Scintillator for a muon detector

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

Stou Sandalski - 18 Sep 2004 08:33 GMT

I was thinking of building a muon detector, using scintillators (not GM
tubes) but i can't find out what type of scintillators i should use,
the designs i have seen online talk at great length about the circuit
boards, fabrication techniques, etc. etc. but not about the type of
scintillator material that is best. Anyone have an idea? I found this
site listing a bunch of different ones:

http://www.mkt-intl.com/crystals/scintcrystal.htm

And also where i can buy sheets of that stuff... when i search for
scintillator on froogle.google.com all it shows is a bunch of dildos.
Stou

Reply to this Message

Dr Ivan D. Reid - 18 Sep 2004 09:38 GMT

> I was thinking of building a muon detector, using scintillators (not GM
> tubes) but i can't find out what type of scintillators i should use,
> the designs i have seen online talk at great length about the circuit
> boards, fabrication techniques, etc. etc. but not about the type of
> scintillator material that is best. Anyone have an idea? I found this
> site listing a bunch of different ones:

> http://www.mkt-intl.com/crystals/scintcrystal.htm

> And also where i can buy sheets of that stuff... when i search for
> scintillator on froogle.google.com all it shows is a bunch of dildos.

    We use(d) plastic scintillators for detecting muons in uSR
experiments (and thicker ones to detect the decay positrons), coupled to
photomultiplier tubes via plastic or glass fibre light-guides. I never
got the chance to try using an avalanche photodiode as the detector --
some of our applications needed detectors in high magnetic fields.

    Bicron is a major manufacturer. They once sent me some
scintillating fibre samples for a project I had in mind, but it didn't
turn out as well as I wanted. There are "domestic" sources of such
scintillating plastic, in fibres and sheets, and in various colours for
visual effects (detector scintillator emits very short wavelength blue
light).

    Googling on bicron and scintillator should give you enough to start
with.

Signature

Ivan Reid, Electronic & Computer Engineering, ___ CMS Collaboration,
Brunel University. Ivan.Reid@brunel.ac.uk Room 40-1-B12, CERN
KotPT -- "for stupidity above and beyond the call of duty".

Reply to this Message

Stou Sandalski - 18 Sep 2004 09:58 GMT

> Bicron is a major manufacturer. They once sent me some
> scintillating fibre samples for a project I had in mind, but it didn't
> turn out as well as I wanted. There are "domestic" sources of such
> scintillating plastic, in fibres and sheets, and in various colours for
> visual effects (detector scintillator emits very short wavelength blue
> light).

If there are fiber scintilators, would it be possible to create the top
and bottom detector plates using many (isolated) lines of the fiber,
along with an array of sensitive photo-detectors (if they even exist).
Or even better a cylinder lined with the fibers? And then calculating
the angles at which the muons 'fly' through?

I wanted to build something close to this:
http://www2.slac.stanford.edu/vvc/cosmicrays/crslac.html

but now i am starting to think that if slac didn't do it for theirs its
either, not possible/probable or its too expensive... i am an undergrad
after all.

> Googling on bicron and scintillator should give you enough to start
> with.

Yes i found a contact. Thanks = )

Stou

Reply to this Message

Dr Ivan D. Reid - 18 Sep 2004 13:44 GMT

>> Bicron is a major manufacturer. They once sent me some
>> scintillating fibre samples for a project I had in mind, but it
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> blue
>> light).

> If there are fiber scintilators, would it be possible to create the top
> and bottom detector plates using many (isolated) lines of the fiber,
> along with an array of sensitive photo-detectors (if they even exist).
> Or even better a cylinder lined with the fibers? And then calculating
> the angles at which the muons 'fly' through?

Yes. It's called a hodoscope. The big problems are the cost of
the individual photo-detectors and power supplies for them (of course the
circuitry can be arranged for one PS to supply bias to many detectors)
as well as amplifiers, logic circuitry, etc.

> I wanted to build something close to this:
> http://www2.slac.stanford.edu/vvc/cosmicrays/crslac.html

Those detectors are to all intents and purposes identicals to those
used in uSR experiments (e.g. http://lmu.web.psi.ch/ ).

> but now i am starting to think that if slac didn't do it for theirs its
> either, not possible/probable or its too expensive... i am an undergrad
> after all.

It's a low-resolution experiment to illustrate a principle, rather
than a high-resolution cosmic-ray investigation. There's a similar experiment
out of Zurich Uni using cosmic muons to illustrate muon precession in a
magnetic field; I think it was in J.Appl.Phys., but I can't look up the
reference until I'm in my office on Monday. But yes, expense is an issue.

>> Googling on bicron and scintillator should give you enough to start
>> with.

> Yes i found a contact. Thanks = )

Signature

Ivan Reid, Electronic & Computer Engineering, ___ CMS Collaboration,
Brunel University. Ivan.Reid@brunel.ac.uk Room 40-1-B12, CERN
KotPT -- "for stupidity above and beyond the call of duty".

Reply to this Message

Natural Science Forum / Physics / Particle Physics / September 2004

Scintillator for a muon detector