Emulsion sheet doublets as interface trackers for the OPERA experiment


Anokhina A., Aoki S., Ariga A., Arrabito L., Autiero D., Badertscher A., ...More

JOURNAL OF INSTRUMENTATION, vol.3, 2008 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 3
  • Publication Date: 2008
  • Doi Number: 10.1088/1748-0221/3/07/p07005
  • Journal Name: JOURNAL OF INSTRUMENTATION
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Keywords: particle tracking detectors, detector design and construction technologies and materials, large detector systems for particle and astroparticle physics, detector alignment and calibration methods (lasers, sources, particle-beams), NUCLEAR-EMULSION, SYSTEM
  • Middle East Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

New methods for efficient and unambiguous interconnection between electronic position sensitive detectors and target units based on nuclear photographic emulsion films have been developed. The application to the OPERA experiment, that aims at detecting nu(mu) reversible arrow nu(tau) oscillations in the CNGS neutrino beam, is reported in this paper. In order to reduce background due to latent tracks collected before installation in the detector, on-site large-scale treatments of the emulsions ("refreshing") have been applied. Changeable Sheet (CSd) packages, each made of a doublet of emulsion films, have been designed, assembled and coupled to the OPERA target units ("ECC bricks"). A device has been built to print X-ray spots for accurate interconnection both within the CSd and between the CSd and the related ECC brick. Sample emulsion films have been extensively scanned with state-of-the-art automated optical microscopes. Efficient track-matching and powerful background rejection have been achieved in tests with electronically tagged penetrating muons. Further improvement of in-doublet film alignment was obtained by matching the pattern of low-energy electron tracks. The commissioning of the overall OPERA alignment procedure is in progress.