NAFLUON
Modular Acrylic Cherenkov Detector for 3D Particle Tracking & Electron Shower Studies
Open-source, cost-effective, and infinitely scalable — built to democratize particle physics.
How It Works
From Cherenkov photon emission to full 3D track reconstruction — a four-stage pipeline.
Cherenkov Radiation
When a charged particle (muon, electron) traverses our acrylic radiator faster than the phase velocity of light in that medium, it emits a cone of Cherenkov photons — our primary detection signal.
Photon Collection & Sensing
Five faces of each acrylic cube are wrapped in reflective material (aluminized Mylar) to maximize internal light collection. The sixth face is optically coupled to a Silicon Photomultiplier (SiPM) via a solid optical silicone pad.
Distributed Signal Processing
Each SiPM signal passes through a high-speed comparator producing binary hit signals. Layer-level microcontrollers (ESP32/Pico) capture 25-channel hit maps in real-time with timing data, suppressing dark counts via coincidence logic.
3D Reconstruction
A central Raspberry Pi aggregates timestamped voxel data from all layers, applies cross-layer coincidence logic, and reconstructs full 3D particle trajectories and energy deposition maps for offline analysis.
Technical Specifications
A voxelized, modular architecture designed for accessibility and infinite scalability.
25 independent optical cells per layer, stacked to form a 3D sampling volume
Optically transparent Plexiglas with n ≈ 1.49 refractive index
Plug-and-play modules: bottom, middle, top — no geometrical limit
Silicon Photomultipliers with single-photon sensitivity, coupled via solid optical silicone pads
Dedicated microcontroller per 5×5 layer polling 25 digital channels in real-time
Multi-layer trigger synchronization within a tight time window to reject SiPM dark counts
Central aggregation via SPI/I2C/USB — online monitoring, trigger logic, and data logging
Slide-in high-Z material plates (Pb, Au, Graphene) between layers to induce EM showers
3D-printed enclosures using light-opaque PLA/ABS with matte internal finish eliminate optical cross-talk. The modular bottom, middle, and top modules connect with precision guide features — enabling any student lab to assemble a full detector stack.
Scientific Goals
Four core research objectives driving the NAFLUON detector program.
3D Track Reconstruction
Correlate voxel hit-maps across stacked layers to build full three-dimensional visualizations of particle trajectories and energy deposition profiles through the detector volume.
Particle Identification
Differentiate between muons, electrons, and pions by analyzing penetration depth and interaction topology. Muons produce straight, deep tracks while electrons scatter and initiate electromagnetic showers.
Shower Characterization
Insert high-Z materials (Lead, Gold, Graphene) to study how electromagnetic cascades develop longitudinally and transversely across the voxel volume at varying beam momenta.
Multiplicity & Counting
Distinguish single-particle from multi-particle events (secondary showers, cosmic ray bundles) through simultaneous triggering patterns across multiple voxels and layers.
Experimental Phases
Commissioning & Alignment
Noise characterization, timing synchronization, and physical alignment with the beam axis.
Baseline Tracking Mode
Raw penetration depth measurement, baseline PID, and full 3D track mapping without insertion plates.
Material-Insertion Mode
Systematic studies of secondary particle production and shower formation as a function of material type and thickness.