Abstract
Due to their efficiency, tracking capabilities and long-term
operational conditions, Multigap Resistive Plate Chambers (MRPC) may
be used in a stable location in coincidence with additional
...detectors fixed to other parts of a civil building, to detect
relative displacements of different parts of the building due to
long term deformations of the structure. In this contribution we
report the results of two different measurements carried out in the
Department of Physics and Astronomy of the University of Catania
(with three floors above the ground and an underground basement),
using one of the MRPC telescopes of the Extreme Energy Events
project, in coincidence with two scintillator-based muon telescopes
located in various positions inside the building. Experimental
results obtained by these measurements campaigns over a period of
about three months are reported, together with a discussion about
the performance of the technique. The sensitivity of the method is
also discussed by means of Monte Carlo simulations.
This paper discusses the possibility to employ the Multi-gap Resistive Plate Chambers (MRPC) of the Extreme Energy Events (EEE) Project as muon tracking detectors to monitor the long term stability ...of civil buildings and structures when used in conjunction with additional detectors, to reconstruct the average direction of the cosmic muon tracks passing through both devices and any small variation over long time acquisition periods. The performance of such setup is discussed and preliminary experimental coincidence results obtained with a 40× 60 cm
2
scintillator detector operated in the same building with one of the EEE telescopes, at about 15 m vertical distance from it, are presented. Simple Monte Carlo and GEANT simulations were also carried out to evaluate typical acceptance values for the operating conditions employed so far, to extrapolate to other geometrical configurations, and to evaluate multiple scattering effects.
Cosmic ray muons are a penetrating component of extensive air showers created in the Earth atmosphere by the interaction of highly energetic primary particles, mostly protons, which continuously ...bombard our Planet. The secondary cosmic radiation is the result of the complex interplay between the production cross section and the interaction mechanisms with the atmosphere (including the energy loss, multiple scattering and particle decay). Cosmic muons have been considered since several decades as a powerful probe to exploit our environment, from muography of volcanoes to absorption radiography of possible hidden rooms inside large structures, such as Pyramids, to the detection of high-Z illicit nuclear materials inside containers and many other applications of social interest. This paper discusses the possibility to employ the Multigap Resistive Plate Chambers (MRPC) of the Extreme Energy Events (EEE) Project as muon tracking detectors to monitor the long term stability of civil buildings and structures when used in conjunction with additional detectors. For this application the average direction of the cosmic muon tracks passing through the MRPC telescope and an additional detector located some distance apart in the same building may be reconstructed with good precision and any small variation over long time acquisition periods may be monitored. The performance of such setup is discussed and experimental results from first coincidence measurements obtained with a 40 × 60 cm2 scintillator detector operated in the same building with one of the EEE telescopes, at about 15 m vertical distance from it, are presented. Simple Monte Carlo and GEANT simulations were also carried out to evaluate typical acceptance values for the operating conditions employed so far, to extrapolate to other geometrical configurations, and to evaluate multiple scattering effects.
The EEE (Extreme Energy Events) Project is an experiment for the detection of cosmic ray muons by means of a sparse array of telescopes, each made of three Multigap Resistive Plate Chambers (MRPC), ...distributed over all the Italian territory and at CERN. The main scientific goals of the Project are the investigation of the properties of the local muon flux, the detection of Extensive Air Showers (EAS) and the search for long-distance correlations between far telescopes. The Project is also characterized by a strong educational and outreach aspect since the telescopes are managed by teams of students and teachers who had previously constructed them at CERN. In this paper an overall description of the experiment is given, including the design, construction and performance of the telescopes. The operation of the whole array, which currently consists of more than 50 telescopes, is also presented by showing the most recent physics results.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
The Extreme Energy Events (EEE) Project is mainly devoted to the study of the secondary cosmic ray radiation by using muon tracker telescopes made of three Multigap Resistive Plate Chambers (MRPC) ...each. The experiment consists of a telescope network mainly distributed across Italy, hosted in different building structures pertaining to high schools, universities and research centers. Therefore, the possibility to take into account the effects of these structures on collected data is important for the large physics programme of the project. A simulation tool, based on GEANT4 and using GEMC framework, has been implemented to take into account the muon interaction with EEE telescopes and to estimate the effects on data of the structures surrounding the experimental apparata.A dedicated event generator producing realistic muon distributions, detailed geometry and microscopic behavior of MRPCs have been included to produce experimental-like data. The comparison between simulated and experimental data, and the estimation of detector resolutions is here presented and discussed.
The Extreme Energy Events (EEE) Project is an experiment aimed at the detection of secondary cosmic ray muons. It consists of a sparse array of about 60 telescopes, based on Multigap Resistive Plate ...Chambers (MRPCs), mostly distributed throughout the Italian territory, mainly in high schools locations, and at CERN. The telescopes are now operational and taking data since more than ten years with a high duty cycle and detection efficiency. The analysis activity is currently in progress and focused on several items, including the detailed study of the muon ux under dfferent conditions, its connection with atmospheric and solar events, the detection of extensive air showers and the search for long distance correlations between different extensive air showers. In this paper an overall description of the experiment will be given, together with its educational fallout. The operation of the whole array is also discussed by showing the most recent results obtained from the analysis of the collected data.
Activity of CERN and LNF groups on large area GEM detectors Alfonsi, M.; Bencivenni, G.; Brock, I. ...
Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment,
05/2010, Volume:
617, Issue:
1
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
We report on the activity of CERN and INFN-LNF groups on the development of large area GEM detectors. The two groups work together within the RD51 Collaboration, to aim at the development of ...Micro-pattern Gas detectors technologies. The vast request for large area foils by the GEM community has driven a change in the manufacturing procedure by the TS-DEM-PMT laboratory, needed to overcome the previous size limitation of
450
×
450
mm
2
. Now a single-mask technology is used allowing foils to be made as large as
450
×
2000
mm
2
. The limitation in the short size, due to the definite width of the raw material, can be overcome by splicing more foils together. A
10
×
10
cm
2
GEM detector with the new single-mask foil has been tested with X-rays and the results are shown. Possible future applications for large area GEM are the TOTEM experiment upgrade at CERN, and the KLOE-2 experiment at the Dafne
Φ
-factory in Frascati.
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
The Extreme Energy Events (EEE) experiment, dedicated to the study of secondary cosmic rays, is arguably the largest detector system in the world implemented by Multigap Resistive Plate Chambers. The ...EEE network consists of 60 telescopes distributed over all the Italian territory; each telescope is made of three MRPCs and allows to reconstruct the trajectory of cosmic muons with high efficiency and optimal angular resolution. A distinctive feature of the EEE network is that almost all telescopes are housed in High Schools and managed by groups of students and teachers, who previously took care of their construction at CERN. This peculiarity is a big plus for the experiment, which combines the scientific relevance of its objectives with effective outreach activities. The unconventional location of the detectors, mainly in standard classrooms of school buildings, with heterogeneous maintenance conditions and without controlled temperature and dedicated power lines, is a unique test field to verify the robustness, the low aging characteristics and the long-lasting performance of MRPC technology for particle monitoring and timing. Finally, it is reported how the spatial resolution, efficiency, tracking capability and stability of these chambers behave in time.
The Extreme Energy Events observatory is an extended muon telescope array, covering more than 10 degrees both in latitude and longitude. Its 59 muon telescopes are equipped with tracking detectors ...based on Multigap Resistive Plate Chamber technology with time resolution of the order of a few hundred picoseconds. The recent restrictions on greenhouse gases demand studies for new gas mixtures in compliance with the relative requirements. Tetrafluoropropene is one of the candidates for tetrafluoroethane substitution, since it is characterized by a Global Warming Potential around 300 times lower than the gas mixtures used up to now. Several mixtures have been tested, measuring efficiency curves, charge distributions, streamer fractions and time resolutions. Results are presented for the whole set of mixtures and operating conditions, focusing on identifying a mixture with good performance at the low rates typical of an EEE telescope.
EEE is an extended cosmic ray observatory, covering more than 10 degrees in latitude and longitude. The relative distances between clusters of telescopes reached the 1200 km, allowing the search for ...rare long distance correlations between cosmic showers. On the other side each EEE telescope is capable of measuring the flux of secondary particles, opening to the study of low energy phenomena such as solar activity and Forbush decreases. An introduction to the observaotry and updates on the main scientific results are presented. Last updates on the searches for rare correlated showers, with a set of long distance correlation candidate events are also reported.
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