Invited Speakers

Recent Developments in Micro Pattern Gaseous Detector at the MPT Workshop at CERN

Adam Drozd

This talk will present the Micro Pattern Technologies (MPT) workshop, its team, infrastructure and capabilities, with an emphasis on recent developments in Micro Pattern Gaseous Detector (MPGD) technologies. The main part of the presentation will focus on MPGD fabrication techniques, covering GEM, MicroMegas and their different implementations, as well as uRWELL and uRGrooves. Recent developments aimed at improving detector performance and rate capability will also be discussed.The talk will then present developments in the workshop’s magnetron sputtering machine for the deposition of Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) layers, focusing on the precision and uniformity of their resistive properties and their application to MPGDs. Finally, recent developments in aluminium circuits, including rigid, flexible, double- and multilayer structures, superconducting circuits, and the deposition of different materials as converter layers for PICOSEC detectors, will be presented.

Gaseous Detectors in Direct Dark Matter Searches

Patrick Knight

Dark matter is known to make up more than 80% of the matter in the universe, however, its particle nature remains a mystery. Gaseous detectors play a key role in the search for dark matter, from being used in direct detection experiments to measuring rare atomic effects to enhance existing and future experiments. Several detector technologies will be presented, including time projection chambers, optical time projection chambers, and spherical proportional counters, and how these are employed in the direct dark matter detection effort. The talk will touch upon the varied applications, covering directional detection, low-mass particle dark matter searchers, and the Migdal effect.

Neutron Detector R&D at ISIS: μRWELL Technologies for Future Scattering Instruments and Imaging Systems

Davide Raspino

Neutron scattering facilities worldwide are expanding through the construction of new high-brightness sources and the upgrade of existing instruments. These developments place increasing demands on detector technologies, requiring higher spatial resolution, improved rate capability, greater reliability, and sustainable long-term operation. This presentation reviews neutron-detector activities at the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, focusing on MPGD technologies and R&D for future neutron-scattering instruments. Several generations of 3He detector systems are currently deployed at ISIS. Resistive Wire Detectors (RWDs), used since the 1990s, continue to provide reliable large-area neutron detection and are currently undergoing modernisation of their readout electronics. Multi-Strip Gas Chambers (MSGCs), the very first MPGDs, originally developed at the Institute Laue-Langevin, also remain operational on selected instruments despite increasing challenges posed by component obsolescence.

A major area of current research is the μRWELL (micro-Resistive WELL) detector, a micro-pattern gaseous technology that combines high gas gain with intrinsic spark protection through a resistive layer. This approach addresses limitations encountered in GEM-based detectors operating in high-pressure 3 He/CF 4 mixtures. Experimental studies have demonstrated stable operation, adequate gain for neutron detection, and good rate performance, making μRWELL well suited to demanding neutron scattering applications. The μRWELL has been selected as the baseline detector technology for the proposed MUSHROOM spectrometer within the ISIS Endeavour Programme. MUSHROOM is a next-generation indirect-geometry inelastic neutron spectrometer designed to deliver substantial gains in measurement capability through a large-area, high-rate detector system. The presentation will describe the ongoing R&D programme supporting this development, including detector optimisation, operation in high-pressure gas mixtures, electronics integration, and large-scale system implementation. In addition, recent studies of uRWELL detectors for neutron imaging will be presented. These developments aim to exploit the excellent spatial resolution and scalability of micro-pattern gaseous detectors for imaging applications ranging from cultural heritage and archaeometry to more general neutron imaging and non-destructive testing. Together, these activities highlight the continuing role of gaseous detector innovation in enabling future neutron scattering and imaging facilities.