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A compact high-energy particle detector for low-cost deep space missions
Over the last few decades particle physics has led to many new discoveries, laying the foundation for modern science. However, there are still many unanswered questions which the next generation of particle detectors could address, potentially expanding our knowledge and understanding of the Univers...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Department of Electrical Engineering
2016
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| _version_ | 1867613160566947840 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Kemp, Dayne Hilton |
| author2 | Ginsberg, Samuel |
| author_browse | Ginsberg, Samuel Kemp, Dayne Hilton |
| author_facet | Ginsberg, Samuel Kemp, Dayne Hilton |
| author_sort | Kemp, Dayne Hilton |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | Over the last few decades particle physics has led to many new discoveries, laying the foundation for modern science. However, there are still many unanswered questions which the next generation of particle detectors could address, potentially expanding our knowledge and understanding of the Universe. Owing to recent technological advancements, electronic sensors are now able to acquire measurements previously unobtainable, creating opportunities for new deep-space high-energy particle missions. Consequently, a new compact instrument was developed capable of detecting gamma rays, neutrons and charged particles. This instrument combines the latest in FPGA System-on-Chip technology as the central processor and a 3x3 array of silicon photomultipliers coupled with an organic plastic scintillator as the detector. Using modern digital pulse shape discrimination and signal processing techniques, the scintillator and photomultiplier combination has been shown to accurately discriminate between the di_erent particle types and provide information such as total energy and incident direction. The instrument demonstrated the ability to capture 30,000 particle events per second across 9 channels - around 15 times that of the U.S. based CLAS detector. Furthermore, the input signals are simultaneously sampled at a maximum rate of 5 GSPS across all channels with 14-bit resolution. Future developments will include FPGA-implemented digital signal processing as well as hardware design for small satellite based deep-space missions that can overcome radiation vulnerability. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/20046 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:31:43.046Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| publishDateRange | 2016 |
| publishDateSort | 2016 |
| publisher | Department of Electrical Engineering |
| publisherStr | Department of Electrical Engineering |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/20046 A compact high-energy particle detector for low-cost deep space missions Kemp, Dayne Hilton Ginsberg, Samuel Buffler, Andy Electrical Engineering Over the last few decades particle physics has led to many new discoveries, laying the foundation for modern science. However, there are still many unanswered questions which the next generation of particle detectors could address, potentially expanding our knowledge and understanding of the Universe. Owing to recent technological advancements, electronic sensors are now able to acquire measurements previously unobtainable, creating opportunities for new deep-space high-energy particle missions. Consequently, a new compact instrument was developed capable of detecting gamma rays, neutrons and charged particles. This instrument combines the latest in FPGA System-on-Chip technology as the central processor and a 3x3 array of silicon photomultipliers coupled with an organic plastic scintillator as the detector. Using modern digital pulse shape discrimination and signal processing techniques, the scintillator and photomultiplier combination has been shown to accurately discriminate between the di_erent particle types and provide information such as total energy and incident direction. The instrument demonstrated the ability to capture 30,000 particle events per second across 9 channels - around 15 times that of the U.S. based CLAS detector. Furthermore, the input signals are simultaneously sampled at a maximum rate of 5 GSPS across all channels with 14-bit resolution. Future developments will include FPGA-implemented digital signal processing as well as hardware design for small satellite based deep-space missions that can overcome radiation vulnerability. 2016-06-21T09:19:59Z 2016-06-21T09:19:59Z 2015 Master Thesis Masters MSc (Eng) http://hdl.handle.net/11427/20046 eng application/pdf Department of Electrical Engineering Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | Electrical Engineering Kemp, Dayne Hilton A compact high-energy particle detector for low-cost deep space missions |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | A compact high-energy particle detector for low-cost deep space missions |
| title_full | A compact high-energy particle detector for low-cost deep space missions |
| title_fullStr | A compact high-energy particle detector for low-cost deep space missions |
| title_full_unstemmed | A compact high-energy particle detector for low-cost deep space missions |
| title_short | A compact high-energy particle detector for low-cost deep space missions |
| title_sort | compact high energy particle detector for low cost deep space missions |
| topic | Electrical Engineering |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/20046 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT kempdaynehilton acompacthighenergyparticledetectorforlowcostdeepspacemissions AT kempdaynehilton compacthighenergyparticledetectorforlowcostdeepspacemissions |