ins-det↗

arXiv2021

Development of a high-light-yield liquid argon detector using tetraphenyl butadiene and silicon photomultiplier array

To increase the light yield of a liquid Ar (LAr) detector, we optimized the evaporation technique of tetraphenyl butadiene (TPB) on the detector surface and tested the operability of a silicon photomultiplier (SiPM), namely, the multi-pixel photon counter with through-silicon-via (TSV-MPPC, Hamamatsu Photonics K.K.) at LAr temperature. TPB converts the LAr scintillations (vacuum ultraviolet light) to visible light, which can be detected by high-sensitivity photosensors. Because the light yield depends on the deposition mass of TPB on the inner surface of the detector, we constructed a well-controlled TPB evaporator to ensure reproducibility and measured the TPB deposition mass using a quartz crystal microbalance sensor. After optimizing the deposition mass of TPB (30 $μg/cm^2$ on the photosensor window and 40 $μg/cm^2$ on the detector wall), the light yield was 12.8 $\pm$ 0.3 p.e./keVee using PMTs with a quantum efficiency of approximately 30% for TPB-converted light. We also tested the low-temperature tolerance of TSV-MPPC, which has a high photon-detection efficiency, in the LAr environment. The TSV-MPPC detected the LAr scintillations converted by TPB with a photon-detection efficiency exceeding 50%.

physics.ins-det↗