618 papers
This collection explores the fascinating world of instrumentation and detection within physics, focusing on the tools and sensors that allow scientists to measure the universe. From advanced particle trackers to sensitive gravitational wave detectors, these innovations form the backbone of modern discovery, turning abstract theories into observable data.
On Gist.Science, we process every new preprint in this field as it appears on arXiv, ensuring you stay ahead of the curve. Each paper is accompanied by a clear, plain-language explanation alongside a detailed technical summary, bridging the gap between complex research and accessible knowledge.
Below are the latest papers in physics instrumentation and detection, offering fresh insights into how we observe the fundamental nature of reality.
This paper presents a compact 40-liter test facility at Roma Tre designed to measure the optical properties of high-purity liquid argon by directly submerging vacuum ultraviolet silicon photomultipliers to eliminate systematics associated with wavelength shifters and light guides.
This study presents a direct in-chamber measurement method for 220Rn (thoron) emanation that minimizes transfer losses and achieves a fivefold sensitivity increase over conventional flowthrough setups, offering an effective tool for background control in rare-event physics experiments.
This paper proposes a cost-effective, single-channel cross-correlation technique for resistance noise measurements that utilizes simultaneous dual-frequency modulation and software-based demodulation to reduce background noise and improve the signal-to-noise ratio by 7 dB without requiring duplicated hardware.
This report details the design and characterization of a high-sensitivity cosmic muon telescope using plastic scintillators coupled to Multi-Pixel Photon Counters (MPPCs), which successfully validated the system's performance by measuring an angular distribution exponent of consistent with established literature.
This study utilizes scanning SQUID susceptometry to directly image and quantitatively model the long-range spatial structure of superconducting proximity effects in S-S'-S transition edge sensors, revealing how neighboring superconducting and normal metal contacts dramatically tune local transition temperatures and detector sensitivity.
A Boron-10 coated double-GEM detector was successfully developed and tested at the HANARO reactor as a helium-3-free alternative for cold-neutron imaging, achieving an absolute detection efficiency of 8.69% and a spatial resolution of approximately 700 μm.
This paper establishes a methodological foundation for designing electrostatic MEMS-based electron optics by developing an accurate analytical and numerical model for thin electrodes with fringing fields, which was validated through the design, fabrication, and characterization of a spiral phase plate capable of generating high-quality vortex beams.
The MiniCACTUS-v2 prototype, a depleted monolithic CMOS timing sensor fabricated in a 150 nm process and tested at CERN in July 2025, achieved a record time resolution of 48.88 ps on a 175-micron-thick sensor operated at 500 V.
This paper presents the development and validation of high-precision Time-of-Flight detectors using high-refractive-index Cherenkov radiators coupled with Silicon Photomultipliers, achieving a system-level time resolution better than 33.2 ps and 100% detection efficiency through rigorous optimization and CERN beam tests.
This paper presents the operational capabilities, extensive parameter characterisation, and diverse scientific applications of Wombat, the high-intensity neutron diffractometer at the Australian Centre for Neutron Scattering, highlighting its optimisation for in situ and in operando studies across a broad range of materials over 17 years of operation.