Hyper-Kamiokande will deploy about 3,600 3-inch PMTs in its outer detector to veto cosmic-ray backgrounds and improve event classification. Each PMT will be paired with a wavelength-shifting plate to increase the active photon-collection area. Two candidate designs, both with waterproof casings, are currently being evaluated through coordinated measurements across several laboratories. This...
Dark noise is a critical characteristic for modern photodetectors such as SiPMs. The dark noise spectrum can, to some extent, be used to study the operational status of an SiPM. Meanwhile, the dark count rate(DCR) is also an important indicator for evaluating the performance of SiPMs.
For analog signals output by SiPMs, we typically use waveform-sampling digitisers to digitise and store the...
In the framework of a 2022 PRIN Project a new system for computed tomography based on a Timepix4 sensor coupled with CdTe semiconductor has been developed in collaboration between the Department of Physics of the University of Ferrara and the Department of Physics and Astronomy of the Univesity of Bologna.
A small area sensor with 512x448 pixels of 55 micron size each onstitutes an array of...
High-rate single-photon detection with excellent spatial and temporal precision is a critical requirement for next-generation imaging and particle physics experiments. To meet this demand, a novel detector has been developed based on a vacuum tube architecture that integrates a photocathode, a microchannel plate (MCP), and a Timepix4 CMOS ASIC as the readout anode. The system supports...
A high-resolution electromagnetic calorimeter typically consists of an array of inorganic scintillators in crystalline form (cells), read out by Photo-Multiplier Tubes (PMTs) or Avalanche Photo-Diodes (APDs). An energy resolution of $\simeq 2\%$ at 1 GeV is considered excellent performance.
When a particle hits the scintillator, it loses energy through Bremsstrahlung and $e^+e^-$ pair...
Targeted Radionuclide Therapy combined with diagnostic imaging (“theranostics”) requires radionuclides that can provide both therapeutic and imaging capabilities. The isotope of Silver (Ag-111), with its beta emission for therapy and gamma emission at 245 keV and 342 keV, represents a promising candidate for imaging applications. Its relatively high photon energies are outside conventional...
We present a detailed investigation of the afterpulse effect in silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs), using a dedicated structure with single-cell readout, which enables direct measurement of intrinsic device properties and observation of individual pulses also after irradiation.
Three independent analysis methods to quantify afterpulse induced events were developed and validated by Monte Carlo...
The LUCID-2 detector is the main luminometer of the ATLAS experiment and the only one able to provide a reliable luminosity determination in all beam configurations, luminosity ranges and at bunch-crossing level. The detector works through the production and detection of Cherenkov light in unusual ways: within the fused silica (quartz) window of the photomultipliers (PMTs) and in the core of...
DENEB is a 1024-channel mixed-signal ASIC under development at INFN in 110 nm CMOS technology for the readout of SiPM matrices across a wide temperature range (77–300 K). It is designed for GRAIN, a sub-detector of SAND at the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) Near Detector facility (FNAL, USA). GRAIN is an active target consisting of a liquid-argon cryostat instrumented with cameras...
The Advanced Particle Astrophysics Telescope (APT) is a proposed space-based gamma-ray observatory for the MeV–TeV range. To validate its detector technologies, the Antarctic Demonstrator for APT (ADAPT) is being developed for a balloon flight during the 2026–2027 Antarctic summer. Its core consists of an Imaging CsI Calorimeter (ICC) and a four-layer scintillating fiber tracker...
The dual-radiator Ring-Imaging Cherenkov (dRICH) detector of the ePIC experiment at the future Electron–Ion Collider (EIC) will employ silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) to detect Cherenkov photons. The photodetector plane will span about 3 m2 with 3x3 mm2 pixels, providing more than 300 000 readout channels—representing the first use of SiPMs for single-photon detection in a collider...
Non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSC) account for nearly 96% of the worldwide diagnosed skin cancers and are often surgically removed. However, when surgery is not feasible, radiotherapy is a valid alternative treatment. In radiotherapy, patient-specific quality assurance (PSQA) relies on dose distribution measurements. Today the state-of-art technologies do not assure accurate measurements of the...
Hyper-Kamiokande, the successor to Super-Kamiokande, is a next-generation water Cherenkov detector scheduled to begin operation in 2028. It aims to measure neutrino oscillation parameters, such as the CP phase and mass ordering, with much higher precision benefiting from a fiducial volume 8.4 times larger than that of Super-Kamiokande. The newly developed 50-cm photomultiplier tube (PMT),...
RIPTIDE is a novel fast-neutron detector concept designed to determine both the energy and the direction of incident neutrons through indirect detection via neutron-proton elastic scattering. The converter medium consists of a cubic plastic scintillator (BC408, 60 × 60 × 60 mm³), where neutron-proton scattering events can generate recoil protons that produce scintillation light. This light is...
A monolithic silicon photo-multiplier, including 1024 micro-cells with a 30 $\mu$m pitch and a fill-factor of 50% and covering an overall area of about 1 mm$^2$, has been designed in a 110 nm CMOS image sensor technology. The SiPM, targeting applications with light detection in dual-readout (DR) calorimetry, takes advantage of an asynchronous, parallel counter to compute the number of hit...
Wavelength-shifting (WLS) materials offer a scalable and affordable
approach to large-area photon detection. They absorb ultraviolet photons
and re-emit them at longer wavelengths, enabling efficient light
trapping by total internal reflection.
We present a compact detector module based on WLS tiles coupled to
silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs). The design exploits the geometry...
The LHCb RICH system comprises two detectors, delivering excellent charged-hadron discrimination across the momentum ranges 2.6-60 GeV and 20-100 GeV respectively. Following its 2022 upgrade, the system employs more than 3000 Multi-anode Photomultiplier Tubes (MaPMTs) and operates at the full 40 MHz LHC bunch-crossing rate. Each of the 64 anodes of an MaPMT is digitised by a CLARO channel,...
The Water Cherenkov Test Experiment (WCTE) at CERN is designed to test various technologies and techniques related to water Cherenkov detectors, which may later be implemented in the Hyper-Kamiokande experiment. WCTE consists of 97 multi-PMT photosensors placed in a water tank (˜3.8 m in diameter, ˜3.6 m in height, total water mass ˜41 tonnes). Each multi-PMT contains nineteen 3” PMTs and...
Solid state photodetectors are broadly used in many areas of research, from high energy physics at colliders to low energy one for solid state studies. The DarkSide collaboration is going to explore a new direction by using large arrays of Silicon Photo Multipliers (SiPMs) for direct dark matter search, where Photo Multiplier Tubes (PMTs) have been used until now. The DarkSide-20k (DS-20k)...
Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) have become essential photodetectors in a wide range of applications—from medical imaging to high-energy physics (HEP)—thanks to their excellent timing capabilities, compact form factor, and ease of integration. These demanding fields require continuous innovation, particularly in the development of next-generation photodetectors and advanced system integration...
Plastic scintillating fiber trackers read out by Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs) are a promising alternative to silicon trackers for space experiments. This technology combines the compactness and low power consumption of SiPMs with the low material budget of plastic scintillators.
NUSES is a satellite mission, currently under construction, aiming to test innovative observational and...
The next generation of IACT cameras is moving towards SiPMs for their stability, robustness, and higher sensitivity compared to PMTs. The Advanced SiPM Camera (AdvCam) is based on Silicon Photo-Multipliers (SiPMs) as photosensors and aims to deliver fully digital images downstream. It is designed to offer improved sensitivity, extended sensor durability, and intelligent data processing to more...
This work presents the implementation and the preliminary tests of the Multi-channel Integrated Zone-sampling Analogue-memory based Readout (MIZAR) ASIC. Developed using commercial 65 nm CMOS technology, the MIZAR ASIC is designed as part of the Cherenkov camera for the POEMMA Balloon with Radio (PBR) mission. The goal of the Cherenkov camera is to detect direct Cherenkov signals produced by...
Silicon sensors are widely employed in modern physics experiments for their excellent spatial resolution, fast response, and scalability, which makes them indispensable in both tracking detectors and photodetection systems. Silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) are increasingly adopted for their excellent photon detection efficiency, fast timing, scalability, and insensitivity to magnetic fields,...
As a core device for weak light detection, the high-frequency response performance of the Photomultiplier Tube (PMT) is crucial in fields such as high-energy physics, ultrafast spectroscopy, and time-resolved imaging. The dynode, as the core component for electron multiplication in this type of PMTs, directly determines the upper limit of the device's high-frequency response. Based on the CST...
Abstract. Recently we developed an advanced radio frequency timer of keV energy electrons. It is based on a helical deflector, which performs circular sweep of keV electrons, by a means of 500 MHz radio frequency field. By converting a time distribution of incident electrons to a hit position distribution on a circle, this device achieves extremely precise timing. Streak Cameras, based on...
We report the results of recent developments and tests with beams and cosmic rays of the gaseous photomultiplier (GasPM). The GasPM is a photosensor that combines a photocathode with the avalanche-multiplication mechanism of a resistive-plate chamber and offers excellent time resolution and cost-effective scalability. In addition, the GasPM can provide precise and efficient, Cherenkov-based,...
n=1 two-dimensional (2D) perovskites display narrow absorption due to their excitonic nature and quantum-confined structure. They offer a compelling route to filter-free, narrowband photodetection compared with broadband 3D counterparts. While halide mixing provides spectral tunability, it introduces severe phase segregation and energetic disorder. Current understanding of this phenomenon is...
Two-dimensional (2D) perovskite thin films have recently emerged as efficient direct photocurrent detectors, owing to their strong light absorption, fast charge separation, and intrinsically low dark currents. When integrated onto planar interdigitated pixel electrodes, flexible PEA₂PbBr₄ films exhibit stable operation and extremely low noise (~10 pA at 4 kV/mm), enabling sensitive...
The Upgrade II of the LHCb experiment poses new challenges for the Ring Imaging Cherenkov (RICH) detectors in terms of high radiation levels and increased photon density during the High-Lumi LHC phase. It will therefore be essential to redesign the optical layout of the detector, improving the resolution of the reconstructed Cherenkov angle, increasing spatial granularity, and introducing...
Very-high-energy gamma-ray astrophysics will experience a substantial enhancement in sensitivity through the capabilities of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory (CTAO), which will operate from two sites providing full-sky coverage. One candidate for the medium-sized telescope (MST) of CTAO southern site (CTAO-South) is the Schwarzschild-Couder Telescope (SCT). The innovative design of...
Volatile organic compounds (VOC) detection in gas mixtures is crucial for air pollution monitoring as well as gaseous contaminants identification. A compact system able to quickly analyze the presence of such compounds could be deployed in a wide variety of environments. By exploiting gas fluorescence lifetime it enables applications such as sub-ppb gas quality monitoring.
An effective and...
Particle Identification (PID) will be crucial in Future Circular Colliders (FCC-ee) experiments for precision studies involving heavy-flavour particles in Z decays, as well as jet flavour tagging in the decays of Higgs, W, and top particles.
In this context, a novel Ring Imaging Cherenkov (RICH) detector concept, named ARC (Array of RICH Cells), has been proposed.
The ARC detector is...
The core electronics in the LHCb Calorimeter Detector are intended to measure the energy and time of arrival (ToA) of particles using two different ASICs (ICECAL65 and SPIDER, respectively). The expected radiation levels inside the detector have arisen the need to upgrade the design to a high-radiation resilient technology, such as TSMC65. This work presents the analog design of the ICECAL6, a...
The demand for efficient, cost-effective, and stable scintillators drives the search for new materials. Halide Perovskite-inspired materials have recently gained significant interest. They are considered promising scintillators in medical and high-energy physics due to their excellent theoretical light yield, energy, and time resolution. They demonstrate good structural and environmental...
