Liquid Argon Detectors: Instrumentation and Applications

A special issue of Instruments (ISSN 2410-390X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2021) | Viewed by 22819

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Institut de Fisica d’Altes Energies (IFAE)—The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
Interests: instrumentation; noble gas detectors; neutrino detectors; high-energy physics
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Guest Editor
CERN European Laboratory for Particle Phisics & Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Padova, Padova, Italy
Interests: instrumentation; noble gas detectors; neutrino and dark matter detectors; high energy physics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

It is our pleasure to announce this Special Issue devoted to liquid argon detectors.

Liquid-argon-based detectors have been used for several years in dark matter and neutrino oscillation experiments on the scale from small masses up to a few hundred tonnes. For the next generation of experiments, scaling up is expected to reach 200 tonnes for dark matter search and up to several tens of kton for the next generation of long baseline neutrino oscillation. This implies that new instrumentation challenges have to be faced.

This is the right moment to provide a state-of-the-art summary of the instrumentation related to liquid argon detectors, including novel detector concepts, and the possible applications that might go beyond dark matter and neutrino experiments. 

Thus, we invite contributions in the form of expert comprehensive reviews or research articles dealing with liquid argon detectors from a wide perspective.

Contributions are expected to address, but are not limited to, the following areas:

  • Scintillation light (production, propagation, doping, wavelength shifter, etc.)
  • Ionization and charge transport (drift, space charge effects, etc.)
  • Charge readout technologies and concepts (wires, light, etc.)
  • Detector concepts (single phase, dual phase, etc.)
  • Field cage designs and cathode HV concepts
  • Purification technologies
  • Fluid dynamics
  • Electronics for cryogenic detectors and DAQ
  • Calibration systems and purity monitors
  • Event reconstruction and detector performance/capabilities
  • Cryostat and cryogenics technologies
  • Experiments: past, present, and future

Dr. Thorsten Lux
Dr. Francesco Pietropaolo
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • liquid argon detectors
  • cryogenics
  • instrumentation

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 2891 KiB  
Article
Space Charge Effects in Noble-Liquid Calorimeters and Time Projection Chambers
by Sandro Palestini
Instruments 2021, 5(1), 9; https://doi.org/10.3390/instruments5010009 - 26 Feb 2021
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2460
Abstract
The subject of space charge in ionization detectors is reviewed, showing how the observations and the formalism used to describe the effects have evolved, starting with applications to calorimeters and reaching recent, large time-projection chambers. General scaling laws, and different ways to present [...] Read more.
The subject of space charge in ionization detectors is reviewed, showing how the observations and the formalism used to describe the effects have evolved, starting with applications to calorimeters and reaching recent, large time-projection chambers. General scaling laws, and different ways to present and model the effects are presented. The relations between space-charge effects and the boundary conditions imposed on the side faces of the detector are discussed, together with a design solution that mitigates some of the effects. The implications of the relative size of drift length and transverse detector size are illustrated. Calibration methods are briefly discussed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Liquid Argon Detectors: Instrumentation and Applications)
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19 pages, 6345 KiB  
Article
Optical Readout of the ARIADNE LArTPC Using a Timepix3-Based Camera
by Adam Lowe, Krishanu Majumdar, Konstantinos Mavrokoridis, Barney Philippou, Adam Roberts, Christos Touramanis and Jared Vann
Instruments 2020, 4(4), 35; https://doi.org/10.3390/instruments4040035 - 27 Nov 2020
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 4086
Abstract
The ARIADNE Experiment, utilising a 1-ton dual-phase Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC), aims to develop and mature optical readout technology for large scale LAr detectors. This paper describes the characterisation, using cosmic muons, of a Timepix3-based camera mounted on the ARIADNE detector. [...] Read more.
The ARIADNE Experiment, utilising a 1-ton dual-phase Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC), aims to develop and mature optical readout technology for large scale LAr detectors. This paper describes the characterisation, using cosmic muons, of a Timepix3-based camera mounted on the ARIADNE detector. The raw data from the camera are natively 3D and zero suppressed, allowing for straightforward event reconstruction, and a gallery of reconstructed LAr interaction events is presented. Taking advantage of the 1.6 ns time resolution of the readout, the drift velocity of the ionised electrons in LAr was determined to be 1.608 ± 0.005 mm/μs at 0.54 kV/cm. Energy calibration and resolution were determined using through-going muons. The energy resolution was found to be approximately 11% for the presented dataset. A preliminary study of the energy deposition (dEdX) as a function of distance has also been performed for two stopping muon events, and comparison to GEANT4 simulation shows good agreement. The results presented demonstrate the capabilities of this technology, and its application is discussed in the context of the future kiloton-scale dual-phase LAr detectors that will be used in the DUNE programme. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Liquid Argon Detectors: Instrumentation and Applications)
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8 pages, 5468 KiB  
Article
TITUS: Visualization of Neutrino Events in Liquid Argon Time Projection Chambers
by Corey Adams and Marco del Tutto
Instruments 2020, 4(4), 31; https://doi.org/10.3390/instruments4040031 - 21 Oct 2020
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2765
Abstract
The amount and complexity of data recorded by high energy physics experiments are rapidly growing, and with these grow the difficulties in visualizing such data. To study the physics of neutrinos, a type of elementary particle, scientists use liquid argon time projection chamber [...] Read more.
The amount and complexity of data recorded by high energy physics experiments are rapidly growing, and with these grow the difficulties in visualizing such data. To study the physics of neutrinos, a type of elementary particle, scientists use liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) detectors, among other technologies. LArTPCs have a very high spatial resolution and resolve many of the elementary particles that come out of a neutrino interacting within the argon in the detector. Visualizing these neutrino interactions is of fundamental importance to understanding the properties of neutrinos, but also monitoring and checking on the detector conditions and operations. From these ideas, we have developed TITUS, an event display that shows images recorded by these neutrino detectors. TITUS is a piece of software that reads data coming from LArTPC detectors (as well as the corresponding simulation) and allows users to explore such data in multiple ways. TITUS is flexible to enable fast prototyping and customization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Liquid Argon Detectors: Instrumentation and Applications)
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16 pages, 4220 KiB  
Article
First Demonstration of a Pixelated Charge Readout for Single-Phase Liquid Argon Time Projection Chambers
by Jonathan Asaadi, Martin Auger, Antonio Ereditato, Damian Goeldi, Umut Kose, Igor Kreslo, David Lorca, Matthias Luethi, Christoph Benjamin Urs Rudolf Von Rohr, James Sinclair, Francesca Stocker and Michele Weber
Instruments 2020, 4(1), 9; https://doi.org/10.3390/instruments4010009 - 23 Mar 2020
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3375
Abstract
Traditional charge readout technologies of single-phase Liquid Argon Time projection Chambers (LArTPCs) based on projective wire readout introduce intrinsic ambiguities in event reconstruction. Combined with the slow response inherent in LArTPC detectors, reconstruction ambiguities have limited their performance, until now. Here, we present [...] Read more.
Traditional charge readout technologies of single-phase Liquid Argon Time projection Chambers (LArTPCs) based on projective wire readout introduce intrinsic ambiguities in event reconstruction. Combined with the slow response inherent in LArTPC detectors, reconstruction ambiguities have limited their performance, until now. Here, we present a proof of principle of a pixelated charge readout that enables the full 3D tracking capabilities of LArTPCs. We characterize the signal-to-noise ratio of charge readout chain to be about 14, and demonstrate track reconstruction on 3D space points produced by the pixel readout. This pixelated charge readout makes LArTPCs a viable option for high-multiplicity environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Liquid Argon Detectors: Instrumentation and Applications)
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Review

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24 pages, 2227 KiB  
Review
Wavelength Shifters for Applications in Liquid Argon Detectors
by Marcin Kuźniak and Andrzej M. Szelc
Instruments 2021, 5(1), 4; https://doi.org/10.3390/instruments5010004 - 31 Dec 2020
Cited by 25 | Viewed by 6002
Abstract
Wavelength shifters and their applications for liquid argon detectors have been a subject of extensive R&D procedures over the past decade. This work reviews the most recent results in this field. We compare the optical properties and usage details together with the associated [...] Read more.
Wavelength shifters and their applications for liquid argon detectors have been a subject of extensive R&D procedures over the past decade. This work reviews the most recent results in this field. We compare the optical properties and usage details together with the associated challenges for various wavelength shifting solutions. We discuss the current status and potential future R&D directions for the main classes of wavelength shifters. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Liquid Argon Detectors: Instrumentation and Applications)
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15 pages, 1008 KiB  
Review
Calibration of Calorimetric Measurement in a Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber
by Tingjun Yang
Instruments 2021, 5(1), 2; https://doi.org/10.3390/instruments5010002 - 26 Dec 2020
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3043
Abstract
The liquid argon time projection chamber provides high-resolution event images and excellent calorimetric resolution for studying neutrino physics and searching for beyond-standard-model physics. In this article, we review the main physics processes that affect detector response, including the electronics and field responses, space [...] Read more.
The liquid argon time projection chamber provides high-resolution event images and excellent calorimetric resolution for studying neutrino physics and searching for beyond-standard-model physics. In this article, we review the main physics processes that affect detector response, including the electronics and field responses, space charge effects, electron attachment to impurities, diffusion, and recombination. We describe methods to measure those effects, which are used to calibrate the detector response and convert the measured raw analog-to-digital converter (ADC) counts into the original energy deposition. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Liquid Argon Detectors: Instrumentation and Applications)
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