The course will teach the basics of the “physics of detectors for particles and radiation” as well as their application. The physical mechanisms by which particles (or radiation) create signals in detectors will be explained in detail as well as the effects of electrode structuring on resolution. Applications of different detector types mostly in particle physics experiments, but also in photo detectors, and for biomedical imaging will be presented.
Students will receive a detailed education on detectors, their physics and their operation principle, signal generation (weighting field), sources of noise and how to tune for optimal obtainable resolution. The lecture starts with how radiation is “seen” in a detetctor, what physics processes are responsible. How does an electrical signal (and noise) develop? How is charge in a detector transported? Which are the benefits, advantages and disadvantages of different detector types? What is Cherenkov and transition radiation? How do they differ? How can detectors exploit these radiations? How do scintillation detectors work and what is the underlying phayis? Particle tracking and particle identification will be explained. How to measure energy in calorimeters? What are the obtainable resolutions (in space and energy) and how can they be optimized? Some details about readout techniques will also be covered.
Lectures at the blackboard with support for powerpoint presentations
And if time allows ...
Lecture slides and texts will be distributed immediately after each lecture.
Recommended books:
Leo, Techniques for Nuclear and Particle Detection
Kleinknecht, Detectors for Particle Radiation
Leroy and Rancoita, Radiation Interaction in Matter and Detection
Grupen and Shwartz, Particle Detectors
Rossi, Fischer, Rohe, Wermes, Pixel Detectors: from Fundamentals
to Applications
Spieler, Semiconductor Detector Systems
Kolanoski, Wermes, Particle Detectors .. Fundamentals and Applications (available in Spring 2019)
https://dida.fisica.unige.it/dida/docenti-corsi-orari-esami/orario-delle-lezioni.html
PHYSICS OF PARTICLE DETECTORS
Depending on the number of students the exam will be
(to be decided at the beginning of the course)
The oral exam will be done by the professor responsible for the course or another expert of the field and lasts between 30-40 min. It concerns the home work subject plus another subject taught in the course.
The written exam (if applied) will have 15 questions/little exercises to solve during a duration of 2 hours.
