Zecotek LFS scintillation crystals near approval for use at CERN Large Hadron Collider
Developer of photonics technologies for industrial, healthcare, and scientific markets, Zecotek Photonics (Richmond, BC, Canada) says it is now close to having its patented LFS (Lutetium Fine Silicate) scintillation crystals approved for use at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Switzerland. The Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) Experiment has requested specially designed plates of LFS-3 crystals for testing as part of another major CMS experiment for the new Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. This announcement comes after a thorough examination of competing materials by CERN`s scientists and engineers. The request is in addition to one of Zecotek's LFS crystal designs already being considered for another of CERN's major experiments.
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"We are pleased with the performance of Zecotek's new LFS-3 configuration using plates geometry and we are confident that it will pass all the prerequisites needed for the new electromagnetic calorimeter part of CERN's LHC and CMS upgrades, said Michael Arenton, senior research scientist with the CERN LHC Scintillation Material project and senior member of the Experimental High Energy Physics group at the University of Virginia. "We look forward to receiving a positive decision to use LFS-3 in this important part of CERN’s major experiments."
"This is another important step in the evaluation of our patented LFS-3 scintillation crystals for use in experiments at CERN," said A.F. Zerrouk, chairman, president, and CEO of Zecotek Photonics. "Our LFS crystal is a prime candidate for the high energy experiments because of its density of material, stopping power, fast decay time, very good energy resolution, and radiation hardness. The overall experiment benefits from reduced labour and re-calibration costs associated with single crystal forms and less interruptions associated with the maintenance and refitting of damaged crystals. The new and improved crystal plate design is a significant breakthrough for this experiment. We look forward to a timely implementation."
The CMS Experiment is one of two large general-purpose particle physics detectors built on the LHC at CERN in Europe. The three main components of the LHC are scintillation materials, photo-detectors and the ubiquitous electronic system. As part of the new upgrade at the LHC, Zecotek's new LFS-3 crystal configuration is a prime candidate for one of the major components of CMS experiment.
The goal of the CMS Experiment is to investigate a wide range of physics, including the search for the Higgs boson, extra dimensions, and particles that could make up dark matter. It has been designed and built to replace an electromagnetic calorimeter for the end cap regions of the detector, known as "Shashlik". The Shashlik consists of a stack of tungsten plates and scintillating crystal layers. The whole detector would require just under 2 million of Zecotek's newly designed LFS-3 plates. The implementation schedule will coincide with the restart of the LHC in 2015.
In March 2013, CERN scientists confirmed that a new subatomic particle discovered at the world's most powerful particle accelerator is the Higgs Boson. As CERN pushes into this new frontier of science, additional experiments are required to determine the particle’s properties and its true form. High-energy scintillation crystals with high radiation hardness and solid-state photo detectors are paramount for the success of the next stage of experiments. Zecotek is also waiting for approvals on the installation of its patented LFS-3 scintillation crystals and solid-state MAPD photodetector for other major CERN experiments as part of the new LHC upgrades.
SOURCE: Zecotek Photonics; http://www.zecotek.com/EN/426/
Gail Overton | Senior Editor (2004-2020)
Gail has more than 30 years of engineering, marketing, product management, and editorial experience in the photonics and optical communications industry. Before joining the staff at Laser Focus World in 2004, she held many product management and product marketing roles in the fiber-optics industry, most notably at Hughes (El Segundo, CA), GTE Labs (Waltham, MA), Corning (Corning, NY), Photon Kinetics (Beaverton, OR), and Newport Corporation (Irvine, CA). During her marketing career, Gail published articles in WDM Solutions and Sensors magazine and traveled internationally to conduct product and sales training. Gail received her BS degree in physics, with an emphasis in optics, from San Diego State University in San Diego, CA in May 1986.