Astroparticle, Particle, Space Physics and Detectors for Physics Applications

The following sections are included:

• ORGANIZING COMMITTEES

• PREFACE

• CONTENTS

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Successfully launched in June 2008, the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, formerly named GLAST, has been observing the high-energy gammar-ray sky with unprecedented sensitivity for more than three years, opening a new observational window on a wide variety of astrophysical objects. This paper is a short overview of the main science highlights, not including those aspects of the broad Fermi science menu which are covered in separate contributions presented at this conference (most notably Cosmic-ray studies, Galactic sources and Active Galactic Nuclei).

The main scientific goals, the scientific and observational requirements, and the expected performances of the Extreme Universe Space Observatory (EUSO) onboard the Japanese Experiment Module of the International Space Station are being described. Designed as the first mission to explore the Ultra High Energy Universe from space, JEM-EUSO will monitor, nighttime, the earth's atmosphere to record the UV (300-400 nm) tracks generated by the Extensive Air Showers (EAS) produced by UHE primaries propagating in the atmosphere.

JEM-EUSO experiment will search for UHECR by monitoring UV light produced in their interaction with atmosphere from International Space Station. We have estimated an operational duty cycle for JEM-BUSO experiment along the ISS trajectory by the analytical evaluation of possible UV light sources on the Barth nightside. Main sources are UV moon light and UV background intensities created by nightglow and stars. Effect of artificial sources of UV light in populated areas is also estimated.

Current surveys of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) find only a very small fraction of AGN contributing to the Cosmic X-ray Background CXB at energies above 15 keV. Roughly 99% of the CXB is so far unresolved. In this work we address the question of the unresolved component of the CXB with the combined surveys of INTEGRAL and Swift. These two currently flying X-ray missions perform independent surveys at energies above 15 keV. Our approach is to perform the independent surveys and merge them in order to enhance the exposure time and reduce the systematic uncertainties. We do this with resampling techniques. As a result we obtain a new survey over a wide sky area of 6200 deg² that is a factor ∼4 more sensitive than the survey of Swift or INTEGRAL alone. Our sample comprises more than 100 AGN. We use the extragalactic source sample to resolve the CXB by more than a factor 2 compared to current parent surveys.

In the past years, the second generation of imaging air-Cherenkov telescopes has proven its power detecting weak sources with high sensitivity and low energy threshold. The goal to further improve the sensitivity and lower the energy threshold requires a robust and hlghly efficient sensor technology. A promising detector technology are silicon based photon detectors, namely Geiger-mode avalanche photo-diodes (G-APDs). They promise robustness and easy manage-ability compared photo-multiplier tubes so far in use.

To prove the applicability of this technology for Cherenkov telescopes, one of the former HEGRA telescopes was revived and equipped with a camera using G-APDs all photo sensors. Since G-APDs are comparably small, solid light guides are used to significantly increase the light collection area of each sensor. With this technologies, the First G-APD Cherenkov Telescopes (FACT) promises an increase in sensitivity and decrease in energy threshold, compared with a classical photo-multiplier based camera.

A magnetic spectrometer has been designed for the China Seismological Experiment Satellite (CSES). The satellite, which includes instruments to measure the electromagnetic field, will record the field variations and the particle precipitation from the inner radiation belts, phenomena which have been observed in relation to strong earthquakes. Similar in conception to the AMS and PAMELA magnetic spectrometers, Aiglon represents a significant evolution with respect to the space instruments used for previous seismic studies.

Supernova remnants have been detected in TeV γ-rays, thereby suggesting that they are powerful cosmic ray accelerators. If these objects are the sources of galactic cosmic rays, they should be able to accelerate particles up to the energy of the cosmic ray knee (∼4 PeV). However there is sill no clear evidence that they can accelerate protons up to these energies. Future gamma-ray observations in the ∼100 TeV might contribute to the solution of this issue. Such photons are indeed produced in proton-proton interactions experienced by PeV cosmic rays. This energy range, to date almost unexplored, will be probed by the next generation of telescopes, such as the Cherenkov Telescope Array. In this paper, we discuss the impact of such future observations for our understanding of particle acceleration at supernova remnant shocks.

We study the production of cosmogenic neutrinos and photons during the propagation of ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECRs). For a wide range of models in cosmological evolution of source luminosity, composition and maximum energy E_max, we calculate the expected flux of cosmogenic secondaries and compare their flux to the experimental one measured by Fermi & IceCube. Most of these models yield significant neutrino fluxes for current experiments. Plus, we discuss the possibilities of signing the presence of UHE proton sources either within or outside the cosmic ray horizon using neutrinos or photons observations.

The Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02) is a space based high energy physics experiment operating on the International Space Station (ISS) since May. AMS-02 will measure the different cosmic radiation components allowing the search of primordial antimatter and dark matter annihilation products. Exploiting a large acceptance and a data taking of at least 10 years, AMS-02 will detect more than 10¹⁰ charged particles in the GV-TV rigidity range. The tracking device is composed by 2 planes at the ends of the apparatus and 7 layers of silicon sensors in the permanent magnet (0.15T) bore. The measurement of the curvature radius of the charged particles bent trajectories allows the estimation of particle rigidity and charge sign. The tracker is composed by 2264 double-sided silicon sensors (72×41 mm², 300 μm thick) assembled in 192 read-out units, for a total of ≈ 200.000 read-out channels. The status of the AMS-02 tracker, after these first months of data taking in space, its performances and potentialities will be presented.

We report the Fermi-LAT observations of the lunar emission during the extended period of low solar activity. During this period the CR-induced emission was the brightest. While the Moon was detected by the EGRET instrument on the CGRO with low statistics, Fermi is the only gamma-ray mission capable of detecting the Moon and monitoring it over the full 24^th solar cycle. We present the gamma-ray images of the Moon, its spectrum, and flux measurements in comparison with models and previous EGRET results.

During a five year mission the CALET space experiment, currently under development by collaborators in Japan, Italy and the United States, will measure the flux of Cosmic Ray electrons (and positrons) from 1 GeV to 20 TeV, gamma rays from 10 GeV to 10 TeV and nuclei with Z=l to 40 from 10 GeV to 1,000 TeV. These measurements are essential to investigate possible nearby astrophysical sources of high-energy electrons, study the details of galactic particle propagation and search for dark matter signatures. The instrument consists of a module to identify the particle charge, a thin imaging calorimeter (3 radiation lengths) with tungsten plates interleaving scintillating fiber planes, and a thick calorimeter (27 radiation lengths) composed of lead tungstate logs. CALET has the depth, imaging capabilities and energy resolution necessary for excellent separation between hadrons, electrons and gamma rays. The instrument is currently being prepared for launch, during the 2014 time frame, to the International Space Station (ISS) for installation on the Japanese Experiment Module – Exposed Facility (JEM-EF). This paper summarizes the instrument design and performance.

LOFT (http://isdc.unige.ch/loft), the Large Observatory for X-ray Timing is a candidate M-class mission within the ESA cosmic vision program and will compete for a. launch opportunity around 2020. X-ray observations at a high time resolution (5-10 μs) of compact objects (as the Galactic and extra-Galactic neutron stars and black holes) provide a unique tool to investigate strong-field gravity, and give direct access to measurements of black hole masses and spins, and to the equation of state of ultradense matter. For this, good spectral resolution and a large effective area are needed. These scientific goals will be achieved using two instruments on LOFT: The Large Area Detector (LAD) of LOFT achieves an effective area. of > 10 m² (more than an order of magnitude larger than current space-borne X-ray detectors) in the 2-30 keV range (up to 50 keV in expanded mode), yet still fits a conventional platform and small/medium-class launcher. The LAD will be realized using silicon drift detectors (SDDs) similar to the ones used currently at LHC/Alice. The LAD is complemented by a Wide Field Monitor (WFM) which provides important diagnostic information and enhanced sensitivity, spectral and timing resolution to allow for a large parameter space for discovery. The LOFT mission concept as well as the LAD and WFM design will be presented.

The composition of the cosmic rays in the knee region (≈ 10⁴ TeV/nucleus) of all particle spectrum is considered to be the result of the particle acceleration and propagation from the astrophysical sources. The steeply falling cosmic ray spectrum makes a direct measurement of the composition difficult, but it can be inferred from the measurements of the showers generated by the interaction of the primary cosmic ray with the Earth atmosphere. In particular the characteristics of the muon bundles produced in the showers depend on the primary cosmic ray nature. The ANTARES telescope is situated 2.5 km under the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Toulon, France. It is taking data in its complete configuration since 2008 with nearly 900 photomultipliers installed on 12 lines. The trigger rate is a few Hz dominated by atmospheric muons. A method using a multiple layered neural network as a classifier was developed to estimate the relative contribution of proton and iron showers from the energy and multiplicity distribution of the muon tracks reaching the detector. The performance of the method estimated from simulation will be discussed.

In the past twenty years the ground-based Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescope (IACT) technique has revolutionized the understanding of cosmic rays. Over 120 sources of cosmic rays of both galactic and extragalactic origin have been observed in the very high energy regime of 50 GeV to 100 TeV. One key parameter of these measurements is the gamma ray flux, which is derived from the detection of gamma. ray induced Cherenkov light in the earth's atmosphere. The ratio between the total Cherenkov light hitting the primary IACT mirror and the projection on its camera has a direct impact on the precision of the flux measured. We have further improved an existing method for measuring in situ the reflectivity of the mirror of a telescope. The method is based on the simultaneous measurement of the brightness of both, a selected star directly and its image in the focal plane of the telescope. We applied this method to both 17 m diameter MAGIC IACTs operating on the Canary Island of La Palma. In this report we want to present the details of this method as well as results of the reflectivity measurements.

The IceTop air shower array is the surface component of the IceCube Neutrino Observatory at the geographic South Pole. The combination of IceTop and IceCube provides a new and powerful tool to measure cosmic ray composition in the energy range between about 300ThV and 1 TeV by detecting the electromagnetic component at the surface in coincidence with the muon bundle in the deep underground detector. The paper will give an overview of the current status of the detector and the first physics results will be presented.

We report on the characterization of candidate light sensors for use in the next-generation Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Thlescope project called Cherenkov Thlescope Array, a major astra-particle physics project of about 100 telescopes that is currently in the prototyping phase. Our goal is to develop with the manufacturers the best possible light sensors (highest photon detection efficiency, lowest crosstalk and afterpulsing). The cameras of those telescopes will be based on classical super-bi-alkali Photomultiplier tubes but also Silicon Photomultipliers are candidate light sensors. A full characterisation of selected sensors was done. We are working in close contact with several manufacturers, giving them feedback and suggesting improvements.

The ARGO-YBJ experiment, installed at the Yangbajing Cosmic Ray Laboratory (Tibet, China), at 4300 m a.s.l., is a detector 100×110m² large, made by a layer of Resistive Plate Counters (RPCs) consisting of a central carpet with almost full coverage extending over an area of about 5.500 m², surrounded by a guard ring with partial coverage. The high space-time granularity, the full-coverage technique and the high altitude location make this detector a unique device for a detailed study of the atmospheric shower characteristics with an energy threshold of a few hundred GeV. The large field of view, the high duty cycle enable the ARGO-YBJ experiment to monitor the sky in a continuous way. A summary of recent results in Gamma-ray Astronomy and Cosmic Ray Physics will be presented and reviewed.

In this review, I discuss briefly theoretical scenarios concerning the interpretation of recent results from indirect and direct dark matter searches, with emphasis on the former.

The ESA Planck satellite, launched on May 14^th, 2009, is the third generation space mission dedicated to the measurement of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB), the first light in the Universe. Planck observes the full sky in nine frequency bands from 30 to 857 GHz and is designed to measure the CMB anisotropies with an unprecedented combination of sensitivity, angular resolution and control of systematic effects. In this presentation we summarise the Planck instruments performance and discuss the main scientific results obtained after one year of operations in the fields of galactic and extragalactic astrophysics.

In five years of data taking in space, the PAMELA experiment collected very interesting data on the charged cosmic radiation over a wide energy range (from 100 MeV up to 1 TeV, depending from the species) with unprecedent statistics. The apparatus comprises a time–of–flight system, a silicon–microstrip magnetic spectrometer, a silicon–tungsten electromagnetic calorimeter, an anticoincidence system, a shower tail counter scintillator and a neutron detector. PAMELA is providing fundamental data not only to search for dark matter signals but also to better understand cosmic–ray propagation models. Main results after five years of data taking will be presented.

After three years of scientific activity with the Large Area Telescope (LAT), the primary instrument onboard Fermi, the second catalog of the active galactic nuclei (2LAC) detected by the Fermi Large Area Telescope is now complete. It is a follow-up of the first LAT AGN catalog, (1LAC). The 2LAC includes a number of analysis refinements and additional association methods which have substantially increased the number of associations over 1LAC. Among the AGN included both in the 1LAC and in the 2LAC, those blazars that have their Spectral Energy Distribution (SED) high-energy peak centered on the Fermi-LAT band (from 20 MeV to 300 GeV) are of particular interest. The brightest of these sources have been analyzed covering a period of 22 months of Fermi LAT gamma-ray data in order to investigate their spectral features in the gamma-ray band and to characterize the temporal evolution of their gamma-ray spectra.

The method of a determination of Primary Cosmic Ray mass composition is presented. Data processing is based on the theoretical model representing the EAS spectrum VB the total number of muons as the superposition of the spectra corresponding to different kinds of primary nuclei. The method consists of two stages. At the first stage, the permissible intervals of mass fractions f_i are determined on the base of the EAS spectrum vs the total muon number (_Eμ ≥ 235 GeV). At the second stage, the permissible intervals of f_i are narrowed by fitting procedure. Within the framework of three components (protons, helium and heavy nuclei), the mass composition in the region 10¹⁵ – 10¹⁶ eV has been defined: f_p = 0.235 ± 0.02, f_He = 0.290 ± 0.02, f_H = 0.475 ± 0.03.

The Very High Energy band (above a few tens of GeV up to 100 TeV) is the natural domain where the study of the astrophysical sources is tangled with the realm of the particle physics. Several outstanding results were obtained so far by the HESS, MAGIC, and VERITAS Cherenkov arrays, both on Galactic and extra-Galactic sources, such as the investigations of the innermost surroundings of super-massive black-holes or the detailed morphology of several supernova remnants. The forthcoming Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), with its innovative approach based on the use of three different sizes of telescopes, should obtain a one-order-of-magnitude improvement with respect to the current Cherenkov telescope performance. In this talk I will review both the science goals and the technological aspects of the CTA, also reporting on the status of the project.

PoGOLite is a balloon-borne soft gamma-ray (X-ray) polarimeter operating in the 25-80 keV energy band. The polarisation of incoming photons is determined using Compton scattering and photo-absorption events reconstructed in an array of plastic scintillator detector cells surrounded by a BGO side anticoincidence shield and a polyethylene neutron shield. Observations take place from a stratospheric balloon operating at an altitude of ∼40 km. A custom attitude control system keeps the polarimeter field-of-view aligned to targets of interest. The maiden ‘pathfinder’ flight of PoGOLite took place from the Esrange Space Centre in July 2011.

Blazars are jet-dominated extragalactic objects characterized by the emission of strongly variable non-thermal radiation across the entire electromagnetic spectrum. The use of multi-frequency simultaneous data is essential in order to understand the physical processes that take place in these objects. It is now possible to assemble high-quality multi-frequency simultaneous broadband spectra of large and statistically well-defined samples of radio-loud AGN, thanks to Planck, Fermi and Swift simultaneously on orbit, complemented with other space and ground-based observatories. For this study, we have selected four samples of sources. The first three samples are flux limited in the high energy part of the electromagnetic spectrum: the soft X-ray (0.1-2 keV) sample includes 43 sources from the Rosat All Sky Survey Bright Source Catalog, the hard X-ray (15-150 keV) sample includes 34 sources from the Swift-BAT 54 months source catalog and the gamma-ray sample includes 50 sources from the Fermi-LAT 3 months Bright AGN Source List. The fourth sample is radio flux limited, including 104 bright northern and equatorial radio-loud AGN (most of which have been monitored at Metsahovi Radio observatory for many years) with average radio flux density at 37 GHz greater than 1 Jy. We present the methods applied and the results of the analysis performed using Fermi-LAT data for all sources in the four different samples of AGN.

Since the beginning of its operations in Summer 2008 the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope has been monitoring a vast number of high energy astrophysical sources, among which several are commonly thought to be plausible sources of cosmic rays (CRs). In addition to the gamma emission from individual sources like supernova remnants, Fermi has been observing γ rays from the interaction of CRs with the galactic medium, while locally it measures with outstanding accuracy the flux of primary electrons in the Earth orbit up to 1 TeV. After three years of operation the collected information gives novel insights to the long standing puzzle of the OR origin.

At the Pierre Auger Observatory in Argentina, the first stage of the Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA) has been deployed. It is located close to the low-energy enhancements of the observatory and currently consists of 24 autonomous radio detector stations. In the coming years, the number of detection stations will grow to 160 units covering almost 20 km². Since April of this year AERA is measuring radio emission from cosmic-ray induced air showers. These measurements are confirmed by simultaneous measurements of the particle detectors and the fluorescence telescopes of the observatory. AERA will provide us with new insights on the radio emission mechanisms of air showers with energies above 10¹⁷ eV.

We present the results of our observations of two types of Galactic supernova remnants with the SHALON mirror Cherenkov telescope: the plerion Crab Nebula, Geminga (probably plerion) and the shell-type supernova remnants Cassiopeia A and Tycho. The experimental data have confirmed the prediction of the theory about the hadronic generation mechanism of very high energy (800 GeV - 100 TeV) γ-rays in Tycho's supernova remnant. The data obtained suggest that the very high energy γ-ray emission in the objects being discussed is different in origin.

The SHALON Cherenkov telescope has recorded over 2 × 10⁶ extensive air showers during the past 17 years. The analysis of the signal at different zenith angles has included observations from the sub-horizontal direction Θ = 97°. This inclination defines an Earth skimming trajectory with 7 km of air and around 1000 km of rock in front of the telescope. During a period of 324 hours of observation, after a cut of shower-like events that may be caused by chaotic sky flashes or reflections on the snow of vertical showers, we have detected 5 air showers of TeV energies. We argue that these events may be caused by the decay of a long-lived penetrating particle entering the atmosphere from the ground and decaying in front of the telescope. We show that this particle can it not be a muon or a tau lepton. As a possible explanation, we discuss two scenarios with an unstable neutrino of mass m ≈ 0.5 GeV and cτ ≈ 30m. Remarkably, one of these models has been recently proposed to explain an excess of electron-like neutrino events at MiniBooNE.

MAGIC (Major Atmospheric Gamma–ray Imaging Cherenkov Telescope) is a system of two 17 meters Cherenkov telescopes, sensitive to very high energy (VHE; > 10¹¹ eV) gamma radiation above an energy threshold of 50 GeV. The first telescope was built in 2004 and operated for five years in standalone mode. A second MAGIC telescope (MAGIC–II), at a distance of 85 meters from the first one, started taking data in July 2009. Together they integrate the MAGIC stereoscopic system. Stereoscopic observations have improved the MAGIC sensitivity and its performance in terms of spectral and angular resolution, especially at low energies.

We report on the status of the telescope system and highlight selected recent results from observations of galactic and extragalactic gamma–ray sources. The variety of sources discussed includes pulsars, galactic binary systems, clusters of galaxies, radio galaxies, quasars, BL Lacertae objects and more.

Different exotic particles have been suggested to be part of the cosmic radiation flux, such as Magnetic Monopoles, Strange Quark Matter, Q-balls in a very wide mass range, from multi-TeV to 10¹⁷ GeV and beyond. The SLIM experiment based on a large array of nuclear track detectors at the Chacaltaya Laboratory (Bolivia) reached the highest sensitivity for Intermediate mass MMs, nuclearites and charged Q-balls. After discussing the experimental procedure, the results obtained by the SLIM: experiment are compared with the sensitivity reachable by future searches with large volume neutrino telescopes and space based experiments.

Observations of light isotopes in cosmic rays provide information on their origin and propagation in the Galaxy. Using the data collected by AMS-01 in the STS-91 space mission, we report our final results on the isotopic composition of hydrogen and helium between 200 MeV and 1.4 GeV per nucleon. These measurements are in good agreement with the previous data and set new standards of precision. We discuss the role of isotopic composition data in modeling the cosmic ray production, acceleration and diffusive transport in the Galaxy.

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Binary systems can be powerful sources of non-thermal emission from radio to gamma rays. When the latter are detected, then these objects are known as gamma ray binaries. In this work, we explore, in the context of gamma ray binaries, different acceleration processes to estimate their efficiency: Fermi I, Fermi II, shear acceleration, the converter mechanism, and magnetic reconnection. We find that Fermi I acceleration in a mildly relativistic shock can provide, although marginally, the multi-10 TeV particles required to explain observations. Shear acceleration may be a complementary mechanism, giving particles the final boost to reach such a high energies. Fermi II acceleration may be too slow to account for the observed very high energy photons, but may be suitable to explain extended low-energy emission. The converter mechanism seems to require rather high Lorentz factors but cannot be discarded a priori. Standard relativistic shock acceleration requires a highly turbulent, weakly magnetized downstream medium; magnetic reconnection, by itself possibly insufficient to reach very high energies, could perhaps facilitate such a conditions. Further theoretical developments, and a better source characterization, are needed to pinpoint the dominant acceleration mechanism, which need not be one and the same in all sources.

The cosmic rays modulation inside the heliosphere is well described by a transport equation introduced by Parker in 1958. We used the HelMed Monte Carlo code to reproduce the modulation effect in the inner heliosphere depending from solar activity and solar polarity. In this 2-D MonteCarlo approach we include a general treatment of the diffusion tensor that compound an enhancement of perpendicular diffusion coefficient at high solar latitude and a polar increased magnetic field. In our simulation we considered a heliosphere that changes the modulation parameter with the distance from the Earth, including periods prior to the one we intend to simulate. In this work we furthermore exploited the energy distribution of injected particles to the observed flux. We compared HelMed results with data of BESS-97, AMS-98, BESS-98, BESS-99, BESS-2000, BESS-2002 and PAMELA; this covering a period of 11 years and two solar polarity, these simulations are well in agreement with experimental data.

The interaction of the solar wind with the surrounding interstellar medium (ISM) forms a cavity in the ISM. This cavity is called the heliosphere (influence sphere) of the Sun. Numerical models were developed using hydrodynamic (HD) and magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) equations to simulate the interaction of the different fluids in the heliosphere. These models showed that the heliosphere is driven by the interaction of the ionized solar wind, which expands away from the Sun at supersonic speeds, and the local interstellar medium (LISM). Also of importance is the effect of neutral particles in the LISM and magnetic fields. These descriptions then provide the background environment in which c011mic ray transport and acceleration can be calculated as they are transported from the heliospheric boundary up to Earth.

After the PAMELA finding of an increasing positron fraction above 10 GeV, the experimental evidence of the presence of a new electron and positron spectral component in the cosmic ray zoo has been recently confirmed by Fermi-LAT. We show as a simple phenomenological model which assumes the presence of an electron and positron extra component peaked at ∼ 1 TeV allows a consistent description of all available data sets. We then describe the most relevant astrophysical uncertainties which still prevent to determine e^± source properties from those data and the perspectives of forthcoming experiments.

The differential intensities of Cosmic Rays at Earth were calculated using a 2D stochastic Montecarlo diffusion code and compared with observation data. We evaluated the effect of stretched and compressed heliospheres on the Cosmic Ray intensities at the Earth. This was studied introducing a dependence of the diffusion parameter on the heliospherical size. Then, we found that the optimum value of the heliospherical radius better accounting for experimental data. We also found that the obtained values depends on solar activity. Our results are compatible with Voyager observations and with models of heliospherical size modulation.

Selected results in studies of quasi-periodic variations of cosmic rays obtained from ground based measurements, especially from neutron monitor Climax, are reviewed. At high frequencies the dominant periodicity is the solar diurnal variation and its higher harmonics. The slope of power spectrum density at high frequencies is flatter for solar maxima than for solar minima Wavelet spectra are useful tool for checking the fine structure of quasi-periodicities and their temporal behaviour. ∼27 day, ∼13.5 day and ∼9 day quasi-periodicity is far more complex than the diurnal one. For ∼27 day variation, two local peaks are temporarily observed, one near 27 and another near 30-31 days with variable contribution to the signal. ∼150 days, ∼1.7 yr periodicities are seen in the Lomb-Scargle periodogram.

In the past few years, gamma-ray astronomy has entered a golden age. At TeV energies, only a handful of sources were known a decade ago, but the current generation of ground-based imaging atmospheric Cherenkov telescopes has increased this number to more than one hundred. At GeV energies, the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has increased the number of known sources by nearly an order of magnitude in its first 2 years of operation. The recent detection and unprecedented morphological studies of gamma-ray emission from shell-type supernova remnants is of great interest, as these analyses are directly linked to the long standing issue of the origin of the cosmic-rays. However, these detections still do not constitute a conclusive proof that supernova remnants accelerate the bulk of Galactic cosmic-rays, mainly due to the difficulty of disentangling the hadronic and leptonic contributions to the observed gamma-ray emission. In this talk, I will review the most relevant cosmic ray related results of gamma ray astronomy concerning supernova remnants.

This review addresses the issue of cosmic rays acceleration in supernova remnants in connection with the amplification of magnetic fluctuations. Possible scenarios of magnetic field amplification are discussed with a special emphasise on the contribution of instabilities driven by cosmic ray currents as well as the saturation process and the properties of the turbulence. We scan acceleration efficiencies of different class of supernova remnants and there respective contribution to the cosmic ray spectrum. We finally review some aspects of the recent numerical effort in modelling the magnetic field amplification in supernova remnant shocks.

Galactic cosmic rays serve as probes of solar activity and for very specific modulation conditions in the heliosphere, particularly when they are protons, anti-protons, electrons and positrons. By observing these particles and their anti-particles over a wide range of energies on various spacecraft, satellites and balloons, a better understanding is gained about the basics of cosmic ray transport and modulation, and various heliospheric phenomena such as the 11 and 22 year modulation cycles, and gradient and curvature drifts. Significant progress is being made in this field, stimulated by observations in the outer heliosphere by the two Voyager spacecraft and in the inner heliosphere by ULYSSES, PAMELA and other space and balloon missions. Because of its contemporary relevance, the basic causes and consequences of charge-sign dependent solar modulation and the 22 year cycle are briefly discussed.

Using a newly developed 5D comic ray modulation model, we study the modulation of galactic protons and anti-protons inside the heliosphere. This is done for different heliospheric magnetic field polarity cycles, which, in combination with drifts, lead to charge-sign dependent cosmic ray transport. Computed energy spectra and intensity ratios for the different cosmic ray populations are shown and discussed. Modelling results are extensively compared to recent observations made by the PAMELA space borne particle detector. Using a stochastic transport approach, we also show pseudo-particle traces, illustrating the principle behind charge-sign dependent modulation.

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The accelerator neutrino experiments offer new possibilities for elementary particle and astroparticle physics. With the very high intensity man-made neutrino beams provided for experiments like the superbeams (and possibly, in future, ß beams) it will be possible, not only to answer open questions about neutrino, but also to perform medium and low energy Standard Model tests and check the theory stability. We performed a deep investigation of the possibilities offered by present and future experiments and here we discuss how to extract a competitive low energy estimate of Weinberg angle by using the beam of T2K experiment and a liquid Argon near detector. We also discuss a possible application of our idea to future experiments under discussion at the moment, like oscillation experiments realized with a neutrino beam produced by CERN-PS and analyzed by means of ICARUS and another liquid Argon near detector.

The Focal Plane Detector system for the Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino experiment will detect low-energy electrons that pass through the analyzing spectrometers. The electrons are guided by superconducting solenoid magnets to a multi-pixel silicon PIN-diode array in an extreme high-vacuum environment. Contact between the detector and front-end electronics is made by an array of spring-loaded pogo-pins, providing a reliable, low-background connection that allows detector wafers to be easily replaced. We report on design and commissioning tests performed at the University of Washington prior to final installation.

Various experiments use secondary neutrino beams produced by accelerators to study neutrino oscillations. In this article, we will review oscillation results from a number of those experiments (MINOS, OPERA), and focus more on results from T2K. This long baseline off-axis experiment uses a beam of muon neutrinos produced in J-PARC in Japan to study muon neutrino disappearance in order to measure atmospheric parameters, as well as studying electron neutrino appearance to measure the 13 mixing angle. We will present in particular very recent results of those measurements obtained by MINOS and T2K.

ICARUS T600 at the INFN-LNGS Gran Sasso Laboratory is the first underground large mass Liquid Argon TPC: exposed to the CERN-CNGS neutrino beam, it has smoothly began taking data since October 2010. Its excellent resolution and 3D imaging allow an unprecedented event visualization quality combined with a good calorimetric reconstruction and the electronic event processing. In addition to the ν_μ → ν_τ oscillation and sterile neutrino search, atmospheric neutrino and matter stability will be studied.

Dark Matter is one of the most intriguing and challenging puzzles of modern astroparticle physics and many experimental efforts are being put into its solution. The best motivated Dark Matter particle is the Weakly Interacting Massive Particle (WIMP). The WIMP direct detection principles are explained, and a review of the leading experiments and their recent results is given.

The COBRA experiment is searching for neutrinoless double beta decay using CdZnTe semiconductor detectors. The main focus is on Cd-116, with a decay energy of 2814keV well above the highest naturally occurring gamma lines. Furthermore, Te-130, with a high natural abundance, and Cd-106, a double β⁺ emitter, are under investigation. Advantageous is the possibility to operate the detectors at room temperature. Besides coplanar grid detectors, pixelised detectors are considered. The latter ones would allow for particle discrimination, therefore providing efficient background reduction.

The current status of the experiment is described, including the upgrade of the R&D set–up in spring 2011 at the LNGS underground laboratory, the different detector concepts and the latest half -life limits. Furthermore, studies on the use of liquid scintillator for background suppression and Monte–Carlo simulations are presented.

Direct searches for dark matter lead to serious problems for simple models with stable neutral Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs) as candidates for dark matter. A possibility is discussed that new stable quarks and charged leptons exist and are hidden from detection, being bound in neutral dark atoms of composite dark matter. Stable -2 charged particles O^–– are bound with primordial helium in O-helium (OHe) atoms, being specific nuclear interacting form of composite dark matter. The positive results of DAMA experiments can be explained as annual modulation of radiative capture of O-helium by nuclei. In the framework of this approach test of DAMA results in detectors with other chemical content becomes a nontrivial task, while the experimental search of stable charged particles at LHC or in cosmic rays acquires a meaning of direct test for composite dark matter scenario.

EDELWEISS-2 is a Ge-bolometer experiment searching for WIMP dark matter and located in the underground laboratory, Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane (LSM, France). The collaboration uses new cryogenic detectors with an improved background rejection (interleaved electrode design and continues further developments. An operation of ten 400-g bolometers at LSM together with an active muon veto shielding has been achieved. Results based on a total effective exposure of 384 kgd obtained in 2009/2010 have been published recently. A cross-section for spin-independent scattering of WIMPs on the nucleon of 4.4·10⁻⁸ pb is excluded at 90%CL for a WIMP mass of 85 GeV. This bolometer data and the latest measurements with 800-g detectors are presented. Further plans of the collaboration to reach sensitivity of 5 · 10⁻⁹ pb and for a next generation experiment, EURECA, are discussed.

A discovery of neutrino oscillations, proving that neutrinos are massive, has strengthen the motivation for experiments seeking an observation of the neutrinoless double beta decay which provides the only practical way to determine whether neutrinos are Majorana or Dirac particles. A number of ingenious techniques to detect such a transition and suppress an omnipresent natural radioactivity are being pursued world-wide. We briefly review the recent progress, the current status, and near-term prospects of selected experiments.

The Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO) took data between 1999 and 2006 in three phases, with distinct neutron detection methods, in order to measure the ⁸B solar neutrino flux via the neutral current reaction on deuterium with different systematic uncertainties as well as the electron neutrino flux via the charged current reaction. The results of the three separate phases were already published, as well as the results of a combined analysis of the first two phases. The combination of the full 3-phase data set was recently finalized and submitted for publication. The new results were shown in this communication. The neutron signal identification and calibration in the third phase data was improved, as well the signal extraction and 3-flavor neutrino oscillation analyses. By making full use of the knowledge of correlated systematic uncertainties between phases, the combined 3-phase analysis provided the most accurate solar neutrino flux measurements from SNO, and the most precise constraints on the neutrino oscillation parameters.

In this paper the Double Chooz experiment is presented: a reactor neutrino oscillation experiment for the measurement of the θ₁₃ mixing angle. The experimental concept and the detector design are described, as well as the preliminary results on the neutrino selection based on the first few months of data taking.

The expected sensitivities are shown, namely a limit on sin²(2θ₁₃) of 0.032 at 90% C. L. in case of no observation of oscillation and a discovery potential on sin²(2θ₁₃) of 0.05 at 3 σ C. L. in case of oscillation measurement.

The observation of neutrino oscillations has proved that neutrinos have mass. This discovery has renewed and strengthened the interest in neutrinoless double beta decay experiments which provide the only practical way to determine whether neutrinos are Majorana or Dirac particles. The recently completed NEMO-3 experiment, located in the Modane Underground Laboratory in the Fréjus Thnnel under the French–Italian Alps, was an experiment searching for neutrinoless double beta decays using a powerful technique for detecting a two–electron final state by employing an apparatus combining tracking, calorimetry and the time-of-flight measurements. We will present latest results from NEMO-3 and will discuss the status of SuperNEMO, the next generation experiment that will exploit the same experimental technique to extend the sensitivity of the current search.

The Neutrino Experiment with a Xenon TPC (NEXT) will search for the neutrinoless double beta decay in ¹³⁶Xe using a 100 Kg, high-pressure xenon, electroluminescent time projection chamber. Such a detector, thanks to its excellent energy resolution and its powerful background rejection, provided by the discrimination of the unique double beta. decay topological signature, may become one of the leading experiments of the field. The final detector is approved for operation in the Canfranc Underground Laboratory (LSC), Spain, in 2013. Present status and future developments will be presented.

The KArslruhe TRltium Neutrino experiment, KATRlN will determine the neutrino mass scale with a sensitivity of 0.2 e V/c² (90%CL) via a measurement of the T₂ β-spectrum near its endpoint at 18.57 keV. The experiment consists of a windowless gaseous Tritium source, a differential- and cryopumping section, the pre- and main-spectrometer, both of the MAC-E filter type and a pixelated silicon detector. A background of less than 10 mHz and an energy resolution of 0.93 eV are necessary to achieve the desired sensitivity within 1000 days of data-taking. The experiment is currently reaching its final commissioning phase. In these proceedings, we focus on the main-spectrometer and its inner wire electrode.

DM-Ice is a proposed NaI(Tl) scintillator-based experiment to be located at a depth of 2.5 km in the South Pole ice. It will be designed to look for the annual modulation observed by the DAMA experiment. This experiment complements dark matter search efforts in the northern hemisphere and will probe the observed annual modulation by going to a location where the phase of the many suspected backgrounds are reversed whereas the dark matter signal should remain the same. The unique location will allow for the study of background effects correlated with seasonal variations and the surrounding shielding and environment. In this paper it will be described that DM-Ice-17, a 17 kg detector deployed in December 2010, and the full-size DM-Ice detector capable of checking the DAMA signal.

Super-Kamiokande is a large water Cherenkov detector located at 1000 m underground in Japan. Currently, the fourth phase of the experiment has been running with an upgraded front-end electronics system since September 2008. In this paper, the recent results on atmospheric, solar, and supernova relic neutrinos are reported. A possible future improvement is also reported.

The Enriched Xenon Observatory (EXO) is an experimental program designed to search for the neutrinoless double beta decay (0ν×) ¹³⁶Xe. Observation of 0ν×× would determine an absolute mass scale for neutrinos, prove that neutrinos are massive Majorana particles, and constitute physics beyond the Standard Model. The current phase of the experiment, EX0-200, uses 200 kg of liquid xenon with 80% enrichment in ¹³⁶Xe. The double beta decay of xenon is detected in an ultra-low background time projection chamber (TPC) by collecting both the scintillation light and the ionization charge. The detector was first fully commissioned with natural xenon and is now taking data in its definitive configuration with enriched xenon. We report on the first observation of 2νββ decay in ¹³⁶Xe after 31 days of data taking using a fiducial mass of 63 kg.

The PICASSO experiment searches for cold dark matter through the direct detection of weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) via their spin-dependent interactions with fluorine at SNOLAB, Sudbury - ON, Canada. The detection principle is based on the superheated droplet technique; the detectors consist of a gel matrix with millions of liquid droplets of superheated fluorocarbon (C4F10) dispersed in it. The experiment has been taking data using 4.5-litre detector modules with approximately 80g of active mass per module. In this talk we will give an overview of the experiment, discuss the progress on the understanding of the superheated droplet technique and report on recent developments and future plans.

DarkSide is a direct detection dark matter program at LNGS that is based on two phase depleted argon time projection chambers. A combination of low background construction techniques and active background suppression will give the DarkSide detectors very low and extremely well understood rates of background events. A 10 kg prototype detector is currently being operated at LNGS, while DarkSide-50, the first physics detector in the DarkSide program, is currently being constructed.

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ALICE is the only LHC experiment dedicated to the study of the Quark-Gluon Plasma (QGP) which is expected to be created in heavy-ion collisions. Among the most promising observables, heavy quarkonia provide an essential probe for the characterization of the QGP thanks to their sensitivity to the earliest and hottest stages of the collision. Quarkonia measurement can be performed in the dimuon decay channel with the ALICE muon spectrometer at forward rapidity. It has been commissioned by means of cosmic rays and the first LHC beam injections in 2008 and has shown good performances for muon detection. This proceeding presents first quarkonia. results obtained in pp and Pb–Pb collisions.

A large number of cosmic events were recorded in 2009 for the calibration, alignment and commissioning of most of the ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) detectors. In this paper we present the analysis of these data with a preliminary measurement of the μ⁺ /μ⁻ ratio for near-vertical and near-horizontal muons. The muon multiplicity distribution is discussed for the data taken in 2010 and 2011, with particular emphasis on some special events of wry high muon density.

This article summarizes recent highlights from the Tevatron physics program.

The ALICE experiment is devoted to the study of heavy-ion collisions at LHC energies. ALICE is also studying proton-proton collisions both as a comparison with lead-lead collisions and in physics areas where ALICE is competitive with other LHC experiments. The ALICE-HMPID detector performs charged particle track-by-track identification (π and K in the momentum range of 1 < p < 3 GeV/c and p in 1.5 < p < 5 GeV/c) by means of measurement of Cherenkov angle and momentum information provided by the tracking devices. The current results on hadron transverse momentum spectra measured by the HMPID detector in pp collisions at , are shown.

The Muon Spectrometer of the CMS experiment is designed to perform precise muon identification, and to measure transverse momentum of crossing particles with high resolution. It provides trigger capabilities and is used, together with the tracking system, in the offiine reconstruction, improving overall PT measurement performance for events with high PT muons. It consists of different kind of gaseous detectors: Cathode Strip Chambers (CSC) equip the endcaps of the CMS detector, whereas Drift Tubes (DT) cover the barrel region. In addition, a set of Resistive Plate Chambers (RPC) complement the former two, both in barrel and endcaps, providing redundancy to the muon trigger. The Muon System has operated remarkably well during the data-taking periods with LHC colliding beams, both in 2010 and 2011. The overall trigger and detector performance of the Muon System during collision data-taking will be presented, focusing on how this has met design requirements and expectations.

The ability to detect high energetic neutrinos by acoustic means at the South Pole is strongly dependent on local ice properties and the underlying noise floor. The South Pole Acoustic Test Setup (SPATS) has been designed to measure these unla10wn parameters and to verify the efficiency of a multi–Km³-detector at that location. Since August 2008 SPATS is taking data. in a detector mode, which allows identification of transient and static acoustic background in the surrounding volume. Shown are results of finished and ongoing SPATS investigations as well as future perspectives of acoustic neutrino detection.

Resistive Plate Chambers are used in the CMS experiment to provide a dedicated muon trigger both in barrel and endcap. About 3000 m² of double gap RPCs have been produced and have been installed in the experiment. The RPC system has been studied with millions of muons coming from LHC collisions during 2011. Making use of the redundant muon system composed by Drift Thbes (DT) in the barrel and Cathode Strip Chambers (CSC) in the endcaps that provide independent tracking and trigger informations, the performance of the RPCs has been studied in terms of efficiency, cluster size, spatial resolution and noise rate. Moreover during this long period of detector operations the stability of the system has been monitored to study the relevant detector parameters as a function of time.

ATLAS is a general-purpose detector located at one of the 4 interaction points of the LHC at the CERN laboratory near Geneva, Switzerland. In 2010 and since March 2011 LHC has been colliding proton beams at the unprecedented centre of mass energy of 7 Te V. During the last month of 2010 operation was dedicated to Pb-ion collisions at a centre of mass energy of 2.76 TeV per nucleon pair. A challenging task of the previous months was to cope with the increasing event rates due to the increasing luminosity delivered by the LHC. A survey of the main ATLAS sub-detector systems, their operating conditions and the performance with colliding beams will be presented in this talk. The operation and results obtained from the data collected so far demonstrate that the detector is robust and functioning very well.

The use of the τ leptons in the Standard Model processes and in channels probing for Physics beyond the Standard Model is very important at the LHC. These processes include Higgs production, heavy mass resonances and decays of supersymmetric particles. In the selection of such rare events of interest, the hadronic τ trigger plays a fundamental role. It allows efficient collection of the desired signal events, while keeping the rate of background events within the allowed bandwidth. This contribution summarises the status and performance of the ATLAS tau trigger system during 2011 data taking period and shows the trigger efficiency curves obtained from data.

The ATLAS trigger performs online event selection in three stages. The Inner Detector information is used in the second (Level 2) and third (Event Filter) stages. Track reconstruction in the silicon detectors and transition radiation tracker contributes significantly to the rejection of uninteresting events while retaining a high signal efficiency. To achieve an overall trigger execution time of 40 ms per event, Level 2 tracking uses fast custom algoritms. The Event Filter tracking uses modified offiine algorithms, with an overall execution time of 4s per event. Performance of the trigger tracking algorithms with data collected by ATLAS in 2011 is shown. The high efficiency and track quality of the trigger tracking algorithims for identification of physics signatures is presented. We also discuss the robustness of the reconstruction software with respect to the presence of multiple interactions per bunch crossing, an increasingly important feature for optimal performance moving towards the design luminosities of the LHC.

The FCAL Collaboration prepared two sensor plane prototypes for the Luminosity Calorimeter (LumiCal) and Beam Calorimeter (BeamCal) for a future linear collider detector. For both several challenges appeared. The luminosity measurement has to be done with a precision of 10^-3, requiring LumiCal to be a precision device. BeamCal has to operate in a harsh radiation environment and needs radiation hard sensors. Two sensor technologies are considered - Si sensors for LumiCal and GaAs:Cr for BeamCal. A full chain comprising a sensor, fan-out and front-end ASIC was successfully studied in the lab and in a 4.5 GeV electron beam at DESY. Performance parameters like Charge Collection Efficiency (CCE), the Signal to Noise ratio (SIN) were measured. In a second beam test the readout is completed by a multi-channel ADC chip and data concentrator.

After an initial pilot run in December 2009, the LHC was commissioned in 2010 and saw in 2011 the first year of luminosity production. An excellent performance of all machine components allowed one to achieve a luminosity of over 3E33 cm⁻²s⁻¹ by September 2011 and deliver around 4 fb⁻¹ so far at ATLAS and CMS. In this paper, the current performance achievements are discussed, including an outlook for 2012 and possible limiting factors.

NOvA is an off-axis long baseline neutrino experiment searching for ν_μ → ν_e oscillations using an upgraded NuMI neutrino beam from Fermilab, Batavia, IL. The main physics goal is a measurement or strong limit on the neutrino mixing angle θ₁₃. For sufficiently large values of θ₁₃, NOvA will also be sensitive to measuring CP violation and establishing the neutrino masses hierarchy. A large 14 kton Far detector, comprised of liquid scintillator contained in extruded PVC cells, will also provide an opportunity for other non-accelerator physics searches. While civil construction at the far detector is underway, a smaller prototype near detector has been assembled at Fermilab and is being studied.

The NA62 experiment, which aims to measure the branching ratio of the very rare kaon decay at the CERN SPS, will be described. The proposed experiment aims to collect events with a 10% of background. The experimental technique, the detectors and the perspectives for the experiment will be discussed.

The MoEDAL experiment is the seventh LHC experiment to be approved by the LHC. It is designed to detect highly ionizing particles such as magnetic monopoles, dyons and singly and multiply electrically charged stable massive particles predicted in a number of theoretical scenarios. MoEDAL consists of an array of ∼400 stacks of passive Nuclear Track Detectors deployed around the LHCb intersection region, within the VELO cavern. SpaIlation product backgrounds will be monitored with an array of MediPix pixel detectors. The design of the detector and its physics reach, which is complementary to that of the large general purpose LHC experiments ATLAS and CMS, will be discussed.

The NA62 experiment at CERN SPS aims to measure the Branching Ratio of the very rare kaon decay collecting O(100) events with a 10% background to make a stringent test of the Standard Model. One of the main backgrounds to the prop011ed measurement is represented by the K⁺ → π⁺ +⁰ decay. To suppress this background an efficient photo veto system is foreseen. In the 1-10 mrad angular region the NA48 high performance liquid krypton electromagnetic calorimeter is used. The design, implementation and current status of the Liquid Krypton Electromagnetic Calorimeter Level 0 Trigger are presented.

The PANDA experiment will study anti-proton proton and anti-proton nucleus collisions in the HESR complex of the facility FAIR, in a beam momentum range from 2 GeV jc up to 15 GeV/c. In preparation for the experiment, a software framework based on ROOT (PandaRoot) is being developed for the simulation, reconstruction and analysis of physics events, running also on a GRID infrastructure. Detailed geometry descriptions and different realistic reconstruction algorithms are implemented, currently used for the realization of the Technical Design Reports. The contribution will report about the reconstruction capabilities of the Panda spectrometer, focusing mainly on the performances of the tracking system and the results for the analysis of physics benchmark channels.

The Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is efficiently collecting data at luminosities above 3 × 10³³ cm⁻² s⁻¹. Recent running has seen increases in the average number of interactions per bunch crossing, testing the capabilities of the tracking and trigger systems. CMS physics results on approximately 1 fb⁻¹ of data collected at are presented, including results of searches for the Higgs boson.

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The International Linear Collider (ILC) will require a large volume Time Projection Chamber (TPC) with transverse space-point resolution of 100 μm for all tracks over the full 2 m drift region. It has been shown that a conventional readout GEM TPC can achieve this resolution using 1 mm or narrower readout pads, at the expense of detector cost and complexity. A new readout technique using the principle of charge dispersion has demonstrated that the transverse resolution goal can be achieved using 2-3 mm wide pads in both small (COSMo) and large (LCTPC) prototype detectors. However, the effect of this new technique on the time resolution was not a part of these studies. Here we present re-analyses of a 4 GeV π⁺ beam test at KEK and a high magnetic field cosmic ray test at DESY carried out with the COSMo TPC with charge dispersion. We find the time resolution comparable to conventional MPGD and wire/pad readout TPCs, and consistent with the ILC z-resolution requirements of 500 and 1400 μm at zero and 2 m drift distances, respectively.

In the prospect of an upgrade of the CMS Experiment, an international collaboration is performing feasibility studies on employing large-area triple-GEM detectors for the high-η region (1.6-2.4) of the CMS Endcap, which is currently not instrumented. Given their good spatial resolution, high rate capability, and radiation hardness, these micro-pattern gas detectors are an appealing option for simultaneously enhancing muon tracking and triggering capabilities in this region. A detailed review of the development and characterization of small and full-size (1m x 0.5m) prototypes will be presented. These full-size GEM foils are produced using a novel single-mask etching technique developed at CERN. In addition, we discuss the performance of a full-size trapezoidal triple-GEM detector in a strong magnetic field during a dedicated beam test campaign to address CMS requirements on the detectors.

We describe a newly developed radiographic system equipped with Medipix2 semiconductor pixel detector and a micro-focus FeinFocus X-ray tube tabletop. The detector is used as an imager that counts individual photons of ionizing radiation, emitted by the X-ray tube. The digital pixel detectors of the Medipix family represent a highly efficient type of imaging devices with high spatial resolution better than 1μm, and unlimited dynamic range allowing single particle of radiation and to determine their energies. The setup is particularly suitable for radiographic imaging of small biological samples, including in vivo observations with various contrast agents (iodine and lanthanum nitrate). Along with the description of the apparatus we provide examples of application of iodine and lanthanum nitrate contrast agents as tracers in various insects as model organisms. The iodine contrast agent increases the absorption of X-rays and this leads to better resolution of internal structures of biological organisms, and especially the various cavities, pores, etc. Micro-radiographic imaging helps to detect organisms living in a not visible environment, visualize internal biological processes and also to resolve the details of their body (morphology). Tiny live insects are an ideal object for our studies.

Tracking charged particles is one of the essential tasks of the ANDA ex periment, providing information about primary and secondary decay vertices, momenta and types of charged particles emitted after antiproton–proton annihilation. Different tracking devices are under construction for the ANDA spectrometer and among them the two straw tube trackers. A new technique, based on the use of straw tubes operated at over-pressure has been adopted allowing the construction of self-supporting modules avoiding heavy mechanical frames.

The upgrades for the ATLAS Pixel Detector will be staged in preparation for high luminosity LHC. The first upgrade for the Pixel Detector will be the construction of a new pixel layer which will be installed during the first shutdown of the LHC machine, foreseen in 2013-14. The new detector, called the Insertable B-layer (IBL), will be installed between the existing Pixel Detector and a new, smaller radius beam-pipe. The IBL will require the development of several new technologies to cope with increased radiation and pixel occupancy and also to improve the physics performance through reduction of the pixel size and a more stringent material budget. Two different and promising silicon sensor technologies, planar n-in-n and 3D, are currently under investigation for the IBL. An overview of the IBL project, of the module design and the qualification for these sensor technologies with particular emphasis on irradiation and beam tests is given.

The ongoing upgrade of the asymmetric electron positron collider KEKB also requires extensive detector upgrades to cope with the new design luminosity of 8 · 10³⁵ cm⁻² · s⁻¹ · Of critical importance is the new silicon pixel vertex tracker, which will significantly improve the decay vertex resolution, crucial for time dependent CP violation measurements. This new detector will consist of two layers of DEPFET pixel seii8ors very close to the interaction point. These sensors combine both particle detection and amplification of the signal by embedding a field effect transistor into a 75 μm thick fully depleted silicon substrate, providing very high signal to noise ratios and excellent spatial resolution. Using this technology satisfies the given requirements of extremely low material and high radiation tolerance at the new Belle II experiment. The power dissipation due to continuous readout at high rate and spatial constraints also give strict requirements for the mechanical support and cooling of the new detector. We will discuss the overall concept of the pixel vertex tracker, its expected performance and the challenging mechanical integration.

LHCb is an experiment running at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). It is designed to search for evidence of new physics effects through precise measurements of B- and D-meson decays. During the 2010 run, a total integrated luminosity of 38 pb⁻¹ was collected, on which many results have been published. Until the summer of 2011, a data-set of 340 pb⁻¹ has been collected. A crucial element in many analyses is the track reconstruction. The tracking system provides excellent spatial and mass resolutions which are essential to reduce the enormous background from the LHC collisions. For all analyses which measure production cross sections or branching fractions a good knowledge of the tracking efficiency is important. Tracking efficiencies are measured with a dedicated tag-and-probe technique using J/ψ mesons. A total uncertainty on the tracking efficiency below 1% is obtained with this method.

After nearly two years of operation at the Large Hadron Collider with proton-proton collisions at a center of mass energy of 7TeV, the performance of the CMS silicon tracker is reviewed. Both the status and basic properties of the pixel and the strip detector, as well as the performance of the tracking such as vertex reconstruction and b-tagging are discussed.

LHCb is a dedicated experiment to study new physics in the decays of beauty and charm hadrons at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. The VELO is the silicon detector surrounding the LHCb interaction point, and is located only 7 mm from the LHC beam during normal operation. The VELD is moved into position for each fill of the LHC, once stable beams are obtained. The VELO consists of two retractable detector halves with 21 silicon micro-strip tracking modules each. A module is composed of two n⁺-on-n 300 micron thick half disc sensors with R-measuring and Phi-measuring micro-strip geometry, mounted on a carbon fiber support. The VELO has been successfully operated for the first LHC physics run. Operational results show a signal to noise ratio of around 20:1 and a cluster finding efficiency relative to the design of 99.5%.

A network of 16 ATLAS-MPX (silicon pixelated) detectors has been installed by the ATLAS-MPX Collaboration at various positions within the ATLAS detector and its environment. The ATLAS-MPX detectors allow real-time measurements of spectral characteristics and composition of the radiation field inside and around the ATLAS detector during its operation. Results obtained with the ATLAS-MPX detectors are reported in this article. They include luminosity measurement obtained with van der Meer luminosity scans and measurement of induced radioactivity in between/after collision.

The LHCb is an experiment at LHC dedicated to precision measurements of CP violation and rare decays in the b and c sectors. The experiment features a tracking system consisting of silicon strip detectors and straw tube drift chambers up- and downstream of the magnet to precisely measure the vertex position and the momentum resolution of the particles travelling through the detector. An important ingredient to the track parameter resolution is the spatial alignment of the tracking system on which we report here.

Radiation therapy with ion beams is a highly precise kind of cancer treatment. In ion beam therapy the finite range of the ion beams in tissue and the increase of ionization density at the end of their path, the Bragg-peak, are exploited. Ions heavier than protons offer in addition increased biological effectiveness and decreased scattering. In this contribution we discuss the potential of a quantum counting and position sensitive semiconductor detector Timepix for its applications in ion beam therapy measurements. It provides high sensitivity and high spatial resolution (pixel pitch 55 μm). The detector, developed by the Medipix Collaboration, consists of a silicon sensor bump bonded to a pixelated readout chip (256 × 256 pixels with 55 μm pitch). An integrated USB-based readout interface together with the Pixelman software enable registering single particles online with 2D-track visualization. The experiments were performed at the Heidelberg Ion Beam Therapy Center (HIT), which is a modern ion beam therapy facility. Patient treatments are performed with proton and carbon ions, which are accelerated by a synchrotron. For dose delivery to the patient an active technique is used: narrow pencil-like beams are scanned over the target volume.

The possibility to use the detector for two different applications was investigated: ion spectroscopy and beam delivery monitoring by measurement of secondary charged particles around the patient. During carbon ion therapy, a variety of ion species is created by nuclear fragmentation processes of the primary beam. Since they differ in their biological effectiveness, it is of large interest to measure the ion spectra created under different conditions and to visualize their spatial distribution. The possibility of measurements of ion energy loss in silicon makes Timepix a promising detector for ion-spectroscopic studies in patient-like phantoms.

Unpredictable changes in the patient can alter the range of the ion beam in the body. Therefore it is desired to verify the actual ion range during the treatment, preferably in a non-invasive way. In order to overcome the limitations of the currently used PET technique, in this study we investigate the possibility to measure secondary charged particles emerging from the patient during irradiation. It was demonstrated that the Timepix detector is able to resolve and visualize this emerging radiation. The investigated dependence of the signal on the beam energy between 89 and 430 MeV/u shows that for all the investigated energies some signal was registered. Its pattern corresponds to ions. Differences in the total amount of signal for different beam energies were observed. The time-structure of the signal was moreover correlated with that of the incoming beam. This shows that we register products of prompt processes, which are less likely to be influenced by biological washout processes than the signal registered by the PET techniques coming from decays of beam-induced radioactive nuclei.

The studies discussed in this contribution demonstrate that the Timepix detector provides measurements attractive for needs of ion beam therapy. To fully exploit its capabilities further research is needed.

The CMS pixel detector is part of the complex tracking system of the CMS experiment at the LHC collider (CERN, Geneva CH). It has been designed for a stable operation and optimal performance at the LHC instantaneous luminosity L_max =10³⁴ cm⁻²s⁻¹. The future plans of the LHC collider envisage an increase of the luminosity up to 2.2 × L_max with 7 TeV per proton beam, namely the high luminosity upgrade (HL-LHC) phase I *. In order to maintain the high level of accuracy and efficiency of the tracking in this new challenging condition, a CMS pixel detector upgrade phase I program has been set up. The main goals of the upgrade activity are the material budget reduction in the tracking volume and the increase of the number of hits associated to a charged track. This paper gives an overview of the upgrade project, describes the planned R&D activities and focuses on the expected improvements of the new CMS pixel detector system.

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN is planning an upgraded machine called High Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC). The upgrade is foreseen to increase the LHC design luminosity up to 5 × 10³⁴ cm⁻² s^−l. For the ATLAS experiment, this implies the complete replacement of its internal tracker to cope with the increase in pile-up backgrounds and the higher radiation doses.

In this paper an overview of the ATLAS tracker upgrade project is given. The development of n-on-p silicon sensors with sufficient radiation hardness is the subject of an international R&D programme for the strip region of the future ATLAS tracker. Irradiated sensors were tested to study the radiation-induced degradation and determine their performance after irradiation of up to a few 10¹⁵ 1 MeV n_eq/cm². Results from a wide range of irradiated silicon detectors and layout concepts are presented.

The Semiconductor Tracker (SCT) is a silicon strip detector and one of the key precision tracking devices in the Inner Detector of the ATLAS experiment at CERN LHC. The completed SCT has been installed inside the ATLAS experimental cavern since 2007 and has been operational since then. Calibration data has been taken regularly and analyzed to determine the performance of the system. In this paper the current status of the SCT is reviewed, including results from data-taking periods in 2010 and 2011. We report on the operation of the detector including overviews on services, connectivity and observed problems. The main emphasis is given to the performance of the SCT with the LHC in collision mode and to the performance of individual electronic components.

The LHC is expected to increase its luminosity above the original nominal value of 10³⁴ cm⁻²s^−l, eventually achieving an order of magnitude increase after major upgrades will be performed after 2020. This configuration of the machine iB known as the High Luminosity LHC (HL–LHC). The CMS experiment will require a completely new tracking system in order to maintain adequate performance in the HL–LHC environment as well as to provide tracking information for the Level−l trigger decision. Innovative solutions are being studied to improve tracking resolution, reduce the material budget, increase the sensor granularity and provide useful information for an upgraded trigger system. The most relevant requirements and constraints are summarised here, along with highlights from R&D activities.

The LHC machine is planned to be upgraded in the next decade in order to deliver a luminosity about 5 to 10 times lager than the design one of 10³⁴ cm⁻²s⁻¹. In this scenario, a novel tracking system for the CMS experiment is required to be conceived and built. The main requirements on the CMS tracker are presented. Particular emphasis will be given to the challenging capability of the tracker to provide useful information for the Level 1 hardware trigger, complementary to the muon system and calorimeter ones. Different approaches based on pattern hit correlation within closely placed sensors are currently under evaluation, making use of either strips or macro-pixels. A proposal to optimize the data flow at the front-end ASIC and develop a tracking algorithm to provide tracks at Level 1 will be presented.

Silicon Carbide (SiC) is a wide bandgap semiconductor with outstanding physical properties for realizing ionizing radiation detectors. We present the manufacturing, electrical and spectroscopic characterization of a prototype SiC microstrip detector constituted by 32 strips, 2 mm long, 25 μm wide with 55 μm pitch. The detectors have been fabricated on 115 μm thick undoped epitaxial 4H-SiC using Ni-SiC Schottky junctions. The measured leakage currents are below 5 fA at +25°C and 0.6 pA at +107°C with internal electric fields up to 30 kV/cm. X-ray spectra from ⁵⁵Fe and 241Am with energy resolution of 224 eV FWHM and 249 eV FWHM (12-13.5 electrons r.m.s.) have been acquired at +20°C and +80°C, respectively.

The LHCb experiment is a single arm spectrometer, designed to study CP violation in B–decays at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). It is crucial to accurately and efficiently detect the charged decay particles, in the high–density particle environment of the LHC. For this, the Outer Tracker was constructed, consisting of ∼55,000 straw tubes, covering in total an area of 360 m² of double layers. A precise drift-time measurement results in a single hit resolution of 220 μm, at an average occupancy up to 10% and at 1 MHz trigger rate. At the time of the conference, the detector has been commissioned with almost two years of LHC beam collision data. After dedicated studies to establish timing and spatial alignment, the first results on the detector performance (efficiency, resolutions, etc.) have been obtained.

Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPM) represent a promising alternative to classical photomultipliers for the detection of photons in high energy physics and medical physics, for instance. In the present work, electrical characterizations of test devices - manufactured by STMicroelectronics - are presented. SiPMs with an area of 3.5 × 3.5mm² and a cell pitch of 54 μm were manufactured as arrays of 64 × 64 cells and exhibiting a fill factor of 31%. The capacitance of SiPMs was measured as a function of reverse bias voltage at frequencies ranging from about 20 Hz up to 1 MHz and temperatures from 310K down to 100 K. Leakage currents were measured at temperatures from 410 K down to 100 K. Thus, the threshold voltage - i.e., the voltage above a SiPM begins to operate in Geiger mode - could be determined as a function of temperature. Finally, an electrical model capable of reproducing the frequency dependence of the device admittance is presented.

The CMS all-silicon tracker consists of 16588 modules. In 2010 it has been successfully aligned using tracks from cosmic rays and pp-collisions, following the time dependent movements of its innermost pixel layers. Ultimate local precision is now achieved by the determination of sensor curvatures, challenging the algorithms to determine about 200000 parameters. Remaining alignment uncertainties are dominated by systematic effects that can bias track parameters by an amount relevant for physics analyses. These effects are controlled by adding further information, e.g. the mass of decaying resonances. The orientation of the tracker with respect to the magnetic field of CMS is determined with a stand-alone χ² minimization procedure.

The Timepix device is a pixelated silicon detector. Because of its structure, an incoming particle can deposit its energy in several adjacent pixels as a result of the charge sharing effect. The distribution of energy in the pixels activated by a heavy charged particle can be exploited to determine the entering point of the particle with a precision better than the pixel dimensions. This is experimentally illustrated by images of different samples obtained with alpha particles. This work was carried out within the CERN Medipix Collaboration.

The LHCb experiment performs high-precision measurements of CP violation and searches for New Physics using the enormous flux of beauty and charmed hadrons produced at the LHC. The LHCb detector is a single-arm spectrometer with excellent tracking and particle identification capabilities. The Silicon Tracker is part of the tracking system and measures very precisely the particle trajectories coming from the interaction point in the region of high occupancies around the beam axis. It covers a total sensitive area of about 12 m² using silicon micro-strip technology. This paper reports on the operation and performance of the Silicon Tracker during the Physics data taking at the LHC. First measurements of radiation damage are also shown.

A Spreading Resistance Profiling measurement station has been developed to measure doping profiles with limited effort, alternatively to more sophisticated methods usually found in semiconductor industry. By modifying a simple setup, which is commonly used at HEP institutes to characterize silicon detectors, data of good quality could be obtained. Doping profiles, with penetration depths between 1 and 200 microns have been analyzed and compared to Scanning Electron Microscopy images and Capacitance Voltage measurements.

Operation of the CMS detector at Phase 1 HL–LHC (2 × 10³⁴ cm⁻²s⁻¹), will require the upgrade of the pixel detector. Simulation studies aimed to address the performance of the new pixel detector are discussed.

ALICE is the experiment dedicated to the study of the quark gluon plasma in heavy-ion collisions at the CERN LHC. Improvements of ALICE subdetectors are envisaged for the upgrade plans of year 2017. The Muon Forward Tracker (MFT) is a proposal in view of this upgrade, motivated both by the possibility to increase the physics potential of the muon spectrometer and to allow new measurements of general interest for the whole ALICE physics. In order to evaluate the feasibility of this upgrade, a detailed simulation of the MFT setup is being performed within the AliRoot framework, with emphasis on the tracking capabilities as a function of the number, position and size of the pixel planes, and the corresponding physics performances. In this report, we present preliminary results on the MFT performances in a low-multiplicity environment.

The ATLAS Transition Radiation Tracker (TRT) is the outermost of the three sub-systems of the ATLAS Inner Detector at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. It consists of close to 300000 thin-wall drift tubes (straws) providing on average 30 two-dimensional space points with 0.12−0.15mm resolution for charged particle tracks with |η| < 2 and PT > 0.5GeV. Along with continuous tracking, it provides particle identification capability through the detection of transition radiation X-ray photons generated by high-velocity particles in the many-polymer fibres or films that fill the spaces between the straws. Custombuilt analog and digital electronics is optimised to operate as luminosity increases to the LHC design. In this article, a review of the commissioning and first operational experience of the TRT detector will be presented. Emphasis will be given to performance studies based on the reconstruction and analysis of LHC collisions. The first studies of the TRT detector response to the extremely high track density conditions during the November 2010 heavy-ion LHC running period will be presented. These studies give interesting insight to the expected performance of the TRT in future high-luminosity LHC protonproton runs.

We have used several visualization techniques to characterize biological objects. A micro-radiography with the hybrid single photon counting silicon pixel detector Medipix2 (matrix 256 x 256 sq. pixels of 55 μm pitch) is an imaging technique using X-rays in the studies of internal structures of objects. The detector Medipix2 is used as an imager of an ionizing radiation, emitted by X-ray tubes (micro or nano-focus FeinFocus). An unlimited dynamic range of the Medipix2 detector and a high spatial resolution below 1μm is particularly suitable for a non-destructive and non-invasive radiographic imaging of small biological samples in a living state, including in vivo observations and a micro-tomography. Contrast agents (based on iodine or lanthanum) could be used for dynamic studies inside of organisms. Infrared digital photography has ability to shot still photographs or movies in complete dark. Is it also possible to use it for studies of internal organs and structures inside of living biological objects. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) in low temperature mode is sophisticated recent technique successfully used in biological laboratories. The main advantage is ability to study details of tissues and cells close to living state at very high magnification. Special cryotransfer system connected to FESEM allows deeply frozen samples to be prepared in way like freeze-fracturing followed by freeze-etching for observation directly inside of electron microscope. Combination of information from all above mentioned techniques could give us very powerful visualization tool for complex studies of biological specimen.

The ANDA experiment at the new FAIR facility at Darmstadt (Germany) will investigate antiproton collisions on proton and nuclear targets in the charm quark mass regime. The wide-range physics program requires a universal detector concept, combining state-of-the-art and novel techniques in particle measurements and data readout. This paper gives an overview of the detector setup and summarizes the status, in particular of the charged particle tracking detectors in the ANDA spectrometer.

In the high-eta (1.6 - 2.4) region of the CMS endcap, Gas Electron Multipliers (GEM) present an interesting option for a future upgrade of the forward region of the CMS muon system. Large GEM detectors are challenging due to technological issues; in the view of the CMS upgrade we have designed and built the largest full-size triple GEM-based muon detector to-date. This prototype meets the stringent requirements of the hostile forward environment of CMS at high-luminosity LHC. Dedicated test beam measurements have been performed at the SPS in June 2011 to study efficiency, space resolution, and timing performance with different inter-electrode gap configurations and gas mixtures and in a strong magnetic field of 3T (as at CMS). Preliminary results of these experimental tests will be presented.

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ALICE is the general purpose experiment at the LHC dedicated to the study of heavy ion collisions. ALICE includes two different electromagnetic calorimeters: a high resolution, modest acceptance PHoton Spectrometer (PHOS) and a large acceptance, moderate resolution electromagnetic calorimeter (EMCal). The electromagnetic calorimeters are designed to trigger on high energy gamma-rays and jets, and to enhance the capabilities of ALICE for these measurements. The PHOS is a PbWo₄ crystal calorimeter while the EMCal is a Ph/Scintillator sampling shish-kebab type calorimeter. The PHOS and EMCal construction, readout, and performance are described.

The liquid argon (LAr) calorimeter is used in ATLAS for all electromagnetic and for hadron calorimetry. The LAr calorimeter consists of an electromagnetic barrel calorimeter and two end-caps with electromagnetic, hadronic and forward calorimeters. The overall status of the LAr detectors operating over a long time period will be summarized in this note. Selected topics showing the performance of the LAr calorimeter using data from 2010 will be also shown.

The calibration and monitoring systems of the ATLAS hadronic tile calorimeter (TileCal), are presented. Special attention is given to the experience gained so far with the results obtained on the analysis of the LHC collision data.

We have witnessed amazing performance of LHC accelerator in 2010 and its even more amazing performance in 2011. By early October 2011, LHC has delivered more than 4 fb⁻¹ of integrated luminosity, with peak instantaneous luminosities reaching above 3*10 ³³ cm⁻²/s. In this note, we review CMS Hadron Calorimeter operations during the 2011 LHC run. In particular, we describe HCAL calibration methods and discuss main sources of calorimeter noise and development of noise filters. Finally, we present plans for HCAL upgrade…

The calorimeter system of the CMS detector is made of a high precision fine-grained electromagnetic calodmeter (ECAL) composed of lead tungstate crystals and a sampling hadronic calorimeter (HCAL) consisting of plates of brass absorbers and scintillator tiles with wavelength shifting fibers. A pre-shower detector composed of lead layers interleaved with silicon strips is installed in front of the ECAL End-cap crystals, and a forward calodmeter, made up of quartz fibers embedded within steel absorber, extend the coverage in the pseudorapidity region up to |η| < 5. The commissioning of the detector and the performance of the calorimeters during runs at the LHC with pp collisions will be reviewed. The resulting performance in the reconstruction of jets, electrons and photons will be briefly presented.

Performance of the CMS-Forward (HF) calorimeter during the 2010 data taking period at the LHC will be briefly discussed. Some details about the PMT window hit events, mostly by muons, will be given. Results of the tests done on the new 4-anode PMTs that are planned to be installed during the 2013 shutdown period will be shown. The overall plans for the upgrade will be mentioned.

The performance of the ATLAS liquid argon endcap and forward calorimeters has been projected at the planned high luminosity LHC option HL-LHC by exposing small calorimeter modules of the electromagnetic, hadronic, and forward calorimeters to high intensity proton beams at IHEP/Protvino accelerator. The results of HV current and of pulse shape analysis, and also the dependence of signal amplitude on beam intensity are presented.

Complete calorimetric hermeticity is important for many physics studies at the LHC. In order to extend the pseudorapidity coverage up to 4.9 units, ATLAS uses a liquid argon forward calorimeter integrated into the endcap cryostat. In this region only a modest stochastic term is required in the energy resolution. The main challenge is survivability and reliability in this hostile environment We discuss the development of the forward calorimeter from construction to its utility in physics studies.

An overview of the ATLAS Forward Calorimeter system is provided. Upgrade plans for this system for the proposed High–Luminosity upgrade of the LHC are discussed.

To improve the reconstruction of rare η and K meson deceys in the KLOE-2 experiment we have designed a low angle calorimeter to improve the acceptance by covering the region in front of the first inner quadrupole. The proposed solution consists on an homogeneous calorimeter, CCALT, based on a new generation of crystals, LYSO. A matrix prototype granting a total transverse coverage of 2.8 R_M has been built. We tested this matrix with cosmic rays and to electron and photon beams. We report the measurements done with a tagged photon beam at the MAMI facility in the energy range between 40 to 380 MeV. An energy resolution of 5.5% at 100 MeV still dominated by leakage has been achieved. A position resolution between 3.5 mm is also observed at 100 MeV. A detailed comparison between data and MC performances has been carried out by simulating the matrix prototype with Geant4.

The Tile Calorimeter (TileCal), the central section of the hadronic calorimeter of the ATLAS experiment, is a key detector component to detect hadrons, jets and taus and to measure the missing transverse energy. Due to the very good muon signal to noise ratio it assists the spectrometer in the identification and reconstruction of muons. TileCal is built of steel and scintillating tiles coupled to optical fibers and read out by photomultipliers. The calorimeter is equipped with systems that allow one to monitor and to calibrate each stage of the read-out system exploiting different signal sources: laser light, charge injection and a radioactive source. The performance of the calorimeter has been measured and monitored using calibration data, random triggered data, cosmic muons, splash events and more importantly LHC collision events. The results presented assess the absolute energy scale calibration precision, the energy and timing uniformity and the synchronization precision. The results demonstrate a very good understanding of the performance of the Tile Calorimeter that is well within the design expectations.

The local hadronic calibration developed for the energy reconstruction and the calibration of jets and missing transverse energy in ATLAS, has been validated Using data obtained during combined beam tests of the ATLAS endcap and forward calorimeters. The analysis has been performed using special sets of calibration weights and corrections obtained with the GEANT4 simulation of a detailed beam test setup.

The Tile Calorimeter (TileCal) for the ATLAS experiment at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is currently taking data with proton-proton collisions. The TileCal read-out system was initially designed to reconstruct the data in real-time and to store for each channel the signal amplitude, time and quality factor at the required high rate. This approach implied discarding 80% of the raw data that correspond to noise or small signals. Practical experience operating in this scheme with increasing rate have led to several modifications and understanding that some kind of data compression is helpful during data processing and storing.

An alternate approach is to use online reconstruction for Level 2 triggering only and to implement a data flow lossless compression scheme for further offiine analysis. A new version of the lossless compression algorithm is proposed which allows to both save the complete raw data and to feed the trigger with the reconstructed signal amplitude and time. It does not increase the data flow as compared to the existing approach and the size of the data fragments transmitted is more stable. We will describe the lossless compression algorithm as a possible upgrade of the Tile data acquisition and highlight some details of the implementation. We will report on its testing and validation and on the overall performance measured on high rate tests, calibration and proton-proton collisions runs.

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Diamond is an outstanding material for the production of semitransparent in situ photon beam monitors which can withstand the high dose rates occurring in new generation synchrotron radiation storage rings and in free electron lasers. Here we report on the development of a 500 μm thick freestanding, single-crystal chemical vapor deposited diamond detector with segmented electrodes; it exhibits a high resistivity of some 10¹⁵ cm which allows charge integration operations. Using the latter at a frame rate of 8.33 kHz in combination with a needle synchrotron radiation beam and mesh scans, the inhomogeneity of the sensor was found to be of the order of 2%. With a measured electronics noise of 2 pA / Hz^½ a 0.05% relative precision in the intensity measurements (at 1 μA) and a 0.1 μm resolution in the position encoding have been estimated. Moreover, the high electron–hole mobility of diamond compared with other active materials enables very fast charge collection. This allowed us to utilize single pulse integration to simultaneously detect the intensity and the position of each synchrotron radiation photon bunch generated by a bending magnet.

It has been demonstrated from various authors that a Si-Carbon Nanotube heterojunction can be obtained by growing MultiWall Carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) over a silicon substrate. The electron transport characteristics of hybrid Si-CNT structures have been also largely investigated. Among the wide spectrum of nanotube characteristics, an important rule is determined by their capability to absorb light quanta creating a couple electron-hole that can be separated applying an external electric field. A few mm² nanotube layers contains an extremely large number of active elements that can convert incident light into electrons and generate an electrical signal both in case of pulsed light and of continuous radiation. This opens the way to the use of MWCNT for realizing a new kind of radiation detector to be used both for high energy and spatial physics and for sensor applications. In this paper we report on a new detector device realized using MWCNT growth over a silicon substrate. This device presents peculiar characteristics, low noise, good conversion efficiency of photons into electrical current and good signal linearity in a wide range of radiation wavelength from UV to IR at room temperature. The spectral behaviour reflects the silicon spectral range with a maximum at about 880 nm.

Significant process in 3D detectors has taken place since Sherwood parker proposed the 3D silicon detector in 1997. The 3D detector was conceived as a method to overcome the radiation induced reduction in carrier lifetime in heavily irradiated silicon detectors via the use of advanced MEMS device fabrication techniques. This paper reviews the state of the art in 3D detectors. Work performed within the major fabrication institutes will be discussed, including modifications to the original design to reduce complexity and increase device yield. Characterization of 3D detectors up to the maximum radiation fluence expected at the high luminosity LHC operation will be presented. Results from both strip and pixel devices will be shown using characterization methods that include 90-Sr betas, focused laser and high-energy pions.

The NA62 experiment is designed to measure the branching ratio of the decay with a 10% accuracy at the CERN SPS. To suppress the main background coming from the K⁺ → μ⁺ν decay, a Ring Imaging Cherenkov detector (RICH), able to separate π and μ in the momentum range between 15 and 35 GeV/c with a muon contamination in a pion sample < 10⁻² is needed. The RICH must also have an unprecedented time resolution (100 ps) to disentangle accidental time 115sociatioDll of beam particles with pions. The last updates of the detector layout are presented along with the results of the beam tests of the RICH prototype: the muon misidentification probability was found to be 0. 7% and the time resolution < 100 ps in all the momentum range.

In the present work, gamma irradiation effects on lead-free Bi₂O₃-B₂O₃-SiO₂ heavy metal oxide glasses are investigated. By doping Ti⁴⁺ ions, irradiation resistance of glasses is improved, especially in the case of the higher radiation dose. However, traditionally used stabilizing agent Ce⁴⁺ ions exert a negative effect on glasses by increasing the value of irradiation induced absorption coefficient, μ. This is maybe due to the different role of Ce⁴⁺ ions in the present Bi₂O₃-B₂O₃-SiO₂ glass structure…

Tau leptons play an important role in the physics program at the LHC. They are used in searches for new phenomena like the Higgs boson or Supersymmetry and in electroweak measurements. They can also be used for detector-related studies like the determination of the missing transverse energy scale. Identifying hadronically decaying tau leptons requires good understanding of the detector performance, combining the calorimeter and tracking detectors. We present the current status of the tau reconstruction and identification at the LHC with the ATLAS detector. The identification efficiencies are measured in W → τν events, and compared with the predictions from Monte Carlo simulations. The misidentification probability from electrons and jets is also estimated from dedicated control samples in data.

AS the high luminosity phase of the LHC is approaching, the CMS collaboration started research for the future silicon sensor baseline for the CMS Tracker phase II upgrade. Wafers of various materials (Float-zone, Magnetic Czochralski and Epitaxial), thicknesses from 320μm down to 50μm and n-bulk or p-bulk doping have been ordered at one manufacturer, HPK, for good comparison. Alongside, the feasibility of processing sensors with double metal routing on 6” wafers is explored. Different structures answer different questions covering aspects from radiation hardness to layout issues in this evaluation. A mixed irradiation program with protons and neutrons probes radiation hardness representing a mixture of charged and neutral hadrons expected in the CMS tracker after an integrated luminosity of 300ofb⁻¹ at several radii. This contribution gives an overview of the first proton irradiated diodes. Furthermore, a sensor with integrated pitch adapter on a second metal layer is characterised and presented for the first time.

SuperB is a novel, high luminosity (10³⁶cm⁻²s⁻¹), asymmetric e+e− collider to be built at the University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy. A detector and its associated electronics (ETD) will be installed in this facility. High-speed serial links will be used for trigger and clock distribution and for data read-out. Given the high luminosity of the accelerator, the on-detector ends of the links will have to cope with the expected radiation levels.

In this work, we present the results of irradiation tests on some candidate components for the electrical part of the links. We performed tests with a 62-MeV proton beam at INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Sud (Catania, Italy) and with a 60Co γ-ray source at ENEA, La Casaccia (Rome, Italy).

ATLAS (A Toroidal LHC ApparatuS) is one of the four experiments installed on the hadron-hadron collider LHC at CERN. It is a general purpose experiment, with a physics program which spans from the search for the Higgs Boson to the search of physics Beyond the Standard Model (BSM). An integrated luminosity of about 5 fb⁻¹ is expected to be reached by the end of 2011. The Resistive Plate Chambers, installed in the barrel region, are used to provide the first muon level trigger, and cover an area of 16000 m², readout by about 350000 electronic channels.

To ensure optimal trigger performance, the RPC operational parameters like cluster size, efficiency and spatial resolution are constantly monitored.

In order to achieve the desired precision, the data used for the analysis are extracted directly from the second level of the trigger, hence assuring very high statistics. This dedicated event stream, called Calibration Stream, is sent automatically to the RPC Calibration Center in Naples.

Here the analysis is performed using an automatic tool tightly integrated in the ATLAS GRID environment, the Local Calibration Data Splitter (LCDS), which configures and manages all the operations required by the analysis (e.g. software environment initialization, grid jobs configuration and submission, data saving and retrieval, etc).

The monitored RPC operational parameters, the performance analysis and the LCDS will be presented.

The ALICE High Momentum Particle Identification detector (HMPID), a proximity focusing Ring Imaging Cherenkov counter, is the largest of its kind with the 11 m² CsI-based photon detector total area. The HMPID is designed and optimized for identification of charged π, K, p and on a track-by-track basis in heavy-ion collisions at LHC energies. To achieve track-by-track identification, 3 σ separation is required for π/K and K/p in the momentum range of 1-3 GeV/c and 1.5-5 GeV/c respectively. The HMPID is part of the ALICE data taking since the first proton-proton collisions and was also successfully operated in the first heavy-ion run in 2010. In this talk, we present the detector performance at the present time and its evolution over the past two years of operation in the LHC environment.

FeSi compounds ore suitable for the construction of inductor cores in electronic DC-DC switching applications. This study provides directions for the development of the core material intended to be used in extreme condition environments, like particle accelerators or nuclear facilities, where the reliability of devices must be high. A FeSi based soft ferromagnetic alloy has been implemented and analyzed under the effect of γ-rays irradiation tests at ENEA Casaccia Res. Center, Rome, Italy. Prototypes have been exposed for a total 5 kGy dose. In order to obtain high magnetization field and low coercive field, special techniques of fabrication have been adopted. Pre- and post-damage SEM and EDS micro-analyses are provided.

The expected increase of total integrated luminosity by a factor of ten at the HL-LHC compared to the design goals for LHC essentially eliminates the safety factor for radiation hardness realized at the current cold amplifiers of the ATLAS Hadronic Endcap Calorimeter (HEC). New more radiation hard technologies have been studied: SiGe bipolar, Si CMOS FET and GaAs FET transistors have been irradiated with neutrons up to an integrated fluence of 2.2 · 10¹⁶ n/cm² and with 200 MeV protons up to an integrated fluence of 2.6 · 10¹⁴ p/cm². Comparisons of transistor parameters such as the gain for both types of irradiations are presented.

In the high luminosity phase of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) the selection of the most suitable architecture able to supply the instrumentation of the experiments represents a critical task today. The power conversion units will have to supply low voltages and high currents to the loads with reduced transmission losses and, moreover, their design will have to face the critical demand of efficiency, robustness and limited size together with the need to operate in hostile environment. The paper discusses the most promising solutions in the power supply distribution networks which could be implemented in the upgraded detectors at the High Luminosity LHC collider. The proposed topologies have been selected by considering their tolerance to high background magnetic field and nuclear radiations as well as their limited electromagnetic noise emission. The analysis focuses on the description of the power supplies for noble liquid calorimeters, such as the Atlas LAr calorimeters, though several outcomes of this research can be applied to other detectors of the future LHC experiments.

The main purpose of the NA62 experiment at the CERN SPS is to measure the Branching Ratio of the ultra-rare kaon decay with 10% accuracy. This will be achieved by collecting about 100 events with a Signal to Background ratio of 10/1. NA62 will use a 75 GeV/c unseparated charged hadron beam and a kaon decay-in-flight technique. For the kaon identification a hydrogen gas-filled differential Cherenkov counter (CEDAR) is placed in the incoming beam. The CEDAR detector is required to achieve a kaon identification efficiency of at least 95% with a time resolution of about 100 ps.

The Large Hadron Collider Beauty Experiment aims to precisely measure CP violation and rare decays, both of which require accurate charged particle identification. The Ring Imaging Cherenkov detectors are vital components of the system. Charged particles travelling through radiators at relativistic speeds produce Cherenkov photons which are detected by arrays of Hybrid Photon Detectors. Known resonances, such as ϕ, K₈, Λ and D*, provide samples of pions, kaons and protons, which are used to assess the performance of the detectors. Methods for alignment and calibration of the detectors lead to an optimal Cherenkov angle resolution. The particle identification performance on recent data is presented.

We present low temperature thermal conductivity data of 14 polymeric materials and 12 composites, along with their integrated conductivity data usually up to room temperature. The latter information is precious in the initial phase of a project for a rapid evaluation of thermal power flowing through a mechanical part (of known geometrical factor) when its ends are at different temperatures.

The Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (TPC) technique is a promising technology for future neutrino detectors. At LHEP of the University of Bern (Switzerland), R&D projects towards large detectors are on-going. The main goal is to prove long drift paths of the order of 10 m. Therefore, a liquid Argon TPC with 5m of drift distance is being constructed. Many other aspects of the liquid Argon TPC technology are also under investigation, such as a new device to generate high voltage in liquid Argon (Greinacher circuit), a recirculation filtering system and the multi photon ionization of liquid Argon with a UV laser. Two detectors are being built: a medium size prototype for specific detector technology studies, and ARGONTUBE, a 5 m long device.

Future LHC luminosity upgrades will significantly increase the amount of background hits from photons, neutrons 11.11d protons in the detectors of the ATLAS muon spectrometer. At the proposed LHC peak luminosity of , background hit rates of more than are expected in the innermost forward region, leading to a loss of performance of the current tracking chambers.

Based on the ATLAS Monitored Drift Tube chambers, a new high rate capable drift tube detecor using tubes with a reduced diameter of 15mm was developed.

To test the response to highly ionizing particles, a prototype chamber of 46 15mm drift tubes was irradiated with a 20 MeV proton beam at the tandem accelerator at the Maier-Leibnitz Laboratory, Munich. Three tubes in a planar layer were irradiated while all other tubes were used for reconstruction of cosmic muon tracks through irradiated and nonirradiated parts of the chamber. To determine the rate capability of the 15mm drifttubes we investigated the effect of the proton hit rate on pulse height, efficiency and spatial resolution of the cosmic muon signals.

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For 30 years, Fermilab has offered K-12 education programs, building bridges between the Lab and the community. The Lederman Science Center is our home. We host field trips and tours, visit schools, offer classes and professional development workshops, host special events, support internships and have a strong web presence. We develop programs based on identified needs, offer programs with peer–leaders and improve programs from participant feedback. For some we create interest; for others we build understanding and develop relationships, engaging participants in scientific exploration. We explain how we created the Center, its programs, and what the future holds.

The International Particle Physics Outreach Group, IPPOG, is a network of particle physics communication and education experts. IPPOG's principle aim is to maximize the impact of education and outreach efforts related to particle physics through information exchange and the sharing of expertise. IPPOG has initiated several major European and Worldwide activities, such as the “International Particle Physics Masterclasses” where each year thousands of high school students in more than 20 countries come to one of about 120 nearby universities or research centres for a day in order to unravel the mysteries of particle physics. IPPOG has also initiated a global database of education and outreach materials, aimed at supporting other particle physicists and education professionals. The aims and activities of IPPOG will be described, as well as plans to include more countries & laboratories in the network.

We present a general description of the offline software developed for the reconstruction of inelastic events by the TOTEM T2 telescope at the LHC. Tracking reconstruction in the OMS forward region, where T2 is installed, is challenged by a large amount of charged particles generated by the interaction with the material placed between the IP and T2. In this contribution we describe the simulation of the T2 GEM chambers as well as the reconstruction procedures employed to track the particles in such severe environment. The strategy for the telescope alignment and the measurement of the charged particle pseudorapidity distribution is finally presented.

LHCf is an experiment designed to study the very-forward production of neutral particles produced in collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Its results will be useful to calibrate the hadron interaction models of the Monte Carlo (MC) codes which are used for the interpretation of energy spectrum and composition of high-energy cosmic rays as measured by air-shower ground arrays. The experiment has already completed taking p-p data at and at in 2009–2010. The detectors are now being upgraded and they will be installed again in the LHC tunnel for operation with protons at , for p-ion collisions, and possibly for ion-ion collisions too. Comparisons between the single photon spectra and MC simulations, and a preliminary result about π⁰ energy measurement are reported.

The U.S. QuarkNet program began in 1999 to involve high school students and teachers in authentic particle physics investigations using real data. This took various forms from the use of cosmic ray detectors to Z decay exercises with Hands-on-CERN. In 2010, QuarkNet opened a new chapter with the use of real data from the LHC. In collaboration with I2U2, QuarkNet staff and select teachers developed an e-Lab and a masterclass using CMS data. This development continues with the release by the CMS collaboration of over 100,000 events for education. Students and teachers have used the CMS e-Lab and masterclass as well as the ATLAS masterclass, also with real data, with very encouraging results. Working with IPPOG, QuarkNet has made these opportunities available internationally as well as within the U.S. text.

A general solution for the problem of reconstructing the evolution of a dynamic system from a set of experimental measurements is presented. This solution has been realised in a C++ toolkit that can incorporate different methods for fitting, propagation, pattern recognition and simulation. The RecPack functionality is independent of the experimental setup, what allows one to apply this toolkit to any dynamic system.

The treatment of the electron-nucleus interaction based on the Matt differential cross section was extended to account for effects due to screened Coulomb potentials, finite sizes and finite rest masses of nuclei for electrons above 200keV and up to ultra high energies. This treatment allows one to determine both the total and differential cross sections, thus, subsequently to calculate the resulting nuclear and non-ionizing stopping powers. Above a few hundreds of MeV, neglecting the effect due to finite rest masses of recoil nuclei the stopping power and NIEL result to be largely underestimated. While, above a few tens of MeV, the finite size ofthe nuclear target prevents a further large increase of stopping powers which approach almost constant values.

Thick GEM for UV detector applications must provide high detection efficiency for a single photoelectron produced by UV light. Electron Transfer Efficiency (ETE) of GEM detector determines the detection efficiency. We have used GARFIELD simulation for estimation of ETE at various operating parameters, which are to be optimized for high detection efficiency.

We present DMMW, a publicly available code, which computes the Dark Matter Multi-Wavelength emission spectrum for generic Dark Matter models. We briefly discusS a few applications to a variety of astrophysical systems within and beyond the Galaxy. In particular we constrain the averaged diffusion in the Cosmic Ray source regions of the Large Magellanic Cloud. DMMW calculates the secondary emission produced during the propagation of DM-induced leptons from the steady state distribution of these particles, as well as the prompt γ-ray emission produced directly during annihilation or decay. We believe it is extremely timely to introduce DMMW: a natural step needed to unveil the possibly exotic nature of some of Fermi unidentified sources will consist of follow-up multi-frequency observational campaigns. DMHW enables users to easily make theoretical predictions for the radio, UV, X-ray and soft γ-ray emissions associated with the relativistic electrons and positrons produced in Dark Matter annihilation or astrophysical sources. The DMMW code can be interfaced to spectral fitting packages relevant to various wave-lengths, e.g. XSPEC for X-rays, and the Fermi Science Tools. The code has been tested by comparison to numerical solutions obtained with the GALPROP code.

All with any fundamental scientific endeavour, the true and enduring impact of the LHC physics program will not be measured in our lifetime. Rather, generations of future achievementi will follow from the combination of scientific knowledge and methods born from the research. The unprecedented size, scope and innovative nature of the LHC experiments, however, are already leaving a broad and significant impact on our society. A few of the more impressive, far-reaching, and amusing examples of these contributions are presented in this document.

What remains is the task of communicating this progress to those who support it; that is, the rest of the world. Coordinated efforts by the outreach and educational programs of CERN and the experiments, coupled with a significant increase in media coverage, have succeeded to put the spotlight on the LHC. In addition, the rapidly growing popularity of social media bas provided these programs with new tools to focus this spotlight on the benefits of our work. I present means to use these tools effectively as we enter a new era of public scientific communication based on dialogue and discussion.

We present validation measurements for the Geant4 radioactive decay simulation following a self-consistent approach. The validation is based on gamma spectroscopy measurements with HPGe and Nal detectors. In addition we present a re-designed radioactive decay simulation for Geant4, with extended functionality, such as support for long term activation, and programmed to modern coding standards.