Beam test of signal cross-talk and transmission for LMPRC

A new prototype of large area Multi-gap Resistive Plate Chamber (MRPC) with long readout strips was built. This Long-strip Multi-gap Resistive Plate Chamber (LMRPC) is double stacked and has ten 250 μm-thick gas gaps. Signals are read out from the two ends of each strip with an active area of 50 cm×2.5 cm in each. The detector was tested at FOPI in GSI, using the secondary particles of proton beams (E=3.5 GeV) colliding with a Pb target. The results show that the LMRPC prototype has a time resolution of about 60-70 ps; the detecting efficiency is over 98% and the ratio of cross-talk is lower than 2%. The detector also has a good spatial resolution of 0.36 cm along the strip direction.     

A position resolution MRPC for muon tomography

Muon tomography is a promising method in the detection and imaging of high Z material. In general, considering the quality of track reconstruction in imaging, a detector of good position resolution, high efficiency and large area is required. This paper presents the design and study of a prototype of position sensitive MRPC with 0.15 mm narrow gas gap and 2.54 mm strip readout. Through a cosmic-ray experiment, the performance of MRPC module is carefully observed and each channel is calibrated. Through an X ray experiment with a narrow slit, the position resolution is studied. The results show that the time resolution of the module can reach 61ps and the spatial resolution can reach 0.36 mm.     

Performance testing of a long-strip two-end readout multi-gap resistive plate chamber

Multi-gap Resistive Plate Chamber （MRPC） is a new generation of gas detector with good timing and spacial resolution, whose technique is widely applied in some recent high energy （nuclear） physics experiments. In this letter, we report a long-strip two-end readout MRPC and its test beam performance. The measurements show that the long-strip performs a transmission line characteristic and the impedance is independent of the length of strip. The MRPC module we developed is presented to gain a timing resolution of -80 ps and a spacial resolution of -6.4 mm. The possible application of the MRPC is also discussed.     

Cosmic ray test for a T0 detector

The endcap of time-of-flight (ETOF) detector in BES (Beijing Spectrometer) III is planned to be upgraded by using multi-gap resistive plate chambers (MRPCs) and the designed time resolution of the MRPCs is around 50 ps. Thus a time-zero (T0) detector needs to be built to offer a high quality reference time for the MRPCs beam test. So a T0 detector is built using plastic scintillator tiles (BC420) to couple with four fast phototubes (PMTs, Hamamatsu H6533). The timing properties of the detector is studied by using a cosmic ray test and factors related to the time resolution, such as plastic scintillator size, readout mode and angle effects, are discussed. T0 detector timing resolutions of ～41-62 ps are achieved, which means that the T0 detector can be used in the MRPC beam test.     

A cosmic ray test platform based on high time resolution MRPC technology

In order to test the performance of detector prototypes in a laboratory environment, we design and build a large area (90 cm×52 cm) test platform for cosmic rays based on a well-designed Multi-gap Resistive Plate Chamber (MRPC) with excellent time resolution and a high detection efficiency for minimum ionizing particles. The time resolution of the MRPC module used is tested to be ～80 ps, and the position resolution along the strip is ～5 mm, while the position resolution perpendicular to the strip is ～12.7 mm. The platform constructed by four MRPC modules can be used for tracking cosmic rays with a spatial resolution of ～6.3 mm, and provide a reference time ～40 ps.     

Generation and characterization of millimeter-scale plasmas for the research of laser plasma interactions on Shenguang-Ⅲ prototype

In order to produce millimeter-scale plasmas for the research of laser-plasma interactions(LPIs),gasbag target is designed and tested on Shenguang-Ⅲ prototype laser facility.The x-ray pinhole images show that millimeter-scale plasmas are produced with the gasbag.The electron temperature inferred from the stimulated Raman scattering(SRS) spectrum is about 1.6 keV.The SRS spectrum also indicates that the electron density has a flat region within the duration of 200 ps.The obvious differences between the results of the gasbag and that of the void half hohlraum show the feasibility of the gasbag target in creating millimeter-scale plasmas.The LPIs in these millimeter-scale plasmas may partially mimic those in the ignition condition because the duration of the existence of a flat plasma density is much larger than the growth time of the two main instabilities,i.e.,SRS and stimulated Brillouin scattering(SBS).So we make the conclusion that the gasbag target can be used to research the large-scale LPIs.     

Measurement of avalanche size and position resolution of RPCs with different surface resistivities of the high voltage provider

The effects of surface resistivity of the high voltage provider on the space dispersion of the induced charge of a prototype Resistive Plate Chamber （RPC） have been studied experimentally and theoretically. The results of both experiment and theory agree and confirm that a two-Gaussian function can be used to fit the dispersion of the induced charge of the RPC. It is shown that the Gaussian function with the narrower width is mainly due to the expansion of the avalanche charge in the gas gap of the RPC, and the Gaussian function with the larger width is due to the charge dispersion when it passes through the resistive carbon film. This will be useful in the RPC design when one wants to make an RPC with high position resolution.     

Investigation of the unstable flow phenomenon in a pump turbine

Instability of pump turbine with S-shaped curve is characterized by large fluctuations of rotational speed during the transient processes.For investigating this phenomenon,a numerical model based on the dynamic sliding mesh method(DSSM)is presented and used to numerically solve the 3D transient flow which is characterized by the variable rotation speed of runner.The method is validated by comparison with measured data for a load rejection process in a prototype pump turbine.The results show that the calculated rotation speed agrees well with the experimental data.Based on the validated model,simulations were performed for the runaway process using an artificially assumed operating condition under which the unstable rotation speed is expected to appear.The results confirm that the instability of runner rotational speed can be effectively captured with the proposed method.Presented results include the time history profiles of unit flow rate and unit rotating speed.The internal flow characteristics in a typical unstable period are discussed in detail and the mechanism of the unstable hydraulic phenomenon is explained.Overall,the results suggest that the method presented here can be a viable alternative to predict the dynamic characteristics of pump turbines during transient processes.     

A TOF-PET prototype with position sensitive PMT readout

A prototype of time-of-flight positron emission computed tomography (TOF-PET) has been developed for acquiring the coincident detection of 511 keV γ-rays produced from positron annihilation. It consists of two 80.5 mm×80.5 mm LYSO scintillator arrays (composed of 35×35 pixel finger crystals) with the position sensitive photomultiplier tubes R2487 as the readout. Each array is composed of 2 mm×2 mm×15 mm finger crystals and the average pixel pitch is 2.30 mm. The measured results indicate that the TOF information has the potential to significantly enhance the image quality by improving the noise variance in the image reconstruction. The best spatial resolution (FWHM) of the prototype for the pairs of 511 keV γ-rays is 1.98 mm and 2.16 mm in the x and y directions, respectively, which are smaller than the average pixel pitch of 2.30 mm.     

Study on the novel neutron-to-proton convertor for improving the detection efficiency of a triple GEM based fast neutron detector

A high-efficiency fast neutron detector prototype based on a triple Gas Electron Multiplier(GEM) detector, which, coupled with a novel multi-layered high-density polyethylene(HDPE) as a neutron-to-proton converter for improving the neutron detection efficiency, is introduced and tested with the Am-Be neutron source in the Institute of Modern Physics(IMP) at Lanzhou in the present work. First, the developed triple GEM detector is tested by measuring its effective gain and energy resolution with55 Fe X-ray source to ensure that it has a good performance.The effective gain and obtained energy resolution is 5.0×104and around 19.2%, respectively. Secondly, the novel multi-layered HDPE converter is coupled with the cathode of the triple GEM detector making it a high-efficiency fast neutron detector. Its effective neutron response is four times higher than that of the traditional single-layered conversion technique when the converter layer number is 38.     

Digital prototype of LLRF system for SSRF

This paper describes a field programming gate array (FPGA) based low level radio frequency (LLRF) prototype for the SSRF storage ring RF system. This prototype includes the local oscillator (LO), analog front end, digital front end, RF out, clock distributing, digital signal processing and communication functions. All feedback algorithms are performed in FPGA. The long term of the test prototype with high power shows that the variations of the RF amplitude and the phase in the accelerating cavity are less than 1% and 1° respectively, and the variation of the cavity resonance frequency is controlled within ±10 Hz.     

BESⅢ ETOF upgrade readout electronics commissioning

It is proposed to upgrade the endcap time-of-flight(ETOF) of the Beijing Spectrometer Ⅲ(BESⅢ) with a multi-gap resistive plate chamber(MRPC), aiming at an overall time resolution of about 80 ps. After completing the entire readout electronics system, some experiments, such as heat radiation, radiation hardness and large-current beam tests, have been carried out to confirm the reliability and stability of the readout electronics. An on-detector test of the readout electronics has also been performed with the beam at the BEPCⅡ E3 line. The test results indicate that the readout electronics system fulfills its design requirements.     

The eddy current induced in the pulsed bump magnet for the CSNS/RCS injection

The injecton pulsed bending bump magnets of Rapid Cycling Synchrotron (RCS) in China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS) consist of four horizontal bending (BH) magnets and four vertical bending (BV) magnets. The BH magnets are operated at a repetition rate of 25 Hz and are excited with a trapezoid rectangle waveform with about 1.6 milliseconds duration. The eddy current is induced in BH magnets and in the end plates it is expected to be large, so the heat generation is of our great concern. In this paper, the eddy current loss of the BH magnet has been investigated and calculated by using a coupling method of 3D electromagnetic and thermal analysis. The accuracy of the analysis is confirmed by testing the prototype BH magnet. The end plate temperature of the BH magnet provided with slit cuts has been decreased obviously and met the requirements.     

Design optimization of a tapered mirror for microfocusing optics

A facile microfocusing optical design is presented which is optimized for less slope error against the traditional tapered mirror. The essential idea of the innovation is based on the characteristics of the slope-error curve for the prototype. The relationship between the mirror shape of the improved model and the driving moments is established. Analytical results have been compared with the results of the prototype. The design demonstrates theoretically that smaller slope error is obtained with longer active length.     

Total electron yield mode for XANES measurements in the energy region of 2.1——6.0 keV

The total electron yield (TEY) mode has been developed successfully for XANES measurements at Beamline 4B7A of BSRF (Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility). Its performance was studied by measuring sulphur K-edge XANES of three CdS samples (mixed with graphite powder as an electric conductor) with different concentration: 75%, 50% and 25%. The data are collected in TEY mode and fluorescence yield (FY) mode respectively for comparison. The results demonstrate that the TEY spectra of three samples agree well with each other after the background is subtracted and normalized. The measured XANES spectra by TEY mode without bias and with 100V bias are almost identical to one another, but the signal-to-noise ratio of spectra measured without bias is better than that with 100V bias. The consistency of the self-absorption corrected FY spectra and TEY spectra are within 10% for the three samples.     

A high sensitivity spectrometer with tunable diode laser for ambient methane monitoring

Tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) has been widely employed in atmospheric trace gases detection. In the measurement of these trace gases, harmonic detection combined with a multi-pass white cell could remarkably enhance the detection sensitivity. In this paper, a portable TDLAS system built specifically for long time monitoring methane in the atmosphere is introduced. The detection limit is below 100 ppb that is enough for the monitoring of ambient methane, and the long time monitoring results obtained in Beijing are given, which is well coincident with that of the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy.     

Experimental Investigation on a Fibre-Optic Hydrophone with a Cylindrical Helmholtz Resonator

A novel mechanical anti-aliasing filtering fibre-optic hydrophone with a cylindrical Helmholtz resonator is con- structed and tested. The experimental results show that the hydrophone has a function of low-pass filtering. The low frequency acoustic sensitivity is about -160 dB （1 rad/#Pa）, and the response curve has a resonance deter- mined by the Helmholtz resonator. Theoretical and experimental results both show that the resonant frequency moves towards high frequency with the increasing orifice diameters. The sensitivity attenuation of high frequency is larger than lOdB. This new fibre-optic hydrophone is a prototype device for a class of sensors used to eliminate the aliasing in future sonar systems.     

Design of a 325 MHz SC Spoke040 cavity at IHEP

A spoke cavity is a TEM-class superconducting resonator with particular advantages: compact structure and high shunt impedance. The 325 MHz β =0.40(β =v/c, v is the velocity of particle and c is the velocity of light)single spoke cavity(Spoke 040) is adopted for the Chinese ADS(Accelerator Driven Sub-critical System) project. The physics and mechanical design has been accomplished, and the fabrication of a prototype is currently in progress. In this paper, the optimization processes for the main radio frequency(RF) and mechanical parameters are analyzed in detail. Two kinds of cavity end-walls(flat and convex) are compared. The convex end-wall is preferred in order to improve mechanical performance of the cavity. Two prototypes of the Spoke 040 cavity are in the machining stage,and should be finished in early 2014.Vertical testing is also under preparation.     

A hybrid magnetostrictive-piezoelectric barrel-stave projector

A hybrid magnetostrictive-piezoelectric barrel-stave projector is designed and developed. The new type transducer is driven by the union of rare-earth giant magnetostrictive material Terfenol-D and PZT piezoelectric ceramic. Combining the advantages of low frequency performance within a compact size, it proves that the hybrid projector has a much broader band and higher sound power than that with single magnetostrictive or piezoelectric driver by the simulated and measured results. The prototype of the hybrid projector has a size of 88 mm in outside diameter and 316 mm in length, with an underwater resonant frequency of 1.30 kHz, Q factor of 1.43 for -3 dB bandwidth, and transmitting voltage response level of 135.1 dB at the resonant frequency.