Condensed Matter Best Young Researchers Presentation Award at High-Precision X-ray Measurements 2023 Conference—Winners Announced

We are pleased to announce the winners of the Best Young Researchers Presentation Award that Condensed Matter (ISSN: 2410-3896) sponsored at the High-Precision X-ray Measurements 2023 conference, held from 19 to 23 June 2023, in Frascati, Italy. Congratulations to the three winners!

Abstract:
High-precision kaonic atom X-ray spectroscopy was performed to investigate the properties of the strong interaction between kaon and nucleons, providing fundamental experimental inputs for nuclear, particle, and astrophysics research. Using a SIDDHARTA-2 experiment and the INFN-LNF DAΦNE collider, we measured the kaonic helium 3d->2p transition with a precision of a few eV. This result is the most accurate measurement of gaseous kaonic helium and provides a new constraint for the theories regarding low-energy quantum chromodynamics (QCDs) in the strangeness sector. Additionally, we performed the first-ever measurement of kaonic neon, which will contribute to a better understanding of kaon–multinucleon interactions. We further presented the prospects for the ongoing kaonic deuterium measurement, as well as our plans to conduct an extensive study of kaonic atoms across the whole periodic table, providing new and accurate data for the development of theories and models.

Abstract:
The research program of the INFN HASPIDE project aims to develop devices based on hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) for characterizing ionizing beams, measuring space radiation, and detecting neutrons. The introduction of hydrogen into amorphous silicon plays a crucial role in reducing dangling bonds and achieving high-quality detector devices. Thin layers of a-Si:H, with a thickness of a few micrometers, were deposited on various substrates, including flexible materials. The presentation provided insights into the fabrication process of a-Si:H devices, the employed characterization methods, and the preliminary results obtained for measuring X-ray beams from different sources, such as clinical LINACs, laboratory X-ray beams, and synchrotron radiation. The response linearity to the dose-rate was approximately 1–2%, and the sensitivity and noise levels are comparable to those of diamond devices. The variability among samples from the same production batch was less than 8%. Moreover, the talk explored various applications, including the use of instrumented flanges for vacuum/air separation in charged particle accelerators, as well as transmission detectors employed in the dosimetry of actual dose delivered to patients during clinical radiotherapy treatments.

Abstract:
In recent decades, the use of Compton telescopes has greatly increased in astronomy. Compton telescopes are designed to perform X-ray and γ-ray polarimetry of celestial bodies such as neutron stars, quasars, supernova remnants and binary black holes. In this context, the ComPol project involves the implementation of a Compton telescope in a 1U CubeSat nanosatellite to perform polarimetric analysis on the Binary Black Hole (BBH) system known as Cygnus X-1. The payload consists of two detection systems arranged in a stacked fashion: 1) the scatterer based on Silicon Drift Detector (SDD) arrays and 2) the absorber based on a scintillating crystal integrated with matrices of the Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPM). This research is focused on the first-layer design of the Compton telescope for photons experiencing Compton scattering. The analog readout chain consists of two seven-pixel SDD arrays, four CUBE preamplifiers and an SFERA ASIC Analog Pulse Processor (APP). At the end of the chain, FPGA technology was employed to handle data signal flow between SFERA and PC. The prototype system consists of three boards: ICARO, intended to house detectors and preamplifiers, the SFERA L-like carrier, which houses the APP chip, and ENOS, which implements the FPGA module and BIAS section of ICARO. This work was performed in collaboration with Technische Universität München (TUM), Max Planck Institute for Physics and Halbleiterlabor (HLL) of the Max Planck Society (Munich, Germany).

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