Coded masks for imaging of neutrino events

TL;DR

This paper proposes a novel imaging technique using coded masks and single-photon detectors to reconstruct ionizing particle tracks in liquid Argon and Xenon, aiding neutrino and dark matter research.

Contribution

It introduces a new method combining coded masks with SiPM detectors for high-luminosity imaging of neutrino events in liquid noble gas detectors.

Findings

Successful simulation of signal decoding and recognition

Detection of particle tracks over tens of centimeters

Potential application in neutrino and dark matter detectors

Abstract

The capture of scintillation light emitted by liquid Argon and Xenon under molecular excitations by charged particles is still a challenging task. Here we present a first attempt to design a device able to grab sufficiently high luminosity in order to reconstruct the path of ionizing particles. This preliminary study is based on the use of masks to encode the light signal combined with single-photon detectors. In this respect, the proposed system is able to detect tracks over focal distances of about tens of centimeters. From numerical simulations it emerges that it is possible to successfully decode and recognize signals, even complex, with a relatively limited number of acquisition channels. Such innovative technique can be very fruitful in a new generation of detectors devoted to neutrino physics and dark matter search. Indeed the introduction of coded masks combined with SiPM detectors is proposed for a liquid-Argon target in the Near Detector of the DUNE experiment.