7,498 research outputs found
The STAR Time Projection Chamber: A Unique Tool for Studying High Multiplicity Events at RHIC
The STAR Time Projection Chamber (TPC) is used to record collisions at the
Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). The TPC is the central element in a
suite of detectors that surrounds the interaction vertex. The TPC provides
complete coverage around the beam-line, and provides complete tracking for
charged particles within +- 1.8 units of pseudo-rapidity of the center-of-mass
frame. Charged particles with momenta greater than 100 MeV/c are recorded.
Multiplicities in excess of 3,000 tracks per event are routinely reconstructed
in the software. The TPC measures 4 m in diameter by 4.2 m long, making it the
largest TPC in the world.Comment: 28 pages, 11 figure
Particle Physics Instrumentation
This report summarizes a series of three lectures aimed at giving an overview
of basic particle detection principles, the interaction of particles with
matter, the application of these principles in modern detector systems, as well
techniques to read out detector signals in high-rate experiments.Comment: 11 pages, contribution to the 1st Asia-Europe-Pacific School of
High-Energy Physics, Fukuoka, Japan, 14 - 27 Oct 201
A triple GEM detector with two dimensional readout
The triple GEM detector is a micropattern gas detector which consists of a
primary ionisation gap and three consecutive gas electron multiplier (GEM)
foils. A printed circuit board with readout strips detects the current induced
by the drifting electron cloud originating from the last GEM stage. Thus the
gas amplification and the signal readout are completely separated. Triple GEM
detectors are being developed as a possible technology for the inner tracking
in the LHCb experiment.
In an earlier note we have reported first experience with such a detector in
a test beam at PSI. Here we describe the construction of an improved version
(thinner transfer gaps, segmented GEM foils, two dimensional readout). Results
from performance measurements are presented using intense hadronic beams as
well as cosmic ray data.Comment: 20 pages, 24 figure
The High-Acceptance Dielectron Spectrometer HADES
HADES is a versatile magnetic spectrometer aimed at studying dielectron
production in pion, proton and heavy-ion induced collisions. Its main features
include a ring imaging gas Cherenkov detector for electron-hadron
discrimination, a tracking system consisting of a set of 6 superconducting
coils producing a toroidal field and drift chambers and a multiplicity and
electron trigger array for additional electron-hadron discrimination and event
characterization. A two-stage trigger system enhances events containing
electrons. The physics program is focused on the investigation of hadron
properties in nuclei and in the hot and dense hadronic matter. The detector
system is characterized by an 85% azimuthal coverage over a polar angle
interval from 18 to 85 degree, a single electron efficiency of 50% and a vector
meson mass resolution of 2.5%. Identification of pions, kaons and protons is
achieved combining time-of-flight and energy loss measurements over a large
momentum range. This paper describes the main features and the performance of
the detector system
Studies of aging and HV break down problems during development and operation of MSGC and GEM detectors for the Inner Tracking System of HERA-B
The results of five years of development of the inner tracking system of the
HERA-B experiment and first experience from the data taking period of the year
2000 are reported. The system contains 184 chambers, covering a sensitive area
of about 20 * 20 cm2 each. The detector is based on microstrip gas counters
(MSGCs) with diamond like coated (DLC) glass wafers and gas electron
multipliers (GEMs). The main problems in the development phase were gas
discharges in intense hadron beams and aging in a high radiation dose
environment. The observation of gas discharges which damage the electrode
structure of the MSGC led to the addition of the GEM as a first amplification
step. Spurious sparking at the GEM cannot be avoided completely. It does not
affect the GEM itself but can produce secondary damage of the MSGC if the
electric field between the GEM and the MSGC is above a threshold depending on
operation conditions. We observed that aging does not only depend on the dose
but also on the spot size of the irradiated area. Ar-DME mixtures had to be
abandoned whereas a mixture of 70% Ar and 30% CO2 showed no serious aging
effects up to about 40 mC/cm deposited charge on the anodes. X-ray measurements
indicate that the DLC of the MSGC is deteriorated by the gas amplification
process. As a consequence, long term gain variations are expected. The Inner
Tracker has successfully participated in the data taking at HERA-B during
summer 2000.Comment: 29 pages, 22 figure
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