The objective of the experiments conducted at CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research), i.e., particle collisions using the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), is to uncover the building blocks of matter and the fundamental laws of physics. In high-energy particle physics experiments, the precise temporal separation of events is becoming more and more important. In CERN’s HLLHC (High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider) program, the increased collision intensity constitutes a serious challenge to the measuring instruments and detectors used today.
One of the biggest challenges in the operation of the HLLHC is that the signals of so many particle collisions overlap in time and space and, without the availability of accurate temporal information, researchers cannot reconstruct particle trajectories and determine physical quantities. However, a high-precision time-of-flight detector is capable of separating events in time, so the goal from this point onwards can only be to accurately determine these events. This may also open up the possibility of observing subtle physical phenomena that have remained hidden up until now.
The researchers of the University of Debrecen have investigated and tested a so-called crystal-SiPM-based detector, which, thanks to its extremely fast electrical signal generation, is also capable of identifying charged particles passing through the detector. During the course of measurements and simulations, they identified development directions that will allow for more accurate determination of simultaneous particle collisions and their decay products than ever before.
This detector system was also tested with particle beams and picosecond lasers.
- These measurements enable accurate, reproducible characterization of the temporal response of the readout electronics and detectors, as well as the direct comparison of the effects of individual development steps. The technologies and measurement methods tested here are indeed used in medical imaging systems, where improved temporal resolution increases image contrast and reduces the radiation exposure necessary- said research project leader Balázs Ujvári, Assistant Professor at the Department of Data Science and Visualization, Faculty of Informatics, University of Debrecen.
He also added that the specific detector technology developed during basic research is now directly related to high-energy physics experiments and applications with practical and social benefits.
The research project described above was supported by the National Research, Development and Innovation Office (2021–4.1.2–NEMZ_KI–2024–00045).
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