时间投影室原理及其应用

Principle and Application of Time Projection Chamber

时间投影室是一种广泛应用于大型物理实验的粒子鉴别探测器,它通过粒子径迹产生电离电子的漂移时间和漂移方向的投影位置确定径迹三维坐标,具备较好的能量分辨和很高的位置分辨能力。自时间投影室被发明以来,已广泛应用于国外的大科学实验装置上,在对撞机和固定靶实验等方面均发挥了很大的作用。虽然国内的科研机构在早期对时间投影室进行过一些初步研究,但由于技术的限制并没有展开过很多应用。近十年间,伴随着锦屏地下实验室的PandaX-Ⅲ实验的开展、东莞中国散裂中子源等一批科研装置的落地、环形正负电子对撞机的概念设计完成,时间投影室作为主径迹探测器在这些实验中承担了很大一部分工作,并已进行了更多的研发和使用。现阶段有必要对时间投影室在国内外的具体应用与发展进行梳理,本文先梳理出时间投影室的发展历史、工作原理和现状以及时间投影室上核心读出探测器的发展,然后介绍时间投影室在国外大科学实验装置上的应用和最新进展,最后给出时间投影室在国内科研项目上的应用。以此为时间投影室下一步的研发与应用奠定基础。

Time projection chamber(TPC)is a particle identification detector widely used in large-scale physics experiments.It determines the three-dimensional coordinates of particle tracks by projecting the drift time and drift direction of ionized electrons,with good energy resolution and very high position resolution.Since its invention,TPC has been extensively employed in large scientific experimental facilities abroad,playing significant roles in colliders and fixed target experiments.Although domestic research institutions conducted some preliminary studies on TPC in the early stage,technical limitations restricted its wide adoption.However,over the past decade,with the establishment of facilities such as the PandaX-Ⅲexperiment at Jinping Underground Laboratory and the Dongguan China Spallation Neutron Source,and the conceptual design of the Circular Electron Positron Collider(CEPC),TPCs have undertaken a significant portion of the work as primary track detectors in these experiments as the main track detector,leading to further R&D efforts.At this crucial juncture,it is necessary to review the specific applications and development of TPC both domestically and internationally to lay a solid foundation for future work.The paper focuses on three main aspects:1)the historical development,working principles,current status,and the progress of core readout detectors for TPCs;2)the applications and latest advancements of TPC in major scientific experimental facilities abroad;3)the applications of TPC in domestic research projects.