Photon detector for MEGA. [53 MeV

Abstract

The MEGA photon detector is designed to observe the 52.83-MeV photon produced in a [mu] [yields] e[gamma] decay with an energy resolution of 1.25 MeV, a position resolution of 2 [times] 5 mm[sup 2], a directional resolution of 10[degree], a time resolution of 500 ps, and an efficiency of about 5.4%. It will consist of three independent concentric cylindrical pair spectrometers mounted within a 1.5 T magnetic field produced by a superconducting solenoid magnet. Each pair spectrometer includes two thin Pb foils to convert photons into e[sup +]e[sup [minus]] pairs. The two smaller pair spectrometers will have three drift chamber layers to track the e[sup +]e[sup [minus]] pairs and thereby determine both their locations and their vector momenta. The third pair spectrometer will have four layers of drift chamber, together with a larger turning region, to provide better tracking information for high energy photons. The inner drift chamber layer in each of the spectrometers includes a delay line cathode to determine the z coordinates needed for track reconstruction. An MWPC located between the two Pb layers identifies the conversion layer so that energy loss corrections may be applied, while plastic scintillators provide timing information. During the past year, efforts have focused primarily on software development, completion of the delay line tests, and development of electronics for the scintillators and delay line read-out. Optical windows were glued onto the light guides required for the third pair spectrometer. In addition, major contributions were made to the development of a proposal to measure the Michel parameter, [rho], using the MEGA positron detectors.