Graduation Semester and Year
Spring 2025
Language
English
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy in Physics and Applied Physics
Department
Physics
First Advisor
Dr. Jonathan Asaadi
Second Advisor
Dr. Benjamin Jones
Third Advisor
Dr. Yuan Mei
Fourth Advisor
Dr. Raquel Castillo Fernandez
Fifth Advisor
Dr. Varghese Chirayath
Abstract
Particle detectors are the cornerstone of experimental high energy physics. They enable physicists to study fundamental interactions and characterize subatomic particles. Recent advancements in detector technology have been propelled by the inventive integration of simulation, advanced materials, and improved electronic readouts. The primary motivation of this thesis is to advance the detector technologies to enhance sensitivity to neutrinoless double beta decay in high pressure xenon time projection chambers. Additionally, it includes work on other detector technologies, such as liquid argon time projection chambers, and documents my involvement in assembly, measurement, and simulation efforts.
Summary of the Chapters and Appendices Included in this Thesis
- Chapter 1: Overviews the basics of neutrino physics, including the neutrino mass hierarchy, the see-saw mechanism, and the neutrinoless double beta decay.
- Chapter 2: Covers the operation principles of high-pressure xenon time projection chambers (HP-Xe TPCs).
- Chapter 3: Highlights my contributions to the Camera Readout and Barium Tagging (CRAB) Demonstrator prototype detector and includes the published article.
- Chapter 4: Explains the integration of a GPU-based optical simulation (Opticks) into the experimental codebase used for the NEXT experiment (NEXUS), provides a comparison with the conventional CPU-based approach, and includes the published article.
- Chapter 5: Demonstrates the measurement of electron transverse diffusion and the impact of doping with methane in high-pressure xenon gas with an optical TPC coupled with an image intensifier and EM-CCD camera.
- Chapter 6: Highlights contributions to two articles related to studies using Tetra-Phenyl-Butadiene (TPB) and PolyEthylene Naphthalate (PEN) wavelength shifters in liquid argon.
- Conclusion: Provides a summary and final remarks.
- Appendix A: Describes contributions to the Liquid Argon Purification system and Purity Monitor at UTA.
- Appendix B: Outlines contributions to the SBND Collaboration.
- Appendix C: Details contributions to the QPIX Collaboration.
- Appendix D: Explains contributions to the SiPM Wheel experiment.
- Appendix E: Introduces Scope Control, a Python-based tool for acquiring and plotting waveforms from an oscilloscope.
- Appendix F: Showcases the Fusion 360 model of the Cryogenic Dewar currently stationed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL).
- Vita: Highlights the author's background and future plans.
Keywords
Transverse diffusion in xenon and methane, Geant4, Wiener filter, CRAB, Liquid argon, Neutrinoless double beta decay, Opticks, Electroluminescence, Particle detectors, Nuclear decays
Disciplines
Elementary Particles and Fields and String Theory
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Parmaksiz, ilker, "Advancing Particle Detection in High-Energy Physics through Simulation and Experimentation" (2025). Physics Dissertations. 178.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/physics_dissertations/178