Particle detection and tracking with DNA
Abstract We present the first proof-of-concept simulations of detectors using biomaterials to detect particle interactions. The essential idea behind a “DNA detector” involves the attachment of a forest of precisely-sequenced single or double-stranded nucleic acids from a thin holding layer made of...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
SpringerOpen
2022-04-01
|
| Series: | European Physical Journal C: Particles and Fields |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-022-10264-6 |
| _version_ | 1811290385508466688 |
|---|---|
| author | Ciaran A. J. O’Hare Vassili G. Matsos Joseph Newton Karl Smith Joel Hochstetter Ravi Jaiswar Wunna Kyaw Aimee McNamara Zdenka Kuncic Sushma Nagaraja Grellscheid Céline Bœhm |
| author_facet | Ciaran A. J. O’Hare Vassili G. Matsos Joseph Newton Karl Smith Joel Hochstetter Ravi Jaiswar Wunna Kyaw Aimee McNamara Zdenka Kuncic Sushma Nagaraja Grellscheid Céline Bœhm |
| author_sort | Ciaran A. J. O’Hare |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract We present the first proof-of-concept simulations of detectors using biomaterials to detect particle interactions. The essential idea behind a “DNA detector” involves the attachment of a forest of precisely-sequenced single or double-stranded nucleic acids from a thin holding layer made of a high-density material. Incoming particles break a series of strands along a roughly co-linear chain of interaction sites and the severed segments then fall to a collection area. Since the sequences of base pairs in nucleic acid molecules can be precisely amplified and measured using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), the original spatial position of each broken strand inside the detector can be reconstructed with nm precision. Motivated by the potential use as a low-energy directional particle tracker, we perform the first Monte Carlo simulations of particle interactions inside a DNA detector. We compare the track topology as a function of incoming direction, energy, and particle type for a range of ionising particles. While particle identification and energy reconstruction might be challenging without a significant scale-up, the excellent potential angular and spatial resolution ( $$\lesssim 25^\circ $$ ≲ 25 ∘ axial resolution for keV-scale particles and nm-scale track segments) are clear advantages of this concept. We conclude that a DNA detector could be a cost-effective, portable, and powerful new particle detection technology. We outline the outstanding experimental challenges, and suggest directions for future laboratory tests. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T04:11:57Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-292f516afeb2449aa09c445d3ad23930 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1434-6052 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T04:11:57Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Physical Journal C: Particles and Fields |
| spelling | doaj.art-292f516afeb2449aa09c445d3ad239302022-12-22T03:03:04ZengSpringerOpenEuropean Physical Journal C: Particles and Fields1434-60522022-04-0182412210.1140/epjc/s10052-022-10264-6Particle detection and tracking with DNACiaran A. J. O’Hare0Vassili G. Matsos1Joseph Newton2Karl Smith3Joel Hochstetter4Ravi Jaiswar5Wunna Kyaw6Aimee McNamara7Zdenka Kuncic8Sushma Nagaraja Grellscheid9Céline Bœhm10ARC Centre of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Physics, The University of SydneySchool of Physics ,Physics Road, The University of SydneySchool of Physics ,Physics Road, The University of SydneySchool of Physics ,Physics Road, The University of SydneySchool of Physics ,Physics Road, The University of SydneySchool of Physics ,Physics Road, The University of SydneyGarvan Institute of Medical ResearchDepartment of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical SchoolSchool of Physics ,Physics Road, The University of SydneyComputational Biology Unit, Department of Biological Sciences, University of BergenARC Centre of Excellence for Dark Matter Particle Physics, The University of SydneyAbstract We present the first proof-of-concept simulations of detectors using biomaterials to detect particle interactions. The essential idea behind a “DNA detector” involves the attachment of a forest of precisely-sequenced single or double-stranded nucleic acids from a thin holding layer made of a high-density material. Incoming particles break a series of strands along a roughly co-linear chain of interaction sites and the severed segments then fall to a collection area. Since the sequences of base pairs in nucleic acid molecules can be precisely amplified and measured using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), the original spatial position of each broken strand inside the detector can be reconstructed with nm precision. Motivated by the potential use as a low-energy directional particle tracker, we perform the first Monte Carlo simulations of particle interactions inside a DNA detector. We compare the track topology as a function of incoming direction, energy, and particle type for a range of ionising particles. While particle identification and energy reconstruction might be challenging without a significant scale-up, the excellent potential angular and spatial resolution ( $$\lesssim 25^\circ $$ ≲ 25 ∘ axial resolution for keV-scale particles and nm-scale track segments) are clear advantages of this concept. We conclude that a DNA detector could be a cost-effective, portable, and powerful new particle detection technology. We outline the outstanding experimental challenges, and suggest directions for future laboratory tests.https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-022-10264-6 |
| spellingShingle | Ciaran A. J. O’Hare Vassili G. Matsos Joseph Newton Karl Smith Joel Hochstetter Ravi Jaiswar Wunna Kyaw Aimee McNamara Zdenka Kuncic Sushma Nagaraja Grellscheid Céline Bœhm Particle detection and tracking with DNA European Physical Journal C: Particles and Fields |
| title | Particle detection and tracking with DNA |
| title_full | Particle detection and tracking with DNA |
| title_fullStr | Particle detection and tracking with DNA |
| title_full_unstemmed | Particle detection and tracking with DNA |
| title_short | Particle detection and tracking with DNA |
| title_sort | particle detection and tracking with dna |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1140/epjc/s10052-022-10264-6 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ciaranajohare particledetectionandtrackingwithdna AT vassiligmatsos particledetectionandtrackingwithdna AT josephnewton particledetectionandtrackingwithdna AT karlsmith particledetectionandtrackingwithdna AT joelhochstetter particledetectionandtrackingwithdna AT ravijaiswar particledetectionandtrackingwithdna AT wunnakyaw particledetectionandtrackingwithdna AT aimeemcnamara particledetectionandtrackingwithdna AT zdenkakuncic particledetectionandtrackingwithdna AT sushmanagarajagrellscheid particledetectionandtrackingwithdna AT celinebœhm particledetectionandtrackingwithdna |