A Mobile Detector for Muon Measurements Based on Two Different Techniques

B Mitrica,M Niculescu-Oglinzanu,H Rebel,G Toma,C Gomoiu,M Petcu,A Haungs,O Sima,A Saftoiu,D Stanca,A Gherghel-Lascu,I M Brancus,A Apostu,R Margineanu

doi:10.1155/2013/256230

Abstract

Precise measurements of the muon flux are important for different practical applications, both in environmental studies and for the estimation of the water equivalent depths of underground sites. A mobile detector for cosmic muon flux measurements has been set up at IFIN-HH, Romania. The device is used to measure the muon flux on different locations at the surface and underground. Its first configuration, not used in the present, has been composed of two 1 m2scintillator plates, each viewed by wave length shifters and read out by two Photomultiplier Tubes (PMTs). A more recent configuration, consists of two 1 m2detection layers, each one including four 1 · 0,25 m2large scintillator plates. The light output in each plate is collected by twelve optical fibers and then read out by one PMT. Comparative results were obtained with both configurations.

Highlights

A Mobile Detector for Muon Measurements Based on Two Different TechniquesPrecise measurements of the muon flux are important for different practical applications, both in environmental studies and for the estimation of the water equivalent depths of underground sites
The knowledge of cosmic ray muon flux is important in many applications, from low background measurements and the estimation of water equivalent depth for different underground locations to the characterization of the background in the vicinity of mega detectors for neutrino physics, like Super-Kamiokande or the future LAGUNA project [1], for numerous environmental experiments like the solar activity characterization or the weather and climate change surveillance [2].it has successfully been used as muon tomography technique in the search for hidden rooms in pyramids [3] or in volcanology [4]
A versatile detector for cosmic muon flux measurements was set up and studied at IFIN-HH, Bucharest. It can be used in many applications where the information about the flux of atmospheric muons is of interest

Summary

A Mobile Detector for Muon Measurements Based on Two Different Techniques

Precise measurements of the muon flux are important for different practical applications, both in environmental studies and for the estimation of the water equivalent depths of underground sites. A mobile detector for cosmic muon flux measurements has been set up at IFIN-HH, Romania. The device is used to measure the muon flux on different locations at the surface and underground. Not used in the present, has been composed of two 1 m2 scintillator plates, each viewed by wave length shifters and read out by two Photomultiplier Tubes (PMTs). A more recent configuration, consists of two 1 m2 detection layers, each one including four 1 ⋅ 0,25 m2 large scintillator plates. The light output in each plate is collected by twelve optical fibers and read out by one PMT.

Introduction

The Apparatus

Measurements and Results

Conclusions