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B. Genolini

Publications and source records attributed to B. Genolini.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

Pulse shape discrimination for GRIT: beam test of a new integrated charge and current preamplifier coupled with high granularity Silicon detectors

The GRIT (Granularity, Resolution, Identification, Transparency) Silicon array is intended to measure direct reactions. Its design is based on several layers (three layers in the forward direction, two backward) of custom-made trapezoidal and square detectors. The first stage is 500 {\mu}m thick and features 128x128 orthogonal strips. Pulse shape analysis for particle identification is implemented for this first layer. Given the compacity of this array and the large number of channels involved (>7,500), an integrated preamplifier, iPACI, that gives charge and current information has been developed in the AMS 0.35 {\mu}m BiCMOS technology. The design specifications and results of the test bench are presented. Considering an energy range of 50 MeV and an energy resolution (FWHM) of 12 keV (FWHM) for the preamplifier, the energy resolution for one strip obtained from alpha source measurement in real conditions is 35 keV. The current output bandwidth is measured at 130 MHz for small signals and the power consumption reaches 40 mW per detector channel. A first beam test was performed coupling a nTD trapezoidal double-sided stripped Silicon detector of GRIT with the iPACI preamplifier and a 64-channel digitizer. Z=1 particles are discriminated with pulse shape analysis technique down to 2 MeV for protons, 2.5 MeV for deuterons and 3 MeV for tritons. The effect of the strip length due to the trapezoidal shape of the detector is investigated on both the N- and the P-side, showing no significant impact.

physics.ins-det

Physics perspectives with AFTER@LHC (A Fixed Target ExpeRiment at LHC)

AFTER@LHC is an ambitious fixed-target project in order to address open questions in the domain of proton and neutron spins, Quark Gluon Plasma and high-$x$ physics, at the highest energy ever reached in the fixed-target mode. Indeed, thanks to the highly energetic 7 TeV proton and 2.76 A.TeV lead LHC beams, center-of-mass energies as large as $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 115 GeV in pp/pA and $\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 72 GeV in AA can be reached, corresponding to an uncharted energy domain between SPS and RHIC. We report two main ways of performing fixed-target collisions at the LHC, both allowing for the usage of one of the existing LHC experiments. In these proceedings, after discussing the projected luminosities considered for one year of data taking at the LHC, we will present a selection of projections for light and heavy-flavour production.

hep-ex

Physics case for a polarised target for AFTER@LHC

We review a number of ideas put forward in favour of the use of a polarised target along with the proposed idea of a fixed-target experiment using the LHC beams -- AFTER@LHC. A number of recent studies have shown that single transverse-spin asymmetries (STSAs) are large enough to be precisely measured in the region accessible with AFTER@LHC, in particular as regards the Drell-Yan process as well as single-pion, isolated-photon and jet production. AFTER@LHC with a polarised target would also be the ideal experimental set-up to measure the gluon Sivers effect via a number of original quarkonium STSA studies. We discuss first figures-of-merit based on simulations for AFTER@LHC with a polarised target.

nucl-ex

Studies of Transverse-Momentum-Dependent distributions with A Fixed-Target ExpeRiment using the LHC beams (AFTER@LHC)

We report on the studies of Transverse-Momentum-Dependent distributions (TMDs) at a future fixed-target experiment --AFTER@LHC-- using the $p^+$ or Pb ion LHC beams, which would be the most energetic fixed-target experiment ever performed. AFTER@LHC opens new domains of particle and nuclear physics by complementing collider-mode experiments, in particular those of RHIC and the EIC projects. Both with an extracted beam by a bent crystal or with an internal gas target, the luminosity achieved by AFTER@LHC surpasses that of RHIC by up to 3 orders of magnitude. With an unpolarised target, it allows for measurements of TMDs such as the Boer-Mulders quark distributions and the distribution of unpolarised and linearly polarised gluons in unpolarised protons. Using polarised targets, one can access the quark and gluon Sivers TMDs through single transverse-spin asymmetries in Drell-Yan and quarkonium production. In terms of kinematics, the fixed-target mode combined with a detector covering $\eta_{\rm lab} \in [1,5]$ allows one to measure these asymmetries at large $x^\uparrow$ in the polarised nucleon.

nucl-ex

Spin physics and TMD studies at A Fixed-Target ExpeRiment at the LHC (AFTER@LHC)

We report on the opportunities for spin physics and Transverse-Momentum Dependent distribution (TMD) studies at a future multi-purpose fixed-target experiment using the proton or lead ion LHC beams extracted by a bent crystal. The LHC multi-TeV beams allow for the most energetic fixed-target experiments ever performed, opening new domains of particle and nuclear physics and complementing that of collider physics, in particular that of RHIC and the EIC projects. The luminosity achievable with AFTER@LHC using typical targets would surpass that of RHIC by more that 3 orders of magnitude in a similar energy region. In unpolarised proton-proton collisions, AFTER@LHC allows for measurements of TMDs such as the Boer-Mulders quark distributions, the distribution of unpolarised and linearly polarised gluons in unpolarised protons. Using the polarisation of hydrogen and nuclear targets, one can measure transverse single-spin asymmetries of quark and gluon sensitive probes, such as, respectively, Drell-Yan pair and quarkonium production. The fixed-target mode has the advantage to allow for measurements in the target-rapidity region, namely at large x^uparrow in the polarised nucleon. Overall, this allows for an ambitious spin program which we outline here.

hep-ex

Studying the high x frontier with A Fixed-Target ExpeRiment at the LHC

The opportunities which are offered by a next generation and multi-purpose fixed-target experiment exploiting the proton and lead LHC beams extracted by a bent crystal are outlined. In particular, such an experiment can greatly complement facilities with lepton beams by unraveling the partonic structure of polarised and unpolarised nucleons and of nuclei, especially at large momentum fractions.

hep-ex

Spin physics at A Fixed-Target ExpeRiment at the LHC (AFTER@LHC)

We outline the opportunities for spin physics which are offered by a next generation and multi-purpose fixed-target experiment exploiting the proton LHC beam extracted by a bent crystal. In particular, we focus on the study of single transverse spin asymetries with the polarisation of the target.

hep-ex

Prospectives for A Fixed-Target ExpeRiment at the LHC: AFTER@LHC

We argue that the concept of a multi-purpose fixed-target experiment with the proton or lead-ion LHC beams extracted by a bent crystal would offer a number of ground-breaking precision-physics opportunities. The multi-TeV LHC beams will allow for the most energetic fixed-target experiments ever performed. The fixed-target mode has the advantage of allowing for high luminosities, spin measurements with a polarised target, and access over the full backward rapidity domain --uncharted until now-- up to x_F ~ -1.

hep-ex

Spin and diffractive physics with A Fixed-Target ExpeRiment at the LHC (AFTER@LHC)

We report on the spin and diffractive physics at a future multi-purpose fixed-target experiment with proton and lead LHC beams extracted by a bent crystal. The LHC multi-TeV beams allow for the most energetic fixed-target experiments ever performed, opening new domains of particle and nuclear physics and complementing that of collider physics, in particular that of RHIC and the EIC projects. The luminosity achievable with AFTER using typical targets would surpass that of RHIC by more than 3 orders of magnitude. The fixed-target mode has the advantage to allow for measurements of single-spin asymmetries with polarized target as well as of single-diffractive processes in the target region.

hep-ex

Ultra-relativistic heavy-ion physics with AFTER@LHC

We outline the opportunities for ultra-relativistic heavy-ion physics which are offered by a next generation and multi-purpose fixed-target experiment exploiting the proton and ion LHC beams extracted by a bent crystal.

nucl-ex

A Fixed-Target ExpeRiment at the LHC (AFTER@LHC) : luminosities, target polarisation and a selection of physics studies

We report on a future multi-purpose fixed-target experiment with the proton or lead ion LHC beams extracted by a bent crystal. The multi-TeV LHC beams allow for the most energetic fixed-target experiments ever performed. Such an experiment, tentatively named AFTER for "A Fixed-Target ExperRiment", gives access to new domains of particle and nuclear physics complementing that of collider experiments, in particular at RHIC and at the EIC projects. The instantaneous luminosity at AFTER using typical targets surpasses that of RHIC by more than 3 orders of magnitude. Beam extraction by a bent crystal offers an ideal way to obtain a clean and very collimated high-energy beam, without decreasing the performance of the LHC. The fixed-target mode also has the advantage of allowing for spin measurements with a polarised target and for an access over the full backward rapidity domain up to xF ~ - 1. Here, we elaborate on the reachable luminosities, the target polarisation and a selection of measurements with hydrogen and deuterium targets.

hep-ex

Single electron response and energy resolution of a Micromegas detector

Micro-Pattern Gaseous Detectors (MPGDs) such as Micromegas or GEM are used in particle physics experiments for their capabilities in particle tracking at high rates. Their excellent position resolutions are well known but their energy characteristics have been less studied. The energy resolution is mainly affected by the ionisation processes and detector gain fluctuations. This paper presents a method to separetely measure those two contributions to the energy resolution of a Micromegas detector. The method relies on the injection of a controlled number of electrons. The Micromegas has a 1.6-mm drift zone and a 160-$\mu$m amplification gap. It is operated in Ne 95%-iC$\mathrm{_4}$H$\mathrm{_{10}}$ 5% at atmospheric pressure. The electrons are generated by non-linear photoelectric emission issued from the photons of a pulsed 337-nm wavelength laser coupled to a focusing system. The single electron response has been measured at different gains (3.7 10$\mathrm{^4}$, 5.0 10$\mathrm{^4}$ and 7.0 10$\mathrm{^4}$) and is fitted with a good agreement by a Polya distribution. From those fits, a relative gain variance of 0.31$\pm$0.02 is deduced. The setup has also been characterised at several voltages by fitting the energy resolution measured as a function of the number of primary electrons, ranging from 5 up to 210. A maximum value of the Fano factor (0.37) has been estimated for a 5.9 keV X-rays interacting in the Ne 95%-iC$\mathrm{_4}$H$\mathrm{_{10}}$ 5% gas mixture.

physics.ins-det

PMm2: large photomultipliers and innovative electronics for the next-generation neutrino experiments

The next generation of proton decay and neutrino experiments, the post-SuperKamiokande detectors as those that will take place in megaton size water tanks, will require very large surfaces of photodetection and a large volume of data. Even with large hemispherical photomultiplier tubes, the expected number of channels should reach hundreds of thousands. A funded R&D program to implement a solution is presented here. The very large surface of photodetection is segmented in macro pixels made of 16 hemispherical (12 inches) photomultiplier tubes connected to an autonomous front-end which works on a triggerless data acquisition mode. The expected data transmission rate is 5 Mb/s per cable, which can be achieved with existing techniques. This architecture allows to reduce considerably the cost and facilitate the industrialization. This document presents the simulations and measurements which define the requirements for the photomultipliers and the electronics. A proto-type of front-end electronics was successfully tested with 16 photomultiplier tubes supplied by a single high voltage, validating the built-in gain adjustment and the calibration principle. The first tests and calculations on the photomultiplier glass led to the study of a new package optimized for a 10 bar pressure in order to sustain the high underwater pressure.

physics.ins-det