Common development of pixel tiles for the LHC upgrades
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Liverpool
Department Name: Physics
Abstract
Abstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.
Planned Impact
This project will develop hybrid pixel tiles which can be connected to cover large areas. The development of these pixel tiles in particle physics is aimed at positioning the UK at the forefront of the highest technology developments for the upgrades of the LHC experiments. By investing in this technology the UK will retain and build upon its record as a world leader in vertex detectors within Particle Physics. The devices will be the enabling core of international projects, and provide a showcase for British technology within them.
However, the targeting of this technology by the applicants to be a major focus of future UK particle physics involvement is also due to its strategic advantage to the wider UK economy. These tiles will allow a wide range of fields to access hybrid pixel technology, fields where either the expertise would not have been available or access would not have not been financially viable. The tiles are an important development for markets where high resolution spatial and high speed temporal resolved imaging is required. Examples of specific areas with economic and societal benefit are described below.
UK semiconductor industry - the UK has a number of semiconductor companies with the necessary equipment and skills to produce pixel sensors. This project provides the potential to develop not only the sensors but to assemble them into bump-bonded detector assemblies. This adds significant extra commercial value by providing the opportunity to produce a finished product rather than an individual component. If UK companies were successful in bidding for the co-development of the pixel technologies this would put them in an excellent position to supply these devices worldwide to the markets described below.
Light Sources - the UK's own Diamond Light Source and other light sources around the world use beams of X-rays for investigations ranging from structural biology to environmental science. The hybrid pixel detectors conventionally used to image the samples are currently of lower resolution than those developed in this project.
Hadron therapy - Despite substantial uptake throughout much of the world the UK has lagged substantially behind in the treatment of cancer through the use of hadron therapy. The hybrid pixels would allow cheap, high precision, devices to be produced within the UK that would permit the calibration of the beam and, eventually, real time feedback to the control system to ensure the correct dose delivery. Together with other ongoing initiatives this will substantially enhance the quality of patient treatment available in the UK.
Medical Imaging - this area has arguably the broadest range of applications for high resolution low-noise imaging with X-rays. The devices have potential application in, for example, Computed Tomography (CT), digital readout for mammography and dental imaging.
Dosimetry - Personal dosimeters based on hybrid pixel devices have been investigated based on the chip technology utilized here, and are being considered for space based dosimetry.
Neutron Monitoring - Neutrons can be detected with high efficiency using silicon sensors coupled with a converter layer (of for example plastic). Neutron monitoring is of potential interest at nuclear power-plants and medical accelerators.
Education - The hybrid pixel devices are portable and easy to use with existing USB readout to connect them to a personal computer available for the family of chips utilised here. This allows alpha, beta and gamma radiation to be observed on-screen in real time and easily distinguished, and for simple computer data analysis to be performed.
Overall we consider that the involvement of the UK particle physics community in this technology area offers significant economic and societal impact, whilst positioning the UK at the forefront of future high profile fundamental scientific discoveries.
However, the targeting of this technology by the applicants to be a major focus of future UK particle physics involvement is also due to its strategic advantage to the wider UK economy. These tiles will allow a wide range of fields to access hybrid pixel technology, fields where either the expertise would not have been available or access would not have not been financially viable. The tiles are an important development for markets where high resolution spatial and high speed temporal resolved imaging is required. Examples of specific areas with economic and societal benefit are described below.
UK semiconductor industry - the UK has a number of semiconductor companies with the necessary equipment and skills to produce pixel sensors. This project provides the potential to develop not only the sensors but to assemble them into bump-bonded detector assemblies. This adds significant extra commercial value by providing the opportunity to produce a finished product rather than an individual component. If UK companies were successful in bidding for the co-development of the pixel technologies this would put them in an excellent position to supply these devices worldwide to the markets described below.
Light Sources - the UK's own Diamond Light Source and other light sources around the world use beams of X-rays for investigations ranging from structural biology to environmental science. The hybrid pixel detectors conventionally used to image the samples are currently of lower resolution than those developed in this project.
Hadron therapy - Despite substantial uptake throughout much of the world the UK has lagged substantially behind in the treatment of cancer through the use of hadron therapy. The hybrid pixels would allow cheap, high precision, devices to be produced within the UK that would permit the calibration of the beam and, eventually, real time feedback to the control system to ensure the correct dose delivery. Together with other ongoing initiatives this will substantially enhance the quality of patient treatment available in the UK.
Medical Imaging - this area has arguably the broadest range of applications for high resolution low-noise imaging with X-rays. The devices have potential application in, for example, Computed Tomography (CT), digital readout for mammography and dental imaging.
Dosimetry - Personal dosimeters based on hybrid pixel devices have been investigated based on the chip technology utilized here, and are being considered for space based dosimetry.
Neutron Monitoring - Neutrons can be detected with high efficiency using silicon sensors coupled with a converter layer (of for example plastic). Neutron monitoring is of potential interest at nuclear power-plants and medical accelerators.
Education - The hybrid pixel devices are portable and easy to use with existing USB readout to connect them to a personal computer available for the family of chips utilised here. This allows alpha, beta and gamma radiation to be observed on-screen in real time and easily distinguished, and for simple computer data analysis to be performed.
Overall we consider that the involvement of the UK particle physics community in this technology area offers significant economic and societal impact, whilst positioning the UK at the forefront of future high profile fundamental scientific discoveries.
Publications
Aaboud M
(2017)
Search for heavy resonances decaying to a Z boson and a photon in pp collisions at s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector
in Physics Letters B
Aad G
(2013)
Search for microscopic black holes in a like-sign dimuon final state using large track multiplicity with the ATLAS detector
in Physical Review D
Aad G
(2013)
Measurements of Higgs boson production and couplings in diboson final states with the ATLAS detector at the LHC
in Physics Letters B
Aad G
(2013)
Search for nonpointing photons in the diphoton and E T miss final state in s = 7 TeV proton-proton collisions using the ATLAS detector
in Physical Review D
Aad G
(2013)
Measurement of jet shapes in top-quark pair events at $\sqrt{s} = 7 \ \mbox{TeV}$ using the ATLAS detector
in The European Physical Journal C
Aad G
(2013)
Measurement of the high-mass Drell-Yan differential cross-section in pp collisions at s = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector
in Physics Letters B
Aad G
(2014)
Study of heavy-flavor quarks produced in association with top-quark pairs at s = 7 TeV using the ATLAS detector
in Physical Review D
Aad G
(2013)
Dynamics of isolated-photon plus jet production in pp collisions at s = 7 TeV with the ATLAS detector
in Nuclear Physics B
Description | The possibility to develop hybrid pixel detector in the UK |
Exploitation Route | Future experiments and UK companies could use this technology. This has also increased awareness of the strategic importance of pixel sensors,. |
Sectors | Aerospace Defence and Marine Electronics Environment Healthcare |
Description | Collaboration with Fondazione Bruno Kessler (FBK) |
Organisation | Fondazione Bruno Kessler |
Country | Italy |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | Creation of the partnership |
Collaborator Contribution | We have started a partnership in 2 main areas. First with the MicroSystems Division (CMM). Previous staff member Prof. G. Casse became director in 2016. We have expanded this to deep learning with their IT departmetmn |
Impact | Award of STFC CDT, collabrateion with Microsoft. This multi-disiplinary and impacts health. |
Start Year | 2017 |
Description | Collaboration with artist Yu-Chen Wang for Broken Symmetries exhibit (FACT/Arts@CERN) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Discussions with artist Yu-Chen Wang, a FACT/Arts@CERN Collider honourable mention winner, as a collaboration for the development of her piece for the Broken Symmetries exhibit. This exhibit is currently at FACT and will tour Europe and beyond after March 2019. Yu-Chen's piece documents her journey and way of understanding particle physics and very foreign concepts. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018,2019 |
URL | https://www.fact.co.uk/news/2018/12/artist-interview-yu-chen-wang |
Description | Debate with artists at Broken Symmetries exhibit launch |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Debate with two participating artists at the launch of the Broken Symmetries exhibit (arising from the 3 year Arts@CERN and FACT collaboration). |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://www.fact.co.uk/news/2018/11/liverpool-laser-talks |
Description | Keynote speaker at New Scientist Live! |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Keynote talk on "Why hasn't the LHC found anything new - or has it?" |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://live.newscientist.com/speakers/tara-shears |
Description | Speaker on Scientific American cruise (4 lectures on particle physics) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | 6 hours of lectures on particle physics; the Standard Model; antimatter; dark matter; particle astrophysics and the future. Plus one debate with a quantum physicist. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | http://www.insightcruises.com/events/sa35/ |