Explore the vast range of titles available.

Muography (or muon radiography) is an imaging technique that relies on the use of cosmogenic muons as a free and safe radiation source. It can be applied in various fields such as archaeology, civil engineering, geology, nuclear reactor monitoring, nuclear waste characterization, underground surveys, etc. In such applications, sometimes deploying muon detectors is challenging due to logistics, e.g. in a narrow underground tunnel or mine. Therefore, we are developing muon detectors whose design goals include portability, robustness, autonomy, versatility, and safety. Our portable muon detectors (or “muoscopes”) are based on Resistive Plate Chambers (RPC), planar detectors that use ionization in a thin gas gap to detect cosmic muons. Prototype RPCs of active area 16×16 cm 2 and 28 × 28 cm 2 were built in our laboratories at Louvain-la-Neuve (UCLouvain) and Ghent (UGent) to test and compare various design options. Benefiting from the experience gained in building and operating these prototypes, we are proceeding towards the development of improved prototypes with more advanced technical layout and readiness. In this paper we provide the status of our performance studies, including the cross-validation of the two types of prototypes in a joint data taking, and an outline of the direction ahead.

In high-energy physics, resistive plate chamber (RPC) detectors operating in avalanche mode make use of a high-performance gas mixture. Its main component, Tetrafluoroethane (C2H2F4), is classified as a fluorinated greenhouse gas. The RPC EcoGas@GIF++ collaboration is pursuing an intensive R&D on new gas mixtures for RPCs to explore eco-friendly alternatives complying with recent European regulations. The performance of different RPC detectors has been evaluated at the CERN Gamma Irradiation Facility with Tetrafluoropropene (C3H2F4)-CO2-based gas mixtures. A long-term ageing test campaign was launched in 2022, and since 2023, systematic long-term performance studies have been carried out thanks to dedicated beam tests. The results of these studies are discussed together with their future perspectives.

The MUon RAdiography of VESuvius (MURAVES) project aims at the study of Mt. Vesuvius, an active and hazardous volcano near Naples, Italy, with the use of muons freely and abundantly produced by cosmic rays. In particular, the MURAVES experiment intends to perform muographic imaging of the internal structure of the summit of Mt. Vesuvius. The challenging measurement of the rock density distribution in its summit by muography, in conjunction with data from other geophysical techniques, can help model possible eruption dynamics. The MURAVES apparatus consists of an array of three independent and identical muon trackers, with a total sensitive area of 3 square meters. In each tracker, a sequence of 4 XY tracking planes made of plastic scintillators is complemented by a 60 cm thick lead wall inserted between the two downstream planes to improve rejection of background from low energy muons. The apparatus is currently acquiring data. This paper presents preliminary results from the analysis of the first data samples acquired with trackers pointing towards Mt. Vesuvius, including the first relative measurement of the density projection of two flanks of the volcano at three different altitudes; we also present the workflow of the simulation chain of the MURAVES experiment and its ongoing developments.

Muography is finding applications in various domains such as volcanology, archaeology, civil engineering, industry, mining, and nuclear waste surveys. To simplify transportation and installation in remote locations after laboratory testing, a fully portable and autonomous muon telescope based on Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs) is being developed. Two glass-RPC prototypes have been created, sharing the same design goals but with different detector parameters, and comparative studies are ongoing. Drawing from prototype experience, a double-gap RPC with advanced features and improved spatial resolution is constructed. Resistive electrodes are produced manually, and a new data acquisition board is currently undergoing calibration. The results on prototype performance, readout board comparisons and the technical progress on the double-gap RPC are presented.

The MUon RAdiography of VESuvius (MURAVES) project aims to use muography imaging techniques to study the internal structure of the summit of the Mt. Vesuvius, an active volcano near Naples, Italy. This paper presents recent advancements in both data analysis and simulation tools that enhance the quality and reliability of the experiments results. A new track selection method, termed the Golden Selection, has been introduced to select high quality muon tracks by applying a refined Chi2 based criterion. This selection improves the signal to background ratio and enhances the resolution of muographic images. Additionally, the simulation framework has been upgraded with the integration of the MULDER (MUon simuLation for DEnsity Reconstruction) library, which unifies the functionalities of pervious used libraries within a single platform. MULDER enables efficient and accurate modeling of muon flux variations due to topographical features. An agreement is shown between simulated and experimental flux map.

Muography (or muon radiography) is an imaging technique that relies on the use of cosmogenic muons as a free and safe radiation source. It can be applied in various fields such as archaeology, civil engineering, geology, nuclear reactor monitoring, nuclear waste characterization, underground surveys, etc. In such applications, sometimes deploying muon detectors is challenging due to logistics, e.g. in a narrow underground tunnel or mine. Therefore, we are developing muon detectors whose design goals include portability, robustness, autonomy, versatility, and safety. Our portable muon detectors (or ``muoscopes'') are based on Resistive Plate Chambers (RPC), planar detectors that use ionization in a thin gas gap to detect cosmic muons. Prototype RPCs of active area \\(16 16~cm^2\\) and \\(28 28~cm^2\\) were built in our laboratories at Louvain-la-Neuve (UCLouvain) and Ghent (UGent) to test and compare various design options. Benefiting from the experience gained in building and operating these prototypes, we are proceeding towards the development of improved prototypes with more advanced technical layout and readiness. In this paper we provide the status of our performance studies, including the cross-validation of the two types of prototypes in a joint data taking, and an outline of the direction ahead.