https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-024-12509-y
Regular Article - Experimental Physics
Demonstration of particle tracking with scintillating fibres read out by a SPAD array sensor and application as a neutrino active target
1
Institute for Particle Physics and Astrophysics (IPA), ETH Zürich, Ramistrasse, 8093, Zürich, Switzerland
2
Advanced Quantum Architecture Lab (AQUA), EPFL, Rue de la Maladière, 2000, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
Received:
18
September
2023
Accepted:
23
January
2024
Published online:
27
February
2024
Scintillating fibre detectors combine sub-mm resolution particle tracking, precise measurements of the particle stopping power and sub-ns time resolution. Typically, fibres are read out with silicon photomultipliers (SiPM). Hence, if fibres with a few hundred 
m diameter are used, either they are grouped together and coupled with a single SiPM, losing spatial resolution, or a very large number of electronic channels is required. In this article we propose and provide a first demonstration of a novel configuration which allows each individual scintillating fibre to be read out regardless of the size of its diameter, by imaging them with Single-Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) array sensors. Differently from SiPMs, SPAD array sensors provide single-photon detection with single-pixel spatial resolution. In addition, O(us) or faster coincidence of detected photons allows to obtain noise-free images. Such a concept can be particularly advantageous if adopted as a neutrino active target, where scintillating fibres alternated along orthogonal directions can provide isotropic, high-resolution tracking in a dense material and reconstruct the kinematics of low-momentum protons (down to 150 MeV/c), crucial for an accurate characterisation of the neutrino-nucleus cross section. In this work the tracking capabilities of a bundle of scintillating fibres coupled to SwissSPAD2 is demonstrated. The impact of such detector configuration in GeV-neutrino experiments is studied with simulations and reported. Finally, future plans, including the development of a new SPAD array sensor optimised for neutrino detection, are discussed.
© The Author(s) 2024
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