High-resolution tracking using large capillary bundles filled with liquid scintillator

Annis P;Bay A;Benussi L;Bruski N;Buontempo S;Currat C;D'Ambrosio N;van Dantzig R;Dupraz J;Ereditato A;Fabre JP;FANTI, VIVIANA;Feyt J;Frekers D;Frenkel A;Galeazzi F;Garufi F;Goldberg J;Golovkin SV;Gorin AM;Gregoire G;Harrison K;Hoepfner K;Holtz K;Konijn J;Kozarenko EN;Kreslo IE;Kushnirenko AE;Liberti B;Martellotti G;Medvedkov AM;Michel L;Migliozzi P;Mommaert C;Mondardini MR;Panman J;Penso G;Petukhov YP;Rondeshagen D;Siegmund WP;Tyukov V;Van Beek G;Vasil'chenko VG;Vilain P;Visschers JL;Wilquet G;Winter K;Wolff T;Wortche HJ;Wong H;Zimyn KV

2000-01-01

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Abstract

We have developed large high-resolution tracking detectors based on glass capillaries filled with organic liquid scintillator of high refractive index. These liquid-core scintillating optical fibres act simultaneously as detectors of charged particles and as image guides. Track images projected onto the readout end of a capillary bundle are visualized by an optoelectronic chain consisting of a set of image-intensifier tubes followed by a photosensitive CCD or by an EBCCD camera. Two prototype detectors, each composed of approximate to 10(6) capillaries with 20-25 mu m diameter and 0.9-1.8 m length, have been tested, and a spatial resolution of the order of 20-40 mu m has been attained. A high scintillation efficiency and a large light-attenuation length, in excess of 3 m, was achieved through special purification of the liquid scintillator. Along the tracks of minimum-ionizing particles, the hit densities obtained were similar to 8 hits/mm at the readout window, and similar to 3 hits/mm at similar to 1 m away. The level of radiation resistance of the prototype detectors is at least an order of magnitude higher than that of other tracking devices of comparable performance. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.