• ACP
• carbon fiber
• CERN
• DUNE
• Fermilab
• high modulus
• INFN
• neutrino
• prototype
• SAND
• straw tube tracker

The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) is a next-generation neutrino experiment in construction at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab, USA). Thanks to the unprecedented high intensity of neutrinos provided by the Fermilab accelerator, DUNE will improve the precision on all the neutrino oscillation parameters allowing to solve the long standing question of the neutrinos mass hierarchy and to investigate the contribution of the neutrinos to the matter-antimatter asymmetry observed in our universe.

In order to study the neutrino oscillations DUNE has to measure the neutrino fluxes and spectra close to the production site (near detector) and, after a distance of about 1300 km, with a far detector made of four huge tanks of liquid argon. The near detector is made of three sub-detectors: a smaller liquid argon tank, a magnetized muon tracker and the System for on-Axis Neutrino Detection (SAND).

SAND is a sophisticated experimental apparatus, consisting of multiple independent detectors: an electromagnetic calorimeter, a liquid argon time projection chamber, and a straw-tracker. The straw-tracker is being designed and will be constructed through a collaborative effort involving the Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics (INFN), the Georgian Technical University, the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR), the University of South Carolina, the University of Hamburg, and the Indian institutes of IIT Guwahati and NISER.

The primary function of the straw-tracker is to accurately trace the trajectory of the charged particles produced in the neutrino interaction and to measure with high precision their momentum to obtain the energy of the incoming neutrino. This represents a significant challenge, given the large dimension of the detector and the requirements on its alignment, very light mass and mechanical stability.

Between June and November 2023, I have engaged in this research for my Master's thesis. I have worked within the INFN section of Pisa on the design of the carbon fiber frame which is used to keep the straw tubes in position. I have managed all the aspects of the design process, starting from the conceptual design and concluding with the assembly of the first 1200 mm x 800 mm prototype.

• Chapter 1 provides an overview of the DUNE experiment, including its scientific motivations, a brief presentation to the open questions in neutrino physics, and a description of DUNE experimental apparatus and techniques.
• Chapter 2 offers a comprehensive description of the DUNE straw tube tracker, encompassing technical, mechanical, and electronic specifications, as well as the goals for the prototyping phase.
• Chapter 3 outlines the mechanical analyses conducted on the detector's components, along with the underlying assumptions and hypotheses. Experimental activities used to validate the Finite Element Method (FEM) model are shown, followed by the presentation of FEM results.
• Chapter 4 details the assembly procedure for the 1200 mm x 800 mm prototype.
• Chapter 5 summarizes the conclusions and outlines potential future developments.