The Time-Of-Flight (TOF) detector of the ALICE experiment at the CERN LHC is based on Multi-gap Resistive Plate Chambers (MRPCs) technology. During the 2009-2013 data taking the TOF system had very ...stable operations with a total time resolution of 80ps. Details of the different calibration procedures and performance with data from collisions at the LHC will be described.
Various experiments are searching for detectors that can cover large areas (as in the present LHC experiments) with excellent timing performances and insensitivity to magnetic field. A detector based ...on scintillators coupled to SiPM can fulfil these requirements. SiPMs are indeed replacing the standard PhotoMultiplier technology thanks to the many advantages, with the corresponding possibility to achieve also higher segmentations in calorimetry or other applications. Also in view of future colliders experiments like HL-LHC or FCC or medical applications like TOF-PET, an important R&D on timing performances of SiPMs-scintillator detectors has begun, with the goal of including them in the list of possible 4-D tracking-timing devices.
An R&D on SiPM coupled to scintillator time resolution has been performed in a cosmic ray setup. Different kind of SiPMs, geometries of SiPMs coupled to the scintillator and different size of scintillator have been also studied. A time resolution of ∼69 ps, comprehensive of the full electronic chain, from the front-end to the readout electronics, has been achieved with SiPMs coupled to a 2x2x3 cm3 plastic scintillator.
In this paper, different Silicon PhotoMultiplier (SiPM) sensors have been tested with charged particles to characterize the Cherenkov light produced in the sensor protection layer. A careful position ...scan of the SiPM response has been performed with different prototypes, confirming the large number of firing cells and proving almost full efficiency, with the SiPM filling factor essentially negligible. This study also allowed us to study the time resolution of such devices as a function of the number of firing cells, reaching values below 20 ps. These measurements provide significant insight into the capabilities of SiPM sensors in direct detection of charged particles and their potential for several applications.
In this paper, evidence that the increased response of SiPM sensors to the passage of charged particles is related mainly to Cherenkov light produced in the protection layer is reported. The response ...and timing properties of sensors with different protection layers have been studied.
The Time-Of-Flight (TOF) detector of the ALICE experiment at the CERN LHC is based on Multi-gap Resistive Plate Chambers (MRPCs) capable to achieve a time resolution better than 50
ps. The TOF ...detector consists of about 153
000 readout channels covering a total area of about
150
m
2
. In this paper the results of the commissioning of the full TOF are reported, including the first calibration results obtained with cosmic rays.
The Time-Of-Flight detector (TOF) of the ALICE experiment at the CERN LHC is based on Multi-gap Resistive Plate Chambers (MRPCs). The TOF detector consists of 152928 readout channels covering a total ...area of 141 m
2
. In this paper the results of the calibration with cosmic-ray data collected during 2009 are presented.
Final test of the MRPC production for the ALICE TOF detector Akindinov, A.; Alici, A.; Antonioli, P. ...
Nuclear instruments & methods in physics research. Section A, Accelerators, spectrometers, detectors and associated equipment,
05/2009, Letnik:
602, Številka:
3
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
During the autumn of 2006 a final test of a sample of double-stack MRPC (Multigap Resistive Plate Chamber) strips, randomly chosen from two years of mass production (the ALICE Time-Of-Flight detector ...is made of 1638 strips), was carried out at the CERN Proton Synchrotron facility. The results on the performances of the MRPCs and of the front-end and readout electronics will be presented. It is confirmed that these devices have a very good uniformity of response, a long streamer-free plateau, an efficiency higher than 99% and an “intrinsic” time resolution better than about 40
ps.
The goal of the ALICE Time-of-Flight detector, based on MRPC technology, is to perform the charged-particle identification at midrapidity, in the region |
η|<0.9. This large area (∼150
m
2), finely ...segmented detector (∼157,000 channels), provides fast signals which will contribute to the Level 0 and Level 1 trigger decisions. We use the TOF detector information to perform an online estimate of the total track multiplicity and to identify simple and peculiar topologies, like those produced by minimum bias p–p, Ultra Peripheral ion–ion collisions and cosmic muons. The system architecture foresees a first layer of 72 VME boards interfacing the detector front-end to a second layer, which receives and processes all the information and takes trigger decisions.
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