At the forefront of nuclear physics research, the collaboration between Institute of Structure of Matter (IEM) of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and Alibava Systems has been essential in designing and developing an advanced silicon detector system. WASA-FRS Silicon Detector
Presented by Samuel Escrig, (EXPERIMENTAL NUCLEAR PHYSICS GROUP (IEM)), at the 13th International Hiroshima Symposium (HSTD13) in Vancouver, held by Simon Fraser University (SFU) and TRIUMF, marks a milestone in the ability to reconstruct in the ability to reconstruct more precisely the interaction point of a nuclear collisions in WASA-FRS experiments of the SuperFRS Experiment Collaboration.
The primary aim of this project R&D is to gather detailed information on particle trajectories resulting from ion beam collisions with target nuclei and determine the primary vertex location. This critical data is essential for understanding nuclear processes, collision dynamics and thereby advancing fundamental physics
International CollaborationASA-FRS Silicon Detector
The detection system has been manufactured by Alibava Systems, while several institutions have contributed to its development. These include the Institute of Structure of Matter – IEM-CSIC (Madrid, Spain), Alibava Systems (Barcelona, Spain), the Institute of Corpuscular Physics – IFIC-CSIC-UV (Valencia, Spain), the Institute of Applied Research for Aeronautical Industry – INAIA-UCLM (Toledo, Spain), the WASA-FRS Collaboration (International), and the Super-FRS Experiment Collaboration (International). This collaboration underscores the importance of global cooperation in cutting-edge scientific research.
During the conference, the technical configuration of the detection system and the associated electronics for data acquisition were presented in detail. Additionally, experimental results from the initial tests of the detector were shared. These tests were conducted both at the facilities of Alibava Systems in Barcelona and at the Center for Micro-Analysis of Materials at the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM), employing a 10 MeV proton beam.
Configuration of the Detection System
The designed detection system comprises four stations. First two stations are equipped with two silicon sensors (X and Y), each strip having thickness of 80 micrometers. The two additional stations each contain eight sensors, with each strip having thickness of 160 micrometers. These sensors are paired in data acquisition channels. Notably, the sensors in these latter stations are rotated 45 degrees compared to the first two, enabling measurements in U and V for enhanced precision.»
Electronics and Data Acquisition WASA-FRS Silicon Detector
An ALIVATA System was used for the data acquisition system while 16 VATAGP8 ASICs from IDEAS company has been used in the detector frontend. These ASICs enable two reading modes: all channels or only those with a signal. They generate signals in a time of 50 nanoseconds for triggering and 500 nanoseconds for the final measurement.
The signals from the 16 ASICs are sent to three motherboards, synchronized by a time-stamping distributor FPGA board. Finally, these motherboards transmit to the computer the temporal information and measured charge from the detector for storage.
The collaboration between Alibava Systems and IEM-CSIC has played an essential role in creating a state-of-the-art detection system that will significantly contribute to the understanding of nuclear reactions and open new avenues in nuclear physics research. This project exemplifies how international collaboration and synergy between institutions can drive scientific innovation.
This work is supported and funded by the grant 2019-T1/TIC-13194 of the program ‘Atracción de Talento Investigador’ from the Comunidad de Madrid, and ‘Proyectos I+D+i 2020’ PID2020-118009GA-I00, led by the principal investigator, C. Rappold