Extra-large crystal emulsion detectors for future large-scale experiments

TL;DR

This paper introduces large-crystal photographic emulsion detectors that enable faster data readout and are suitable for large-scale particle tracking applications like muon radiography and neutrino experiments.

Contribution

Development of new photographic emulsion detectors with significantly larger crystals, improving readout speed and enabling large-scale experimental applications.

Findings

Crystal size increased to 600-1000 nm, 3-5 times larger than conventional emulsions.

Achieved 25 times faster data readout with maintained sensitivity.

Demonstrated potential for large-scale 3D imaging and neutrino detection.

Abstract

Photographic emulsion is a particle tracking device which features the best spatial resolution among particle detectors. For certain applications, for example muon radiography, large-scale detectors are required. Therefore, a huge surface has to be analyzed by means of automated optical microscopes. An improvement of the readout speed is then a crucial point to make these applications possible and the availability of a new type of photographic emulsions featuring crystals of larger size is a way to pursue this program. This would allow a lower magnification for the microscopes, a consequent larger field of view resulting in a faster data analysis. In this framework, we developed new kinds of emulsion detectors with a crystal size of 600-1000 nm, namely 3-5 times larger than conventional ones, allowing a 25 times faster data readout. The new photographic emulsions have shown a sufficient sensitivity and a good signal to noise ratio. The proposed development opens the way to future large-scale applications of the technology, e.g. 3D imaging of glacier bedrocks or future neutrino experiments.