Preparing the Big Bite Hadron Detector Package

1
Preparing the Big Bite Hadron Detector
Package Gordon Lott, Virginia Tech Mentor
Douglas Higinbotham
Abstract
The Hadron Detector
The Scintillator
The Assembly and Testing of the BigBite Hadron
Detector System. GORDON E. LOTT (Virginia
Polytechnic Institute and State University,
Blacksburg, VA 24061) DOUGLAS W. HIGINBOTHAM
(Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility,
Newport News, VA 23606). Scintillator
detectors are a basic part of nuclear and high
energy physics research. When a charged
particle passes through a scintillator it creates
photons. The photons travel to the ends of the
scintillator and into photomultiplier tubes
(PMTs) which turn the photons into an electric
pulse. The BigBite Hadron particle detector
package has a scintillator plane made of two
layers of 24 scintillator bars. This project
focuses on this detector package which will be
used in a Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator
Facility Hall A experiment next year and its
scintillator plane and electronics needed to be
assembled. All the PMTs were connected to
labeled high voltage (HV) cables and signal
cables. The signal cables were connected to a
series of nuclear instrument modules (NIM) which
amplify the signal and convert the analog signal
to a digital signal. The different NIM modules
needed for logic and triggering were arranged and
cabled in an organized fashion for easy
troubleshooting and repair. The HV cables were
connected to LeCroy high voltage supplies. The
whole system was tested with cosmic rays to find
problems. This assembly and testing put the
detector in complete working order and verified
the quality of the set up. The prepared package
can now be moved into Hall A for the experiment.

• Particle detectors are a basic part of nuclear
  and high energy research.
• The BigBite Hadron detector is going to be used
  in an up coming Jefferson Lab Hall A experiment.
• The package uses dipole called BigBite to bend
  the particles going towards the detector.
• The package was modified from a previous setup.
• The package is made up of a two layer
  scintillator plane and two wire drift chambers.

http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photomultiplier

• When a charged particle passes through
  scintillator it creates photons.
• The photons travel to the ends of the
  scintillator and into photomultiplier tubes
  (PMTs).
• The PMT changes the photon into an electric pulse

Testing and Results
The DAQ Setup

• All the signals from the PMTs are sent via cable
  to a series of nuclear instrument modules (NIM)
  which amplify the signal and convert the analog
  signal to a digital signal.
• All detector hardware was assembled in an
  organized fashion for easy troubleshooting and
  repair.

Sample A1 PMT Spectrum
Single photoelectron peak

• The whole system was tested with cosmic rays to
  find and fix problems.
• This work put the detector in complete working
  order and checked the quality of the setup.
• The tested package will only need to be moved
  into Hall A for the experiment.

Acknowledgements. Douglas Higinbotham, Bryan
Moffit, Xiaohui Zhan, Jan Tyler, Lisa Surles-Law,
Ida Rodriguez, Brent Terres, Scott Lahr, Emily
Sykes thank you for all your help I have learned
a lot because of you.