First Educational EasyPET for Switzerland

Positron Emission Tomography

We are very pleased to announce we have received from the Paul Scherrer Institute our first order for the Swiss market of an EasyPET educational kit by CAEN SpA. After familiarizing himself with the product, our PSI customer will use it in summer 2018 in connection with an IEEE Instrumentation School course in South Africa.

 

CAEN has conceived different modular Educational Kits. The set-up are all based on Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPM) state of-the-art sensor of light with single photon sensitivity and unprecedented photon number capability. The goal is to inspire students and guide them towards the analysis and comprehension of different physics phenomena with a series of experiments based on state-of-the art technologies, instruments and methods.

The LHC’s Five New Particles

Back to the realm of quantum physics. The science of the “small” continues to grow, thanks to work done by scientists using the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN Geneva.

The LHCb experiment at CERN is a hotbed of new and outstanding physics results. In just the last few months prior to March 2017, the collaboration had announced the measurement of a very rare particle decay and evidence of a new manifestation of matter-antimatter asymmetry, to name just two examples.

In a paper released March 16, 2017 by the LHCb collaboration, they announced the discovery of a new system of five particles all in a single analysis. The exceptionality of this discovery is that observing five new states all at once is a rather unique event.

Click for the CERN web page (disponible également en français !)

Video of New Products by CAEN SyS

Discover in image the newly emerging face of CAEN's drive into Radiation Safety & Security Systems!

Click to start the 6-minute video

Simplified fabrication process for high-efficiency solar cells

A team of EPFL and CSEM researchers in Neuchâtel presents in Nature Energy a new astonishing method of creating crystalline solar cells with electrical contacts at the rear, suppressing all shadowing at the front. Thanks to the new inexpensive approach, the fabrication process is strongly simplified with efficiencies in the laboratory already surpassing 23%.

In the quest for more efficient crystalline silicon solar cells with low manufacturing costs, one of the most promising approach is to bring all electrical contacts at the back of the device. This suppresses all shadowing at the front, increasing the current and the efficiency. This approach generally requires several delicate processing steps, because well-defined narrow negative and positive contact lines need to be created, which will then collect the electrons (negative charges) and holes (positive charges). This requires usually several steps of masking of photolithography to create the alternated positive (+) and negative (-) areas.
 

Click for full details

Drone-deliverable Gamma Detectors

GLOBall system is a mapping tool based on gamma detection systems that can be easily deployed and have a fast reconstruction map of the investigated zone. If the positioning of the detectors is done using unmanned vehicles, such as drones, this will reduce the dose exposure for the in field operators from possible radiological hazards.

The equipment is based on a set of gamma detectors. Each spherical device embeds a radiological detector and an encrypted communication system in a waterproof, shockproof shell the size of a tennis ball. They are equipped with a localization system like (GPS, or embedded pseudolites for indoor localization), a data encryption system and a communication protocol (LoRA or WiFi) to  send data to the control station.

Software in Gamma-ray Spectroscopy

CAEN SyS now proposes radiation detection equipment for Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Neutron and X-ray radiation detection applications.

Let us focus here on Gamma-ray spectroscopy. While the company proposes various indoor and outdoor instruments for a variety of applications, it also has invested time and recourses on developing superior software to go along with the hardware.

A good gamma-ray spectrum analysis software is a key component in any radio-analytical or radiation measurement instrument. It has led the team of software developers to focus on:

 

Int. Conference on Physical Protection of Nuclear Material & Nuclear Facilities

November 13 - 17, 2017:  The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is organizing an International Conference on Physical Protection of Nuclear Material and Nuclear Facilities, to be held in Vienna, Austria.

 

Purpose and Objectives

The purpose of the conference is to foster the exchange, among competent authorities, facility operators, shippers and carriers, and technical support organizations, of information, practices and experiences related to the physical protection of nuclear material and facilities, including nuclear material in transport.
 

Nuclear Instrumentation & Services

CAEN SyS is a new group within the CAEN network of companies that provides nuclear measurement solutions and technical expertise for a wide array of applications:

• Health Physics, Spectroscopy, and Radiation Measurements Systems
• Custom Nuclear Measurement Systems: Plant, Waste, Safeguards, Security
• Nuclear Waste characterization products and solutions
• Spectroscopic survey of large surfaces with real-time mapping information
• Detection of gamma and neutron sources; RPM Radiation Portal Monitor
• Identification of gamma radionuclides and SNM detection
• Networking of Radiation detectors and Robotics solutions
• Safeguards and Security products for non-proliferation and threats
• Fuel Cycle process monitoring and Fuel characterization
• Fresh & Spent Fuel Burn-up solutions/measurements
• Nuclear Emergency Preparedness: Training, Products, and Systems
• Site Remediation studies; products and solutions for mitigation plans

LHCb Just Discovered New System of Five Particles

🔊 March 16, 2017 - CERN announced an exceptional new discovery that was made by the LHCb, which unveiled five new states all at once.

In a paper released, the LHCb collaboration announced the discovery of a new system of five particles all in a single analysis. The exceptionality of this discovery is that observing five new states all at once is a rather unique event.

The particles were found to be excited states – a particle state that has a higher energy than the absolute minimum configuration (or ground state) – of a particle called "Omega-c-zero", Ω_c⁰. This Ω_c⁰ is a baryon, a particle with three quarks, containing two “strange” and one “charm” quark.
 

The team notes that this revelation improves our understanding of quantum theory in general and, most notably, gives us new clues about the earliest moments of our universe.

Click for complete details

21st International Conference on Cyclotrons and their Applications

CAEN Electronic Instrumentation and CAENels will exhibit innovative new products during the 21st International Conference on Cyclotrons and their Applications, September 11-16 at ETH Zentrum, Rämistrasse 101, 8092 Zürich / Audimax (HG F30).

 

                        

 

Conference website : https://indico.psi.ch/conferenceDisplay.py?confId=3238

We invite participants to drop by the CAEN booth where product experts will be on hand to discuss your instrumentation and power supply requirements.

              

CAEN Educational Products

CAEN recently published a 99-page catalog on Educational Product Kits.

These kits were conceived to directly contribute to the world of learning and training by providing modern tools for University level physics experiments based on the latest technologies and instrumentation.  

The educational kits cover:

• Particle Detector Characterization with silicon photomultipliers
• Nuclear Physics & Radioactivity, including gamma & beta-spectroscopy, and nuclear imaging by positron emission tomography (PET).
• Particle Physics, including Cosmic Rays and Photons
• Advanced Statistics based on Silicon Photomultiplier Detectors

Swiss customers, should you require copy of the printed catalog or any addition information or a price quotation, please do not hesitate to call 021 802 54 90 or email us.

Nuclear Spectroscopy

Over the past decade CAEN has developed a wide range of digital data acquisition instrumentation to meet different nuclear spectroscopy requirements in a flexible manner. This is the result of years of experience collaborating in research projects which required the design of electronics for innovative radiation detection. These instruments are the synthesis of CAEN acknowledged design capabilities; high performance Waveform Digitizers with Digital Pulse Processing and state-of-the-art High Voltage Power Supplies, giving rise to a powerful yet palm-size family of products

ü  Environmental Monitoring

ü  Homeland Security

ü  Cultural Heritage Preservation

The GammaSTREAM highlighted in the PDF brochure (click to downnload) is an all-in-one digital MCA tube base for gamma ray spectrometry. It is designed for portability and can be plugged on standard NaI(Tl), LaBr3(Ce), CeBr3 detectors with standard 14-pin and 10-8 stages PMTs. The first systems have already been delivered and active marketing of the product world-wide is in progress.
 


Searching for cavities in the Teotihuacan Pyramid of the Sun using cosmic muons

Abstract:

The Pyramid of the Sun, at Teotihuacan, Mexico, is being searched for possible hidden chambers, by means of muon attenuation measurements inside the pyramids volume. The muon tracker is located in a tunnel, running below the base and ending close to the symmetry axis of the monument. This study presents a brief description of the experimental technique and data analysis, as well as a comparison of the first year preliminary experimental results with physics simulations using GEANT4

 

Introduction

The use of cosmic muons to measure inhomogeneities in large volumes is a rapidly growing field. A classical example of this was the experiment carried out by Luis Alvarez et al. [1] who measured the attenuation of cosmic muons in the mass of the Keops Pyramid, in Giza, Egypt, while searching for hidden empty chambers. Although this technique has been applied to other practical problems, few archeological monuments present the necessary conditions to carry out a muon attenuation inspection of its volume. Among those exceptions is in the Mexican Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacan, hereafter referred to as Pyramid of the Sun. In a previous presentation [2] in this conference series, we described a project aimed at solving important archaeological questions concerning the Sun at Teotihuacan, using muon attenuation. Here we present an update on this project, which began its data-taking few months ago, including important experimental aspects, and details of the corresponding GEANT 4 Monte Carlo [3] simulations which are compared with our first experimental image.

 

Electronics (click for current versions): CAEN V1729 VME 4-ch, 12-bit 2 GS/s Switched Capacitor digitizer.

 

Click for complete paper (PDF)

 

 

Simple and Fast Cryocooling for Thin Films

Using the CryoLab S or CryoLab MSG you can perform various types of measurements on your thin film sample including:

1. - Critical temperature characterisation
2. - Van der Pauw measurements
3. - Seebeck coefficient
4. - Thermal properties and many more

Using The CryoLab, it is possible to characterise your thin film from 373 Kelvin down to cryogenic temperatures.

The LHC is restarting

The LHC, last among all of CERN’s accelerators, is resuming operation with beam while this issue goes to press. The year-end technical stop (YETS) started on 14 December 2015. During the 11 weeks of scheduled maintenance activities, several interventions have taken place in all of the accelerators and beamlines. They included the maintenance of the cryogenic system at several points; the replacement of 18 magnets in the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS); an extensive campaign to identify and remove thousands of obsolete cables; the replacement of the LHC beam absorbers for injection (TDIs) that are used to absorb the SPS beam if a problem occurs, providing vital protection for the LHC; and 12 LHC collimators have been dismantled and reinstalled after modification of the vacuum chambers, which restricted their movement.

 

Click to view complete article
 

The Future of Thin Film Control

Eon-ID™ is a new film thickness controller that packages an ultra-high resolution deposition control system into a compact, rack-mountable enclosure.

Featuring integrated display, intuitive GUI, and durable architecture, Eon-ID™ offers an all-inclusive design that adapts easily to a variety of settings – ranging from industrial to laboratory to clean room to research environments. Eon-ID™ integrates well into existing rack thin film systems.

ORNL process could be white lightning to electronics industry

OAK RIDGE, Tenn., Dec. 1, 2015 – A new era of electronics and even quantum devices could be ushered in with the fabrication of a virtually perfect single layer of “white graphene,” according to researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

 

The material, technically known as hexagonal boron nitride, features better transparency than its sister, graphene, is chemically inert, or non-reactive, and atomically smooth. It also features high mechanical strength and thermal conductivity. Unlike graphene, however, it is an insulator instead of a conductor of electricity, making it useful as a substrate and the foundation for the electronics in cell phones, laptops, tablets and many other devices.

 

“Imagine batteries, capacitors, solar cells, video screens and fuel cells as thin as a piece of paper,” said ORNL’s Yijing Stehle, postdoctoral associate and lead author of a paper published in Chemistry of Materials. She and colleagues are also working on a graphene hexagonal boron 2-D capacitor and fuel cell prototype that are not only “super thin” but also transparent.

 

With their recipe for white graphene, ORNL researchers hope to unleash the full potential of graphene, which has not delivered performance consistent with its theoretical value. With white graphene as a substrate, researchers believe they can help solve the problem while further reducing the thickness and increasing the flexibility of electronic devices.

 

Applications for the CryoLab cryocooler

Measurements at cryogenic temperatures were never this easy!

We recently launched a new line of plug-n-play desktop cryocoolers for applications requiring cooling of small samples to 90 K or further down to 75 K (i.e. SQUIDs).

 

Known as CryoLab, by Kryoz Technologies of Holland, the LN2-free low-temperature analysis cooling systems allow for  characterisation measurements from room temperature down to cryogenics in a fully automated manner. Doing measurements doesn’t require any experience or know-how on cryogenics, vacuum technology or thermodynamics from the user.

 

 

 

 

Time Measurements with CAEN Waveform Digitizers

In this new Application Note we focus our attention on the techniques for time measurement using waveform Digitizer. It describes the algorithms typically used for these measurements and the performances obtained in some benchmark tests using different acquistion setup. This note shows that Digitizers are capable to measure time stamps with higher accuracy (few ps resolution) compared to commercial analog solution composed by CFD and TDC modules.
 
Traditional analog devices as the Constant Fraction Discriminators (CFDs) and Time to Digital Converters (TDCs) can be very competitive in terms of channel density and cost. Highly segmented detectors are therefore often read out by analog devices featuring custom made specification to guarantee a perfect match with the experimental requirements. However the possible requirement of simultaneous measurement of energy and time poses the practical issue of complex device connections.

In some applications the implementation of a digitizer for time measurements is profitable or even necessary:

• Applications that require an excellent timing resolution of the whole chain, of the order of few ps
• Simultaneous acquisition of time and energy information
• Online walk correction with integrated charge or amplitude
• Bursts of very close pulses (e.g. Free Electron Lasers)

A multi-detector, digitizer based neutron depth profiling device for characterizing thin film materials

P. L. Mulligan, L. R. Cao,a) and D. Turkoglu 

Nuclear Engineering Program, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA

 

Abstract

Neutron depth profiling (NDP) is a mature, nondestructive technique used to characterize the concentration of certain light isotopes in a material as a function of depth by measuring the residual energy of charged particles in neutron induced reactions. Historically, NDP has been performed using a single detector, resulting in low intrinsic detection efficiency, and limiting the technique largely to high flux research reactors. In this work, we describe a new NDP instrument design with higher detection efficiency by way of spectrum summing across multiple detectors. Such a design is capable of acquiring a statistically significant charged particle spectrum at facilities limited in neutron flux and operation time.

 

Click to view complete article