UC Riverside physicists have deployed and tested a new detector prototype with the relativistic colony with heavy ions (Rhic) at the Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York. The six-month experience, conducted during the Rhic 2024 race, has marked an important step in the development of detectors that will be used in the future electron-ion collision (EIC).
EIC is a new research center on nuclear physics planned for the Brookhaven National Laboratory which will explore the mysteries of “strong force” which links the atomic nucleus together. The electrons and the ions, accelerated up to almost the speed of light, will run up against each other at EIC.
The UCR group has tested a prototype detector using SIPM-on-Tile technology, a method that couple silicon photomultipliers (SIPM) directly at the scintiller while this emerging technology was developed by the teams of the Entire for various future experiences, it was the first time that it was tested in a particle collision, such as the Rhic.
Arraitia Miguelthe team advisor and deputy professor of Physics and astronomyunderlined the broader meaning of the work.
“This technology will be used in EIC key detectors, including those that measure the highest energies and cover angles close to zero compared to particle bundles,” he said. “They will be essential for a wide range of physics studies. These detectors must manage the most intense radiation, so we have to design them carefully. »»
Weibin ZhangA postdoctoral researcher of the UCR based in the Brookhaven National Laboratory, explained that the work of the team at Rhic represents proof of key concept for EIC detection systems, ensuring that they can manage radiation environments high expected in the new installation. The prototype worked successfully throughout the Rhic 2024 race, he said, which included Proton-Protton collisions at the 200 Gev Energy.
“Being able to perform a test like this in a collision is extremely rare,” added Zhang.
Preins SeanA higher student graduated in the d’Oractia group, said that the detector is composed of layers, each containing tiles which convert the energy of high energy particles into light. This light is captured by SIPM, allowing detailed readings of particle showers. The detector was built and tested at the UCR by a team of undergraduate students, he said. The process included machining tiles, welding components and tests with cosmic rays.
“This experience has given our group an overview of the best way to design and assemble a SIPM-on-Tile calorimeter, and we currently apply this knowledge while we are building the next generation of our prototype,” said prein. “We plan to double the number of channels for our next prototype, and we will test it in Jefferson Lab and Brookhaven Lab. While we continue to increase our prototypes, we are getting closer to the final conceptions of these detectors, which will be installed at the future EIC. »»
The team is now preparing for the next stage of the tests during the Rhic 2025 race. This phase will introduce more difficult conditions, such as the Or-Or collisions, which should produce higher energy density.
Toutilia, Zhang and Preins were joined in research by undergraduate students Peter Carney, Ryan Tsiao, Yousef Abdelkadous and Miguel Rodriguez; Jiajun Huang and Ryan Milton graduates; and comrade postdoctoral Sebouh Paul. Carney is now a Graduate student in Caltech.