Characterization and performance comparison of MCP based detectors for soft X-ray detection

SOLEIL is the French synchrotron radiation facility, located on the Saclay plateau near Paris. It is a multidisciplinary instrumentation and research laboratory whose mission is to conduct research programs using synchrotron radiation, to develop state-of-the-art instrumentation on the beamlines, and to make these available to the scientific community. The SOLEIL synchrotron is used annually by several thousand researchers from France and abroad across various disciplines, including physics, biology, chemistry, astrophysics, the environment, and earth sciences. This Very Large Research Infrastructure (TGIR), a partner of Université Paris-Saclay, is a “civil” company jointly founded by CNRS and CEA.

The detectors group of Soleil synchrotron focuses on developing innovative detection techniques and solutions to enable the experiments conducted on the beamlines in various fields of science and technology. The group contributes to many R&D projects, equipping the beamlines with efficient detectors and anticipating future needs by leading new developments at the forefront of detection technologies.

I. Missions and task

This internship will be conducted within the Detector Group at SOLEIL. One of the major challenges in the field of synchrotron instrumentation is the efficient detection of low-energy soft X-ray photons in beam diagnostics. The objective of the internship is to evaluate and characterize the use of microchannel plates (MCPs) integrated with a phosphor screen and a CMOS camera. The aim is to assess the performance of this setup for detecting soft X-rays and to compare its capabilities with other diagnostic methods. Through this internship, the candidate will participate in the integration of detector setup, characterization and will perform the analysis of the recorded data. This study will contribute to optimizing beamline diagnostics for low-energy X-rays and potentially implement different approaches for soft X-ray detection.

II. Desired Experience / Knowledge:

• Master-1 or equivalent • Interest in Radiation Detectors, measurements and Instrumentation

• Basic Understanding of Radiation Interaction with Matter

• Profficiency in English

• Data handling/analysis (Python/C++) Durée du stage et période souhaitée : ~3 mois, May - Aug, 2025.