Quartz Cherenkov counters for fast timing: QUARTIC

• Published in: Journal of instrumentation Vol. 7; no. 10; pp. 1 - 23
• Main Authors: Albrow, M G, Kim, H, Los, S, Mazzillo, M, Ramberg, E, Ronzhin, A, Samoylenko, V, Wenzel, H, Zatserklyaniy, A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 01.10.2012
• Subjects: Bars; Beams (radiation); Detectors; Large Hadron Collider; Multiplier phototubes; Photomultipliers; Quartz; Time measurements
• ISSN: 1748-0221; 1748-0221
• DOI: 10.1088/1748-0221/7/10/P10027

We have developed particle detectors based on fused silica (quartz) Cherenkov radiators read out with microchannel plate photomultipliers (MCP-PMTs) or silicon photomultipliers (SiPMs) for high precision timing ( sigma sub(t) similar to 10-15 ps). One application is to measure the times of small angle protons from exclusive reactions, p+p arrow right p+X+p, at the Large Hadron Collider, LHC. They may also be used to measure directional particle fluxes close to external or stored beams. The detectors have small areas (cm super(2)), but need to be active very close ( similar to 4 mm) to the intense LHC beam, and so must be radiation hard and nearly edgeless. We present results of tests of detectors with quartz bars inclined at the Cherenkov angle, and with bars in the form of an "L" (with a 90 degree corner). We also describe a possible design for a fast timing hodoscope with few mm super(2) elements.