Programma: PRIN
Responsabile scientifico per il dipartimento: Fabio Ferraro
Struttura principale: DIFA
Data inizio e data fine: dal 28/09/2023 al 28/09/2025
Nuovi rivelatori per la fisica delle alte energie e la diagnostica medica
Il progetto sviluppa calorimetri avanzati per futuri esperimenti HEP e applicazioni PET, con materiali scintillanti innovativi e fotorivelatori picosecondi, per prestazioni elevate e trasferimento tecnologico.
Advanced Detectors for High-Energy Physics and Medical Imaging
The project develops next-generation calorimeters for future HEP experiments and PET applications, using innovative scintillating materials and picosecond photodetectors for high-performance and tech transfer.
Abstract
During last century, the study of the smallest constituents of matter and their interactions led to physics discoveries that improveddramatically our understanding of the fundamental rules governing the universe. However, despite the great success, several openquestions remain unanswered, such as the nature of dark matter or the source of the observed imbalance between matter andanti-matter. Seeking answers to these fundamental questions has also been driving the development of technological innovations toimprove the capabilities of high-energy physics (HEP) accelerators and detectors. Besides, continuous technology transfer from HEPto medical imaging represents, since the discovery of X-rays at the end of the 19th century until modern positron-emissiontomography (PET), one of the most successful examples of how fundamental research impacts our society.The recent (2020) “Update of the European Strategy for Particle Physics” indicates the high-luminosity phase of the Large HadronCollider (HL-LHC) as the primary tool for exploring the high-energy and high-intensity frontiers in the next decade. New facilities arealso under study for the longer term, like an high-intensity electron-positron collider, an extreme energy proton-proton collider, anda novel muon-antimuon collider. The harsh environment conditions expected at these machines calls for innovative detectors to bedesigned and tested.This project aims at developing technological solutions to be adopted for calorimeters operating at future HEP experiments. Strongradiation tolerance, high granularity, capability to operate at extreme rates, and precise spatial and timing resolutions, well beyondthe limits of current detectors, will be mandatory for the success of future experiments. We plan to identify and characteriseinorganic scintillating crystals, like GAGG, PbWO and BGSO, with the necessary resistance to radiation, and providing high light yieldwith short scintillation times. Accurate simulation of the experimental conditions and crystal properties will serve to identify the mostpromising materials. Then, thorough characterisation will follow, also building small prototypes of homogeneous and samplingcalorimeters to be tested on various particle beam lines. Moreover, starting from existing large-area picosecond photodetectors(LAPPDs), the project aims to design and develop devices specifically optimised for picosecond timing measurements within acalorimeter detector. Finally, building on top of the gained experience and developed technology, the project will investigate theinnovative use of selected scintillating materials and detection techniques, along with the use of LAPPDs as photodetectors, forimproving the time-of-flight (TOF) measurements in PET devices for medical imaging.