Welcome by LNF Director

• Pierluigi Campana (LNF)

Room: Aula Bruno Touschek

NITEC: a Negative Ion Time Expansion Chamber for very rare event search

• Elisabetta Baracchini (LNF)

Room: Aula Bruno Touschek We will present an R&D project for the realization of an original and innovative detector for directional Dark Matter searches, that will combine the advantages of a Negative Ions Time Projection Chamber (NITPC) with the benefits of triple GEM amplification and pixelated readout (GEMPix). In a NITPC, negative ions drift rather than free electrons, drastically reducing diffusion thanks to their higher mass. This is why we want to combine for the first time this concept with one of the most advanced readout: the GEMPix, a triple GEM detector coupled to a Medipix ASIC board, able to provide excellent spatial, energy and time resolutions, developed by LNF. Its sensitivity to single ionization cluster could allow the NITPC, together with the slow motion of the anions, to function effectively as a Time Expansion Chamber, hence NITEC, providing improved position and energy resolution. We will present preliminary measurements of NITEC performances with common electron-drift gas mixtures (Ar:CO2 and Ar:CO2:CF4) and the first negative ion operation with SF6 (Ar:CO2:SF6 mixture).

A novel Micro-Pattern-Gas-Detector based on the μ-RWELL technology

• Marco Poli Lener (LNF)

Room: Aula Bruno Touschek The micro-resistive WELL (µ-RWELL) detector is a compact, spark-protected, single amplification stage Micro-Pattern Gas Detector (MPGD). The new micro-structure exploits several solutions and improvements implemented in the last years in the MPGD field, in particular for GEMs and Micromegas. The µ-RWELL detector, based on the resistive technology concept, leading to a very efficient spark quenching, is a high reliable device. In addition, since does not require any complex and time-consuming assembly procedures (neither stretching nor gluing), it is also extremely simple to be assembled. These features allow for an easy engineering of the detector that may lead to technological transfer to industry. The µ-RWELL technology, suitable for large area tracking devices (recently proposed for the phase-2 upgrade of CMS and LHCb muon apparatus and for the neutrino detector of the SHIP experiment) and compact digital hadron calorimetry in HEP experiments, can be also exploited for fine X-ray and thermal neutron imaging for medical and industrial applications, as well as large muon tomography for homeland security. The principle of operation of the µ-RWELL detector, and results from recent R&D studies will be shown.

Next-generation laser microreflectors for the whole solar system

• Lorenzo Salvatori (LNF)

Room: Aula Bruno Touschek Since 2004 the SCF_Lab has developed innovative laser retroreflector designs, unique procedures and facilities for laser retroreflector performance characterization. This activity was devoted mainly to radio-navigation satellites (like Galileo) and the near side of the Moon. In recent years, however, we conceived novel and miniaturized retroreflector models to support space sciences and space exploration for a large variety of destinations and missions in the whole solar systems: the far side of the Moon, Mars, Phobos/Deimos, Jupiter/Saturn icy/rocky moons (like Europa, Ganimede, Enceladus), asteroids (like Bennu and the Didymos binary system) and comets (like 67P/Churyumov Gerasimenko, the one visited by the Rosetta mission of ESA-ASI). Adapting reflector performances to these different space destinations and missions, required (and still does) the SCF_Lab group to work on geometries, materials, construction and assembling procedures; always considering the rigorous space qualifications imposed by space agencies (ExoMars docet).

VOXES, a new high resolution X-ray spectrometer for low yield measurements in high background environments

• Alessandro Scordo (LNF)

Room: Aula Bruno Touschek The VOXES projects goal is to realise the first prototype of a high resolution and high precision von Hamos X-ray Spectrometer, using Highly Annealed Pyrolitic Graphite (HAPG) crystals combined with fast and triggerable position detectors. The aim is to deliver a cost effective system having an energy resolution at the level of eV for X rays energies from about 2 keV up to tens of keV, able to perform sub-eV precision measurements, able to work also in high background environments. VOXES will compete in performances with the newly developed Transition Edge Sensors (TES), which achieve eV resolution measurements for X rays of few keV, with the drawback that TES have high costs, extremely reduced active area, rather long recovery time and are difficult to be handled, due to the massive cryogenic system needed. VOXES spectrometer will have a reduced cost, a bigger active area, higher efficiency and will be easier to handle. The VOXES system will be qualified by performing measurements of exotic atoms at the PSI laboratory and/or DAFNE and/or J-PARC laboratories. There are many applications of the proposed spectrometer, going from fundamental physics (precision measurements of exotic atoms at DAFNE collider and J-PARC; precision measurement of the K - mass, solving the existing puzzle; quantum mechanics tests) to synchrotron radiation and X-FEL applications, astronomy, medicine and industry.