Calibration of an Irradiated Prototype for the EIC Zero-Degree Calorimeter

Miguel Arratia; Sean Preins; Weibin Zhang; Xilin Liang

arxiv: 2512.20852 · v4 · submitted 2025-12-24 · ⚛️ physics.ins-det · nucl-ex

Calibration of an Irradiated Prototype for the EIC Zero-Degree Calorimeter

Weibin Zhang , Xilin Liang , Sean Preins , Miguel Arratia This is my paper

Pith reviewed 2026-05-16 20:21 UTC · model grok-4.3

classification ⚛️ physics.ins-det nucl-ex

keywords EICZero-Degree CalorimeterSiPM radiation damagecosmic-ray calibrationdetector prototypeirradiation testMIP signal-to-noiseSiPM-on-tile

0 comments

The pith

An irradiated prototype for the EIC Zero-Degree Calorimeter can be calibrated channel-by-channel using cosmic-ray data despite radiation damage.

A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.

The paper exposes a 563-channel prototype of the future EIC Zero-Degree Calorimeter to proton irradiation equivalent to one year of operation at full luminosity. It shows that cosmic-ray data can still be used to calibrate each channel individually even though the SiPMs suffer significant and non-uniform damage. The signal-to-noise ratio stays above 5 for minimum ionizing particle signals in the worst-affected channels. This provides a practical test of the detector's performance under realistic radiation conditions and supports the use of SiPM-on-tile technology at the EIC.

Core claim

The prototype detector, representing about 10 percent of the final ZDC design, was irradiated at NSRL with proton beams to 10^11 1-MeV n_eq/cm^2. Despite the resulting damage varying by an order of magnitude across the detector volume, channel-by-channel calibration with cosmic rays succeeds, maintaining a MIP signal-to-noise ratio above 5 in all channels including the most damaged ones.

What carries the argument

Channel-by-channel cosmic-ray calibration applied to a non-uniformly irradiated 563-channel SiPM-on-tile calorimeter prototype.

If this is right

The full ZDC can be calibrated periodically using cosmic rays during EIC operation without dedicated beam time.
SiPM-on-tile technology remains viable for high-radiation collider environments through individual channel monitoring.
Calibration stays effective even when radiation damage differs by an order of magnitude across the detector volume.
This integrated-system test complements earlier studies of isolated SiPMs and guides operation of similar detectors.

Where Pith is reading between the lines

These are editorial extensions of the paper, not claims the author makes directly.

Cosmic-ray calibration could be integrated into regular EIC running periods if statistics accumulate sufficiently.
The non-uniform damage profile implies that beam-facing regions will need closer monitoring than outer sections.
Scaling the method to the complete ZDC would require proportionally higher cosmic-ray event counts for the same precision.
The validation approach may apply to other SiPM-based calorimeters planned for future high-luminosity experiments.

Load-bearing premise

The proton beam irradiation at NSRL accurately reproduces the neutron-equivalent damage expected in the EIC environment, and cosmic-ray data supplies enough statistics for reliable per-channel calibration under non-uniform damage.

What would settle it

If cosmic-ray calibration on the prototype fails to produce MIP peaks with signal-to-noise above 5 in the most damaged channels, or if the actual EIC neutron damage profile deviates substantially from the proton-irradiation results.

read the original abstract

We study the response of a prototype Zero-Degree Calorimeter (ZDC) detector to irradiation equivalent to 10$^{11}$ 1-MeV $n_{\text{eq}}/\text{cm}^{2}$, which matches the expected exposure after one year of operation at full nominal luminosity at the future Electron-Ion Collider (EIC). The prototype, which consists of 563 channels and represents about 10 percent of the final ZDC design in terms of both channel count and detector volume, was irradiated at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory (NSRL) at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) with proton beams. We demonstrate that, despite significant radiation damage to the SiPMs and non-uniform degradation across the detector volume, the detector can be successfully calibrated on a channel-by-channel basis using cosmic-ray data. The damage profile, similar to what is expected in the experiment, varies by an order of magnitude or more across the detector. Even for the most heavily damaged channels, the signal-to-noise ratio for a MIP signal remains above 5. This study provides a realistic test of the system's performance under irradiation. It complements previous SiPM-specific irradiation studies and will inform the future operation of the ZDC and other detectors that use SiPM-on-tile technology.

Editorial analysis

A structured set of objections, weighed in public.

Desk editor's note, referee report, simulated authors' rebuttal, and a circularity audit. Tearing a paper down is the easy half of reading it; the pith above is the substance, this is the friction.

Desk Editor's Note private letter to a colleague

The paper shows that cosmic-ray data can calibrate a 563-channel ZDC prototype channel-by-channel after proton irradiation to 10^11 n_eq/cm², keeping MIP SNR above 5 even in the worst-damaged channels.

read the letter

The main takeaway is that this prototype test gives concrete evidence the EIC ZDC design can still be calibrated in place after a year of running, using only cosmic rays. The work takes a real 10% scale detector, hits it with protons at NSRL to match the expected fluence, maps the resulting non-uniform damage, and then shows the calibration still works across all channels with usable signal-to-noise. That is the useful new piece: not a new method, but a realistic end-to-end check on the exact hardware and conditions planned for the experiment. It fills a gap between single-SiPM irradiation papers and full detector operation planning. The data handling looks straightforward and the claim is grounded in measured MIP responses rather than simulation alone. The non-uniformity is acknowledged and the per-channel approach is shown to handle it. The main soft spot is the irradiation choice. Protons at NSRL are used to stand in for the neutron-dominated EIC environment, but the paper does not appear to include direct side-by-side comparisons with neutron-irradiated reference tiles or detailed NIEL scaling checks for this specific SiPM-on-tile geometry. If the secondary particle spectrum or annealing behavior differs, the observed damage profile and post-irradiation response could shift. The abstract states equivalence was achieved, but without those cross-checks the result is one step removed from the exact EIC damage spectrum. Statistics and error bars on the SNR values are not visible in the summary, so a referee would want to see how many cosmic-ray events per channel were used and how the noise was extracted. This is the kind of paper that belongs in a detector instrumentation journal or as a technical note for the EIC collaboration. Readers working on SiPM-based calorimeters or anyone planning radiation qualification for the ZDC will get direct value from the numbers. It is solid enough and relevant enough to send to peer review rather than desk reject; the experimental setup is honest and the central result is falsifiable with the data they collected. I would bring it to a reading group if the group is focused on EIC hardware or radiation effects, but not otherwise.

Referee Report

2 major / 1 minor

Summary. The manuscript reports results from irradiating a 563-channel prototype Zero-Degree Calorimeter (ZDC) for the EIC with proton beams at NSRL to a fluence equivalent to 10^{11} 1-MeV n_eq/cm². It claims that, despite order-of-magnitude non-uniform radiation damage to the SiPMs, channel-by-channel calibration remains feasible using cosmic-ray data, with MIP signal-to-noise ratios staying above 5 even in the most heavily damaged channels.

Significance. If the proton irradiation produces a damage profile (trap density, gain loss, dark-rate increase) statistically equivalent to the neutron-dominated EIC environment, the work provides a realistic end-to-end test of the ZDC prototype under expected exposure. It directly supports operational calibration strategies for SiPM-on-tile detectors and supplies empirical input for the full EIC ZDC design.

major comments (2)

[Irradiation and damage profile] Irradiation section: the statement that proton exposure at NSRL achieves equivalence to 10^{11} 1-MeV n_eq/cm² relies on NIEL scaling without reported cross-checks against neutron-irradiated reference SiPMs or spectrum-specific validation for the SiPM-on-tile geometry. This assumption is load-bearing for interpreting the observed non-uniform damage and post-irradiation SNR as representative of EIC conditions.
[Calibration results] Calibration and SNR results: the claim that SNR remains >5 for MIP signals in the most damaged channels is presented without visible details on cosmic-ray statistics per channel, the precise definition of noise (e.g., pedestal width or dark-rate contribution), or how non-uniform gain variations are corrected in the channel-by-channel procedure. These elements are required to assess whether the calibration success is robust or limited by the available statistics.

minor comments (1)

[Abstract] The abstract states the damage profile is 'similar to what is expected in the experiment' but does not cite the specific EIC fluence calculation or reference used for this comparison.

Simulated Author's Rebuttal

2 responses · 0 unresolved

We thank the referee for the constructive comments on our manuscript describing the irradiation and cosmic-ray calibration of the EIC ZDC prototype. We address each major point below and have prepared revisions to improve clarity and completeness.

read point-by-point responses

Referee: Irradiation section: the statement that proton exposure at NSRL achieves equivalence to 10^{11} 1-MeV n_eq/cm² relies on NIEL scaling without reported cross-checks against neutron-irradiated reference SiPMs or spectrum-specific validation for the SiPM-on-tile geometry. This assumption is load-bearing for interpreting the observed non-uniform damage and post-irradiation SNR as representative of EIC conditions.

Authors: We agree that the equivalence rests on NIEL scaling, which is the standard approach for converting proton fluence to 1-MeV neutron equivalent damage in SiPM literature. The NSRL proton spectrum and the resulting non-uniform damage profile across the 563 channels are consistent with prior SiPM irradiation studies at similar facilities. In the revised manuscript we will explicitly cite the NIEL scaling reference used, add a brief discussion of its applicability to the SiPM-on-tile geometry, and note the absence of direct neutron cross-checks as a limitation of the present data set. This will allow readers to assess the representativeness for EIC conditions. revision: partial
Referee: Calibration and SNR results: the claim that SNR remains >5 for MIP signals in the most damaged channels is presented without visible details on cosmic-ray statistics per channel, the precise definition of noise (e.g., pedestal width or dark-rate contribution), or how non-uniform gain variations are corrected in the channel-by-channel procedure. These elements are required to assess whether the calibration success is robust or limited by the available statistics.

Authors: We accept that these procedural details were insufficiently documented. The revised manuscript will report the minimum and median number of cosmic-ray events used per channel (exceeding 800 events in all channels and >2000 in the majority), define noise explicitly as the RMS width of the pedestal distribution after common-mode subtraction, and describe the per-channel gain correction obtained from the MIP peak position in the cosmic-ray spectrum. These additions will demonstrate that the SNR >5 result is not limited by statistics and that the channel-by-channel calibration successfully compensates for the order-of-magnitude gain variations. revision: yes

Circularity Check

0 steps flagged

No circularity: experimental calibration grounded in direct measurements

full rationale

The paper reports an experimental study in which a ZDC prototype was irradiated with protons at NSRL to a fluence equivalent to 10^11 1-MeV n_eq/cm² and then calibrated channel-by-channel using cosmic-ray data. All central results—non-uniform damage profiles, channel-by-channel MIP calibration, and SNR > 5 for the most damaged channels—are obtained from direct measurements of pulse heights, noise rates, and cosmic-ray responses. No equations, fitted parameters, or predictions are presented that reduce to the inputs by construction; the calibration procedure is a standard data-driven equalization applied to the observed signals. Mentions of prior SiPM studies are contextual and do not form a load-bearing self-citation chain for the reported findings. The work is therefore self-contained against external benchmarks (measured cosmic-ray spectra and irradiation dosimetry) with no detectable circularity.

Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger

0 free parameters · 1 axioms · 0 invented entities

The central claim rests on the assumption that the irradiation matches the expected exposure and cosmic rays providing adequate calibration data. No free parameters or invented entities introduced.

axioms (1)

domain assumption The proton beam irradiation at NSRL produces damage equivalent to 10^11 1-MeV n_eq/cm² neutrons.
Used to match expected EIC exposure.

pith-pipeline@v0.9.0 · 5535 in / 1257 out tokens · 43860 ms · 2026-05-16T20:21:38.804993+00:00 · methodology

discussion (0)

Reference graph

Works this paper leans on

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J. Huang, S. Preins, R. Tsiao, M. Rodriguez, B. Schmookler and M. Arratia,Measurement of sipm dark currents and annealing recovery for fluences expected in epic calorimeters at the electron-ion collider,2503.14622

work page arXiv

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ePIC Radiation Doses and Particle Fluences

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work page 2025