CAST activities and detector Developments at INP Dr Theodoros Geralis Institute of Nuclear Physics Athens, 8/10/2010 The CAST experiment The INP contribution to CAST CAST results and prospects Micromegas detector development Micromegas TPC pEDM Nuclear Physics (Fission, Astrophysics ) Micromegas for sLHC 69th NuPECC Meeting, Athens, Greece, October 8‐9, 2010 Institute of Nuclear Physics, NCSR “Demokritos” 8/10/2010 Theo Geralis

Personnel Researchers CAST pEDM sLHC NuclPhys George Fanourakis v v v v George Daskalakis v Theo Geralis v v v v Kostas Kousouris (PhD) v Eleni Ntomari (PhD) v Sotiris Harissopoulos v Tasos Lagogiannis v Micael Axiotis (Post Doc) v Technicians Lefteris Saragas (retired) v v v v Manolis Tsompanakis v v v v 8/10/2010 Theo Geralis

Signal: excess of x-rays during alignment over background CAST axion searches CERN Axion Solar Telescope: Axions are proposed to solve the Strong CP problem Axion: good Dark Matter candidate Signal: excess of x-rays during alignment over background Production: Primakoff effect Thermal photons interacting With solar nuclei produce Axions. Detection principle (Sikivie 1983) Inverse Primakoff: axion converts to a photon interacting with a very strong magnetic field Differential axion flux on Earth Expected Number of Photons:

The CAST Experiment Rotating platform Decommissioned prototype LHC dipole magnet. Superconducting, operation at T=1.8 K. Electric current 13,000 A. Magnetic field: B=9T Length: L=9.26m. Rotating platform ( Vertical: ±8o, Horizontal: ±40o ) ~90 min solar tracking during sunrise/sunset 3 X-ray detectors X-ray Focusing Device 3He expansion volume 2 Micromegas X-ray detectors Micromegas CCD+Telescope Theodoros Geralis

The CAST Collaboration CEA Saclay -- CERN -- Dogus University -- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory –Max-Planck-Institut for Solar System Research/ Katlenburg-Lindau – Max-Planck-Institut für extraterrestrische Physik --Max-Planck-Institut für Physik – National Center for Scientific Research Demokritos –NTUA Athens – Rudjer Boskovic Institute– Institute for Nuclear Research (Moscow)– TU Darmstadt – University of British Columbia – University of Chicago -- Universität Frankfurt --Universität Freiburg – University of Florida – University of Patras -- University of Thessaloniki – Universita di Trieste –Universidad de Zaragoza -- Universität Zurich THE GREEK CONTRIBUTION Strong Greek contribution in the proposal and the creation of the Collaboration (Proposal, Spokesman Prof. K. Zioutas - Univ. of Patras) Important contributions: 1) Micromegas detectors (INP) 2)DAQ systems (INP), 3)MC simulations (INP), 4)Development of the He-3 system, 5)Novel Analysis Techniques (INP) and 6)Running the experiment Rotating platform constructed by Greek Company 8/10/2010 Theo Geralis

The Micromegas principle Spacers h=50μm Hole diameter=50μm, pitch=100μm Excellent x-y resolution Good Energy resolution Very low background Excellent stability Radiation hard Cheap Variety of applications (X-rays, tracking, neutron det. TPC detector, Visible photon det. ) Micromegas: MICRO MEsh GAseous Structure detector

Goals accomplished at INP : 1) Built the first 4 Micromegas detectors, used in CAST, in collaboration with Saclay and CERN CAST MicroMegas Assembly phase at INP CAST MicroMegas in operation

Goals accomplished at INP : 2) Built the Data Acquisition systems (2) for the sunrise and the Sunset CAST Micromegas. NIM VME Optical Fiber Autopilot mode, Automatic Calibration with Fe-55, Optical Link, CASTOR Data archiving etc

The PANTER tests Initial tests at the Panter X-Ray facility MPI/MPE Munich X-Y image of 6.4 KeV X-ray beam in Micromegas chamber (log scale for density)

Goals accomplished at INP : 3) Developed an Analysis package for Micromegas data CAST has published the best axion limits over the full range of the parameter space Apart for the microwave cavity experiments (ADMX). WMAP CAST CBR for Prospects: 1) New Microbulk Micromegas detectors have shown extremely low background, down to 10-7counts.kev-1cm-2s-1 . An order of magnitude improvement in gαγγ 2) Searches in the visible using linear polarization (INP proposal). Search for Chamaeleons. 3) Searches at the sub-keV range

SOME RECENT CAST PUBLICATIONS S. Andriamonje et al., Search for 14.4-keV solar Axions emitted in the M1-Transition of Fe-57 Nuclei with CAST. JCAP 0912:002,2009. E. Arik et al., Probing eV-scale axions with CAST. JCAP 0902:008,2009. S. Andriamonje et al., Search for solar axion emission from 7Li and D(P,gamma)3He Nuclear Decays with the CAST Gamma-Ray calorimeter. JCAP 1003:032,2010. The CAST experiment., J. Ruz et al., J. Phys. Conf. Ser. 110: 062023, 2008. 5) An Improved limit on the axion-photon coupling from the CAST experiment. By CAST Collaboration (S. Andriamonje et al., JCAP 0704: 010, 2007. e-Print: hep-ex/0702006 6) The X-ray Telescope of CAST. M. Kuster et al., New J. Phys. 9: 169, 2007. e-Print: physics/0702188 7) The Micromegas detector of the CAST experiment. P. Abbon et al., New J. Phys. 9: 170, 2007. e-Print: physics/0702190 8) Prospects for the CAST Sensitivity to 14.4-keV Axions. By CAST Collaboration (K. Jakovcic et al.), N. I. M. A580: 37-39, 2007. e-Print: astro-ph/0611479

Micromegas for sLHC Development of Radiation hard muon detectors for super LHC (operate at 2x105 neutrons.cm-2s-1. Tests are performed in the Tandem accelerator) INP has built the RD51 telescope to facilitate this development Telescope in RD51 Test beam RD51 Telescope: 3 x-y Micromegas detectors In the H6 SPS beam. The detectors Were machined and built at INP Data Acquisition system. It was developed at INP Telescope Cosmics setup 8/10/2010 Theo Geralis

Time Projection Chamber (TPC) Micromegas Time Projection Chamber (TPC) x z (t) y Gaseous Detector Tracking device x, y from strips – pixels z from tdrift i.e. z = Vdrift . T B field improves resolution Micromegas advantages Fast signals Fast recovery Fast ion collection 27/3/2010 Theo Geralis

Physics targets with Micromegas as TPC Nuclear Physics: Fission fragments tracking characterize neutron induced fission at Thermal – MeV range neutrons. (unexpolred domain) Nuclear Astrophysics e.g. Cross sections 4He (78Kr,γ) 82Sr pEDM experiment (pEDM or srEDM) Deuteron – proton Tracking to measure Left – Right asymmetry Axion searches (CAST) Photoelectron tracking to allow use of the linearly polarized X-rays. 27/3/2010 Theo Geralis

Fission project We concentrate on Fission project at first: Interest: Characterize Neutron induced Fission fragments i.e. Fission fragment properties (Mass, Charge, kinetic Energy) Both fragments should be observed e.g.  We need a twin detector on a back to back configuration with the Fission target in the middle TPC Micromegas 1 B TPC Micromegas 2 A1 Fission Target A2 n, α Neutron beam 27/3/2010 Theo Geralis

Prototype mM TPC: Design - Construction Single TPC, only x-strips and Time readout Aluminum Housing 32 x 1ΜΩ Voltage Trimmer Near mesh Plexiglas Cage E field shaper Excellent work by Lefteris Saragas (Technician) at INP, NCSR Demokritos 27/3/2010 Theo Geralis

Tests at Saclay Initial tests Cf source 1) Sources Fe, Cd 2) Cosmics: Drift space = 8cm 3) Californium fission source: Source support table – Drift electrode Drift space 6cm 252Cf  nA1 + 252 – n – (4)A2 + (n,α) Cf source mM TPC READOUT ELECTRONICS T2K AFTER Asic Electronics Micromegas Operating conditions: Gas: Argon (95%) + Isobutane (5%) Drift velocity : 1.5 - 2 cm/μs 27/3/2010 Theo Geralis

Physics target φ = 49ο Scale ~ 200 MeV (mm) Energy spectrum: Mesh signal 2.2 cm 1.9 cm X Z-Time (x 40ns) 2.4 cm φ = 49ο Reconstructed track Energy spectrum: Sum of Strips’ Energy Fragment Track length Scale ~ 200 MeV (mm) 27/3/2010 Theo Geralis

CONCLUSIONS Very significant contribution to CAST Leading role in constructing the Micromegas, Building the DAQs, Data Analysis Proposal to use linear polarization for the Future runs Micromegas detector development at INP extends to Physics application from Nuclear to High Energy Physics. Nuclear Fission, Nuclear Astrophysics pEDM experiment Super LHC, CAST TPC (polarization) 8/10/2010 Theo Geralis

BACKUP SLIDES 3/9/2019

Time Projection Chamber (TPC) Principle 27/3/2010 Theo Geralis

Micromegas for CAST x-y plane 384 strips: 192 x + 192 y Strips pitch = 350μm

THE PHYSICS DISCOVERY POTENTIAL OF CAST CURRENTLY (and up to the end of 2010) CAST EXPLORES THE REGION OF HIGHER AXION MASSES, UP TO ~1.2 eV DEPENDING ON THE AMOUNT OF He-3 IN THE COLD BORES OF THE MAGNET, CAST EXPLORES EVERY DAY A DIFFERENT AXION REST MASS BY THE END OF 2010, CAST WILL BE THE FIRST EXPERIMENT CROSS CHECKING THE WMAP LIMIT IN THE AXION MODELS REGION CAST IS THE FIRST AXION HELIOSCOPE EXPLORING THE LOW ENERGY SOLAR AXION RANGE  ~1 – 1000 eV. EVERY DAY CAST HAS A NEW PHYSICS DISCOVERY POTENTIAL Ongoing work & future perspectives: Extend sensitivity into UV – EUV  experimental work NTUA, U. Trieste & MPS /Lindau Axion coupling to dB/dz  magn. Quadrupoles!?  theoretical work  ( with E. Guendelman /Israel & D. Chelouche /Canada) New Low Energy laboratory axion source  pulsed plasma: B & dB/dz  U. Frankfurt & U. Patras  in preparation & feasibility study