Sensors for nuclear and particle physics

Sensors in nuclear and particle physics experiments are ideally massless, wireless, power-free, smart, and levitating. While many of these attributes are beyond the bounds of practical realization due to physical constraints, they serve as aspirational goals.

Massless

• In particle tracking applications, the mass through which a particle traverses can cause energy loss and scattering, leading to a change in direction. Both of these factors deteriorate the precision of measurements. Minimizing sensor mass is, therefore, highly desirable.
• In low-background experiments, a lower mass of materials that contain radioactivity means a lower background.

Wireless

• Wires for power and signal transmission often cause interference and engineering difficulties.

Power-free

• Sensors that consume power generate heat, which is difficult to manage, especially in cryogenic environments.

Smart

• Sensors are desirable to be capable of picking useful information out of all measurements at the very front of the signal chain. The design and manufacturing of sensors itself shall incorporate machine learning and generative design as well.

Levitating

• Anchoring sensors mechanically to specific locations for optimal signal measurement is a primary engineering challenge. Achieving sensor levitation would circumvent the need for such mechanical structures, presenting a novel solution to this issue.