Detector Developments
As every good experimental group, we are also developing new detector technologies. We are focussing on micropattern gaseous detectors, in particular on the Micromegas technology. This was the basis for several of our new detector designs, such as the first prototype of the ATLAS Muon System Upgrade, but also preshower detectors and double-sided readout designs. Luckily we can test our prototype detectors not only with X-rays and cosmic rays, but also at test-beam facilities at MAMI in Mainz and ELSA in Bonn.
A Conceptional Design for an Active Neutrino Detector
We currently try to evaluate the options for an active neutrino detector at the LHC, which allows not only to reconstruct electron and muon neutrino interactions but also tau neutrino interactions. This is highly ambitious, but it might be worth trying.
A Muon-Veto System for BabyIAXO
The BabyIAXO experiment requires an ultra low background X-ray photon detection system. It is crucial to exclude any possible events from the data analysis, which is caused either by cosmic muons or neutrons. We develop an active muon shield using plastic scintillators and silicon PMs in a plug-and-play fashion. The huge advantage of this system is that it does not require much space and can be easly mounted and dismounted around the BabyIAXO Detector system, which has to be movable to follow the trajectory of the sun.
Upgrade of the FASER Experiment
We have already constructed a working pre-shower detector system for FASER, that allows in principle an identification of single and collinear photon signatures based on Micromegas Technology. An alternative approach is based on silicon detectors, which are developed and constructed by the University of Geneva with whom we are cooperating also on this methodology. For the operation of FASER during the high luminosity LHC phase, one would need to replace the current emulsion detector system for neutrino studies by an active detector system. We are currently investigating the possibility to use Pixel-based Micromegas Detectors for the realisation of such an active neutrino detector.
Generic Detector R&D
In the past years, we focused on the development of several highly innovative detector concepts using the Micromegas Technology. Examples are the development of Micromegas detectors with a PAD-readout system, with two readout planes in a common gas volume or the design and construction of a Micromegas based time projection chamber with ultra-low material budget for the tracking of muons in high precision measurements. New ideas about detector concepts pop up all the time and we have fun to learn a lot of new things.