Лаборатория физики высоких энергий им. В. И. Векслера и А. М. Балдина
Семинар ЛФВЭ «Детекторные технологии» № 6-2026
Дата и время: четверг, 11 июня 2026 г., в 11:00
Место: корп. 215, к. 347, Лаборатория физики высоких энергий им. В. И. Векслера и А. М. Балдина, онлайн в Zoom
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Тема семинара: «Tunnel-guided neutron irradiation platform and active cyclone V FPGA validation for the MPD TPC readout electronics at NICA»
Докладчик: Умна Гхонейм
Авторы: Умна Гхонейм, Сергей Мовчан, Ахмед Солиман
Аннотация:
The Time Projection Chamber (TPC) is the main tracking detector of the MPD experiment at the NICA collider and relies on Cyclone V-based FPGAs for data aggregation, synchronisation, and slow control of the SAMPA front-end readout chain. Ensuring radiation resilience of these FPGAs in the mixed neutron-gamma environment of the TPC electronics region is critical for long-term operation. We implement and validate an active Cyclone V GX FPGA workload on a Terasic development kit, combining multi-mode LED control, HDMI image processing, and UART-based reporting to emulate realistic switching activity and I/O utilisation during neutron exposure.
A dedicated tunnel-guided shielding box is designed and modelled in COMSOL Multiphysics to concentrate radiation from an AmBe source on the FPGA while attenuating exposure of surrounding board components through geometric confinement and layered shielding. Multi-group neutron and gamma transport calculations confirm that field intensities remain localised along the tunnel axis and in the FPGA region, with significant attenuation in neighbouring board areas. This platform enables active neutron-irradiation studies of Cyclone V electronics under conditions representative of the MPD TPC readout environment.
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Тема семинара: «Slow-control of selected MPD TPC systems, FPGA neutron-irradiation qualification, and neutron-irradiation effects on plastic pipe permeability for TPC cooling systems»
Докладчик: Умна Гхонейм
Аннотация:
The aim of the dissertation is to develop, integrate, and experimentally validate cooling, thermal stabilization, and slow control systems for the MPD Time Projection Chamber, and to establish a radiation hardness assurance framework for Cyclone V FPGA devices under neutron irradiation, thereby ensuring stable operation and reliable data acquisition of the MPD TPC under realistic thermal and radiation conditions.
The scientific novelty of the dissertation is reflected in the following main results:
- A dedicated slow control GUI for TPC LV/HV and ECAL cooling subsystems into a single operational concept.
- An experimentally supported framework for qualifying plastic hose materials for use in TPC cooling circuits has been formulated, linking multi-physics simulations, Raman spectroscopy, mechanical testing, and gas permeability measurements to operational constraints of the MPD TPC.
- A radiation reliability methodology for Cyclone V FPGA devices has been established, based on neutron irradiation campaigns with evaluation boards, diagnostic firmware, and systematic analysis of single event effects and failures in configuration and JTAG paths under MPD relevant neutron fluences.
- An experimental study of front end electronics noise in a dedicated ROC chamber setup has been performed, demonstrating the sensitivity of TPC readout channels to low voltage distribution and electromagnetic interference, and confirming the effectiveness of an on chamber low voltage filter implementation.
- Designed UART-based diagnostic reporting for real-time transmission of image-processing metrics (bounding-box coordinates, pixel counts, object validity flags) to host systems.
- Designed the tunnel-guided shielding box geometry and layered material configuration in COMSOL Multiphysics for localized Am–Be neutron-gamma irradiation of the FPGA target region.
- Performed multi-group neutron and gamma field MCNP Monto Carlo calculations to verify spatial localisation of radiation exposure and attenuation characteristics of the shielding structure.
- Carried out Quartus-based synthesis, place-and-route, and timing analysis, followed by ModelSim functional verification and hardware validation on the Cyclone V GX Starter Kit.