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Fast scintillators for muon trigger and tracking
Fast scintillators with wavelength-shifting fibers, readout with Silicon Photomultipliers, are a very promising technology for muon trigger and tracking both for experiments at a Future Circular Collider and for possible future upgrades of the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The thesis will consist of studying the performance (in terms of efficiency, timing, resolution) of different types of scintillator-based detectors, with laboratory measurements on prototypes and possibly tests with particle beams. The work will also include studies and development of a full simulation of the detector setup using state-of-the-art simulation software, comparisons with data, and simulation of their usage at collider experiments.
Contacts: Stefano Rosati, Cesare Bini
Development of the simulation of a trigger detector based on scintillators and silicon photomultipliers
Fast scintillators with wavelength-shifting fibers, readout with Silicon Photomultipliers, are a very promising technology for muon trigger and tracking both for experiments at a Future Circular Collider and for possible future upgrades of the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). The thesis will focus on the development of a GEANT-4 based simulation of a full detector module, aimed at defining the optimal layout to maximise the efficiency while minimising the sensitivity to different types of backgrounds.
The simulation results will be compared to those obtained from real prototype tests for validation of the optical photons simulation models and of the layouts implementation.
Contacts: Stefano Rosati, Cesare Bini
Memristor Technology for High-Energy Physics: Potential and Challenges
The rapid advancement of memristor technology is driven by its numerous promising applications across various domains. One of the most remarkable features of memristors is their ability to store information passively, enabling the development of energy-efficient storage devices that consume no power during idle states. This capability is particularly advantageous for the creation of non-von Neumann computing architectures, where memory and information processing are integrated. Such architectures facilitate faster execution of computational tasks, including neural network inference, by eliminating the bottlenecks associated with traditional memory access.
This project is directly related to the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and aims to explore the potential of memristor technology for future detector upgrades. Specifically, their integration into the data acquisition (DAQ) systems of ATLAS could be highly beneficial, as its upgrades require the ability to analyze high event frequencies using advanced algorithms. This would maximize efficiency in identifying physics events of interest within the detection system while also improving data processing efficiency and reducing power consumption.
This is a laboratory-based project that involves direct experimental studies on memristors, both as single devices and within matrices, to characterize their behavior under extreme conditions. The influence of temperature variations and external magnetic fields on memristor conductance must be analyzed through direct laboratory measurements of variations in conductance. These controlled tests will allow for the estimation of key parameters affecting device performance, ensuring accurate characterization of their stability and reliability under extreme conditions. This is essential for evaluating their resilience to radiation exposure and their potential implementation in radiation-hardened computing systems, critical aspects for high-energy physics experiments like ATLAS.
Contacts: Valerio Ippolito, Davide Fiacco