Volume 1: Student Life Chapter 461: Finding That Trace of Inspiration
Chen Zhou just stood there.
He stood there for a long time without moving.
Yang Yiyi turned around and started to busy herself with her own things.
She knew that she must not disturb Chen Zhou at this time.
The time Chen Zhou was stunned was much longer than before.
This means that Chen Zhou is trying to grasp the inspiration she brought at this moment.
Yang Yiyi was indeed right.
At this moment, countless thoughts burst into Chen Zhou's mind.
This goes far beyond the idea just mentioned on the linear representation of Artin's L function of the Galois group.
As time passed, Chen Zhou entered a state of meditation for nearly 7 minutes.
Finally, it moved slowly.
Unlike before, this time he walked steadily to his desk.
Chen Zhou took a look at the draft papers in his hand, put them back on the table, and said silently in his heart: "Wait a minute..."
He replaced the few remaining pen refills and took out a new stack of draft paper in case of emergency.
Afterwards, Chen Zhou began to pursue inspiration.
As we all know, particle detectors are indispensable tools and means in nuclear physics, particle physics research and radiation applications.
Of course, there are countless physical experiments, or experiments in other disciplines, that require detectors and advanced detection methods.
There's much more to it than just particle detectors.
But the so-called detection has many similarities.
This is also one of the reasons why Chen Zhou asked Yang Yiyi for advice.
While recalling the document he had read, Chen Zhou began to write on the draft paper.
It’s not that he hasn’t sorted out the principles and types of detectors.
But he believed that in order to grasp the possible inspiration, it was extremely necessary to sort out these contents again.
As for whether you can find that hint of inspiration from another review and successfully grasp it.
Chen Zhou didn’t know.
However, everything depends on human efforts.
On the draft paper, Chen Zhou wrote very quickly:
When particles interact with matter in the detector, they produce some kind of information, such as electrical or light pulses or changes in the material's structure.
It is then amplified, recorded and analyzed to determine the number, position, energy, momentum, flight time, speed, mass and other physical quantities required to determine the particles.
According to the recording method, particle detectors are generally divided into two categories: counters and track chambers. 】
Having written this, Chen Zhou habitually took the pen and tapped twice on the draft paper.
After a brief recollection, he continued:
[Counter type: records and analyzes certain information generated by radiation in the form of electrical pulses.
Track chamber: measures nuclear radiation by recording and analyzing the track images produced by radiation.
After writing this text, Chen Zhou put down his pen again and tapped on the draft paper as usual.
However, this time, there are many more dots left on the draft paper than before.
Chen Zhou recalled all the particle detectors in his mind.
It is not limited to the type of detector needed in the jellyball experiment.
Using more to indicate less, and changing from quantitative change to qualitative change, is a method that Chen Zhou is familiar with.
"For particle detectors such as counters, the main types are ionization chambers, proportional counters, and Geiger counters. Gas ionization detectors measure radiation by collecting ionization charges generated by radiation in the gas."
"And multi-wire chambers and drift chambers that are variants of proportional counters, and others such as semiconductor detectors, scintillation counters, Cherenkov counters, transmissive radiation counters, electromagnetic calorimeters..."
"The structure of gas ionization detectors is basically similar. They are generally cylindrical containers with two electrodes, filled with some kind of gas, and a voltage is applied between the electrodes..."
"The difference is the operating voltage range. The ionization chamber operates at a lower voltage and directly collects the ion pairs originally generated by the radiation in the gas..."
"However, the output pulse amplitude of the ionization chamber is small and the rise time is fast, so it can be used to measure radiation dose and energy spectrum..."
Thinking of this, Chen Zhou muttered: "Structure, deconstruction?"
He then began to deconstruct the gas ionization detector on scratch paper.
Faced with this sudden idea, Chen Zhou naturally would not let it go.
All the ideas that come up during the process of sorting out and looking for possible inspiration.
He won't let go!
After deconstructing the ionization chamber, Chen Zhou took another careful look at the contents on the draft paper.
Only then did we begin to deconstruct the proportional counter and Geiger counter, which are both gas ionization detectors.
"In contrast, the proportional counter has a higher operating voltage, which can cause the original ions moving at high speed in the electric field to produce more ion pairs, and collect many more ion pairs on the electrode than the original ion pairs, which is the gas amplification effect."
"…thereby obtaining a higher output pulse whose amplitude is proportional to the energy lost by the incident particle, which is suitable for energy spectrum measurement."
"A Geiger counter, also known as a Geiger-Muller counter or G-M counter, operates at a higher voltage and undergoes multiple ionization processes."
"…the amplitude of the output pulse is therefore very high and is no longer proportional to the number of ion pairs originally ionized, and can be recorded directly without amplification."
"…it can only measure the number of particles but not the energy, and it takes a long time to complete a pulse count…"
When Chen Zhou was fully absorbed in his "deconstruction" research, Yang Yiyi even tilted her head to glance at him.
I watched it for about 10 seconds.
Afterwards, Yang Yiyi began to think about what takeout to bring for Chen Zhou today.
Because judging from Chen Zhou's condition, he will probably continue to work hard on research.
I have to say that deconstruction is not an easy task.
Compared to the previous review, this time it may take twice as long.
Even more than that...
However, time is not about how much you have, but how you use it.
Spending time on meaningful things is the best way to enjoy your time.
After completing the deconstruction of the gas ionization detector, Chen Zhou began to deconstruct the multi-wire chamber and drift chamber.
Since they are variations of proportional counters, these two things must be more powerful than proportional counters.
The reason is simple.
If a proportional counter is sufficient, then why do we need a multi-filament chamber and a drift chamber?
This is indeed the case. The multi-wire chamber and drift chamber have both counting functions and can distinguish the areas through which charged particles pass.
Moreover, there is a progressive relationship between the multi-filament chamber and the drift chamber.
The multi-wire chamber has many parallel electrode wires and is in the working state of a proportional counter.
Each filament and its adjacent space is equivalent to a detector, which is connected to a recording instrument at the back.
Therefore, only when the particle being detected enters the space near the filament will the associated recording instrument record an event.
In order to reduce the number of electrode wires, the location where the ions are generated can be determined by measuring the time it takes for the ions to drift to the wire. This requires another detector that gives a starting signal and roughly defines the location where the event occurs.
The counting device made according to this principle is called a drift chamber.
It has a better position resolution, which can reach 50μm.
However, the progressive efficiency of the multi-filament chamber and the drift chamber is not very high.
The count rate allowed by the drift chamber is not as high as that of the multi-wire chamber.
Chen Zhou, sitting at the desk, kept writing down what was in his mind with the pen in his hand.
This state of complete immersion not only brought out his talent in physics efficiently, but also stimulated his physics thinking, constantly searching for possible inspiration.
As the ink in the pen continued to decrease, the content on the draft paper became more and more.
The stack of blank draft paper was also being consumed at a steady pace.
This also shows that Chen Zhou's thinking is extremely clear.
It also represents that Chen Zhou’s purpose is absolutely clear.
Nearing 1 p.m., Yang Yiyi was the first to break away from her own world.
She tilted her head to look at Chen Zhou again, and then prepared to buy lunch.
In order not to disturb Chen Zhou, Yang Yiyi tried to make her movements as light as possible.
In order to prevent the chair from moving, Yang Yiyi turned around gently before standing up.
Before leaving the dormitory, I also turned the key and closed the door.
Because she knew that Chen Zhou now only needed his own world.
To Chen Zhou, any extra sound was like something from outer space.
About 10 minutes after Yang Yiyi left, Chen Zhou put down the pen in his hand.
However, after looking at the time, Chen Zhou turned his head and did not see Yang Yiyi.
After being stunned for a second, Chen Zhou smiled knowingly.
Because of Yang Yiyi's instructions, he didn't dare to neglect his three meals a day.
But now, he can finally concentrate on his research in peace.
At the same time, Chen Zhou also felt a little emotional. It turned out that only when there was a partner around could one devote himself to research...
Without any hesitation, Chen Zhou decisively rushed into the particle detector world he had just left.
"The carriers generated by radiation in the semiconductor are collected under a reverse bias electric field, and the generated electrical pulse signal is used to measure..."
Chen Zhou is quite familiar with semiconductor detectors.
Be familiar not only with semiconductor detectors themselves, but also with semiconductor devices.
When he was studying for the project of the 43rd Institute of China Science and Technology Group, he read a lot of information on this subject.
Moreover, he dealt with this thing a lot in subsequent particle accelerator experiments and in his own physics graduation thesis.
Since it was something he was familiar with, Chen Zhou's efficiency in deconstructing it was naturally much higher.
"Current semiconductor detectors often use silicon and germanium as semiconductor materials, and there are three main types."
"A surface barrier type in which a gold film is sprayed onto an n-type single crystal..."
"A diffusion junction type in which a layer of impurities capable of providing electrons is diffused into a p-type silicon wafer with a relatively high resistivity..."
"A lithium drift type in which a thin layer of metallic lithium is sprayed on the surface of p-type germanium or silicon and then drifted..."
Improved efficiency is one thing, and more thinking brought about by experience is another.
On the draft paper, Chen Zhou circled "silicon" and "germanium" with a pen.
Then the word "diamond" was written next to it.
It seemed that something was not right, so they added the word "carbon" after "diamond".
Chen Zhou did not go into details about the extension of this aspect, or the development of a possible new subject.
After all, that doesn't seem to be the point at the moment.
After Yang Yiyi brought back lunch, Chen Zhou quickly solved his stomach problem.
This happened almost every day over the next few days.
Chen Zhou never leaves the house and relies on Yang Yiyi for all his food and drink.
His mind was filled with thoughts of particle detectors.
Chen Zhou also put aside the mathematical sub-topic and the Goldbach conjecture.
Generally speaking, interdisciplinary research can indeed improve research efficiency to a certain extent.
After all, when research in a subject stalls, it's always good to change your mindset.
However, when the research on a subject enters a state of full-scale outbreak, there is an urgent need to pursue that ray of inspiration.
It's completely different.
Only by devoting yourself wholeheartedly and continuously can the countless thoughts in your mind be released.
"A scintillation counter uses charged particles to hit a scintillator, ionizing and exciting atoms or molecules, which emit light during the de-excitation process. Photoelectric devices such as photomultiplier tubes convert the light signal into a measurable electrical signal for measurement..."
"As for the characteristics, the resolution time is short, the efficiency is high, and the energy of the particle can be measured based on the size of the electrical signal..."
"In more detail, there are inorganic scintillators that are suitable for both energy and time measurement..."
"Organic scintillators are often used in time measurement due to their short light decay time, and their detection efficiency for charged particles is nearly 100%..."
"And the gas scintillator that uses inert gases such as helium, which has low luminous efficiency but short light decay time..."
After the semiconductor detector, the next thing Chen Zhou completed was the deconstruction of the scintillation counter.
At this point, Chen Zhou has completed the deconstruction of the most basic detector.
Later on, he will be more concerned about several types of detectors.
"The first part took a day and a half, and a total of about 23 hours..."
Before starting to deconstruct the next detector, Chen Zhou silently calculated the time it would take.
I have to say that Chen Zhou is the best in terms of both efficiency and tenacity.
But he still thought it wasn't enough.
Time is very tight.
"Three more days!"
Silently setting a deadline for himself, Chen Zhou's eyes revealed a hint of determination.
Although Professor Friedman still did not come to see him even after Coyle and Matheson came.
But this rubber ball experiment topic really can’t be delayed any longer.
It’s almost 2017!
Am I going to bring this thing with me to celebrate New Year's Eve?
If it was because he didn't catch that hint of inspiration in the end, then he had nothing to say.
But if it was because his seriousness, or the efficiency of deconstruction, had not reached the limit, it would have led to the New Year's Eve.
He absolutely would not allow that!
After the time limit was set, Chen Zhou increased his intensity again.
"When the speed of a high-speed charged particle in a transparent medium exceeds the speed of light in the medium, Cherenkov radiation will be generated."
"Its radiation angle is related to the particle velocity, and thus provides a detector for measuring the velocity of charged particles, namely a Cherenkov counter..."
"Cherenkov counters are often used in conjunction with photomultiplier tubes. They can be divided into two types: the threshold type that only records particles with a speed greater than a certain speed, and the differential type that only selects particles with a certain speed..."
After completing the deconstruction of the Cherenkov counter, Chen Zhou immediately started to deconstruct the radiation counter.
This is a new method for identifying high-energy particles in the energy range when the particle speed is extremely high, very close to the speed of light, and flight time and Cherenkov counters are unable to identify the particles by distinguishing the speed.
Here, high-speed charged particles passing through the interface of two media will produce penetrating radiation, and its radiation energy is proportional to the particle energy.
December 28, 3:35 am.
Chen Zhou turned off the lights and went to bed only after he finished deconstructing the radiation counter.
Although it was late, Chen Zhou felt very fulfilled.
At 8 o'clock in the morning, Chen Zhou got up, washed up simply, ate the breakfast bought by Yang Yiyi, and then continued to work.
That’s right, Chen Zhou has temporarily canceled his morning run .
He eliminated all external factors that interfered with time.
"Electromagnetic calorimeter, also called shower counter. High-energy electrons or gamma photons will produce electromagnetic showers in the medium. The total energy loss of its secondary particles is proportional to the total energy of the incident particles..."
"Thus, once the total energy loss is collected, the total energy of the particle can be determined..."
When the deconstruction of the electromagnetic calorimeter was halfway done, Chen Zhou stopped writing and found the draft paper he had completed the deconstruction two days ago.
The reason is that this thing is divided into two types: full absorption type and sampling type.
The sampling type is composed of a sampling counter and a lead plate overlapped.
The sampling counter can be a liquid argon ionization chamber, a plastic scintillation counter, and a multifilament chamber...
December 29th, 3:26 am.
After completing the deconstruction of the electromagnetic calorimeter, Chen Zhou also completed the deconstruction of the hadron calorimeter and the self-quenching streamer counter.
Only then did he turn off the lights and go to sleep contentedly.
By 11:11 a.m., Chen Zhou had completed the disassembly of all the counter-type particle detectors.
Immediately, the deconstruction of the tracking chamber type particle detector began.
With the previous experience, Chen Zhou's efficiency was improved again.
And that hint of inspiration seemed to be right before my eyes.
Chen Zhou had a hunch that the time to catch it should be not far away.
"The 'nuclear emulsion method' of photographic emulsions capable of recording the individual tracks of charged particles ..."
"The cloud chamber and bubble chamber method is a method that makes the ion clusters generated by the incident particles form condensation centers in the supersaturated vapor, thereby forming droplets, and form vaporization centers in the superheated liquid to become bubbles. The tracks of the charged particles are recorded by photography, making them visible..."
December 30th, 4:00 a.m.
After deconstructing the 'nuclear latex method' and the 'cloud chamber and bubble chamber method', Chen Zhou turned off the lights and went to sleep.
Even though I knew that after waking up, I would be able to deconstruct all the particle detectors within the deadline.
But even when Chen Zhou fell asleep, he still remained ready to work at any time.
In fact, Chen Zhou also wanted to stay up all night and continue his research.
But he knew that state of extreme fatigue would seriously slow down the research speed.
Although he only sleeps for a short time now, it is much better than not sleeping at all.
The human body is sometimes very strange. Even if you sleep a lot during the day, it is not as good as the few hours of sleep at night.
"When particles enter the device and are ionized, the ions move under the strong electric field, forming multiple ionizations and multiplying very quickly. During the multiple ionizations, streamers are first produced, and then sparks are produced, making the tracks of the charged particles visible..."
"Heavy charged particles hit materials such as mica and plastic, causing damage along the way. After chemical etching, the damage is enlarged into observable cavities..."
12:34 am.
Chen Zhou habitually took up the pen and tapped the draft paper, and heaved a sigh of relief.
All the particle detectors, all the particle detectors in the literature.
Chen Zhou has completed all the deconstruction work.
No longer tapping the draft paper with the pen, Chen Zhou slowly put down the pen in his hand.
I took over all the pile of draft paper that I had obtained from working so hard these days.
Then, put the collection of wrong questions aside.
Chen Zhou looked at these two things with extremely sharp eyes.
The inspiration that I had been pursuing finally became clear.
Regarding the detection method, or particle detector, required in the Glueball Experiment.
Chen Zhou already has an idea.
And now, it's time to hold on to that hint of inspiration.
And verified it thoroughly!
