DUSEL R&D Collaborative Research: Light Amplifier Compressor Photodetector Development for Astroparticle Experiments

该奖项将提供资金，用于开发用于天体粒子物理学、宇宙射线现象、核子衰变、中微子振荡和高能物理学的新型光电探测器，这些光电探测器可以扩展到非常大的尺寸，超过现有的光电倍增管（PMT）。这个光电探测器压缩入射光子的相空间，并放大它们？光放大器压缩器（LAC）管。该技术基于图像增强器中使用的成熟技术，以及提议者已经建造的预原型的经验。光电子被加速到荧光屏，产生的光被波长移动（WLS）光纤收集。由于荧光屏上的光电子轨迹并不重要，因此可获得高收集效率和几乎等幅的光电子到达。两种配置被认为是一个平面的光电阴极，接近聚焦到一个平面的荧光屏阳极，并读出WLS纤维后面的屏幕。另一种是圆柱形光电阴极，径向聚焦到一个小得多的圆柱形中空同轴荧光阳极上，由同轴插入阳极圆柱中心的WLS光纤读出。与球型光电倍增管相比，用于可比较的光阴极面积的真空体积大大减小，并且真空外壳能够承受高得多的外部压力。对于兆吨级中微子或核子衰变探测器，可以考虑使用直径为20-30 cm、长度为1-2 m的圆柱形光压缩放大器，由一对直径为mm的像素探测器读出，沿轴沿着具有约40 cm的空间分辨率。更广泛的影响包括光子探测应用，其中低功率和/或紧凑性在探测现场是必不可少的。这些应用包括空间和卫星应用、CT扫描仪、伽马照相机和荧光仪器。预计至少有六名学生参加这项工作。如果成功的话，从事光电工作的公司也可能将该技术用于各种应用。

This award will provide funds to develop a new class of photodetectors for astroparticle physics, cosmic ray phenomena, nucleon decay, neutrino oscillations, and high energy physics, which can scale to very large sizes, exceeding available photomultipliers (PMTs). This photodetector compresses the phase space of the incident photons, and amplifies them ? a Light Amplifier Compressor (LAC) tube. The technology is based on proven techniques used in image intensifiers, and on the experience of a pre-prototype already constructed by the proposers. Photoelectrons are accelerated to a phosphor screen, and the resulting light is collected by wavelength-shifting (WLS) optical fibers. Because the photoelectron trajectories at the phosphor screen are not critical, high collection efficiency and nearly isochronous photoelectron arrivals result. Two configurations are considered, one with a planar photocathode, proximity focused to a planar phosphor screen anode, and readout by WLS fibers behind the screen. The other is a cylindrical photocathode, radially focused onto a much smaller cylindrical hollow coaxial phosphor anode, readout by WLS fibers coaxially inserted into the center of the anode cylinder. Compared with spherical-type PMTs, the vacuum volume for a comparable photocathode area is much reduced, and the vacuum envelope is amenable to much higher external pressures. For a mega-tonne-class neutrino or nucleon decay detector, a 20-30 cm diameter by 1-2 m long cylindrical Optical Compressor Amplifier might be contemplated, readout by a pair of mm diameter pixel detectors, with ~40 cm spatial resolution along the axis. Broader Impacts include photon detection applications where low power and/or compactness are essential at the site of detection. Such applications include space and satellite applications, CT scanners, gamma cameras, and fluorescence instruments. At least six students are anticipated to participate in this work. It is also likely that if successful, companies that work in electro-optics will use the technology for a variety of applications.