No Arabic abstract
We present an open source kinematic fitting routine designed for low-energy nuclear physics applications. Although kinematic fitting is commonly used in high-energy particle physics, it is rarely used in low-energy nuclear physics, despite its effectiveness. A FORTRAN and ROOT C++ version of the FUNKI_FIT kinematic fitting code have been developed and published open access. The FUNKI_FIT code is universal in the sense that the constraint equations can be easily modified to suit different experimental set-ups and reactions. Two case studies for the use of this code, utilising experimental and Monte-Carlo data, are presented: (1) charged-particle spectroscopy using silicon-strip detectors; (2) charged-particle spectroscopy using active target detectors. The kinematic fitting routine provides an improvement in resolution in both cases, demonstrating, for the first time, the applicability of kinematic fitting across a range of nuclear physics applications. The ROOT macro has been developed in order to easily apply this technique in standard data analysis routines used by the nuclear physics community.
Progress in nuclear physics is driven by the experimental observation that requires state of the art detectors to measure various kinematic properties, such as energy, momentum, position etc. of the particles produced in a nuclear reaction. Advances in detector technology has enabled nuclear physicists to measure these quantities with better precision, and the reduced cost of the detection system has helped to have larger detection systems (array of detectors) to measure the rare processes with greater sensitivity. Several detection systems have been designed, developed and built in India over last few decades and are being used by the physicists. In this article, I will focus on such developments of detection systems at Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre (VECC), Kolkata.
Tracking capabilities in Time Projection Chambers (TPCs) are strongly dictated by the homogeneity of the drift field. Ion back-flow in various gas detectors, mainly induced by the secondary ionization processes during amplification, has long been known as a source of drift field distortion. Here, we report on beam-induced space-charge effects from the primary ionization process in the drift region in low-energy nuclear physics experiment with Active Target Time Projection Chamber (AT-TPC). A qualitative explanation of the observed effects is provided using detailed electron transport simulations. As ion mobility is a crucial factor in the space-charge effects, the need for a careful optimization of gas properties is highlighted. The impact of track distortion on tracking algorithm performance is also discussed.
In this paper we describe the development and first tests of a neutron spectrometer designed for high flux environments, such as the ones found in fast nuclear reactors. The spectrometer is based on the conversion of neutrons impinging on $^6$Li into $alpha$ and $t$ whose total energy comprises the initial neutron energy and the reaction $Q$-value. The $^6$LiF layer is sandwiched between two CVD diamond detectors, which measure the two reaction products in coincidence. The spectrometer was calibrated at two neutron energies in well known thermal and 3 MeV neutron fluxes. The measured neutron detection efficiency varies from 4.2$times 10^{-4}$ to 3.5$times 10^{-8}$ for thermal and 3 MeV neutrons, respectively. These values are in agreement with Geant4 simulations and close to simple estimates based on the knowledge of the $^6$Li(n,$alpha$)$t$ cross section. The energy resolution of the spectrometer was found to be better than 100 keV when using 5 m cables between the detector and the preamplifiers.
Production of a GeV photon beam by laser backward-Compton scattering has been playing an important role as a tool for nuclear and particle physics experiments. Its production techniques are now established at electron storage rings, which are increasing worldwide. A typical photon intensity has reached $sim$ 10 $^6$ sec$^{-1}$. In the present article, the LEPS beamline facility at SPring-8 is mainly described with an overview of experimental applications, for the purpose to summarize the GeV photon beam production. Finally, possible future upgrades are discussed with new developments of laser injection.
We present an alternative implementation of the Kalman filter employed for track fitting within the LHCb experiment. It uses simple parametrizations for the extrapolation of particle trajectories in the field of the LHCb dipole magnet and for the effects of multiple scattering in the detector material. A speedup of more than a factor of four is achieved while maintaining the quality of the estimated track quantities. This Kalman filter implementation could be used in the purely software-based trigger of the LHCb upgrade.