Francesco Fienga

The employability of photonics technology in the modern era's highly demanding and sophisticated domain of aerospace and submarines has been an appealing challenge for the scientific communities. In this paper, we review our main results achieved so far on the use of optical fiber sensors for safety and security in innovative aerospace and submarine applications. In particular, recent results of in-field applications of optical fiber sensors in aircraft monitoring, from a weight and balance analysis to vehicle Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) and Landing Gear (LG) monitoring, are presented and discussed. Moreover, underwater fiber-optic hydrophones are presented from the design to marine application.

In order to complete this set of three companion papers, in this last, we focus our attention on environmental monitoring by taking advantage of photonic technologies. After reporting on some configurations useful for high precision agriculture, we explore the problems connected with soil water content measurement and landslide early warning. Then, we concentrate on a new generation of seismic sensors useful in both terrestrial and under water contests. Finally, we discuss a number of optical fiber sensors for use in radiation environments.

Abstract Radiochromic film dosimetry has been widely employed in most of the applications of radiation physics for over twenty years. This is due to a number of appealing features of radiochromic films, such as reliability, accuracy, ease of use and cost. However, current radiochromic film reading techniques, based on the use of commercial densitometers and scanners, provide values of dose only after the exposure of the films to radiation. In this work, an innovative methodology for the real-time reading of radiochromic films is proposed for some specific applications. The new methodology is based on opto-electronic instrumentation that makes use of an optical fiber probe for the determination of optical changes of the films induced by radiation and allows measurements of dose with high degree of precision and accuracy. Furthermore, it has been demonstrated that the dynamic range of some kinds of films, such as the EBT3 Gafchromic films (intensively used in medical physics), can be extended by more than one order of magnitude. Owing to the numerous advantages with respect to the commonly used reading techniques, a National Patent was filed in January 2018.

Our group, involving researchers from different universities in Campania, Italy, has been working for the last twenty years in the field of photonic sensors for safety and security in healthcare, industrial and environment applications. This is the first in a series of three companion papers. In this paper, we introduce the main concepts of the technologies employed for the realization of our photonic sensors. Then, we review our main results concerning the innovative applications for infrastructural and transportation monitoring.

In this work, we report on a novel approach for measuring the dose absorbed by the EBT3 Gafchromic™ films exposed to 1 MeV electron beam and 250 kV X-rays in the range 0.5–100 Gy. Although EBT3 is specifically designed to obtain best performance for applications where the maximum dose is less than 10 Gy, there are certain clinical applications requiring dose ranges well above this value. In order to cover wider dose ranges, further models characterized by a thinner sensitive layer and/or different chemical composition have been released. Another method exploiting the three-channel flatbed scanner to delay the saturation point of EBT3 has been also reported. The technique proposed here, aimed at extending the sensitivity of the EBT3 film to high doses up to 100 Gy while ensuring a low dose uncertainty, is based on a broadband analysis of the absorption spectrum of the film in response to irradiation. By combining a wavelength-based approach with the monitoring of two characteristic peaks of the EBT3 absorption spectrum, we demonstrated the capability of measuring the dose in the range 0.5–100 Gy with an experimental uncertainty below 4% for doses lower than 5.52 Gy and below 2% for higher dose levels. Finally, through a dynamic fitting procedure integrating the two aforesaid approaches, a total uncertainty lower than 4%, including both the experimental and fitting errors, was achieved in the whole range 0.5–100 Gy. These results are promising in view of a potential application of this technique in the field of clinical dosimetry at high dose levels.

The i-pipe system is a peculiar structural health monitoring system, based on Fiber Bragg Grating technology, installed on the central beam pipe of the compact Muon solenoid (CMS) experiment at CERN. In this contribution, i-pipe temperature sensors, originally conceived as thermal compensator for the strain sensors, are employed to monitor central beam pipe thermal behavior in correlation with the parameters of the particle beam travelling inside, in order to directly measure possible Beam RF induced heating effect. The i-pipe system turned out to be capable of monitoring, directly and without interference, the parameters of the particle beam circulating in the LHC ring. Hence, the results presented in this work pave the way to the use of the i-pipe as monitoring system of an accelerated high energy particle beam.

Next generation High Energy Physics (HEP) accelerators will require new devices and technologies capable of operating in extreme environments characterized by ultra-high radiation doses up to the MGy levels. To this aim, we report on an innovative Lab-On-Fiber (LOF) probe for the real-time dose monitoring. The proposed platform is based on a metallo-dielectric nanostructured grating made of gold and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) patterned on the termination of single mode fibers. The nanostructure has been judiciously designed to support a plasmonic resonance in the reflection spectrum occurring at near infrared wavelengths. Electron beam lithography was used for the fabrication of two LOF prototypes, which in turn, were exposed to X-rays with a total dose of 2.02 MGy and a dose rate of 88 kGy/h. Reflection spectra acquired during the irradiation revealed a clear dependence of the LOF resonance wavelength and depth on the absorbed dose, confirming the outcomes of our previous proton campaign. Morphological characterization of the irradiated samples showed that the main radiation induced effect is the reduction of the PMMA thickness (ranging between 26 % and 40 %), which in turn strongly affects the resonance behavior. Quantitative morphological measurements have been used to achieve a fair and objective correlation with our numerical modelling. Moreover, we investigated the effect of ultra-high doses of several radiation types, including X-rays, electrons and protons, on the thickness of PMMA nanolayers deposited on planar substrates. Experimental results revealed that the amount of absorbed dose (1.9–16.06 MGy) is the main parameter affecting the PMMA relative compaction (9.5–59.1 %), while the influence of the radiation type, dose rate and initial PMMA thickness can be considered negligible. Overall, these results pave the way to the development of radiation type independent PMMA assisted LOF dosimeters operating at MGy doses for the radiation monitoring in future HEP experiments.

In this work, we report on the first demonstration of Lab on Fiber (LOF) dosimeter for ionizing radiation monitoring at ultra-high doses. The new dosimeter consists in a metallo-dielectric resonator at sub-wavelength scale supporting localized surface plasmon resonances realized on the optical fiber (OF) tip. The resonating structure involves two gold gratings separated by a templated dielectric layer of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). Two LOF prototypes have been manufactured and exposed at the IRRAD Proton Facility at CERN in Geneva to 23 GeV protons for a total fluence of 0.67 × 1016 protons/cm2, corresponding to an absorbed dose of 1.8 MGy. Experimental data demonstrated the "radiation resistance" feature of the LOF devices and a clear dependence of the reflected spectrum versus the total dose, expressed by a cumulative blue-shift of ~1.4 nm of the resonance combined with a slight increase of 0.16 dBm in the reflected spectrum. The numerical analysis carried out to correlate the experimental results with the dimensional and physical properties of the resonator, expected to be tightly connected to the absorbed dose, suggests that the main phenomenon induced by exposure to proton beam and able to explain the measured spectral behavior is the reduction of the PMMA thickness, which is also consistent with past literature in the field. Preliminary results demonstrated the potentiality of the proposed platform as dosimeter at MGy dose levels for high energy physics experiments.

In this paper we describe the main characteristics and experimental results, recorded in more than four years of data acquisition, of a temperature and strain monitoring system, called i-pipe, based on Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors arrays applied for the first time to a sector of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN): the central beam pipe (BP) of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS). The monitoring system, consisting of four arrays of 16 FBG sensors each, as better described in the text, is placed on four directives of the LHC section that passes inside the CMS experiment, namely the CMS central BP. The mechanical complexity of the central BP structure is described and the monitoring results of its thermal conditions and online unpredictable mechanical deformations are discussed in this paper. In spite of the harsh working conditions this monitoring system is operational since 2015 continuously (24/7) and the data collected are a confirmation of its reliability. This FBG sensors system represents the ideal solution to realize an accurate and robust sensing system to be used in harsh environments, like the CMS experimental facility and all the other High Energy Physics experimental infrastructures.

In this work, experimental tests of a full analog fiber optic monitoring system are reported. The proposed concept is conceived to satisfy the constrains imposed to be used for safety application, in terms of robustness and reliability, due to full passive optical devices and an analog-based circuitry. Moreover, it is compatible with the stringent requirements imposed by the Detector Safety System (DSS) of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment at CERN. From the optical side, the main device is the Arrayed Waveguide Grating (AWG), with the aim to filter and address the optical signal through a determined output channel, that is then transduced in electrical by means of a photodiode. From the electronic side, the designed board has the purpose to manipulate the signal in order to have an increasing monotone output current, in the range 4-20 mA, standard widely employed in safety system environment. In this way, the circuit gain can be set in order to match the value to the physical quantity under monitoring threshold. To give proof of its characteristics, the system is subjected to many test led at CERN, in which two Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors are under test into a custom climate box. Step temperature variation, as well as fast oscillating test and long term stability measurement are reported, confirming its key strength and field-validating it.

In the field of accelerator physics it is crucial to account for heating caused by the passage of high intensity beams into accelerator components. This phenomenon is known as Radio Frequency (RF) Beam Induced Heating (BIH) and requires, other than an accurate design stage, to constantly monitor temperature-related parameters during the accelerator operations. This enables to warn for critical malfunctions and to prevent possible damages. Monitoring needs to meet various requirements, such as multiplexing capabilities, distributed sensing possibilities, and robustness in harsh environments. Fiber Bragg Grating sensors (FBGs) have been proven to be an ideal solution that meets all these requirements. This study aims to validate the use of FBGs for direct measurement of RF BIH. A section of the beam pipe in the CERN Large Hadron Collider was modeled in terms of impedance, and the resulting RF BIH was computed based on the traveling beam. The results of the numerical simulation were compared with experimental data obtained by FBGs installed along the beam pipe. The analysis shows that FBGs can be a valuable beam diagnostic tool for monitoring accelerated high energy particle beams by measuring RF BIH and may provide useful insights for improving the design and operation of future accelerators. The study highlights the significant advancements of FBG technology in direct temperature measurement and assessment of RF BIH and serves as a promising solution for mitigating RF BIH in the demanding environment of particle accelerators.

Single-Flux-Quantum (SFQ) logic is a digital electronic technology known for its very low-power consumption (nW-µW) and high operating frequency (up to 100 GHz). Like any other device, SFQ-based logic circuits suffer from manufacturing process issues, specifically concerning variations in the determined values of individual components such as the critical current of a Josephson junction and inductances. This leads to the need for a deep understanding of the circuit performances, its tolerance range and, furthermore, an optimization tool to improve it achieving a certain margin for each component. In this regard, the present article delves into the techniques and the development of a new design parameter optimization algorithm, whose main goal is to increase the critical margin of the circuit. By using such a simple and efficient technique, failures due to the fabrication are avoided and performance enhancement is achieved.

In view of the High Luminosity upgrade of the CERN LHC, the forward CMS Muon spectrometer will be extended with two new stations of improved Resistive Plate Chambers (iRPC) covering the pseudorapidity range from 1.8 to 2.4. Compared to the present RPC system, the gap thickness is reduced to lower the avalanche charge, and an innovative 2D strip readout geometry is proposed. These improvements will allow iRPC detector to cope with higher background rates. A new Front-End-Board (FEB) is designed to readout iRPC signals with a threshold as low as 30 fC and an integrated Time Digital Converter with a resolution of 30 ps. In addition, the communication bandwidth is significantly increased by using optical fibers. The history, final design, certification, and calibration of this FEB are presented.

In the proposed work, a fiber-optic-based sensor network was employed for the monitoring of the liquid resin infusion process. The item under test was a panel composed by a skin and four stringers, sensorized in such a way that both the temperature and the resin arrival could be monitored. The network was arranged with 18 Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBGs) working as temperature sensors and 22 fiber optic probes with a modified front-end in order to detect the resin presence. After an in-depth study to find a better solution to install the sensors without affecting the measurements, the system was investigated using a commercial Micron Optics at 0.5 Hz, with a passive split-box connected in order to be able to sense all the sensors simultaneously. The obtained results in terms of resin arrival detection at different locations and the relative temperature trend allowed us to validate an infusion process numerical model, giving us better understanding of what the actual resin flow was and the time needed to dry preform filling during the infusion process.

Fiber Optic Sensors (FOS), whose advantages have made them widely used in many applications, are up to now not so diffusely used for the monitoring of industrial processes, mainly due to two aspects: the expensiveness and complexity of the sensors monitoring systems. For these reasons, these sensor systems are usually substituted with low performance but easier to manage sensors, in agreement with industrial monitoring standards. The read-out system described in this document overcomes the limitations suffered by the commonly used FOS interrogation system and extends the fields in which FOS can be employed. The circuit handles the transduction of an optical signal to an electrical signal, going from wavelength encoding to voltage or current. Moreover, the proposed system relies on a totally analog and fully modular circuit in combination with a power fluctuation rejection circuit. The system is tested through temperature measurements highlighting it's characteristics of reliability and repeatability. The temperature variation is given by a heat plate and monitored with a calibrated sensor close to the Fiber Bragg Grating sensor under test.

The CMS experiment, located at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in CERN, has a redundant muon system composed by three different gaseous detector technologies: Cathode Strip Chambers (in the forward regions), Drift Tubes (in the central region), and Resistive Plate Chambers (both its central and forward regions). All three are used for muon reconstruction and triggering. The CMS RPC system confers robustness and redundancy to the muon trigger. The RPC system operation in the challenging background and pileup conditions of the LHC environment is presented. The RPC system provides information to all muon track finders and thus contributing to both muon trigger and reconstruction. The summary of the detector performance results obtained with proton-proton collision at √s = 13 TeV during 2016 and 2017 data taking have been presented. The stability of the system is presented in terms of efficiency and cluster size vs time and increasing instantaneous luminosity. Data-driven predictions about the expected performance during High Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) stage have been reported.

Abstract A new generation of resistive plate chambers, capable of withstanding high particle fluxes (up to 2000 Hz · cm -2 ) and instrumented with precise timing readout electronics is proposed to equip two of the four high pseudorapidity stations of the CMS muon system. Double-gap RPC detectors, with each gap made of two 1.4 mm High Pressure Laminate electrodes and separated by a gas gap of the same thickness, are proposed. The new layout reduces the amount of the avalanche charge produced by the passage of a charged particle through the detector. This improves the RPC rate capability by reducing the needed time to collect this charge. To keep the RPC efficiency high, a sensitive, low-noise and high time resolution front-end electronics is needed to cope with the lower charge signal of the new RPC. An ASIC called PETIROC that has all these characteristics has been selected to read out the strips of new chambers. Thin (0.6 mm) printed circuit board, 160 cm long, equipped with pickup strips of 0.75 cm average pitch, will be inserted between the two new RPC's gaps. The strips will be read out from both ends, and the arrival time difference of the two ends will be used to determine the hit position along the strip. Results from the improved RPC equipped with the new readout system and exposed to cosmic muons in the high irradiation environment at CERN GIF++ facility are presented in this work.

In this manuscript, an optically passive fiber Bragg grating (FBG) interrogation system able to perform high-frequency measurement is proposed. The idea is mainly based on the use of an arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) device which is used to discriminate the fiber optic sensor (FOS) wavelength encoded response under test in function of its output channels. As made clear by the theoretical model studied in the proposed manuscript, the Bragg wavelength shift can be detected as in linear dependence with the proposed interrogation function which changes with the voltage produced by two (or more) adjacent AWG output channels. To prove the feasibility of the system, some experimental analyses are conducted with a custom electrical module characterized by high-speed and low-noise operational amplifiers. As static measurements, three FBGs with different full width at half maximum (FWHM) have been monitored under wide-range wavelength variation; while, as dynamic measurement, one FBG, glued onto a metal plate, in order to sense the vibration at low and high frequency, was detected. The output signals have been processed by a digital acquisition (DAQ) board and a graphical user interface (GUI). The presented work highlights the characteristics of the proposed idea as competitor among the entire class of interrogation systems currently used. This is because here, the main device, that is the AWG, is passive and reliable, without the need to use modulation signals, or moving parts, that affect the speed of the system. In addition, the innovative multi-channel detection algorithm allows the use of any type of FOS without the need to have a perfectly match of spectra. Moreover, it is also characterized by a high dynamic range without loss of sensitivity.

During 2013 and 2014 (Long Shutdown LS1) the CMS experiment is upgrading the forward region installing a fourth layer of RPC detectors in order to complete and improve the muon system performances in the view of the foreseen high luminosity run of LHC. The new two endcap disks consists of 144 double-gap RPC chambers assembled at three different production sites: CERN, Ghent (Belgium) and BARC (India). The chamber components as well as the final detectors are subjected to full series of tests established in parallel at all the production sites.

During Phase-2 of the LHC, known as the High Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC), the accelerator will increase its instantaneous luminosity to 5 × 1034 cm−2 s−1, delivering an integrated luminosity of 3000 fb−1 over 10 years of operation starting from 2027. In view of the HL-LHC, the CMS muon system will be upgraded to sustain efficient muon triggering and reconstruction performance. Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs) serve as dedicated detectors for muon triggering due to their excellent timing resolution, and will extend the acceptance up to pseudorapidity values of |η|=2.4. Before Long Shutdown 3 (LS3), the RE3/1 and RE4/1 stations of the endcap will be equipped with new improved Resistive Plate Chambers (iRPCs) having different design and geometry than the present RPC system. The iRPC geometry configuration improves the detector's rate capability and its ability to survive the harsh background conditions of the HL-LHC . Also, new electronics with excellent timing performances (time resolution of less than 150 ps) are developed to read out the RPC detectors from both sides of the strips to allow for good spatial resolution along them. The performance of the iRPC has been studied with gamma radiation at the Gamma Irradiation Facility (GIF++) at CERN. Ongoing longevity studies will help to certify the iRPCs for the HL-LHC running period. The main detector parameters such as the current, rate and resistivity are regularly monitored as a function of the integrated charge. Preliminary results of the detector performance will be presented.

The results of structural and thermal monitoring of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment in the underground site at CERN will be reported. The measurements are carried out by means of Fiber Bragg Grating sensor arrays installed on the CMS detector, from the inner to the outer regions. This fiber optic monitoring system represents the ideal solution to secure a reliable and accurate sensing system to be used 24/7 in the harsh environment at CERN

Four double-gap CMS resistive plate chambers are being tested at the CERN Gamma Irradiation Facility to determine the performance and aging effects at the expected conditions of the High Luminosity-Large Hadron Collider. Results up to an integrated charge of 290 millicoulomb/cm2 are reported.

Abstract During the upcoming High Luminosity phase of the Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC), the integrated luminosity of the accelerator will increase to 3000 fb −1 . The expected experimental conditions in that period in terms of background rates, event pileup, and the probable aging of the current detectors present a challenge for all the existing experiments at the LHC, including the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment. To ensure a highly performing muon system for this period, several upgrades of the Resistive Plate Chamber (RPC) system of the CMS are currently being implemented. These include the replacement of the readout system for the present system, and the installation of two new RPC stations with improved chamber and front-end electronics designs. The current overall status of this CMS RPC upgrade project is presented.

With the increase of the LHC luminosity foreseen in the coming years, many detectors currently used in the different LHC experiments will be dramatically impacted and some need to be replaced or upgraded. The new ones should be capable to provide time information to reduce the data ambiguity due to the expected high pileup. We propose to equip CMS high |η| muon chambers with pairs of single gap RPC detectors read out by long pickup strips PCB. The precise time measurement (0<15 ps) of the signal induced by particles crossing the detector on both ends of each strip will give an accurate measurement of the position of the incoming particle along the strip. The absolute time measurement, determined by RPC signal (around 1.5 ns) will also reduce the data ambiguity due to the highly expected pileup and help to identify Heavy Stable Charged Particles (HSCP). The development of a specific electronic chain (analog front-end ASIC, time-to-digital converter stage and printed circuit board design) and the corresponding first results on prototype chambers are presented.

In this paper, design and simulations of an optoelectronic circuit for the conversion of the optical signal, coming from an interrogation system for FBG sensors, into a digital signal, is presented. The approach is divided into an optical introduction of the interrogation system, an analog section and, finally, digital considerations. The analog processing part is mainly based on the realization of a double stage transimpedance amplifier to obtain, in the working conditions, the best performances required in terms of high gain and wide bandwidth. The output voltage from the analog section is then converted to digital via a 12-bit ADC and sent to an FPGA that processes the defined algorithm in order to obtain the needed optical-electrical linear conversion. The circuit simulations, digital stability and other consideration, including the stability to optical power variability obtained by the numerically simulated interrogation system, are performed, highlighting the peculiarities of this new type of high frequency FBG interrogator.

The CMS experiment recorded 177.75 /fb of proton-proton collision data during the RUN-1 and RUN-2 data taking period. Successful data taking at increasing instantaneous luminosities with the evolving detector configuration was a big achievement of the collaboration. The CMS RPC system provided redundant information for the robust muon triggering, reconstruction, and identification. To ensure stable data taking, the CMS RPC collaboration has performed detector operation, calibration, and performance studies. Various software and related tools are developed and maintained accordingly. In this paper, the overall performance of the CMS RPC system and experiences of the data taking during the RUN-2 period are summarised.

Recent results in the field of film dosimetry demonstrated that the Green–Saunders equation, a solution of the logistic equation describing phenomena of kinetics of chemical reactions, is the absolute calibration function for all radiochromic film types. Taking advantage of the new opto-electronics-based radiochromic film reading method, which allows real-time measurements of the spectral response of radiochromic films, we confirm that the film darkening is ruled by the Green–Saunders equation independently both from the reading instrument or the choice of the observable used for the calibration. In order to demonstrate it, we exposed an XR-QA2 Gafchromic film to 90 Sr/ 90 Y beta rays up to 1400 mGy. Film spectra are recorded in real-time. The calibration is performed by means of two analytic methods: evaluation of the integral under the curves from 500 nm to 645 nm and evaluation of the intensity at 570, 600 and 643 nm. Experimental data fit to the Green–Saunders equation for both methods.

In this paper, the results of the temperature and strain monitoring of the central beam pipe of the Compact Muon Solenoid Experiment (CMS) at CERN are presented. The measurements are carried out by means of a system of Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensor arrays glued on the central Beam Pipe of CMS. The system consisting of FBG sensors represents the ideal solution to manufacture a reliable and accurate sensing system to be used 24/7 in the harsh environment in CMS. The sensing principles of the FBG sensor and its temperature characteristics are introduced. First temperature and strain measurements data are presented. They were recorded during last period of CMS maintenance and first period of LHC collision started in April 2015.

During Run-3, the LHC is preparing to deliver instantaneous luminosity in the range from 5 × 1034 cm−2 s−1 to 7.5 × 1034 cm−2 s−1. To ensure stable data taking, providing redundant information for robust muon triggering, reconstruction and identification, the CMS RPC collaboration has used the opportunity given by the LHC long shutdown 2 (LS2), to perform a series of maintenance and preparation activities for the new data taking period. The overall performance of the RPC system after the LS2 commissioning period and the activities in preparation for future data taking will be presented.

During Run2 the high instantaneous luminosity, up to 2.21034cm−2s−1, lead to a substantial hit rate in the Compact Muon Solenoid experiment’s muon chambers due to multiple background sources to physics processes sought for at LHC. In this article we will describe the analysis method devised to measure and identify the contributions to such background in the Resistive Plate Chambers. Thorough understanding of the background rates provides the base for the upgrade of the muon detectors for the High-Luminosity LHC.

The proposed work has the aim to investigate a full analog electrical circuitry to convert the wavelength-encoded signal coming from a pair of Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors into a single monotonic electrical signal. The latter can be used either to be read from a PLC system (or directly by a switch) if a 4-20 mA signal is needed (e.g. for safety application) or to have an instantly conversion without employing the classical interrogation system with a post-processing by means of a digital unit. Since its peculiarities (robust, reliable and completely free from any digital processing section) the proposed system has the aim to overcome the classical interrogator, with the aim to pave the way to a wider employment of FGB sensor in that environment where the reliability given by the interrogator based on multiple digital processing unit, handled by an operative system, may be subjected to failure. In the proposed manuscript, the system was studied analytically and numerically, taking advantage of its characteristic to behaves linearly in a range of 200pm Bragg wavelength shifting, due to the Arrayed Waveguide Grating (AWG) device, used as optical filter. As results, the capability to perform compensated measurement, by means of 2 FBG subjected to different physical quantities, was investigated. The obtained formula comprises FBGs linear coefficient in function of the physical phenomenon to measure and the system output.

This paper provides an extensive overview of more than a decade of continuous data collected by the Fiber Optic Sensing for CMS (FOS4CMS) network, featuring over 1000 Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors. These FBG sensors have been instrumental in monitoring temperature and strain within the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Their strategic placement allowed for observation of crucial components, including the central beam pipe, silicon tracker, RPC muon detectors, and the underground cavern. Operational since 2009, the monitoring system underwent expansions during LHC Long Shutdowns (LS1 and LS2) and upgrades for LHC Run3. Leveraging Wavelength Division Multiplexing, the FBG sensors demonstrated reliability, seamlessly integrating into the CMS Detector Control System. In summary, the presented data robustly affirm the resilience of FBG sensors in the challenging High Energy Physics environment, with the FOS4CMS system's uninterrupted 24/7 operation over a decade marking a significant milestone in the successful application of FBG technology within the CMS experiment at CERN.

Particle accelerators, such as the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN, are planning to increase the intensity of circulating particle beams. However, this upgrade faces challenges due to beam-induced heating that can lead to operational issues and component damage. To address this, suitable monitoring systems are required. Fiber Optic Sensing using Fiber Bragg Gratings (FBGs) has gained popularity in the High Energy Physics domain. This study focuses on iPipe, a monitoring system based on FBGs installed in the Compact Muon Solenoid experiment since 2015. FBG sensors offer advantages such as immunity to optoelectronic noise, intensity modulation, and radiation-induced losses. The iPipe system was recently upgraded and is currently acquiring data during LHC Run 3. The initial analysis of this data is presented in this paper.

Abstract The expected radiation background in the CMS RPC system has been studied using the MC prediction with the CMS FLUKA simulation of the detector and the cavern. The MC geometry used in the analysis describes very accurately the present RPC system but still does not include the complete description of the RPC upgrade region with pseudorapidity 1.9 &lt; |η| &lt; 2.4. Present results will be updated with the final geometry description, once it is available. The radiation background has been studied in terms of expected particle rates, absorbed dose and fluence. Two High Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) scenarios have been investigated — after collecting 3000 and 4000 fb -1 . Estimations with safety factor of 3 have been considered, as well.

The CMS experiment implements a two-level triggering system composed of Level-1, instrumented by custom-design hardware boards, and a software High Level Trigger. To cope with the more challenging luminosity conditions, a new Level-1 architecture has been deployed during run II. This new architecture exploits in a better way the redundancy and complementarity of the three muon subsystems: Cathode Strip Chambers (CSC), Drift Tubes (DT) and Resistive Plate Chambers (RPC). The role of each subsystem in the Level-1 Muon Trigger is described here, highlighting the contribution from the RPC system. Challenges brought by the HL-LHC environment and new possibilities coming from detector and trigger upgrades are also discussed.

Radiochromic film dosimetry is a technique particularly suitable for dose measurements of radiation hardness assurance tests. The main characteristics of radiochromic films are the precise, accurate and permanent dose values, ease of handling and data analysis, high spatial resolution and wide range of dose. However, measurements of the trend of the dose in time with radiochromic films are very difficult by means of commercial read-out tools. In this work we propose a new method, for which a National Patent was filed, for the determination of the dose in real-time and by remote control with radiochromic films. This method based on optoelectronic instrumentation, makes radiochromic film dosimetry an ideal technique for radiation hardness quality assurance tests.

Abstract The present RPC Link System has been servicing as one of the CMS subsystems since installation in 2008. Although the current Link System has been functioning well for the past 13 years, the aging of its electronic components and lack of radiation hard ASICs could present problems for future operations. Additionally, the needs to have a more robust control interface against electromagnetic interference, to improve the trigger performance with finer time granularity and to incorporate a higher bandwidth transmission lines led the idea of upgrading the Link System for the HL-LHC. This paper reviews the features of the recently developed prototype of the new Link System.

In this contribution an innovative, full analog, fiber optic sensors (FOS) interrogator is designed which, being fully compatible with the 4-20 mA standard of the Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), enable the integration of the FOS technology in safety framework, such as the Detector Safety System (DSS) of the LHC Experiments. It is composed by a full analog electrical circuitry, capable to directly transduce the signal coming from the arrayed waveguide grating (AWG), into a monotonic electrical current in the range of 4-20mA. In a first experimental analysis, a temperature of 50°C was detected, exhibiting an output trend which can be fitted with a 3rd order polynomial equation over the whole range. Furthermore, in a reduced range of 20°C, the trend behaves linearly. The proposed system has the potential to be fully integrated in the DSS of the LHC experiments. Indeed, a validation on field is foreseen in the framework of the Compact Muon Solenoid experiment DSS.

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at European Organization for Nuclear Research is planned to be upgraded to the high luminosity LHC. Increasing the luminosity makes muon triggering reliable and offline reconstruction very challenging. To enhance the redundancy of the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) Muon system and resolve the ambiguity of track reconstruction in the forward region, an improved Resistive Plate Chamber (iRPC) with excellent time resolution will be installed in the Phase-2 CMS upgrade. The iRPC will be equipped with Front-End Electronics (FEE), which can perform high-precision time measurements of signals from both ends of the strip. New Back-End Electronics (BEE) need to be researched and developed to provide sophisticated functionalities such as interacting with FEE with shared links for fast, slow control (SC) and data, in addition to trigger primitives (TPs) generation and data acquisition (DAQ). The BEE prototype uses a homemade hardware board compatible with the MTCA standard, the back-end board (BEB). BEE interacts with FEE via a bidirectional 4.8 Gbps optical paired-link that integrates clock, data, and control information. The clock and fast/slow control commands are distributed from BEB to the FEE via the downlink. The uplink is used for BEB to receive the time information of the iRPC’s fired strips and the responses to the fast/slow control commands. To have a pipelined detector data for cluster finding operation, recover (DeMux) the time relationship of which is changed due to the transmission protocol for the continuous incoming MUXed data from FEE. Then at each bunch crossing (BX), clustering fired strips that satisfy time and spatial constraints to generate TPs. Both incoming raw MUXed detector data and TPs in a time window and latency based on the trigger signal are read out to the DAQ system. Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) of SiTCP and commercial 10-GbE are used as link standards for SC and DAQ, respectively, for the BEB to interact with the server. The joint test results of the BEB with iRPC and Front-End Board (FEB) show a Bit Error Rate of the transmission links less than $$1\times {10^{-16}}$$ , a time resolution of the FEB Time-to-Digital Converter of 16 ps, and the resolution of the time difference between both ends of 160 ps which corresponding a spatial resolution of the iRPC of approximately 1.5 cm. Test results showed the correctness and stable running of the BEB prototype, of which the functionalities fulfill the iRPC requirements.

In the next decades, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) will run at very high luminosity (HL-LHC) 5×1034 cm−2s−1, factor five more than the nominal LHC luminosity. During this period the CMS RPC system will be subjected to high background rates which could affect the performance by inducing aging effects. A dedicated longevity program to qualify the present RPC system for the HL-LHC running period is ongoing. At the CERN Gamma Irradiation Facility (GIF++) four RPC detectors, from the spare production, are exposed to an intense gamma radiation for a dose equivalent to the one expected at the HL-LHC . The main detector parameters are under monitoring as a function of the integrated charge and the performance is studied with a muon beam. Preliminary results of the study after having collected ≈ 34% of the expected integrated charge will be presented.

The Resistive Plate Chambers (RPC) are used for muon triggers in the CMS experiment. To calibrate the high voltage working-points (WP) and identify degraded detectors due to radiation or chemical damage, a high voltage scan has been performed using 2017 data from pp collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV. In this paper, we present the calibration method and the latest results obtained for the 2017 data. A comparison with all scans taken since 2011 is considered to investigate the stability of the detector performance in time.

The second LHC long shutdown period (LS2) is an important opportunity for the CMS Resistive Plate Chambers (RPC) to complete their consolidation and upgrade projects. The consolidation includes detector maintenance for gas tightness, HV (high voltage), LV (low voltage) and slow control operation. All services for the RPC Phase-2 upgrade: improved RPC in stations RE3/1 and RE4/1, were anticipated for installation to LS2. This paper summarises the RPC system maintenance and upgrade activities.

The CMS experiment has 1054 RPCs in its muon system. Monitoring their currents is the first essential step towards maintaining the stability of the CMS RPC detector performance. The current depends on several parameters such as applied voltage, luminosity, environmental conditions, etc. Knowing the influence of these parameters on the RPC current is essential for the correct interpretation of its instabilities as they can be caused either by changes in external conditions or by malfunctioning of the detector in the ideal case. We propose a Machine Learning(ML) based approach to be used for monitoring the CMS RPC currents. The approach is crucial for the development of an automated monitoring system capable of warning for possible hardware problems at a very early stage, which will contribute further to the stable operation of the CMS RPC detector.

Radiochromic film dosimetry is a well-established technique particularly suitable for off-line dose measurements. We propose an innovative method for the determination of the dose in real-time with radiochromic films based on optoelectronic instrumentation.

This thesis describes the innovative applications to the monitoring in harsh environment, represented by the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) detector at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), of the Fibre Bragg Grating (FBG) technology, which, although invented almost 40 years ago, is currently undergoing an explosion in variant manufacturing technologies and applications. The environment inside a large particle physic experiment like the CMS poses several challenges of monitoring spatially varying quantities in an aggressive environment, with high radiation, high magnetic field, tight electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) requirements, where particle detection priorities require monitoring sensors to have very low mass and associated service volume as well as excellent EMC compliance, conditions that can be very well satisfied by FBG-based sensors inscribed on optical fibres. The particular application described here is the monitoring of strain and temperature variation along the beryllium central beam pipe, a vacuum chamber which carries the counter-rotating proton beams in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) to collisions within the CMS experiment.

In this study, a novel monitoring system based on fiber optic technology is investigated. It is based on a full analog electronic circuitry and full passive optical devices, allowing to increase its robustness and reliability, without losing in terms of measurement accuracy. Due to these peculiarities, the conceived system satisfies the constrains imposed by the detector safety systems, a dedicated section in charge to control and handle anything is related to the equipment protection of experimental apparatus like the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiment at CERN. Experimental tests of the proposed system have been conducted in laboratory environment and the results, in terms of temperature variation, are shown. Two Fiber Bragg Grating sensors under test are employed, monitoring a deviation of 20°C with 1°C step, simulating a possible scenario in which the system will be employed in the next months.

We report on a innovative Lab on Fiber (LOF) dosimeter for ionizing radiation monitoring at ultra-high doses. The new dosimeter consists in a metallo-dielectric resonator at sub-wavelength scale supporting localized surface plasmon resonances realized on the optical fiber (OF) tip. The resonating structure involves two gold gratings separated by a templated dielectric layer of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). Two LOF prototypes have been manufactured and exposed, at the IRRAD Proton Facility at CERN in Geneva, to 23 GeV protons for a total fluence of 0.67x10¹⁶ protons/cm² , corresponding to an absorbed dose of 1.8 MGy. Experimental data demonstrate the "radiation resistance" feature of the LOF devices and a clear dependence of the reflected spectrum on the total dose, expressed by a cumulative blue-shift of ~1.4 nm of the resonance combined with a slight increase of 0.16 dBm in the reflected spectrum. According to the numerical analysis and the literature, the main phenomenon induced by exposure to proton beam and able to explain the measured spectral behavior is the reduction of the PMMA thickness. Preliminary results demonstrated the potentiality of the proposed platform as dosimeter at MGy dose levels for High Energy Physics (HEP) experiments.

We measure the efficiency of CMS Resistive Plate Chamber (RPC) detectors in proton-proton collisions at the centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV using the tag-and-probe method. A muon from a Z0 boson decay is selected as a probe of efficiency measurement, reconstructed using the CMS inner tracker and the rest of CMS muon systems. The overall efficiency of CMS RPC chambers during the 2016–2017 collision runs is measured to be more than 96% for the nominal RPC chambers.

Several theoretical models inspired by the idea of supersymmetry (SUSY) accommodate the possibility of Heavy Stable Charged Particles (HSCPs). The Phase II upgrade of the CMS-RPC system will allow the trigger and identification of this kind of particles exploiting the Time-of-Flight Technique with the improved time resolution that a new Data Acquisition System (DAQ) system will provide (∼2 ns). Moreover, new Resistive Plate Chambers (RPC) detector chambers will be installed to extend the acceptance coverage up to |η|<2.4 with similar time resolution and better spatial resolution. We present a trigger strategy to detect HSCPs with the RPC detectors. Its performance is studied with Monte Carlo simulations and the expected results with the High Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC) data are shown.

Resistive Plate Chambers have a very important role for muon triggering both in the barrel and in the endcap regions of the CMS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) . In order to optimize their performance, it is of primary importance to tune the electronic threshold of the front-end boards reading the signals from these detectors. In this paper we present the results of a study aimed to evaluate the effects on the RPC efficiency, cluster size and detector intrinsic noise rate, of variations of the electronics threshold voltage.

The proposed work has the aim to design a full analog electrical circuitry to convert the wavelength-encoded signal coming from a generic Optical Fiber Sensor (OFS) into a monotonic electrical current. The electrical circuitry, related to the single OFS, is composed by one or more Sensing Circuit in function of the dynamic range or if a compensate measurement is needed. The mentioned circuit has the key strength to be robust and reliable: it avoids any kind of digital processing unit; it is completely protected from internal leakage currents due to an optical isolator which has also the aim to reduce noise; then the electrical module has also the capability to restore the output if a source fluctuation occurs or if a loss increment happens; if a loop interruption occurs for a connection or a device breaks down, the output current automatically raise to a threshold value. The proposed concept has been validated with experimental measurement, sensing a temperature deviation of more than 20°C with two different Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensors, as a possible scenario in which it can be employed.