PINSTECH R&D Activities - CERN Task Force Review Meeting

Summary

This presentation summarizes the research and development activities, key scientific facilities, organizational structure, and international collaborations of the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology (PINSTECH). It highlights PINSTECH’s ongoing and completed joint projects with CERN, including contributions to ALICE, MEDICIS, the Neutrino Platform, and LINAC accelerator development, as well as human resource training and academic output.

Title Slide - PINSTECH R&D Activities

PINSTECH R&D Activities CERN Task Force Review Meeting April 19, 2022 Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science & Technology (PINSTECH) | CERN

Outline

Outline

• PINSTECH: History and Organogram
• Major Facilities at PINSTECH
• Science Research at PINSTECH
• Technology Development and Technical Services at PINSTECH
• Scientific Collaborations and Quality Assurance at PINSTECH
• PINSTECH’s Association with CERN

PINSTECH: Vision to Reality

PINSTECH Visionary Pioneers: Conceived the vision of establishing PINSTECH in 1960.

• Dr. Ishrat H. Usmani (Chairman, PAEC)
• Prof. Dr. Abdus Salam (Nobel Laureate) Key Milestones:
• 1961
• 1963
• 1965 Reactor Building
• Pakistan Research Reactor-1 (PARR-1)
• Criticality of PARR-1: 21 December 1965

PINSTECH Organogram

Director General

• Director Science:
  • Head of Divisions: Physics, Theoretical Physics, Chemistry
• Director Technology:
  • Head of Divisions: Isotopes Production, Isotopes Application, Materials
• Director Coordination:
  • Head of Divisions: Scientific Information, Management Info & System, Programme Coordination
• Director Systems & Services:
  • Head of Divisions: Nuclear Engineering, Health Physics, Central Analytical Facility, Electronics, General Services
• Director Quality
• Director Finance
• Director Admin

Major Facilities at PINSTECH

Major Facilities at PINSTECH:

• PARR-1
• PARR-2
• Mo-99 Production
• Tc-99m Generator
• Iodine-131 Production
• Furnaces
• XRD
• SEM
• Optical Microscope + Heating Stage

Science Research at PINSTECH - Physics

PHYSICS:

• High Energy Physics:
  • Study of Quark Gluon Plasma (QGP), to investigate the matter formed shortly after the Big Bang
  • ALICE-CERN HEP Data Analysis, GEM Readout chambers for ALICE-TPC, Simulation studies for GEMs/ITS and high energy interactions
  • Event vertex reconstruction of JUNO (JUNO-IHEP China)
  • Entanglement properties of neutrino flavors in vacuum as well as in material medium (JUNO-IHEP China)
• Atomic Physics:
  • Ion induced sputtering, atomic excitations and secondary electron emission studies, nanosecond pulsed electron beam and nanosecond pulsed X-rays generation
• Plasma Physics:
  • Investigation of waves instabilities in both space and laboratory plasmas
  • Nonlinear wave structures such as solitons, cnoidal and vortices in plasmas
  • Wave-particle interaction in fusion plasmas
• Condensed Matter Physics:
  • Experimental condensed matter physics, Ferroelectric, Piezoelectric, Perovskite, Spinel structured materials

Science Research at PINSTECH - Chemistry

CHEMISTRY:

• Analytical Chemistry
• Nuclear Chemistry
• Materials Chemistry
• Catalysis/Electro-Chemistry
• Separation Chemistry Key Research Areas:
• Analysis of diverse matrices for their elemental, radioisotope and organic content
• Preparation of electrodes and catalyst for renewable energy and environmental applications
• Preparation of reference materials for QA/QC
• Synthesis of different materials such as calcium hydroxyapatite (HAp) for decontamination of heavy metals/radioactive waste
• Synthesis of resins and 2D materials for environmental remediation and extraction purposes

Science Research at PINSTECH - Materials Science & Nanomaterials

Materials Science / Nanomaterials / Functional Materials:

• Nanomaterials-based Li ion batteries (LiBs)
• Electrochemical biosensors
• Photocatalyst for environmental remediation
• Controlled synthesis of functional nanomaterials
• Development of SERS (Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy) technique
• Piezoelectric crystals of different compositions for different applications
• Synthesization of Mn-Zn Ferrite transformer cores Facilities & Projects:
• Argon glove box for fabrication of coin cell batteries, Lithium ion coin cell batteries testing system
• Au-ZnO hybrid structures, Charge Capacity of Au-ZnO based LiBs
• CeB6 Cathode for electron emission for LINAC Project
• Scintillation Screen for LINAC Project

Technology Development at PINSTECH - Radioisotopes

Production of radioisotopes/radiopharmaceuticals in Research Reactor at PINSTECH:

• Isotopes: Mo-99/Tc-99m/I-131
  • Fission Mo-99/Tc-99m: ~1300 generators/year (Weekly production of 40-45 generators ~ 300-600 mCi)
  • Iodine-131: ~1000 consignments/year
  • Freeze Dried kits: Type of kits = 11, ~30000 vials/year Supplying to:
• 19 PAEC Cancer Hospitals
• 24 Public Sector Hospitals
• 16 Private Hospitals Facilities:
• Tc-99m Generator Production Facility
• Hot Cell-1: Heating and Evaporation of I-131
• Hot Cell 2: Dispensing of I-131 in container with computer control measurement

Technology Development at PINSTECH - Composites

Composites: Al-B4C

• Lab. Scale Development: R & D on Al/B4C plate was demonstrated on Lab. scale (Ingot -> Billet -> Sheet)
• Pilot Scale Development/Facilities:
  • Objective: To develop Al/B4C composite plates for spent fuel storage racks and casks
  • Current Status: Pilot plant is in operation; Facility would be enough to cater current needs of PAEC power sector

Technology Development at PINSTECH - LINAC

LINAC:

• 6 MeV LINAC for NDT (prototype developed)
• 6 MeV Medical LINAC by June 2022
• 6 MeV LINAC for Cargo scanning June 2023 Future Development:
• Enhancement of Energy up to 15 MeV
• Experimentation around LINAC

Technical Services at PINSTECH - Health Physics

Health Physics Technical Services:

• Radiation protection/surveillance and technical support
• Personal dosimetry and standard calibration of dosimetry related systems used for the diagnostic of cancer patients and radiation workers
• Solid and liquid radioactive waste management
• R&D, teaching and training related to radiation, radiation protection and radiation emergency handling
• Radiological environmental monitoring country wide

Scientific Collaborations

International Collaborations:

• IAEA:
  • Technical Cooperation Projects (TCP)
  • Coordinated Research Projects (CRP)
  • RCA (Regional / National)
  • Establishment of Labs, Procurement of Equipment, Manpower Training, Expert Mission
  • Pakistan is one of highest recipient of Technical Cooperation Program of IAEA
• CERN: Associate Membership, Trainings
• ICTP: Research, Training
• IHEP: Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO)

National Collaborations:

• Pakistan Science Foundation
• National Centre for Physics
• National Universities (Quaid-i-Azam University, NUST, International Islamic University, HEC, etc.)

Quality Assurance and Control

Quality Assurance and Control:

• Regional Resource Centers (IAEA / RCA):
  • Isotope Hydrology
  • Neutron Activation
• Certifications:
  • ISO (9001:2015) certification:
    • Isotope Production
    • Health Physics
    • Central Analytical Facility
  • PNAC (Pakistan National Accreditation Council) ISO/IEC 17025 (LAB 012)

PINSTECH’s Association with CERN

Association Timeline:

• 2015: Pakistan became an Associate Member of CERN
• 2017: PINSTECH signed an MOU with ALICE Collaboration for an Associate Membership
• 2018: PINSTECH-Medicis (ISOLDE) started collaboration
• 2020: PINSTECH and CERN’s Neutrino-platform signed a cooperation addendum
• 2020: PINSTECH became a Member of MEDICIS (ISOLDE) collaboration

PINSTECH-CERN Collaboration Areas

Collaboration Areas:

• ALICE:
  • High energy heavy-ion physics (Data Analysis)
  • GEM based detectors for ALICE TPC Upgrade
  • Simulation studies for ALICE ITS
• MEDICIS:
  • Radio-lanthanides separation process development
  • Implantation foils material development
  • Ba128/PtCl2 production processes
• Neutrino Platform:
  • CVN (Convolutional Visual Network) based data analysis
  • Neutrino interaction classification
  • Neutrino flavour identification
• CLIC + CTF3 + LINAC4:
  • Control of DC electron gun for CTF3 drive beam
  • Electronics of drive beam gun
  • CTF3 beam operations

PINSTECH-CERN Timeline (2016-2018)

• 2016:
  • High Energy Physics Group (HEPG) was established at PINSTECH
  • LINAC (PINSTECH) scientists visited CERN for training
• 2017:
  • PINSTECH and ALICE Experiment signed an MOU for the Associate Membership
  • Chairman PAEC visited CERN and ALICE Experiment
• 2018:
  • Member (science) PAEC visited CERN, MEDICIS & ALICE
  • A CERN delegate including Ms. Charlotte and Prof. Emmanuel visited PINSTECH

PINSTECH-CERN Timeline (2019-2020)

• 2019:
  • A dedicated group for ALICE collaboration (ALICE-CERN Group) was established at PINSTECH
  • DG PINSTECH represented PINSTECH in ALICE week at CERN
• 2020:
  • An addendum was signed between PINSTECH and CERN’s Neutrino Platform
  • PINSTECH became a member of CERN’s MEDICIS (ISOLDE) Collaboration
  • PINSTECH organized a webinar on ‘PINSTECH-CERN’ Collaboration activities

Person-power Trainings

PINSTECH-CERN Trainings:

1. ALICE: 05 persons trained on Physics Analysis, GEM based detectors, O2 Framework for Run3
2. MEDICIS: 03 persons trained on Development of radioisotopes separation and purification processes
3. CLIC + CTF3: 06 persons trained on Electronics of drive beam gun, CTF3 beam operations, Control of DC Electron Gun for CTF3

PINSTECH-CERN Scientific Output

Scientific Output in Collaboration with CERN:

1. Research Papers: 08 total (ALICE: 05, MEDICIS: 01, CLIC: 02)
2. CERN Analysis/Technical Notes: 04 total (ALICE: 03, MEDICIS: 01)
3. Poster Presentations: 02 (ALICE: 02)
4. Conference Talks: 05 (ALICE: 03, CLIC: 02)
5. Student Theses: 16 (ALICE: 11 completed + 5 ongoing)

• 07 Students/Researchers trained with CERN went on to PhD studies in Germany, Norway and China (ALICE: 01, CMS: 01, ATLAS: 02, STAR: 01, DESY: 02)

PINSTECH-CERN Outreach Activities

Webinars / Workshops:

1. Webinar on PINSTECH-CERN Collaboration (2020) - 235 participants
2. A Workshop on Computing with Python (2020) - 61 participants
3. Seminar on ALICE physics analysis and TPC upgrade (2019) - 43 participants
4. Seminar on ALICE physics analysis (2019) - 38 participants
5. Seminar on Heavy Ion Physics with ALICE at CERN (2019) - 25 participants
6. Symposium on Data Analysis for High Energy Physics (2018) - 75 participants
7. Workshop on Monte Carlo Simulations-Applications in Science and Technology (2017) - 67 participants
8. Two days seminar on Pakistan’s Collaborations with CERN and SESAME (2016) - 176 participants
9. Two Weeks Seminar on Fluka and its Applications (2016) - 14 participants

PINSTECH-CERN Projects (completed) - ALICE Physics Analysis

ALICE Physics Analysis (Completed Projects):

• (Anti-)deuteron spectra and absorption study in the detector material of ALICE for p-Pb collisions
• Production of (anti-)deuterons in pp collisions at √s = 13 TeV
• Pi/K/p production in Xe-Xe collisions at √sNN = 5.44 TeV Published Results:
• Transverse momentum distributions of deuterons (left) and constraints (right) on the inelastic cross section of 3He as a function of momentum in pp at 13TeV
• Average mean transverse momentum as a function of transverse multiplicity and coalescence parameter B2 at pT/A = 1.05 GeV as a function of charged particle multiplicity
• Spectra of pi/K/p in Xe-Xe collisions at 5.44 TeV

PINSTECH-CERN Projects (completed) - ALICE TPC GEM Upgrade

ALICE TPC GEM Upgrade (Completed Projects):

• Preparation and Installation of GEM based chambers on the ALICE TPC (Time Projection Chamber)
• GEM foils QA for ALICE TPC
• Assembly and testing of GEM chambers for CMS muon system upgrade
• Simulation studies of secondary discharges in GEM structures
• Successful installation acknowledgement by ALICE TPCU Installation Team

PINSTECH-CERN Projects (completed) - PINSTECH-MEDICIS

PINSTECH-MEDICIS (Completed Projects):

• Carrier Added Radio lanthanides Separation Process Development
• Non Carrier Added Radio lanthanides Separation Process Development
• Implantation Foils Material Development
• Ba128 and PtCl2 Production Processes
• Milestone: Accomplished the first radiochemistry test @MedicisPromed, separating Europium-149 and Thulium-168 from samples produced during 1st operational year

PINSTECH-CERN Projects (completed) - LINAC at PINSTECH

LINAC at PINSTECH - Design & Operational Parameters:

• Max Energy: 06 MeV
• Input Power: 2.5 MW
• Pulse Repetition Freq.: 50 Hz
• RF Pulse Width: 4 μs
• Operation frequency: 2998.2 MHz
• Output current: 80 mA
• X-ray Dose Rate (@ 100cm): 0.54 Gy/min Key Areas:
• Radiography (NDT)
• Electron Gun and Beam Optics
• RF Accelerator Design and Development
• HV Pulsed Modulators
• EPICS based Control System of LINAC
• Trainings at CERN played an important role in development of indigenous LINAC technology at PINSTECH

PINSTECH-CERN Projects (Ongoing) - ALICE Physics Analysis + ITS Simulations

Ongoing Projects:

• Delta (Δ++ / Δ̄—) resonances production in p-Pb collisions at √sNN = 5.02 & 8.16 TeV (Presented in ALICE Resonance PAG meeting Oct 27, 2021)
• High multiplicity pi/K/p production in pp collisions using O2 framework (The Raw yield of π+ in pp collisions at 13 TeV using O2 Physics environment)
• Particle identification based on cluster size using inner tracking system (ITS) detector (Cluster size distribution for pion π+ presented in ALICE WP1: ITS3 Physics Studies meeting Dec 15, 2021)
• Simulation modelling of particle production in HEP interactions

PINSTECH-CERN Projects (Ongoing) - MEDICIS, Neutrino Platform & Accelerator Research

PINSTECH-MEDICIS:

• Parameters Optimisation For Non Carrier/Carrier Added Production of Radio lanthanides
• Exchange of medical research isotopes between PINSTECH and CERN
• Automatic Setup For Large Scale Isotopes Production at CERN

PINSTECH-Neutrino Platform & Accelerator Research:

• Development of medical LINAC
• Accelerator based Neutrino Physics and its Implications (with DUNE-CERN)

Closing Slide

Thanks