30938289
A high density time to digital converter module for BESIII end-cap TOF upgrade
This paper describes the high precision time measurement for the end-cap time of flight (ETOF) upgrade of a Beijing Spectrometer (BESIII). After upgrade, ETOF will be built using Multigap Resistive Plate Chambers (MRPC) and will have 1728 readout channels which is a big challenge for the readout electronics. The time resolution of the readout electronics system is required to be better than 25 ps. A 9U VME module with 72 time measurement channels is designed to perform particles flight time measurement. The signals, which are produced by the detector and then amplified and discriminated by the frontend electronics, are sent to the time-to-digital converter (TDIG) module to be digitized. The TDIG module uses the CERN HPTDC technique to achieve high precision time-to-digital converter and totally applies nine HPTDC chips to realize 72 channels. The primary hit measurements from HPTDC chips are forwarded to one Altera field-programmable gate array (FPGA) to be processed. Finally, the data are sent to DAQ server by Ethernet. The VME interface logic is implemented in an Altera CPLD. The TDIG module can also accept an external trigger and pick out the expected events which are correlated with the given trigger. A series of experiment tests show that the time resolution of the TDIG module is better than 20 ps.
123771953
A high dynamic range readout unit for a calorimeter
A high dynamic range readout system, consisting of a multi-dynode readout PMT and a VA32 chip, is presented. An LED system is set up to calibrate the relative gains between the dynodes, and the ADC counts per MIPs from dynode 7 are determined under cosmic-ray calibration. A dynamic range from 0.5 MIPs to 1 x 10(5) MIPs is achieved.
204935814
A new method of waveform digitization based on time-interleaved A/D conversion
Time interleaved analog-to-digital conversion (TIADC) based on parallelism is an effective way to meet the requirement of the ultra-fast waveform digitizer beyond Gsps. Different methods to correct the mismatch errors among different analog-to-digital conversion channels have been developed previously. To overcome the speed limitation in hardware design and to implement the mismatch correction algorithm in real time, this paper proposes a fully parallel correction algorithm. A 12-bit 1-Gsps waveform digitizer with ENOB around 10.5 bit from 5 MHz to 200 MHz is implemented based on the real-time correction algorithm.
33505335
Design of the readout electronics for the Qualification Model of DAMPE BGO calorimeter
The DAMPE (DArk Matter Particle Explorer) is a scientific satellite aimed at cosmic ray study, gamma ray astronomy, and searching for the clue of dark matter particles, with a planned mission period of more than 3 years. The calorimeter, which is composed of 308 BGO (Bismuth Germanate Oxid) crystal bars, is a critical sub-detector for measuring the energy of cosmic particles from 5 GeV to 10TeV, distinguishing positrons/electrons and gamma rays from hadron background, and providing trigger information to the whole payload. In the calorimeter each BGO crystal bar is coupled by two Hamamatsu R5610A PMTs (photomultiplier tubes) from both ends respectively, while each PMT send out signals from three dynodes (2, 5, 8) to cover a large dynamic range from about 11 MeV to 2 TeV for each crystal unit. Thus 616 PMTs and 1848 signal channels are used in the BGO calorimeter. The large amount of detector components and signal channels, as well as large dynamic range requirement, greatly challenge the design of readout electronics, because of the confined area for PCB (Printed Circuit Board) layout and cable layout, the potential crosstalk between high density signal channels especially from dynode 8 to dynode 2, and limited power budget. Besides there are other particular requirements derived from hash space environment, such as good radiation tolerance, high reliability, etc. To conquer above challenges, a serial of methods are taken into the design. Two ASICs with low power consumption, low noise, high dynamic range and high integrity, named VA160 and VATA160, are chosen as the front end chips to read out the charge signal from PMT dynodes, and to provide fast trigger information. The Flash-based FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) from Actel ProASIC Plus family is applied, which is considered to be less sensitive to SEU (Single Event Upset) and more power-saving, compared to regular SRAM-based FPGAs. In order to estimate the performances of the ASICs and FPGA chips in radiative space environment, both single event effect (SEE) and total ionizing dose (TID) tests are conducted, and SEU and SEL (Single Event Latch-up) protecting measures are adopted, based on the test results. Right now the DAMPE mission is in QM (Qualification Model) stage, all the readout electronics for the qualification model of BGO calorimeter were successfully designed and produced in the end of year 2013. The DAMPE BGO calorimeter was later integrated at the beginning of 2014 and right now the environmental tests, such as vibration test, thermal cycling and thermal-vacuum test, have been performed. Currently the BGO calorimeter is under integration tests with other sub-detectors, and a beam test will be carried out at CERN, in the autumn of 2014.
120054500
The non-gated charge-to-time converter for TOF detector in BES III
Abstract The TOF (Time-Of-Flight) detector in BES (Beijing Spectrometer) III experiment requires a total time resolution of better than 90 ps (for the barrel part) and 110 ps (for the endcap part). With the requirement of such a high precision time measurement, it is essential to measure the amplitude or charge of the PMT (photomultiplier tube) signals, in order to correct the amplitude dependent time-walk. A method of using non-gated QTC (Charge-to-Time Converter) to measure the input signal charge was developed for BES III TOF readout electronics. The non-gated QTC with differential inputs was designed to measure the input charge covering a dynamic range of about 30–927 pC. Test results showed that the rms resolution is better than 10 bit and the relative error is less than 0.5% after quadratic fitting. The designed converter is simple, stable and suitable for multi-channel systems. A total of 448 channels of QTCs have been developed for BES III TOF readout electronics, which help the TOF system achieve the expected time resolution after the time-walk correction.
137255349
Electronics of BESIII TOF Monitor System
This paper describes the control electronics for the time of flight (TOF) monitor system of BESIII. A 9U VME module is designed as the interface between the TOF monitor laser box and BESIII data acquisition system. It takes charge of enabling the laser source, sending trigger signals to the laser driver, controlling the optic path, and measuring the charge and arrival time of pulses from two reference phototubes. The module also sends a Level 1 trigger to the TOF readout system, after each trigger pulse to the laser source. The interface and control logic are implemented in one Altera field-programmable gate array, and signals from the reference PMTs of the laser system are digitized with the CERN HPTDC technique. A series of experimental tests show that the time resolution of the monitor electronics is better than 25 ps, and the relative methodical error of the charge measurement is less than 0.5% after quadratic fitting. The TOF monitor system was installed at the end of 2007 and has been operating continuously since then. A total time resolution of about 70 ps and a charge resolution of about 4% of the TOF counters have been obtained during field monitor tests.
118651169
CASIMIR EFFECT WITH A HELIX TORUS BOUNDARY CONDITION
We use the generalized Chowla–Selberg formula to consider the Casimir effect of a scalar field with a helix torus boundary condition in the flat (D + 1)-dimensional spacetime. We obtain the exact results of the Casimir energy density and pressure for any D for both massless and massive scalar fields. The numerical calculation indicates that once the topology of spacetime is fixed, the ratio of the sizes of the helix will be a decisive factor. There is a critical value rc of the ratio r of the lengths at which the pressure vanishes. The pressure changes from negative to positive as the ratio r passes through rc increasingly. In the massive case, we find the pressure tends to the result of massless field when the mass approaches zero. Furthermore, there is another critical ratio of the lengths and the pressure is independent of the mass at in the D = 3 case.
15412072
Chaplygin gas and the cosmological evolution of alpha
The class of Chaplygin gas models regarded as a candidate of dark energy can be realized by a scalar field, which could drive the variation of the fine structure constant $\alpha$ during the cosmic time. This phenomenon has been observed for almost ten years ago from the quasar absorption spectra and attracted many attentions. In this paper, we reconstruct the class of Chaplygin gas models to a kind of scalar fields and confront the resulting $\Delta\alpha/\alpha$ with the observational constraints. We found that if the present observational value of the equation of state of the dark energy was not exactly equal to -1, various parameters of the class of Chaplygin gas models are allowed to satisfy the observational constraints, as well as the equivalence principle is also respected.
119205820
Take up the challenge for a single field inflation after BICEP2
The measurement of the tensor-to-scalar ratio r shows a very powerful constraint to theoretical inflation models through the detection of B-mode. In this paper, we propose a single inflation model with infinity power series potential called the Infinity Power Series (IPS) inflation model, which is well consistent with latest observations from Planck and BICEP2. Furthermore, it is found that in the IPS model, the absolute value running of the spectral index increases while the tensor-to-scalar ratio becomes large, namely both large r approximate to 0.20 and vertical bar n(s)'vertical bar greater than or similar to O(10(-2)) are realized in the IPS model. In the meanwhile, the number of e-folds is also big enough N approximate to 50-60 to solve the problems in Big Bang cosmology.
119228196
Latest observational constraints to the ghost dark energy model by using the Markov chain Monte Carlo approach
Recently, the vacuum energy of the QCD ghost field in a time-dependent background was proposed as a kind of dark energy candidate called the ghost dark energy model (GDE) to explain the acceleration of the Universe. In this model, the energy density of the dark energy is proportional to the Hubble parameter $H$, which is also regarded as the Hawking temperature on the Hubble horizon of the Friedmann-Robertson-Walker Universe. In this paper, the statefinder and $Om$ diagnostics are applied to the GDE models, and the differences among them are significant during the time of transition. And at that time, the viscosity plays an important role. Furthermore, we find that once the viscosity is taken into account, the age problem of Universe could be alleviated. We also perform a constraint on the GDE models with and without bulk viscosity by using the Markov Chain Monte Carlo method and the combined latest observational data from the type Ia supernova compilations including Union2.1(580) and Union2(557), cosmic microwave background, baryon acoustic oscillation, and the observational Hubble parameter data.
15952831
Reconstructing quintom from Ricci dark energy
Abstract Holographic dark energy with Ricci scalar as IR cutoff called Ricci dark energy (RDE) probes the nature of dark energy with respect to the holographic principle of quantum gravity theory. Scalar field dark energy models like quintom are often regarded as an effective description of some underlying theory of dark energy. In this Letter, we find how the generalized ghost condensate model (GGC) that can easily realize quintom behavior can be used to effectively describe the RDE and reconstruct the function h ( ϕ ) of GGC.