Precision Detectors and Electronics for Fast Timing: advances and applications

Precision timing detectors for particles and radiation with picosecond time resolution are currently of great interest in applications over a range of disciplines including high energy physics, space applications, biological sciences, medical imaging, remote sensing and environmental monitoring.

Researchers working on High Energy Physics experiments at the LHC are developing solutions which prove a timing resolution of tens of picosecond, thus significantly improving the separation of different events and rejecting background more efficiently reducing pile-up effects. In parallel with sensor technology, dedicated fast readout electronics are being developed.

The outstanding properties of novel materials qualify them as sensitive elements of modern solid-state detectors, thus paving the way to the realization of detectors with unprecedented performances.

Radiation damage effects can be compensated by exploiting charge multiplication mechanisms due to impact ionization at high electric fields after heavy irradiation.

Recent advances in solid-state detectors for timing involves Single Photon Avalanche Detectors (SPADs) and silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) in combination with electronics, such as multichannel time-to-digital converters or waveform digitizers. Cryogenic detectors combine fast timing with photon color sensitivity and are being used in imaging arrays for applications in physics and astronomy. Novel technologies and materials include graphene, operable in different configurations as a high bandwidth photodetector from THz to X-ray wavelengths. Micro pattern gas detectors are also candidates for fast particle timing applications, as well as vacuum tube technology.

Given the expected radiation levels in HEP experiments, the radiation-tolerance of timing devices is of the utmost importance. Within this framework Low Gain Avalanche Detectors (LGADs) and 3Ds represent the state-of-the-art for high performance in harsh operating environment.  

Diamond devices have been proposed as an efficient alternative to conventional silicon detectors in those applications ruled by stringent timing and radiation-tolerance requirements. Diamond crystals allows faster signal collection when compared to silicon while retaining extremely low leakage currents.

For this research topic, contributions are expected to address but are not limited to the following areas:

·        Detector technologies;

·        Modeling and simulation;

·        Design Fast readout electronics;

·        Radiation damage;

·        Charge multiplication effects;

·        Timing applications (HEP, medicine, space, etc.);