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DNP 2024

  • Dec 11, 2024
  • 1 min read

MoNA at the Fall APS DNP Meeting, October 2024

A total of nine MoNA Collaboration members participated in the Fall 2024 meeting of the American Physical Society's Division of Nuclear Physics (DNP), which took place October 7-10 2024 at the Hilton Boston Park Plaza in Boston, MA.

 

Contributed talks and posters covered a wide range of topics, including development of the next generation neutron detector (NGn), progress on machine-learning applied to multi-neutron filtering, neutron scattering observations at LANSCE, including new inelastic n-C scattering cross sections determined at LANSCE using a diamond detector as active target, development of a liquid hydrogen target and vertex tracker for invariant mass measurements at FRIB, and investigation of neutron-rich pre-fragment distributions in fragmentation reactions. 


Talks:

 

Posters:

 
 
 

Building Detectors

  • Aug 13, 2024
  • 1 min read

As part of the Next Generation Neutron Detector project, which is funded by the National Science Foundation through a collaborative major research instrumentation grant, MoNA students and researchers are busy building prototype detectors. The prototype detectors are being used to collect data that will help us to optimize the final detector design. This detector is based on Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPM). In order to allow for different detector configurations, the prototype is highly modular and designed to connect to interlocking plastic bricks (LEGO). So we can call these detector bricks! With this we can very quickly test different detector configurations.

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But before the prototypes can be tested, they need to be built. For the design we use an integrated cad software (Fusion 360) that allows us to do the printed circuit board (PCB) design and the mechanical design. Students learned to use this software and created design variations that lets us test different types of SiPMs.

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Once the PCBs and electronics components arrive, the detector bricks need to be assembled. The SiPM chips are between 3 mm by 3 mm and 6 mm by 6 mm, and have a Ball Grid Array, tiny solder dots that are hidden under the chip, to be mounted onto the PCB. This requires some very precise work in order to apply the solder paste with a stencil and to position the SiPM. After this the detector bricks a placed in a reflow oven for soldering.


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So far we have assembled over 150 detector bricks, with a large fraction built by undergraduate students! Testing and evaluating of different detector configurations is under way at the participating schools.




 
 
 

APS April 2024

  • Jul 9, 2024
  • 1 min read

Members of the MoNA Collaboration attended the 2024 American Physical Society April Meeting which was held on April 03-07, 2024 at the Sacramento Convocation Center in Sacramento, California.

 


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A total of 12 oral and poster presentations on MoNA-related science or by a member of the MoNA Collaboration were delivered throughout the meeting, covering three main topics that included low energy nuclear structure, instrumentation, and education and outreach. The list of oral and poster presentations on MoNA related science and education at the 2024 APS/April meeting is provided below.


 

 
 
 
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